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Should I buy a 1st Generation iMac G5 with problems

dwl017

dwl017

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 10, 2007
562
0
Murder Capitol DC
I have the opportunity to purchase a used 1st generation iMac G5 1.8Ghz loaded with memory and all the extras super drive etc. The seller says it does get kernel panics every now and then and it also shuts is self off once every three weeks or so. The asking price is $475 so... is this $475 wasted ?? am I just buying trouble ?? oh its a 20" I really want it but something tells me its going to be money wasted.

Any thoughts ?

Thanks
 
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Im just curious what you plan on using this machine for? i would also say that if its acting up now its only going to get worse.
 
dwl017 said:
I have the opportunity to purchase a used 1st generation iMac G5 1.8Ghz loaded with memory and all the extras super drive etc. The seller says it does get kernel panics every now and then and it also shuts is self off once every three weeks or so. The asking price is $475 so... is this $475 wasted ?? am I just buying trouble ?? oh its a 20" I really want it but something tells me its going to be money wasted.

Any thoughts ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

No, no, no, no, no and no. You're asking for trouble if the seller tells you the machine is f*cked. You boot it and the "shuts is self off once every three weeks or so" becomes every single time you use it. What recourse will you have? None my friend, none.
 
It's a big gamble to buy the machine. You might at least want to see if the machine falls under Apple's recall for free repairs and then try your luck.
 
irishgrizzly said:
No, no, no, no, no and no. You're asking for trouble if the seller tells you the machine is f*cked. You boot it and the "shuts is self off once every three weeks or so" becomes every single time you use it. What recourse will you have? None my friend, none.
Click to expand...

Yeah sounds like solid advice, just for the record its not an Ebay auction its on Craigs List so I would get to see it operate first but it still scares the hell out me. Would it be worth $300 or could I still just be buying a box of parts if it starts to shut down every time I use it.
 
I'd say your taking a gamble. I would say stay away unless you were pretty knowledgeable about repairing or fixing computers.

The random shut down scares me, and the kernel panics also aren't good. If I were just to guess what the problem was it would be power supply if not that memory or both.
 
This is what the seller listed for an explanation of the problem under is ad on CL:

The reason I'm selling is every now (once every 3 weeks) and then it automatically shuts down. I brought this for my daughters so that they will have a mac to work on (and stay off mine :)). It does have an airport card. Other then that the system is in excellent condition. I will reformat the system and install Tiger but the original disc are Panther. If you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email.
 
The spontaneous shutdown is a known problem and is a hardware problem that will not go away - and will sooner or later lead to a permanent shutdown. As mentioned earlier, there is/was an Apple extended warranty programme for certain serial numbers -- it would be well to check that out before buying.
 
Thanks I just talk to the seller over the phone and he says the shut downs were kernel panics with the writing in the middle of screen at which point he woud reboot. So to clarify the machine gets kernel panics.
 
If he never reinstalled the OS then its no wonder he keeps getting kernel panics. People cant expect an OS to run perfect forever, its not going to magically fix itself when some system files get messed up. Chances are the computer is fine if all he gets are kernel panics and he never reinstalled the OS.
 
dwl017 said:
I decided to pass it up :)
Click to expand...

Correct move. In general also, your shot at getting good hardware is much higher with any subsequent revision of the iMac G5... the defect rate on the other revisions (Ambient Light Sensor and iSight) are much better. (Not to mention better video cards, configuration is simpler, e.g. they all come with Airport Extreme and Bluetooth 2, whereas you have to figure out whether or not the person had gotten bluetooth on a rev. A).
 
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