Upgrading a G3 Desktop Mac

[msi1337]

got a good deal on a G3 Desktop mac last night. Link to see good deal

This will be my first ever mac computer. I am just wondering if anyone can give me some basic pointers to getting used to it. And also tell me what my upgrade options are if I want to put in a G4 processor upgrade.?

Thanks!
Jason

 

[NiKeFiDO]

good luck?
Dont try to multitask (especially any :shudder: internet) with this.

 

[msi1337]

thanks so much NikeFiDo for your positive comments!!

I already have a 2.0 ghz pc desktop, this is more to play and learn on. I am sure it can do internet just fine.

 

[imported_2x]

Memory is maxed out, and hard drive must have been upgraded from the standard at one point because these did not come with 40gb drives originally. OS X running on a 300mhz g3 is gonna be a little slow. In terms of upgradability, this thing is basically maxed out except you can get a bigger HD. As for dropping a G4 in this I will say it's 95% chance you will not be able to do this. OS X is easy to work with if you've never done so.

 

[Ecgtheow]

This has some good info on that machine.

I'll just say right off the bat that that machine will not give you a great OS X experience, so you should avoid making generalizations based on it.

A processor upgrade will run you anywhere from $120 to $400, depending on how fast you want to go. With the slow ram in that model, spending a lot on a faster processor would probably be a waste.

 

[SunSamurai]

Its a waste of money. If youre going to want to use OS X buy a Mac Mini. I used OS X from DP2 to 10.1 on a 300Mhz G3. I tell you, it's not worth it.

 

[addragyn]

The Mini is a much better value, hardware & software.

If it doesn't have an AGP slot it not worth upgrading for OS X use.

I'd use that machine as a server or an OS 9 box.

 

[thirdlegstump]

That thing is going to be like watching paint dry on a humid muggy day. OS X will be stupid painful and web browsing with OS 9 is the worst possible experience ever. I'd use it only as a Mac file/print server and nothing else.

 

[Eug]

Don't bother upgrading it. $100 seems reasonable given that it has already been upgraded, but I'd just use it as is. However, OS X is going to be very slow on it.

A 1 GHz G3 upgrade (or a 700 MHz G4 upgrade) is about US$250, but if you were going to spend that kind of money, a 1.25 GHz Mac mini would have been a better idea.

So how much are they charging you to ship that beige G3 to you?

 

[Childs]

He could still run OS9. I dont see why he would want to....