on 4-27-05 5:45 PM, Kevin Willis at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I would really appreciate any advice I can get...
Well, okay...here goes: > I stopped in a local Mac store today and found a Blue and White G3 for > sale. It had 128 Mb RAM, a 6 GB hard drive and OS 8.6 installed. The > thing that peaked my interest was the fact that it had a Sonnet G4/800 > Mhz CPU upgrade installed. They are asking $350 for it. It's a little thin on RAM (128 Megs?). Depending on what you're planning to do with it, you'd prolly want to add (at least) another 128 to bring it up to 256. That's more money right there. 6 gig hard drive...that's pretty small. Can you do anything with a drive this small, or would you just immediately tear it out and install your 40 Gig drive? Also, the OS bears a look at. You haven't told us what you plan to do with the machine, but 8.6 is prolly not going to cut it. I assume you have access to retail-version system 9.x software (or higher), but if not, you'd have to factor that cost in, too. So the main selling point for this box is the 800MHz Sonnet upgrade. This is an 800MHz upgrade passing through a 100 MHz bus. Will this meet your needs? Not just now, but in a year or two as well? The $350 price tag is kinda steep for what you're getting here, IMAO. You're $150 away from a Mac Mini ($499) at this point. And we've only just started. > I am currently saving for a family vacation, so purchasing it outright is > kinda out of the question. I wouldn't worry about buying *any* sort of hardware outright. There is not only _always_ another deal around the corner, but when it comes to computers, I can't think of too many instances where people were penalized for putting off a purchase. With Moore's Law (and prices falling all the time), you can only benefit from waiting. > However, I do have a 500 Mhz Blue Dalmatian iMac that does not get > much use. A couple things here: Why does this machine not get much use right now? At 500 MHz, is it too slow/painful to use for the tasks you need to get done? Or perhaps you simply don't have a pressing need to use *any* computer all that often? Of course, I don't know what your needs/usage habits are. I *do* know a couple of people who quite angrily insist on having the latest/greatest box on their desk when all they ever do is mail and light surfing...and infrequently at that. Can you stick with what you already have for a while longer? At any rate, you might want to think carefully about why your old computer just sits there before sinking money into a new one...that just sits there. >I am thinking about offering it as a trade in. I would strongly advise against this, if only because trade-ins are a great way for businesses to make money off of you twice. Not only are they making a profit off of the "new" machine, but I guarantee you they'll turn around and sell your old one for much more than they'll give you for it. Yes, selling your old box on your own is a hassle, but you'll get more money for it that way. You could sell it on the LEM Swap list, or, failing that, eBay. This would be apart from any local options like, say, taking out an ad in the paper or showing up at a local Mac User Group. For the most part, the primary recommendation for trade-ins is that they are convenient...a convenient way to lose money. Conservatively, you could prolly get at _least_ $50 for your old machine. That would move you to within $100 of a Mac mini. Of course, this is assuming you'd buy a *new* mini. I'm sure there are refurbished units for sale (check Apple's site...and others). Not to mention people who have bought/been given minis and just decided it wasn't a good fit for them. Finally, there's that wacky "sales" tax thing. I don't know what state you're in, but could ordering a mini from out of state possibly save you on sales tax? Apple seems to offer free shipping for the mini, too. Before you drop $350 on an older machine, I would suggest you take a close look at the specs on the mini and see if it might meet your needs: http://lowendmac.com/mini/index.html If nothing else, the mini runs at 1.25 GHz with a 167MHz bus. That's worth thinking about, apart from all the other more "modern" features (like USB 2.0) it offers. The mini may cost you a bit more, but would it have a greater service life because of the faster speed? Only you know the answer to that. Best, James Fraser -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.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/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
