What can I do with this thing?

A

abyssknight

Registered
Okay, I recently asked a friend "hey, got any computers I can have?" and he kind of laughed at me, and then said yeah, I have this Mac G4 you can have if you pay shipping. I was skeptical, but I said, sure why not. So a week later I get a package from Fed Ex, its a tower G4, but I started looking for specs, like any geek would. I run across a sticker, and it tells me this:

Apple PowerMac G4 350mhz
128mb PC100 RAM
10gb HD
DVD-ROM
AGP Graphics

So, I think to myself, what can I do with this thing? I've never owned an Apple, and I've definitely no clue how fast a 350mhz is going to be. Currently it has OS 9 on it, but it needs a reinstall, as I think the guy who owned it before be had no clue either, he's deleted/moved network extensions etc etc, and left his password on it. *sigh* So there it sits, a little 350mhz Sawtooth G4 on my floor, with no purpose.

What can I do with this thing? Let me know. :)
 
If you add some more ram (which I would surely do) and make a fresh install of macos 9, you can get a very nice mac for web-browsing, routing, filesharing (if you increase the storage and have other lan comps) and office apps such as apple works. It will cover most of your needs if you are no poweruser..
 
Or you could get more RAM as Sam suggested, and install OS X on it. That's probably a better OS for you anyway. More 'windows-like' :)puke:).
It's easier to use, but it has a lot more potential for poweruse later.
Another you could consider is a CPU upgrade. I think there are some out there that could push it up above 1GHz
 
Zammy-sam is quite right about OS 9. Also, if you don't mind springing for some new software, it will run OS X quite comfortably. Nothing spectacular, but it'll be perfectly alright - I'm using a 300 MHz G3. If you're going to go with OS X, definitely get more RAM. OS X makes very good use of RAM; that can make more difference than the CPU.

It will of course also run a Linux or BSD if you would prefer a free Unix OS.
 
Here's the biggie, I'm awfully poor. lol. I checked out processor upgrades, and it seems like I'd be better off buying a new eMac than trying to upgrade this thing. As far as memory goes, I read that it will run OS X, maybe not very fast, but it will work, with 128mb. The ATI Rage 128 16mb that's in it won't do much with QE but the machine seems to run quite fine with OS 9. The fact of the matter is, I got this machine to learn on, and jut mess with. I was really hoping to get iTunes running on it, but we'll see about that. OS X is a tad expensive, even with my student discount. So I'm not sure what I'll be doing just yet. There is the matter of the broken OS 9 install thats on the machine. The guy I got it from left his password on it, and I can't even get in to try and get the network running on it. I think the lithium bios battery is also dead, the time never stays right. I'm going to mess around with the user account for now, but I hope I can get this thing running well enough for browsing, instant messaging, and maybe some programming. I am a Computer Science major at the local university, and the Apple geeks are trying to switch me, what can I say? :)

Thanks for the quick responses, but for now my biggest issue is getting a monitor that is dedicated to the thing. Right now I'm doing the good ole, crawl and plug to mess with it. Hehe.
 
Question: did it come with the OS 9 install CDs? If so, don't try messing with the broken install, just redo it.
 
Seeing as you payed only for shipping, you may be one of the few who could actually come out ahead by upgrading, if you ever get the bucks. Check out http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/ and take a look at all you can do and how much it would cost. In addition to RAM you might find a lower powered, "good enough" processor upgrade on ebay or DealMac that would allow you to run OSX more enjoyably, though even at 350 MHz on a G4 Panther is okay.
 
Oh, and by the way, Apples don't go out of date very fast. What you have there is still a very potent system capable of doing many things; don't be put off by the low clock speed :). If your intent is to use iTunes, I would seriously recommend you upgrade to OS X ASAP because the coolest features in iTunes are only available in version 4. The latest version for OS 9 is 2. See what I mean? :)
 
Well, the machine came with no cd's, and no manuals. So I guess I'm out of luck as far as that reinstall goes. I'm waiting to hear back from the guy, maybe he'll give me that password and I can get this sucker online.

If I were to upgrade, how fast should I go with it?

As far as memory, is it just standard PC100 memory that I could, theoretically, pick out of just about any machine from the 90's?

So I guess what I need to do is get a copy of OS X, if for nothing else, just to get Xcode and such. Hmm.

Even a copy of OS 9 would be nice to own right now...

About that, how does the formatting process work on these? I'm guessing you just boot off the cd and away it goes, but even doing that I haven't a clue.

Anyways, I have it hooked up to my fathers 19" monitor, and that's making it look awfully special. ;)

[Edit] Just looked that that xlr8 site, and well, I don't see any upgrades for the 350mhz G4 AGP. Maybe I'm blind, but they seem to start at 400mhz and go up.
 
You can reformat from Disk Utility when booting from the install CD of either OS 9 and X, it is really pretty self explanatory from there. Just keep the default, Extended mode format to set up the Volume.

My crappy little 500 MHz G4 upgrade is fast enough for me, but if you ever got QE working you might want to shoot for at least an 800MHz, if you were interested in iLife or some other demanding apps. But the first thing to do is beef up that RAM, as 128 Mb is the bare minimum just to boot OS X. Really, 512 Mb or more is preferred, though you might be able to get away with only 256 Mb or so for a while.

Oh, just saw your edit, here ya go.

http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upg...I=#TimeFormat(Now(),+&shoupgrds=Show+Upgrades
 
If you start up with Extensions off (press shift while booting, I believe), that should bypass the log in, I *think*. Or is it just the multi-user login system? I don't have OS nine installed any more, anyone able to correct me?
 
It's multi user, but I'll go try that. I remember that working back in the days of G3's.


[Edit] Tried it, still wants the Multi User password.
 
Here's a perhaps stupid question: seeing that you are at university and being pressed by your fellow geeks to go Mac, may not either they or the university hold an academic license that would lawfully allow you to install from their CDs? Also I think there is a hack to enable the Rage Pro for QE, as 16 Mb meets minimum requirement.
 
If you have (or can save up) some money, see if you can find a card that will work on a PCI slot on that Mac (I think this version of the G4 was PCI only). ATI has some nice PCI video cards...in fact, here's a link to a RADEON 9200 card with 128 MB RAM.

You could also go with NVIDIA. Here's another link from MacMall.

Quartz Extreme should be supported under these cards, if I'm not mistaken...
 
It's an AGP PowerMac, it's got a 2x AGP slot in it. I checked. :)

ATI has some nice cards, but they all cost around 4x as much as their PC counterparts...

Of course, I am strongly considering this Geforce 4 MX card that is under 50$... but I need to get a job if I'm going to buy anything. ;)

All I really need right now is some possible way to get the OS cds.

Maybe I can find an old copy of OS 9 at a discount store or something...

Maybe I'll hit up my friends about the license, and maybe the guy who sent it to me has OS 9 around somewhere.
 
Note that if you're not too worried about the warrantee you can sometimes 'flash' PC video cards to make them work on a Mac...
 
*laugh* On the Linux note, that has been considered. T'would make it a very usable machine indeed. However, resourcefulness may prevail. I might be able to get OS X by the end of the week. I think I'll just give it a whirl with its current configuration, and hope for the best. Right now its just sitting there, so I'd rather have a slow, but updated machine rather than an outdated OS and killer fast apps. Plus, I still love iTunes. lol.
 
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