HELP Buying a used MDD

[Wonderl33t]

I have found two used MDDs that I really want to get, but I am curious what other people think about the price

Dual 867, 512 ram, 120 gig HD, Combo drive for $999

Dual 1 ghz, 256 ram, 60 gig, Superdrive for $1,149

I am pretty sure they come with Geforce4 MXs, but it doesn't matter because I have a Radeon 9000 pro ready to stick in it. Also, the HD space doesn't matter eitehr because I have a 160 gig ata 133 drive waiting to put in, so 60 vs 120 gig, don't really care

I'm leaning toward the dual 1 ghz because of the extra speed plus the superdrive. But are these good prices for these systems? I looked on ebay, but the selection of G4s isn't that great, and people were paying a lot

I really appreciate any input.

 

[law guy]

New dual 1.25 G4 for $1295.00

It appears Insight.com is still selling the dual 1.25 GHz G4 new from stock for $1295.00. That was the last PM G4 apple offered. (They discontinued to dual 1.42 in July of 03, but kept selling the 1.25 for awhile after). That's the best G4 deal I found in a brief search - found lots of used selling for more than that, and those aren't even FW800 in many cases.

http://www.insight.com/site/product...re%5Fcategory&NugsTracking=Results_Full_Specs

EDIT - not clear to me looking again if this box just has the one proc. or two - so it may not be dual.

 

[law guy]

Other options

OR - what about a 1.6 GHz iMac G5 for $999, also NEW? http://www.smalldog.com/product/12653991/atthinksecret/ The new G4 I posted a link to may suit your needs better, but this also seemed to be a good example of good prices on new, out-of-production machines.

 

[Wonderl33t]

Thanks for posting those links. I like having dual processors because I mess with Photoshop and video editing a lot. I'd rather have dual 1 ghz than single 1.25, really. I realize I would be slightly overpaying given the specs, but I really prefer the towers. Plus the dual ghz used has a superdrive, which I really want...

 

[iGary]

Run away from the dual 867 - a known stinker.

We have one in our office on its third logic board.

 

[law guy]

Thanks for posting those links. I like having dual processors because I mess with Photoshop and video editing a lot. I'd rather have dual 1 ghz than single 1.25, really. I realize I would be slightly overpaying given the specs, but I really prefer the towers. Plus the dual ghz used has a superdrive, which I really want...

Understand where you're coming from. Here's a link to a place that has quite a few used (pre-owned) G4 PMs - 90 day warranties, they say. I haven't used them, but I refer you to the site as a means of comparing prices. Hope you find a great machine.

http://www.dvwarehouse.com/categories/253_53_126.html

 

[Wonderl33t]

Understand where you're coming from. Here's a link to a place that has quite a few used (pre-owned) G4 PMs - 90 day warranties, they say. I haven't used them, but I refer you to the site as a means of comparing prices. Hope you find a great machine.

http://www.dvwarehouse.com/categories/253_53_126.html

thanks. I still like the prices here

http://store.yahoo.com/macresource/mddpog41gdp2.html

http://www.macofalltrades.com/produ...7MD1&mscssid=XKC2PBDFX8218H4G4QLPWK3SH3169CHF

although I likely will avoid the dual 867 per the warning above.

 

[SpaceMagic]

Wouldn't a g5 serve you better? even the 1.6...?

 

[Mechcozmo]

Wouldn't a g5 serve you better? even the 1.6...?

Dualies are usually 40% faster than singles. Plus, the money the OP saves on the G4 vs. a comparable G5 can mean more RAM, etc. Plus the hard drive thing-- an iMac has only one hard drive. Sometimes you want 2 drives... backups, anyone?

 

[law guy]

Thanks for posting those links. I like having dual processors because I mess with Photoshop and video editing a lot. I'd rather have dual 1 ghz than single 1.25, really. I realize I would be slightly overpaying given the specs, but I really prefer the towers. Plus the dual ghz used has a superdrive, which I really want...

To the point of that last post about a G5 -

what about a new iMac bottom end, 17"? It's a G5 at 1.8 GHz with a much faster FSB. The new revisions all come with 128 MB ATI cards on an 8x AGP (as compared to 64 MB on a AGP 4x for the last PM G4), airport and blue tooth built in, 512 RAM with an empty DIMM slot - and DDR400 as opposed to DDR333 on the g4 - and a 160 GB hard drive std. - That would do fine with you activities (I would think a bit better - given the proc., fsb, memory type). The low end are $1299 unless you have an .edu discount to knock that down a bit. You may also find (as I did on my PB purchase) - that Apple will knock a bit off if you inquire as to any discounts to seal the deal (need to call the 1-800 store number for that sort of interaction). I'm sure you've probably considered it, but just in case... .

 

[Wonderl33t]

To the point of that last post about a G5 -

what about a new iMac bottom end, 17"? It's a G5 at 1.8 GHz with a much faster FSB. The new revisions all come with 128 MB ATI cards on an 8x AGP (as compared to 64 MB on a AGP 4x for the last PM G4), airport and blue tooth built in, 512 RAM with an empty DIMM slot - and DDR400 as opposed to DDR333 on the g4 - and a 160 GB hard drive std. - That would do fine with you activities (I would think a bit better - given the proc., fsb, memory type). The low end are $1299 unless you have an .edu discount to knock that down a bit. You may also find (as I did on my PB purchase) - that Apple will knock a bit off if you inquire as to any discounts to seal the deal (need to call the 1-800 store number for that sort of interaction). I'm sure you've probably considered it, but just in case... .

ok, I will consider that. I do have access to the educational discount. But having a tower rather than an all-in-one is pretty high on my priority list.