First mac buying question

K

kygeek

Registered
I'm looking to buying a mac, low end first to see if I really would like to have one. Having used a girls the other night while waiting for her to get ready for our first date ( was a flop btw), I looked at her mac to see a new world. It was os X. I have been a PC user since early 90s and really like pc / windows / linux but i love to try new things.

My plan is trying to find a cheap used mac imac g3 or so 333 or 400mhz with 128mb of ram (on ebay? or someone know a better place to find one?) and buy some extra memory and put new os x jaguar,( or would it be too dog slow?) so i would be out around 500 bucks , try it for couple of month and then decide if i would like a nice mac. But i am open to all replys.

Thanks In advanced. Have a great day!

:)
 
An old iMac such as the one you describe will be slow under OS X, though since everyone's definition of 'too slow' is different, it is hard to say if it will be too slow for you. As long as you're OK with that, your plan sounds good. Yes, maxing out on memory would be a good idea.

RAM is pretty cheap almost anywhere. I wouldn't recommend buying RAM on eBay. I use Mushkin.com and am happy with them; I have friends who swear by RamJet.com.
 
Well in Louisville there is a shop called MacTown used to be The Complete Mac they are really good to deal with and from time to time have good quality used stuff.

Dave
 
Originally posted by dcantrel
Well in Louisville there is a shop called MacTown used to be The Complete Mac they are really good to deal with and from time to time have good quality used stuff.

Dave
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I game them a call sounds like they carry new stuff mostly now.
 
What are you looking for and at what price? I have some used macs around here and some other sources I can check for you.

Dave
 
Just remember that when buying older Mac equipment, the GUI may be slow, but internally OS X should be pretty fast. For instance, don't expect stellar performance on anything with a processor speed of 400MHz or less and a system bus less than 100MHz (some early iMacs). I have a PowerMac G3 tower with a 500MHz G3, 768MB RAM, 12GB UltraATA (5400 rpm), 18GB UltraSCSI(7200 rpm), LaCie CD-RW (6x-4x-16x), 80GB FireWire (7200 rpm), 100MB internal ZIP, ATI Rage 128 (w/ 16MB RAM) and my system is just right for my current uses. Quake3Arena is pretty good on my 3.5 year old system. Just remember, you get what you pay for, and clockrates between diffrerent processor architectures is meaningless. Also consider that Apple hardware keeps is market value longer than PC's. It's kind of like comparing a used General Motors car and a used Chrysler car. We all know the GM car will hold it's value longer than the Chrysler. If you can land a single or dual 500MHz G4 system, you're going to smile, especially with the dual CPU systems, they really shine. Check eBay.
 
Originally posted by dcantrel
What are you looking for and at what price? I have some used macs around here and some other sources I can check for you.

Dave
Click to expand...

Hey dave, I am considering all options right now, something 400mhz or better. If you would like to email me thats cool. kygeek@yahoo.com



Thanks for the other replys great info!
 
Snow iMac DV 500 Mhz
with DVD-ROM and 128 mb RAM

Computer is in excellent condition, used for work but no longer needed. Here are some of its specs:
500 Mhz G3 processor
128 Mb RAM
30 Gb internal drive
4x DVD/CD-ROM
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56k modem
Mac Pro keyboard and optical mouse
OSX 10.1.5 and OS 9.2.2 pre-installed

Any thoughts on that machine? worth 550 Dollars?
 
If it's in good condition, sounds like it's worth $550. I would add another 256MB of RAM (around $40) and a multi-button optical mouse ($20 to $30). Just my opinion.
:)
 
Your proposition is simply too expensive for what amounts to an experiment. It is also flawed in the fact that test is designed from the beginning to fail. OS X is not designed to run well on a G3. (Bring on the G3 OS X users with their rants).

I would recommend saving your money for a much better machine. I guarantee you that you will love OS X on the proper machine with the proper apps. That much is a given. My fear is that you will be frustrated with the iMac's performance and then dismiss OS X as a true powerhouse OS, which it is given the proper machine.

I guess my question to you would be, what do you want to do with it. If the answer is to decide if you like OS X, well, you've already determined that, so save up and get the latest iMac and REALLY enjoy a computer.

Here's another idea, use your girlfriend's Mac as an excuse to hang out. That way you get to learn more about the Mac and her.

OK, now I'm giving advice on things I have no business...
 
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