08-12-2009, 02:59 PM

Hey guys, I'm new to macs but wanted to get one after a friend of mine let me try out his new macbook pro. It was really cool, but the price wasn't! So my friend told me to look for an older mac in good working condition and I did. I'm in between an emac, an imac g4 (bubble) and a g4 quicksilver. All cost $100 but they don't all come with the same stuff and obviously they have different specs.

here they are (this is all the owner's said in the descriptions):

emac: Manufacturer: Apple
Model: A1002
Color: White
Specifications

Screen Size: 16"
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Hard Disk Capacity: 37.14 GB
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3.9
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1)
Number of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.25 GHz
L2 Cache: 512 KB
Memory: 256 MB DDR SDRAM
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.8.2fl

g4 quicksilver is a 933mhz with 640mb ram expandable to 1.5 gb. has a nvidia geforce dual display adapter with vga and adc connections. two 40 gb hard drive are installed. DVD burner. has os x 10.4 fully updated and clean. i life is installed, this includes i movie, i dvd, garage band, i tunes, and i photo. also includes microsoft keyboard and optical mouse, power cable, and usb to ps/2 adaptor. No monitor

imac g4 (bubble) 6-7 yrs old, 80g hard drive, dvd burner, runs 10.1.4, comes with old keyboard and mouse. I was kind of worried when the owner said that they used it mainly to download music off of limewire.

So what do you guys think? Each one is $100. Which one is the best or most worth the money?

08-12-2009, 04:20 PM

If u want to go for a G4 then i would go for a 1.42GHz unit which is the last of the line as it were and still quite reasonable in todays internet environment but as with most things it depends what u expect to do as to which is best 4 u.

08-12-2009, 04:29 PM

but which out of the three would you recommend?

08-12-2009, 04:52 PM

My method would be - first choice fastest processor and if they are the same then go for biggest ram. For Tiger 10.4.11 ram 512 is Ok but 756 is better. 256? buy another 512 chip

08-12-2009, 05:59 PM

Suggest the G4 Quicksilver as you can upgrade memory to 1.5GB simply, replace HDD, graphic display cards, USB2 PCI cards and optical drives very easily, and will accept drives larger that 128GB. Downside is purchasing a monitor, but you can pick up an Apple or generic LCD of say 17" quite cheaply.

1.25GHz eMacs have problems with capacitors. Do a Google.

08-12-2009, 07:57 PM

what are capacitors and what would I enter into the search bar to find out more about this problem? To tell you the truth I wasn't looking to upgrade, I just wanted something that will run fairly well for my 100 bucks.

08-12-2009, 08:02 PM

Which highlights the very issue - it is hard for us to decide which is best for you. There is enuff info there from Harry and i for you to use for an educated guess

08-12-2009, 10:00 PM

like I said, I'm new to macs. If I can't understand something that seems simple or obvious to you, please don't tell me to "make an educated guess" just answer the question please. I'm going to inquire about the imac g4 to see the processing speed.

On another note, even though I said I was not looking to upgrade, it doesn't mean that I won't.

08-12-2009, 11:11 PM

A number of computer manufacturers, including Apple and Dell, ran into problems with faulty capacitors which were purchased from a manufacturer and fitted to a number of different computers.

The most notable for Apple was the Apple eMac with a 1.25GHz processor. Owners reported the machines were freezing constantly and Apple, to their credit, arranged for a two year extension of the warranty to eMacs showing capacitor problems. This has now expired.

Here is a link where this issue is fully discussed. Suggest if you go for an eMac look for a 1.42GHz machine which did not seem to have these problems.

Apple - Support - Discussions - eMac Capacitor/Freeze Up FAQ ...

08-12-2009, 11:22 PM

alright thanks. I think I might just pass on all 3 of these, I can't find any cheap monitors either

08-13-2009, 04:43 AM

Just a sidenote to the capacitor issue on the eMac 1.25Ghz units, it's come to my attention that eMac's made with capacitors with a K on the end caps are using the better capacitors, the ones with the end caps marked with a X are the faulty bunch, now with my working eMac having X marked ones there were some that were ok for the long run but not always the case.

But as harryb2448 has noted check out the thread on the issue here as well as a Google search to find the telltale signs that they have failed.

That aside the eMac 1.25Ghz model down run nicely and mine with a Gb of RAM handles Leopard quite well and runs nice and smooth.

08-13-2009, 10:38 AM

well about the emac, the seller just lowered their price to $50, so I don't know if I'll go with this and upgrade or go with the imac g5 I talked about in another thread.