Looking at some older Macs on eBay

[Michael CM1]

I've been looking on eBay at some older Macs to possibly help some people out at work. We have a LOT of G3 POS machines that can barely get to Google, so I've been searching around for deals.

It looks like with a little luck I can land a G4 Power Mac at about 400-500Mhz or a G4 Cube. I know little about these, so I was wondering if I could get someone who has actually owned these (I joined the club with a Mac Mini G4) to tell me if it's worth about $50-60.

I'm also scouring for Mac Mini deals, especially the original ones at 1.25Ghz. The newer ones are selling for too much, so those would be rock-on awesome. I just wish my company had the insight to do some of this instead of relying on machines older than some Eastern European countries.

FYI I have never used craigslist but have heard of it. If it's a lot like eBay and similar deals can be found, I'd love to hear some user stories. Thanks!

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

If you can get a functional Cube for $50-60, go for it, quick.....those little suckers are great systems and are so cool.....old yes, but still way cool and a big upgrade from what you have now.....

Craigslist is good for LOCAL deals, done LOCALLY, in person, in a public place, with cash only...... there are no fees like ebay, but also no protections either, and LOTS OF SCAMMERS just like ebay. So take the necessary precautions........

 

[n8mac]

Normally when someone asks about buying computers I ask what software they want/need to run first. But you are on a budget and just want something faster for little money.

I assume that those myriad of G3's at your place of business are slowing down? You would be surprised that with proper maintenance, upgrades and knowledge of what they can and cannot do you can keep those machines doing basic tasks for a little longer.

Some questions...
1. What models are they? Any Blue and White?
2. Have they been cleaned internally lately?
3. What OS do they run?
4. How much free hard drive space do they have?
5. How much ram do they have?

If they have been properly maintained and you still need more power then ebay is a good place to look. Just don't expect to get a great deal in just one day of searching. I have a blue and white G3 still in use and it works well for my needs.

I always recommend towers when getting older comps as they can be upgraded much more unlike the cubes. The good news is that any of those G3 hard drives that are ATA can be taken out and put into the G4's. Also, if you buy 350-500mhz G4's that use 100mhz ram, then any 100mhz ram from the G3's can be transfered to. It is a great way to save a buck. I always use hard drives from olders Macs as backups.

BTW, earlier this year I bought an 867 G4 off ebay for $150 and it works well. Internet is a breeze, at least until I get on a page with a bunch of flash ads which ruin the internet sometimes.

 

[bengal85]

I dont own a cube but I have used them and they are nice computers I think though you could maybe update the ram in those G3's and have some good machines to sell to buy the cubes