>>> "3 strikes" before powering up, I have to reset it twice before the
 screen will come on and the chime happens
 >>>
 Surging/flickering in speakers, they buzz and make a flickering sound
 even when the iMac is shut down and head phone in

 Visible screen refresh, the centre of the screen is clear but the
 edges
 seem to roll and quake. I think that has something to do with the
 kinks
 in the black cable that surround the CRT for some magnetic thing???

 crashing in fullscreen mode for most Open GL games especially  games
 that launch movies

 It is using an older IDE HD taken from a beige G3 and I received it
 dismantled so more than likely there's static discharge damage

 extra info: running 128MB RAM, OS 9.2, 4.2 GB HD rather than 13GB

 Anyone else had extreme issues like this or know what's the best
 option
 >>> apart from part harvesting or trash? Is there hope?

I'd try replacing the PRAM battery. But the screen rolling and quaking seems to indicate that the analogue board is dying/dead. Talk to Kat

Have fun,
Shay
--
=========================== Shay  Telfer ================================
 Perth, Western Australia   Technomancer  The love of liberty is the love
 Opinions for hire              [POQ]     of others; the love of power is
 http://public.xdi.org/=Shay    fnord     the love of ourselves - Hazlitt