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What to do I do with an iMac 333...?

Plymouthbreezer

Plymouthbreezer

macrumors 601
Original poster
Feb 27, 2005
4,337
253
Massachusetts
I have have acuired a Lime green iMac 333. It's running 8.6 on a 6GB hard drive with a wopping 32 MB RAM.

So, do I get a 20GB harddrive, a 128 MB stick of RAM, and install Panther on it, or not even bother for the cost. I figure $50 could turn it into a machine that can at least run 10.3. New HD, and then the RAM. Ideas, thoughts, questions, concerns...?
 
I'm also looking for something to do with my lime green triple3, same specs as yours but with more RAM. It just continues to work so well as a web browser/homework machine for the kids that I've never had to upgrade or update anything (except the memory). I have a 12" 1.5 PB for the heavy lifting. I just read a thread about xgrid, is this an option if I had another old iMac? Are two old iMacs equal to one new one? I would guess not since you need to be running OSX to make xgrid work.
 
I gave my old 350 MHz iMac (Indigo) to my better-half's sister.

I installed a new 80GB 7200 RPM hard drive (I had upped the RAM to two 256 MB sticks), and installed 10.3.9 on it.

I was amazed at how fast it was with 10.3.9. Much better than I remembered it with 10.2, and I was comparing it to my G5. It had random inexplicable slowdowns, especially with Safari, but other than that, it was pretty Snappy(TM).

She absolutely loves it - she upgraded from a 166MHz Pentium running Windows 98 that couldn't get on the internet and crashed when she plugged her camera in. "It Just Works" was a new concept for her, though I did have to walk her through installing a printer driver.
 
Interesting guys....i have an Orange triple 3 with 96Mbs of ram that im thinking of dropping linux on.....

I thought these bad boys could only handle about 96mbs of ram.....have people been able to jam more into it?
 
Togglehead said:
Interesting guys....i have an Orange triple 3 with 96Mbs of ram that im thinking of dropping linux on.....

I thought these bad boys could only handle about 96mbs of ram.....have people been able to jam more into it?
Click to expand...

I had 192MB (64+128) in my 333 (it was a Grape but 'lemon' flavoured iMac - went back to Apple in favour of the 350 I mentioned above). Had to take it apart to replace the 32MB stick inside of it (other slot accessible from the outside of the case). The 350MHz one has both slots accessible from the outside, IIRC.
 
I see that you have an imac G4 and a tibook, as well as another imac G3. So my question to you is, would you actually use this imac, regardless of what you upgraded it to?

I can't understand having more than a couple of macs at most. I mean, in what situation would you use this new G3 instead of your imac G4?
 
On a few of the triple 3's some managed to get 512MB's. Not all will beable to hold that much. 256MB's (128x2) is what I have in mine.

I figure a decent web browser/word processor is the best use out of a machine like that. You can also play some older classic games on those if you like.

I wonder how woud say Panther run on the iMac in my sig. To slow because of the HD size being only 6gigs?

Of course I would only install the most basic essential items.
 
Webserver and network storage. Or maybe a quick internet surfing computer for the kitchen or something along those lines.
 
you can use it as a http server, an ftp server, or firewall, or a wifi server.

you can also sell it, or keep it as an antique. (i keep every cpu cooler that i used for my pc that i have used, and not need anymore)

you can turn it into a television, or media center.

you can replace the innards, and put a fishtank inside of it. here's some examples with a macintosh classic, monitors, and imac g3s.

http://www.applefritter.com/image/tid/114
http://www.theapplecollection.com/Collection/MacAquarium/index.shtml
http://www.vividpicture.com/aleks/macquarium/

i don't think it's possible with an imac g4 or g5 design.
 
i thought about the aquarium.....but i think its got a few more years to go.....

i'll use the Performa 200 for that.....=]
 
As far as "whould you use it," the answer would probably be yes. Currently, my G4 iMac is my primary machine that I use at home. I much perfer it over the TiBook if I'm at home. My parents use the G3 everday for basically web surfing/e-mail/games. The fourth G3 could be placed in my Dad's den downstairs and do similar tasks as the 450MHz iMac DV.
 
Mine went to my Grandmother. Bless her, she is 87, and uses the internet more than I do. Its a shame when computers get old, because they are still perfectly usable (I have a B&W in my Garage), but you run out of 'rellos'* to give them to.






*=Australian Term for Relative.
 
paxtonandrew said:
Mine went to my Grandmother. Bless her, she is 87, and uses the internet more than I do. Its a shame when computers get old, because they are still perfectly usable (I have a B&W in my Garage), but you run out of 'rellos'* to give them to.

*=Australian Term for Relative.
Click to expand...
My Grandmother actually uses AIM. She's 83. :D
 
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