iMac G4 desktop- good for GarageBand use?

[Nov05]

I am contemplating buying a used G4 iMac for $200.

I mainly only want to use it for the Garageband program.

It is 1Ghz processor, 512 MB RAM.

I'm sure it will need an upgrade on the RAM, but i am wondering if this computer will run okay or be slow with large GB files.

Any suggestions?

 

[seb-opp]

If your using an older version of garageband it should be ok. Im sure it would work well with Garageband 3, because the last of the iBooks and mac minis had that version. Despite the lower clock speed, the 1ghz G4 iMac has an advantage over them due to the faster hard disk.

I would max out the ram though, shouldn't be too expensive

 

[jtgotsjets]

I run GarageBand 1 on my iBook with essentially the same stats. Upgrading RAM is recommended, but even with 512mb, it runs very well so long as I close out of my web browser.
I would consider myself as much a power-user as it is possible to be in GarageBand. examples here: foster children

 

[michael.lauden]

it will be a good purchase for 200$. you probably will want your RAM maxed out and a good amount of free hard drive space. you also won't want to be running 600 widgets, or any other programs for that matter.

 

[SkippyThorson]

My friend, the iMac G4 is the one machine I will shamelessly promote. For $200, it will more than be worth it. It's the best computer for media. The way the screen rotates is a very nice novelty to have for leisure use such as iTunes or Garageband. I always find myself walking up to it, and lifting up the screen to view it at the right angle as I stand.

It may not need any upgrades, but the one obvious one would be the Ram. Even bumping to 1gb would pump newfound life into it. I wanted to get mine to 1.5gb, but haven't gotten around to it. It runs very nicely as is, and if your primary use is Garageband, other little side tasks will run just fine.

I don't recommend going above Garageband 3, though, but other than that, it should be fine.

 

[leekohler]

My friend, the iMac G4 is the one machine I will shamelessly promote. For $200, it will more than be worth it. It's the best computer for media. The way the screen rotates is a very nice novelty to have for leisure use such as iTunes or Garageband. I always find myself walking up to it, and lifting up the screen to view it at the right angle as I stand.

It may not need any upgrades, but the one obvious one would be the Ram. Even bumping to 1gb would pump newfound life into it. I wanted to get mine to 1.5gb, but haven't gotten around to it. It runs very nicely as is, and if your primary use is Garageband, other little side tasks will run just fine.

I don't recommend going above Garageband 3, though, but other than that, it should be fine.

Agreed. It should be more than adequate to run 3. Go for it.