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is an iMac G4 worth $100

ibookos9

ibookos9

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 10, 2007
57
0
in a house
i have been using an imac g3 for a while now and i love it but i want something that is a little faster so i have decided to get an iMac g4
is $100.00 a good price for one
it has 10.4.8 tiger (imac g3 has 10.3.9)
256 ram (imac g3 has 512)
60 hard drive (imac g3 has 75)
and a superdrive (imac g3 has just a dvd player)
 
ibookos9 said:
i have been using an imac g3 for a while now and i love it but i want something that is a little faster so i have decided to get an iMac g4
is $100.00 a good price for one
it has 10.4.8 tiger (imac g3 has 10.3.9)
256 ram (imac g3 has 512)
60 hard drive (imac g3 has 75)
and a superdrive (imac g3 has just a dvd player)
Click to expand...

wwhat r u trying to do with it ?
 
If you max out the RAM to 1GB, it may provide a passable experience, depending on what Web sites you frequent. What model is it? A 1GHz or 1.25GHz unit might suffice for a while, especially if you're used to G3 speeds.

At the very least, be sure that you're getting it for it's looks, as that $100 could be applied to, say, a used Intel Mac Mini, which would be noticeably faster. Also, don't forget that you'll have to buy more RAM for the G4; and possibly a bigger hard drive...
 
I bought a 15" imac g4 800mhz, 512mb RAM, combo drive only, 150GB hdd with no keyboard or mouse and no OSX (but ubuntu installed) for $130 on eBay.

I've always wanted one of these models so I decided to buy one and I think they will be totally worth it!

I'm just going to use it to check email, download stuff and browse the web.
 
An iMac G4 is worth under $50. Comparing it to a $10 G3 iMac doesn't work out, they are very different.
 
A G4 is certainly worth more than $50 and isn't considered worthless in my view. Almost daily, I see people here in these forums looking for G4s...they're paying quite a bit more than $50 for them, also. Most I've seen on Craigslist and Ebay sell for more than that. You guys are underselling that machine. I'm still using a G4 as a file and web server with Tiger...runs pretty well, IMO.
 
unixfool said:
A G4 is certainly worth more than $50 and isn't considered worthless in my view. Almost daily, I see people here in these forums looking for G4s...they're paying quite a bit more than $50 for them, also. Most I've seen on Craigslist and Ebay sell for more than that. You guys are underselling that machine. I'm still using a G4 as a file and web server with Tiger...runs pretty well, IMO.
Click to expand...

Same deal here. 1.42GHz G4 mini running 10.5 as a file/media server.
 
I am always amazed at how long some people are able to hold on to their Macs. I recognize that their usage requirements are probably a lot different from mine, though.

I'm happy about the fact that Macs are kept in use long after most people would consider them obsolete. There is just something about that kind of pragmatism that I admire. Not to mention the numerous benefits that it provides by not creating needless waste.

I'd still be using my G5 if it met my needs, it doesn't anymore, so I donated it to OFA and they're very happy with it.
 
its an 800mhz model i would use it for browsing and itunes. The G3 iMac is fast enough to be usable but it is super slow compared to my other two computer (one is 4 years old and one is like three months).. oh i bet my cell phone has more power than the iMac G3 (which i am using to post this btw) but the iMac G3 is kinda cool
 
Buy it....buy it...buy it
not only is it cool but you can do a great deal with it
now buy it before someone else does
and let us know how it works for you
(oh written on my newest Mac...a g3 iBook 600)
 
BornAgainMac said:
I would only buy one if I wanted to run OS 9 and had a lot of apps or old games. I wouldn't run OS X on it.
Click to expand...

Why wouldn't he want to run OS X? I'm using a 500 mhz G3 iBook from 2001 and, although it is definitely slower than my mom's Core Duo Macbook, it serves my basic needs just fine (mostly) on OS 10.4.11. Hell, I've had 10.0.3 with 256 mb of RAM on it and it worked. OS X should be fine on a G4.

In regards to the OP, make sure you put as much RAM as possible in that machine. For myself, upgrading from 256 mb to 640 in my iBook added a nice boost in performance.

And have fun with that machine; I would really love to have one of those someday.
 
ibookos9 said:
i have been using an imac g3 for a while now and i love it but i want something that is a little faster so i have decided to get an iMac g4
is $100.00 a good price for one
it has 10.4.8 tiger (imac g3 has 10.3.9)
256 ram (imac g3 has 512)
60 hard drive (imac g3 has 75)
and a superdrive (imac g3 has just a dvd player)
Click to expand...

Speed comes mainly from two factors: Processor speed and the amount of RAM. A G4 would be a bit faster than a G3 at same clock speed, but not much. So have a look at the clock speeds. 600 MHz G3 to 700 MHz G4 is not much difference; 233 MHz G3 to 1200 MHz G4 is a _huge_ difference.

The biggest problem is the amount of RAM. I don't think you would be happy with 256 MB only. Go to www.crucial.com and check out how much RAM for the new computer costs and add that to the purchase price. There is a huge difference in price depending on how old the computer is; 1024 MB for a brand new MacBook costs nothing and the same amount of RAM for an old computer can cost an ARM and a leg. So this depends _extremely_ on exactly which model it is.
 
I still think that iMac G4 is one of the best computer apple made. The whole apple revival started with original iMac, then iMac g4 took it to the next level, around the same time iPod came as well, the rest is history.

I always wanted an iMac g4, but since I like the portability, i went with a powerbook, then a macbook.. But imac G4 is worth around $100. I am actually looking for an iMac G4 (broken lcd or non-working condition), just as a mod project for iPad dock..how cool it will be just to tilt around the tablet when it is docked with KB etc..

computer with a personality
 
I'd say go for it, but only if you're willing to upgrade the RAM. 256 MB of RAM would barely run Safari in OS X, and trying to multitask on that would be horrifying. 1 GB should be pretty cheap and would vastly increase usability.
 
I'd say go for it, but only if you're willing to upgrade the RAM. 256 MB of RAM would barely run Safari in OS X, and trying to multitask on that would be horrifying. 1 GB should be pretty cheap and would vastly increase usability.
 
Coldmode said:
1 GB should be pretty cheap and would vastly increase usability.
Click to expand...

Agreed, It would make the machine FAR more useable then what is in there at the moment, but unfortunately, the memory for these machines is far from cheap, Brand New. Second hand you can find memory upgrades dirt cheap, but I am always weary about second user chips... :-/
 
Update

I bought it and when i went to look it i went to about this mac and their add was all wrong it was actually a 1.25 G4 with 1 Gb of ram (some website says it can work with 2gb but im not sure) and it has the 17 inch screen and 10.4.11 tiger and a superdrive and 80 gb hard drive wow i think i got a good deal and it looks like brand new and it even came with the speakers!
 
Wow

So glad you got it and you definitely got better than a good deal.....you could sell the parts for more than that.....congratulations....it is a most capable machine,,,have fun with it....
(I am of course extremely jealous:D)
 
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