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Is it possible for me to swap out a graphics card from a PC to my iMac G3?
- Thread starter colin348
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Not possible.
There is no graphics slot that could take a replaceable card.
The ATI graphics chip is part of the logic board.
There is no graphics slot that could take a replaceable card.
The ATI graphics chip is part of the logic board.
Besides, a new graphics card wouldn't help in video playback. The G3 is just too old.
I was thinking about selling it. It’s the specs in my sig (or whatever they’re called on Macrumours) so it could go for at least 250 bucks. I wanted a vintage iMac that’s still capable of doing basics today and I think with the money I’d get for the G3 I could probably get an eMac
Sometimes, there does come a point where a line has to be drawn.
A G3 is really only usable for basic offline tasks. Anything else will be an inherent step down.
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Great idea. Go for the 1.42 2005 model. It can take up to 2GB of RAM, has a good GPU, great speakers, is damn cheap, and looks like what would happen if the iMac G3 and iMac G5 had a baby. Also has a super quiet optical drive mechanism, depending on your luck.
I can't speak well enough of the things.
Just don't put Linux on it. There are many places, uses, and computers for it, but the eMac ain't one.
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I wouldn’t count on selling the G3 iMacs for $250 unless you can find a collector.
I’ve run across a number of them in the last year that people hoped I would take them because nobody else will.
It’s tech that is relatively only useful to hobbyists who enjoy them. Other people generally can find more modern hardware at $200 or less that can run Windows 10 or a newer version of MacOS than Leopard.
People just can’t seem to give them away.
I’ve recommended to others that the machines simply be parted out. The highest I’ve seen a whole G3 sell for in the last decade is about $30. But in pieces for a few dollars a part, someone can make more.
The biggest money might be for a MacQuarium (fish tank purposed case).
If you can find a collector willing to pay the price, then great. If you’re hoping for your average consumer, you’ll probably be disappointed.
I’ve run across a number of them in the last year that people hoped I would take them because nobody else will.
It’s tech that is relatively only useful to hobbyists who enjoy them. Other people generally can find more modern hardware at $200 or less that can run Windows 10 or a newer version of MacOS than Leopard.
People just can’t seem to give them away.
I’ve recommended to others that the machines simply be parted out. The highest I’ve seen a whole G3 sell for in the last decade is about $30. But in pieces for a few dollars a part, someone can make more.
The biggest money might be for a MacQuarium (fish tank purposed case).
If you can find a collector willing to pay the price, then great. If you’re hoping for your average consumer, you’ll probably be disappointed.
I am going to be blunt, so sorry if this offends but I am not being mean or attacking, I'm pointing out reality.
You're dreaming.
No one is going to pay $250 for a 600 MHz G3 iMac with 1 GB RAM and a 40 GB HD.
Hell, I can buy a 1TB hard drive for less than $100 alone. This Mac isn't even a G4.
As has already been stated, if you find a collector willing to pay those prices then great. But the average person can get a modern laptop with good specs for that price. I have a Thinkpad running Windows 7 with 4GB of ram and a 250GB hard drive that cost the same price two years ago.
I can find Mac Pros on eBay with better specs for $250 and those are Intel, capable of running the latest version of iOS 10. The best your G3 can ever do is Tiger.
No way is your G3 going to sell at that price.
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Yep, most people will not want to buy a G3 at that price when you can get a 2008/09 Mac Pro, unless they're actively seeking a high end G3. Because it is a Snow, it probably could go for a bit more than other G3s, but you can't expect too much.
I would suggest looking at the eBay sold listings to get an idea of a good price to list it at. (Not my auctions)
There is this G3 that somehow sold for 200 dollars, I'm not sure of the story behind that one.
Yeah, it seems that the earlier G3s (Fruit Slot Loaders mainly) can still be had at around $50, but the later models are definitely going up in price. I should have picked up one or 2 more when they were $25 on Craigslist a couple years ago.
There's an 8 Bit Guy video where he describes how the price of computers falls as they become dated and start rising again as collectors gain interest. It looks like the iMacs are entering the rising stage.
There's an 8 Bit Guy video where he describes how the price of computers falls as they become dated and start rising again as collectors gain interest. It looks like the iMacs are entering the rising stage.
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I AM an iMac G3 collector who is missing several colors, and even for a difficult to find color I'd have a hard time with more than ~$100...and that's probably being generous as I'd expect close to perfection for that price.
If it were new in the box...maybe...but most aren't and have problems that come with that.
As a side note-it is actually possible to upgrade the GPU in the very early trayload iMacs, but it requires a VERY specific GPU to do so-a Voodoo 5 5500 specifically made for this application as it fits the proprietary Mezzanine slot that Apple never officially used or sanctioned the use of. I've only actually heard of one or two so upgraded, and have NEVER seen one offered for sale. That would probably be a $200 or more iMac to me, and I might even have to have it G4 upgraded
If it were new in the box...maybe...but most aren't and have problems that come with that.
As a side note-it is actually possible to upgrade the GPU in the very early trayload iMacs, but it requires a VERY specific GPU to do so-a Voodoo 5 5500 specifically made for this application as it fits the proprietary Mezzanine slot that Apple never officially used or sanctioned the use of. I've only actually heard of one or two so upgraded, and have NEVER seen one offered for sale. That would probably be a $200 or more iMac to me, and I might even have to have it G4 upgraded
Until the hyped collectors realize their sought-after machine is totally useless. That's probably how the cycle goes.
Really, what could you do with one that hasn't already been beaten to the bone in these forums, aside from having them on display?
Collectors know they have little functional use - that's why they are collectors rather than users.
I'm guessing most forum members are at some point inbetween those classifications - enthusiasts if you will, which is why I talked @colin348 through the process of playing Youtube on his iMac, rather than shrugging and saying, "Why bother - go Intel?"
What I perhaps meant was "rising" collectors, who are kind of users as well, but not exactly enthusiasts, and won't know what to do.
Very confusing.
The problem with the word 'collector' is that it means different things to different people. We all collect and keep collections in our own specific ways, but those collections may or may not have any monetary value. Any personal value we place on those collections may only be shared by a small group of other people.
In the case of this thread, specific models of Mac are only valuable to specific members here, while PowerPC Macs on the whole are valuable to most of us here but not so among the average Mac user.
This makes it difficult to use the term 'collectible' or 'collector's item' when these things only have value to a segment of a segment of the average Mac user base. Value is being placed upon an item that I or others may not share the same viewpoint on.
In the case of this thread, specific models of Mac are only valuable to specific members here, while PowerPC Macs on the whole are valuable to most of us here but not so among the average Mac user.
This makes it difficult to use the term 'collectible' or 'collector's item' when these things only have value to a segment of a segment of the average Mac user base. Value is being placed upon an item that I or others may not share the same viewpoint on.
And that's the rub.
I hated them from the moment I had to use them. Lots and lots of art and graphic design schools had them and I just got sick of seeing them all the time and having to work on them because the schools I went to wouldn't or couldn't spring for actual PowerMacs.
Whenever I see something sell for a ridiculously high amount like that I always am a bit suspicious that it was part of some sort of illegal transaction and instead of the person giving cash to their dealer they buy something like an old computer or piece of art for far more than it is actually worth so the dealer can have a way of saying they got the money legitimately.
I definitely wouldn't be surprised if that's happened many times in the past. It sounds like a pretty easy way to get clean money.
Yeah, the design is so iconic and different from any other computer that people want to have one, and since they were EVERYWHERE, especially school computer labs, people get nostalgic for the early 2000s era of games and the internet. Combine those and you get something lots of people want to get their hand on.
Eh. Considering they're art and graphic design schools, of course they would choose form over function. Their entire business and concept is comprised of form.
That's not bad (especially taking into account what they were actually using the computers for), but it comes down to separate tastes.
There is the left-brain, and there is the right-brain. This is realized and catered to quite well in the computer scape, hence the entire "Mac Vs. PC" age-old debate. Colorful Vs. Flat, Productive Vs. Creative, Practical Vs. Pretty...etc.
I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you would have hated them less if you taped a Windows logo paper-cutout to the Apple logos, just for the sake of a change of scenery, eh?
But perception is entirely my point when it comes to 'collectibles'.Eh. Considering they're art and graphic design schools, of course they would choose form over function. Their entire business and concept is comprised of form.
That's not bad (especially taking into account what they were actually using the computers for), but it comes down to separate tastes.
There is the left-brain, and there is the right-brain. This is realized and catered to quite well in the computer scape, hence the entire "Mac Vs. PC" age-old debate. Colorful Vs. Flat, Productive Vs. Creative, Practical Vs. Pretty...etc.
I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you would have hated them less if you taped a Windows logo paper-cutout to the Apple logos, just for the sake of a change of scenery, eh?
You think they are great and thus collectible. I've always had a different opinion about them. Part of the problem may have been that I worked in the industry while attending school so to go from a PowerMac G4 with a large monitor during the day using professional tools to a G3 with a dinky curved screen using student versions of pro apps was a big disconnect to me. On top of that they were often underpowered for what I was trying to do.
At one point I just started bringing my own PowerBook G4 to class and doing my work on that.
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Don't forget though that Macs were the centre of creative industries and facilites when they were still ugly biege boxes..it was more about the uptake of desktop publishing software.