Going to Detroit MI in 2 weeks...Help for Buying MAC...

[SPACEKID]

Hiya

I have a G3 Blue & White 450Mhz, 512MB Ram, cdrw.

I was going to buy a Mac when I go over to see my family in MI in a couple of weeks...
(much cheaper than here)

Im in the UK btw

Anyway, Id prob have about $900 to spend.

I dont need a monitor, tbh dont even need a keyboard or mouse, just the base unit would do...

What sorta spec should I be looking to get?
I use the MAC for Music work/Sequencing etc

Or would I be better buying a sonnet 1ghz Zif upgrade for my G3???

And last q

How could I bring the MAC back over here? Customs will probably tax me on it, unless I say its a gift (which I can especially if its 2nd hand)...
But you cant have it as hand luggage can you? 14-15kg's is too heavy?

Thanks in advance

 

[thehuncamunca]

iBook G4 $1000 with edu discount
could you unwrap the iBook put it in a computer bag get rid of the packing and pass it off as your own ibook that you had before you came to US

Hiya

I have a G3 Blue & White 450Mhz, 512MB Ram, cdrw.

I was going to buy a Mac when I go over to see my family in MI in a couple of weeks...
(much cheaper than here)

Im in the UK btw

Anyway, Id prob have about $900 to spend.

I dont need a monitor, tbh dont even need a keyboard or mouse, just the base unit would do...

What sorta spec should I be looking to get?
I use the MAC for Music work/Sequencing etc

Or would I be better buying a sonnet 1ghz Zif upgrade for my G3???

And last q

How could I bring the MAC back over here? Customs will probably tax me on it, unless I say its a gift (which I can especially if its 2nd hand)...
But you cant have it as hand luggage can you? 14-15kg's is too heavy?

Thanks in advance

 

[blue&whiteman]

emac combo drive or ibook 12"

 

[hotwire132002]

iBook G4 $1000 with edu discount
could you unwrap the iBook put it in a computer bag get rid of the packing and pass it off as your own ibook that you had before you came to US

Not to get into all the ethics here, but wouldn't that be a bit dishonest? And illegal? Just wondering; I know nothing about customs. I just stay in the good old USA

 

[jxyama]

i never understood the gift thing...

if the computer is meant as a gift for someone else you purchased, you will be asked to show the payment of duty on it.

if you received the computer as a gift in the states and are coming back to the u.k. with it, you will be asked to show the payment of duty on it by the giver.

it's not the responsibility of the customs to prove that the duty has been paid - it's your responsibility. no proof and they can make you pay...

anyway, that's off topic. if you want "official" channels, there are two apple stores in detroit metro areas, one in Novi Twelve Oaks Mall (northwest of detroit) and one in Troy Somerset Collection (north of detroit).

 

[hotwire132002]

iBook G4 $1000 with edu discount
could you unwrap the iBook put it in a computer bag get rid of the packing and pass it off as your own ibook that you had before you came to US

Not to get into all the ethics here, but wouldn't that be a bit dishonest? And illegal? Just wondering; I know nothing about customs. I just stay in the good old USA

 

[hotwire132002]

Not to get into all the ethics here, but wouldn't that be a bit dishonest? And illegal? Just wondering; I know nothing about customs. I just stay in the good old USA

Oops, somehow that got posted twice. I think it's the "back" button's fault!

 

[miloblithe]

With a little luck they might ignore you. A friend of mine bought a dual 1.0Ghz G4 tower last year and took it to France. They didn't ask him about it, even though it was a pretty obviously large box with a computer in it.

The way he looked at it was, if he got it in free, great, and if he had to pay the tax, it's still cheaper than buying it in Europe.

For $900 though, you might want to look at a refurb notebook. It'd be easier to transport, still give you a nice power boost, and you'd now have a portable to boot (no pun intended).

 

[Foxer]

You're just a couple hundred short of G4 powermac.

 

[jxyama]

The way he looked at it was, if he got it in free, great, and if he had to pay the tax, it's still cheaper than buying it in Europe.

NO. if you get caught, you pay the fine and the duty. the fine is usually greater than the duty itself and will most likely push the total to be more expensive, regardless of the weak dollar.

so it's double or nothing - either you get in for free or you pay a lot more than just duty. it's not a riskless "free" shot to see if you can get in without paying for the duty.

 

[blue&whiteman]

You're just a couple hundred short of G4 powermac.

saving up the rest and getting a powermac G4 would be a good idea.

 

[SPACEKID]

It was a Powermac G4 that I was after, as the notebook altho cool, is not suited to what ill be using it for...(Sorry to confuse it earlier as when I said I didnt need a mouse/monitor/keyboard I meant ill be using my existing USB ones from my PC linked to a KVM switch)...

1)Is a G4 800 faster than a G3 450 with a Sonnet 1ghz zif upgrade?
2)On ebay.com theres a few 2nd hand powermac G4's , thats what I meant, in otherwords if I bought it when im over there, and brought it back surely thats ok?

3)How can you transport a Powermac through the plane though? Is it too big for hand luggage?

 

[blue&whiteman]

It was a Powermac G4 that I was after, as the notebook altho cool, is not suited to what ill be using it for...(Sorry to confuse it earlier as when I said I didnt need a mouse/monitor/keyboard I meant ill be using my existing USB ones from my PC linked to a KVM switch)...

1)Is a G4 800 faster than a G3 450 with a Sonnet 1ghz zif upgrade?
2)On ebay.com theres a few 2nd hand powermac G4's , thats what I meant, in otherwords if I bought it when im over there, and brought it back surely thats ok?

3)How can you transport a Powermac through the plane though? Is it too big for hand luggage?

go with the G4 800 unless its a lot more money than the upgraded one. the box a powermac comes in new keeps is nice and safe for transport. I have hung onto mine and used it when I moved. if i'm just taking it toa friends for a lan party then I just pick it up by the handles and go

 

[mkrishnan]

go with the G4 800 unless its a lot more money than the upgraded one. the box a powermac comes in new keeps is nice and safe for transport. I have hung onto mine and used it when I moved. if i'm just taking it toa friends for a lan party then I just pick it up by the handles and go

Apple does make very nice boxes, though, don't they?

Boxed, it will probably have to be checked in the plane -- you would probably have a really hard time packaging it in such a way to readily carry it on, although the tower case itself is small enough.

As far as the upgrade vs. G4 issue, there are probably some other slight advantages to the G4 beyond the speed, to second blue&whiteman's comment. I think they started offering USB 2.0 around the G4 switch, right? Still wouldn't get FW800 though. Depending on the music hardware you connect, these might be valuable. I'd think the better bus outside of the CPU would be advantageous too if you're using a multichannel ADC or something like that.

To the original poster, FWIW, hope you like Detroit when you get here. It is finally getting warm here, as of just the last two days.