Good starter mac?

Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
i have found this mac on eBay and I was looking for input on weather this is a good starter mac. This would be perfect for me as I'm only 15 years old and i don't have the money for a newer one. and plus I've been looking at upgrades for the g4 and I could always upgrade later when I have the money.

Thanks,
JeX
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
hey,

I'm not yet the best mac expert but from past experience I would probably say buy. I have an iBook g3 I bought from ebay so those are also great machines. Pm me if you have any questions
 

Del


Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
901
Reaction score
15
Points
18
Location
N. Ireland
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro 2xQuad core 2.8GHZ
Well i bought the lowest spec MacBook as i didnt want to lash out a lot of money in case i didn't get on well with the Mac (my first ever mac) - I now wish that i had bought a higher spec Mac and do not ever see me returning to the Windows fold.
 
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
785
Reaction score
20
Points
18
Location
Kennewick, WA
Your Mac's Specs
rMBP 3.06Ghz, MBP 2.2Ghz, Mini G4, B/W G3 (Media Server), LCII, Beige G3
400mhz is a little outdated now. I would look for something more in the 800mhz-1ghz. Even doing simple tasks you will notice quite a lag with only 400mhz. quicksilver g4 the quicksilver is a bit more but you can search around and find the lowest price with a faster processor.

+ I would look for something with at least 10.4 tiger installed, and the system disks if possible
 
Joined
Mar 11, 2004
Messages
1,964
Reaction score
174
Points
63
Before you buy, make sure the thing comes with the PROPER install disk — meant for that particular model or an across-all-model install disk purchased from Apple.

If it doesn't, sooner or later you'll end up with a doorstop until you lay out more cash for a system disk.
 
Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
2,288
Reaction score
51
Points
48
Location
Devon, England
Your Mac's Specs
ibook g4, imac 2ghz c2d, mbp 2.4ghz c2d - 10.5.1
if you do choose to buy this be aware that the OS on it is 10.3 - i assume tiger (10.3.4 - when it was released). its not the newest leopard. there are small differences. but i think you will get the general idea.
 
Joined
Oct 6, 2007
Messages
201
Reaction score
9
Points
18
Location
Seattle, WA
Your Mac's Specs
13" MBP - Mid 2012 - i7 / iPad Air / iPhone 5s / ATV3
This system is similar to what I have and as something to tinker with, it's not a bad system. Lots of upgrade potential and suprisingly works decent at that low of a speed. I ran Panther until last month and it runs similar to Tiger, just with fewer bells and whistles mainly.

Note that you can upgrade one of these pretty far but the cost of the upgrades all together will run about the same as a Mac Mini which is much more powerfull and the Mini will run Leopard, the G4 won't.

-MikeM
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2007
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I don't believe in a "starter" computer. Just get a good one to begin with. Why risk having a bad experience with a used unit or a low end unit when you can have a great experience with a good one, not to mention you'll grow into it fast. Much faster than you'll wanna replace it. Last thing you want is to be able to use features or get the experience of a good mac 6 months from now when you won't be able to buy a new one for a while and be stuck with something you outgrew.
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2007
Messages
401
Reaction score
15
Points
18
Location
UK
Personally i would wait a little while and save up. Im 17 and got my macbook a while ago and fully understand how tight money can be. I would go for a mini I'm not sure how it works over in America but i got a discount of about 50£ because i'm a student which helps out. So check your options and price up ask about discounts. There's nothing more annoying on getting a older system and out growing it in no time at all. I personally wouldn't buy a second hand computer through ebay but plenty of people do. Just make sure you have the restore disks since older disks can be hard and expensive to find.
 
Joined
Feb 12, 2007
Messages
68
Reaction score
4
Points
8
Your Mac's Specs
13" Macbook 2.0GHz, Airport Extreme, 3G iPod Nano
You can find perfectly capable Mac Mini's (G4) on eBay for < $400. While this may be a little more money than you originally hoped, this is a MUCH better alternative (read: more capable) to a very outdated sub-800MHz G3. Of course, I'm also assuming that you have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top