>Subject: Considering an iMac >From: "Matt Jordan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >I am looking for some advise and the general "lowdown" on the various >early G3 iMacs. I hope to purchase one but before I do, I figured that it >would be best if I ask people who know more about them. Based on the >information below, which iMacs should I consider? (I do not want to spend >too much money on this system so I am expecting it to be around 500 MHz or >less.) > >Use: I want this as a "secondary" OS X machine and would like to use it >for mild Photoshop, a few 3D games (like Myst III: Exile, which reportedly >runs fine on any iMac), websurfing and general applications. Things don't >have to be blazingly fast by any means but I don't want to be frustrated >by poor performance. Stability is a must. > >Upgrades: Maxing out the RAM is definately a first on the list of things >to do. Also, do iMacs accept any newer ATA drive? Do they benefit from >faster ATA/133 drives and 8MB cache models? > >Ports: Firewire would be nice but I could certainly live without it. > >Which iMac(s) would be best for me? Anything I should know? Any >suggestions?
Hi Matt, Mine's an iMac 400 MHz DV and it does pretty much all you're asking of an iMac, and it doesn't feel all that much slower than the 700 MHz G4 eMac I have at work. I use it for design work, web cruising and playing EV Nova. She runs OS X 10.2.8 very happily, and I gather that 10.3 will speed matters up nicely, too. I have 512 MB RAM and would bump it up to the max if it weren't so darn expensive these days (over twice the cost compared with circa 12 months ago). I'd recommend that you put 512 MB or more in an iMac, though for sure. I've read (at xlr8yourmac.com) that 8 MB drives do give a pleasant speed increase too. The G3 iMac's bus (ATA/100?) will mean your ATA/133 drives down-speed to match it, but I wouldn't let that hold you back. If I were buying a second hand G3 iMac today, the two things I'd want is a built in CD-RW drive and FireWire for an external HD. I find the DVD-ROM dive in mine all but useless. Too slow to run games off CD and who really wants to watch movies on an iMac now that DVD players are so cheap? The CD-ROM models don't strike me as a particularly useful deal, either. I'd also prefer a snow or ruby one, if I had my time again... :o) Hope you find a model that's good for you. I've got to say, that the G3 iMac may be long in the tooth now, but it's still a beautiful and highly useable machine in my book. Adam -- Woah! nice shootin', Tex! -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
