Duel 1.8 GHZ G5 - Worth Grabbing?

[hey_augie]

Hello - wondering if the duel 1.8 G5 machines are any good? I don't know a ton about the different models but have the opportunity to get one for less than 100 dollars that looks to be in good shape. This would be my first PPC Mac purely for the fun of it. I made a post a few months ago about diving into this world. The G5 didn't really come up but I've been watching market place and the likes in my area and they seem to be more common than some of the G4 or other machines.

Edit: ton of typos... I may be losing my mind

 

[r34per]

Under 100 is a pretty good deal for one. Do you know the other specs of it? For what they are the g5's aren't too bad, web browsing isn't too terrible on them and many programs run quite well on them. I have a dual 1.8ghz g5 myself along with 4gb of ram and web browsing is a pretty painless experience with tenfourfox, though it really depends on on what you want to get out of it. They can't boot os9, which is a deal breaker for some, but with tiger installed you can use classic mode to run os9 apps and games.

 

[1042686]

I wouldn't spend more than $40 myself. I picked up 2ghz versions of an a1047 for $20 and an a1177 for $40 and that one included a cinema display and wireless apple kb/m. Also, something to consider is the extra $$ going to peripherals, upgrades etc. which is pretty common unless the box is absolutely decked out from the get go.

 

[r34per]

I wouldn't spend more than $40 myself. I picked up 2ghz versions of an a1047 for $20 and an a1177 for $40 and that one included a cinema display and wireless apple kb/m. Also, something to consider is the extra $$ going to peripherals, upgrades etc. which is pretty common unless the box is absolutely decked out from the get go.

Man, i wish the prices were that good here! I bought mine for 30$, and tha was becasue it didn't even work. I see poewrmacs go for around 100$+ around my area. That is a good point though, the video cards in particular. The nicer ones with dual dvi ports tend to go for a pretty penny. You can flash other AGP cards, but even those are pricey now

 

[backyardvoodoo]

I bought 2 of these for $40 in a beat-up condition, with 1Gb RAM each and without the SuperDrives. Have since spent three times more on the upgrades. It all comes down to the specs, e.g. a good AGP video card can get pricy.

 

[1042686]

I picked both of mine up on CL. Check the app daily, be patient & when you see a deal, jump on it. Don’t be shy about haggling either if the price is a bit high. I also scored a MDD on letgo for $10. Lots of deals out there - if you look everyday you’ll run into a few.

 

[TheShortTimer]

Just under $100 USD sounds too expensive: I paid £20 GBP for an immaculate dual 2.3Ghz model with 3.5GB RAM (which I expanded to 8GB very cheaply) - and Macs are usually more expensive over here in the UK than stateside. I agree with @RhianB, look around and be patient.

 

[Project Alice]

I agree $100 is too much. If it comes with an Apple display, keyboard and mouse I might go for it. But as others have said, I probably wouldn't pay more than $40 or $50 for the machine itself. Especially if it has a low amount of ram and the usually-factory Geforce FX 5200.

 

[hey_augie]

hmmmm well thanks everyone sounds like this is not the deal i've been searching for. Will keep my eyes open. thanks!

 

[sanfrancisofont1984]

Depending on your budget situation I would say. I wouldn’t be super productive if I couldn’t get stuff soon enough.

 

[1042686]

Holy cow why didn’t I think of that. In that light, I’ll go buy a new Lamborghini because it will get me to work faster.

 

[sanfrancisofont1984]

Lambo doesn’t beat traffic but plenty of people buy MP 7, 1 and are happy with it.

 

[sanfrancisofont1984]

Not that I am against haggling btw when I sell unused stuff I usually end up giving 20% discount or more because selling faster also saves time.

 

[1042686]

Lambo doesn’t beat traffic but plenty of people buy MP 7, 1 and are happy with it.

I’m glad the point was not lost. You can spend all you want. It won’t make you more productive. What it will do is show ones impulsivity.

Certainly op doesn’t need to drop a Hundy to have fun. Judgment can be employed.

 

[AshleyPomeroy]

Of note there were two dual-processor 1.8ghz G5s - a PCI-X model that was released at the very end of the first generation and a PCI model that was part of the second generation. Frustratingly the second model had more efficient processors (a good thing) but an artificial 4gb memory limit (a bad thing). Judging by Everymac's figures performance was similar.

 

[hey_augie]

I passed. Wasn't spec'd well enough to drop 100 bucks. And I am here for the fun not productivity so no rush.