HDD & DVD-RW Question For iMac G3

Hello all,

Now recently i have decided i want to upgrade my outdated imac g3 as the specs are ok but could do a bit better, I currently own a machine with the following specs:

Apple iMac G3 Indigo (Model: M5521)
Processor: 400 Mhz G3 PowerPc
320 MB Ram
10 GB hard drive
CD-ROM Drive
Network: 10/100 Ethernet
Modem: 56.6k
Wireless: Airport Ready
Ports: 2 USB + 2 Firewire
Display: 15" Color (13.8" viewable, .28 dp, 95 Hz-800 x 600).
Onboard Sound With Headphone Jack
Operating System: Mac O/S/X 10.3.4 And Mac O/S 9.2.2 Installed

Problem is as you may have noticed 10GB is the hard drive size and there is only a CD-ROM drive, I am thinking about as i said upgrading by buying both things used or new as long as it is working i prefer internal rather then external, i have learned alot within the past few months of having it BUT i am still unsure exactly what hard drive i am looking for and exactly what DVD-RW drive or at least CD-RW i am looking for and i don't want to make any mistakes by getting something that will not work, i was hoping maybe someone here could point me in the right direction as to what exactly am i looking for that will work with the imac g3 ?

Any help would deeply be appreciated.

You can do all of the above but a better question is why.

I also had one of these and after coaxing it into 7 years it gave up. Perhaps spending the money you will invest into a fresh(er) iMac makes more sense.

If you wish more info just ask. I have done both of the above years ago and "interesting" was an understatement. Go fresh and enjoy life.

I wish i could to be honest bro but i have grown to like this old jug and would like it to be put to use even if it's for a short period, i could always use it for another machine if this one breaks down as well, all i know is that i do not have the kind of money for a fresh one I have done my research but i hear so many things i was hoping to get an answer from an expert (not that you aren't) as to what exactly it is i need to buy i don't know too much about sata and atari HDD's or slot loading dvd/cd trays and such or even that much about mac's for that matter

Well,
Ebay may be your best bet, everywhere else may have much higher prices.
For the CD drive,
As far as I know, I don't think that they make a DVD-RW drive for an iMac g3, or a CD-RW and DVD combo (someone else may correct me if i'm wrong)
As for prices, i searched ebay and for a CDRW it was more expensive than i expected, i didn't see much but most of them were $49.99 plus $12.99 shipping.
If you want DVD i found this on ebay ending in 6 days, it is $24.99 plus $9.99 shipping and it claims to be tested.

the iMac g3 uses an IDE hard drive. If you have an older PC, it most likely uses an IDE hard drive, so if you have an extra thats big enough you can put it in there. The iMac g3 will support up to 128gb without third party support. Again you could buy from ebay, or maybe try tigerdirect.com or geeks.com may have them. Expect to pay from $50-125 depending on size and what not.

You could also buy a processor upgrade card. I have never used one of these and i really don't know much about them at all. You would still be able to use OS X with most of them. Try doing a google search and you can find more info.

You might also want to upgrade your VRAM if at all possible,
Look under about this mac and see how much you have,
Do a google search, VRAM is so cheap, you may want to max it out, the limit is either 8 or 6, you can also find that out on google. Its worth the extra $20 or so.

Also,

I've heard it is a royal pain to take apart the case,
So here is a guide
http://www.scribd.com/doc/103447/iMac-G3-Disassembly-Guide

Towards the right you can download the file.

Hope everything works out,
and we hope to see your results.


Tanner.

Thanks for the help bro, i was thinking ebay as well but didn't know what kind of HDD to look for or drive but now thanks to you i have a better idea and description, thanks again and i will post my results after hopefully very soon