Just bought an iMac

Hello everyone, I just bought an iMac off of ebay just to kinda get the feel of a mac. I'm not yet sure if I wanna make a full switch or not, but I figured since I got 4 pc's at my home, having at least 1 mac wouldn't be such a bad idea. I'm not sure how well this matches up to some of the current pc's that are out now, but I will mainly be using it for the common stuff...such as internet browsing, term papers, and occasional 3d work. Nothing TOO demanding for this machine. The machine I just bought is this one here-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5759150153&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT

If any of you could let me know the pro's and cons of this system, i'd appreciate it. It seems to be a pretty good buy for a starter mac. Thanks! :black:

anyone?

Well, it does indeed appear to be a good starter system. There are two main suggestions I have to make your introduction to the Mac platform with this machine as good as it can be.

First, I would recommend upgrading the memory, preferably to at least 512 MB. It's not a very expensive upgrade, and it will help out quite a bit with performance.

Second, I would upgrade the operating system from OS 9 to OS X. Here, you have two choices. You can purchase OS X 10.3 (Panther) new or used, which is the latest operating system and extremely good. You can also wait until Apple releases OS X 10.4 (Tiger) which will obviously be an improved and updated version of OS X. Neither would be a bad choice, but I'd probably personally wait for Tiger, since it will most likely be released relatively soon.

I think you're really going to appreciate your new Mac. Welcome to the forums. :black:

I agree with padawan. Upgrade the memory and operating system before you draw any conclusions as to whether or not Macs are for you. Other than that, it looks like you have yourself a nice little system there. Would make a great starter, or if and when you convert to Macs, it would make a nice little internet/music access point to put in a little nook or entryway in your home. for <$300 for the system I don't really see how you can go wrong. Plus, those things are so dang cute.

-Chris

Yeh, I think so too The blue is so nice! Is the Panther OS expensive?
I guess I could probably find a copy on eBay, or if any of you are selling one, let me know.

I know that model is a little dated, but I really like the style of those models. Also, how does that compare to a pc? Meaning, what would that processer speed be in the "pc world"?

Also, can someone explain to me exactly what Virtual PC is? This "bundle" comes with that software included, thanks!

Panther retails for $129 or $69 if you qualify for Education pricing.

As far as a "PC equivalent", there honestly isn't any sort of real conversion chart or formula, and it wouldn't be a true apples to apples (no pun intended) comparison anyway. Suffice it to say that a 450 MHz G3 isn't blazingly fast, but is still perfectly functional for most applications.

VirtualPC is an application that emulates x86 systems on the Macintosh, allowing a Mac to run Windows-based software. It's unfortunately a rather slow-running, poor performing application, and since you already own a few Windows PC's, you really won't have any use for it.