G3 vs G4 and eMac

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'11 Macbook Pro i5 2.3 GHZ, 4GB, 10.10.4
Finally having my first job, I decided I'll spend my first paycheck on an older mac. I have no need for a powerful mac, the only thing I need tons of power for is gaming.

I have a 500MHZ G3 iBook with 256 MB RAM. Its definately not fast. I have been looking at G4 PowerMacs, somewhere around 500MHZ models. Would a 500MHZ G4 PowerMac with 256MB of RAM be just as fast as my iBook? I have tons of RAM laying around that I plan on cramming in there anyway.

A possible better option would be to go for an eMac. I could most likely get one of the 700MHZ models but I'm not too sure. I realize they are the first of the eMacs and I was just wondering if there any problems that I should know of to keep me from getting one. Id like to have one instead of a powermac so I can save space and I also don't have a 17" monitor, or a flat CRT or a really nice one at that. I know Apple is famous for their displays.

So if you guys could help me out it would be greatly appreciated. Im looking foward to starting my little Mac collection I want to get going. :)
 
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White MacBook, 2.0 ghz Intel Core 2, 2GB ram||[G4 Imac Flat Panel] |800mhz|1Gb RAM|60gb HDD
The G4 500mhz will be much faster than the G3. I don't know if there were any problems with the 1st gen emacs, but I sure would love one myself!
 
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iMac 20" C2D 2.4 ghz 2gb iMac 20" C2D 2GB 256MB Graphics Macbook C2D 2GB Powermac G4 Dual 450
well to answer ur first question, all 500mhz processors were not created equal. the powermac would definitely be faster than ur ibook, because of the fact that it's a G4, it has Dual processors and a better graphics card. it is also more upgradable, just make sure u've got the right kind of ram. i've never been a big fan of emacs...i would go with the powermac
 
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iBeldar
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Well the only reason I would get the eMac is for the display and because they're faster than any PowerMac I could get my hands on.
 
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I used to have a 1Ghz eMac and it was a fine machine. The earlier models were just as good, IMO.
If you have the option, I would take that over the G4 Power Mac. The eMac would perform much better and would serve you much longer than the other choices you listed.
 
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I remembered an eMac problem from years ago (2002), and found it on the web. This article explains it, but the supplied link to an expanded story doesn't go there anymore.

There's also this and at Apple's site, this.

An August 2003 answer to a question on this site says:
I stand by my review, though -- overall, the eMac is a terrific value. My advice to you is to go ahead and purchase an eMac if you're ready. Don't worry overmuch about the raster shift problem because odds are that your unit is no longer affected. And if it is, odds are (at least in my experience) that the problem will manifest while the unit is still under warranty, and can be fixed under warranty.
By now, of course, the warranty is long gone. Enter emac raster problem in a search engine.
 

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