My Official "Help me buy a Mac" Thread

[pokeman89]

My old thread was originally about an emac which turned into a power mac, so I will just create a thread to help me through my first purchase.

Well I can pretty much assume that my G4 867MHz deal is dead, so I went looking for another mac. I have a guy who wants $100 for a nearly identical power mac except it has a superdrive and dual 450MHz g4.

How does the Dual G4 compare with the single? I know that with dual core processors it is not a double gain, does that same principle hold true to dual processors?

[harryb2448]

It is nowhere near the specs of your late MDD so be careful. Dual Processors, and that is what it is NOT DUAL CORE, are an advantage for some applications only that can take advantage of the DP, however at the end of the day it is still a Gigabit Ethernet with the slow old 100MHz system bus speed and $100.00 is simply too dear for a machine using PC100 memory.

For web browsing etc a DP will perform very similarly to a single.

[pokeman89]

It is nowhere near the specs of your late MDD so be careful. Dual Processors, and that is what it is NOT DUAL CORE, are an advantage for some applications only that can take advantage of the DP, however at the end of the day it is still a Gigabit Ethernet with the slow old 100MHz system bus speed and $100.00 is simply too dear for a machine using PC100 memory.

For web browsing etc a DP will perform very similarly to a single.

I guessed that, so I took a pass on it because he refused to budge on the price even after I showed him a quote of his mac that listed it for $50. I am waiting on 3 people who should send me some specs. one has a G4 mini looking for $120, another has a G4 powerbook, hasn't released processor, but for $150.

[pigoo3]

I guessed that, so I took a pass on it because he refused to budge on the price even after I showed him a quote of his mac that listed it for $50. I am waiting on 3 people who should send me some specs. one has a G4 mini looking for $120, another has a G4 powerbook, hasn't released processor, but for $150.

The G4 Mini might be an interesting buy for $120 bucks.

One thing to watch out for...ask if the Mini has built in Airport for wireless networking. If it doesn't, and it's important to you...you need some specialty parts to upgrade the Mini for wireless Airport...and this can easily set you back I think in the neighborhood of $125-$150 bucks!!!

If it does come with wireless internet...for $120...I would snap it up in a heart-beat!!!

But even without Airport it would be a decent deal.

Good luck,

- Nick

[pokeman89]

The G4 Mini might be an interesting buy for $120 bucks.

One thing to watch out for...ask if the Mini has built in Airport for wireless networking. If it doesn't, and it's important to you...you need some specialty parts to upgrade the Mini for wireless Airport...and this can easily set you back I think in the neighborhood of $125-$150 bucks!!!

If it does come with wireless internet...for $120...I would snap it up in a heart-beat!!!

But even without Airport it would be a decent deal.

Good luck,

- Nick

I am not that worried about the airport, though it is a huge plus if it has one. I have a USB adapter that goes with my router so that isn't a big deal as long as I have the open usb port, because I do not plan on running both my PC and my mac at once, so it is just a matter of unplugging it from my PC and moving it to the mini. My main concern is whether or not they have the DVI to VGA adapter, I do not have a single monitor with DVI input, only VGA.

However I still have not gotten a reply yet through email. I will try the number tomorrow, I don't know why I don't try numbers first anyway

[pigoo3]

My main concern is whether or not they have the DVI to VGA adapter, I do not have a single monitor with DVI input, only VGA.

I wouldn't "kill" the deal if it doesn't come with the adapter. They're only $19.00 at the Apple store...or maybe cheaper on e-Bay.

What's the CPU speed of the Mini...1.25, 1.42, or 1.5ghz?

- Nick

[pokeman89]

I wouldn't "kill" the deal if it doesn't come with the adapter. They're only $19.00 at the Apple store...or maybe cheaper on e-Bay.

What's the CPU speed of the Mini...1.25, 1.42, or 1.5ghz?

- Nick

Yes but when I get into the $120 range I am literally spending all I have and I still need to get a keyboard and mouse that are USB capable.

I am awaiting a response, I will probably have to call tomorrow, but I'm guessing 1.25 since it is so cheap. usually people overprice the mac minis, in fact I am a little worried it has already been taken since it is deal that is hard to come by.

[harryb2448]

One thing before you part with the readies, make sure it is a 1.25, 1.42 or 1.5GHz processor. Have seen some people advertising a G4 Cube as a Mini, maybe they were confused, and it is totally different species. Here are Mini Specs for 1.2GHz:-

Apple Mac mini G4/1.25 Specs (Mac mini - M9686LL/A*) @ EveryMac.com

And this is what a Cube is:-

Apple Power Macintosh G4 500 Cube Specs (Power Mac G4 Cube - M7642LL/A*) @ EveryMac.com

[pokeman89]

One thing before you part with the readies, make sure it is a 1.25, 1.42 or 1.5GHz processor. Have seen some people advertising a G4 Cube as a Mini, maybe they were confused, and it is totally different species. Here are Mini Specs for 1.2GHz:-

Apple Mac mini G4/1.25 Specs (Mac mini - M9686LL/A*) @ EveryMac.com

And this is what a Cube is:-

Apple Power Macintosh G4 500 Cube Specs (Power Mac G4 Cube - M7642LL/A*) @ EveryMac.com

There is a picture with the ad, it is a mini, unless they took the wrong picture that is . And thanks for the specs page.

[pokeman89]

I hesitate to put this on here where everyone can see it since it is from ebay, but is this a good deal? Apple PowerMac G4 800MHz QuickSilver,1GB,80GB,DVD-RW - eBay (item 260477725247 end time Sep-22-09 13:47:29 PDT)

Any questions I should be asking about this one?

[harryb2448]

No speaker grille, no keyboard and mouse, scratched, broken catch, no system install discs ~ suggest you look for a better machine. The next model 933MHz or a MDD will also run Leopard, the last OS for PowerPC machines.

[pigoo3]

I hesitate to put this on here where everyone can see it since it is from ebay, but is this a good deal? Apple PowerMac G4 800MHz QuickSilver,1GB,80GB,DVD-RW - eBay (item 260477725247 end time Sep-22-09 13:47:29 PDT)

Any questions I should be asking about this one?

After factoring in the shipping it's an ok deal...but nothing to go "crazy" about!

But when you're talking under a $100 bucks for a computer...who can complain.

- Nick

[pokeman89]

After factoring in the shipping it's an ok deal...but nothing to go "crazy" about!

But when you're talking under a $100 bucks for a computer...who can complain.

- Nick

I was thinking about it before I was outbid. I figured with a 30 day return policy it was at least worth trying to buy it. I do not think someone would put in a 30-day return policy if the item was damaged in any sort of mechanical way, I could care less about the cosmetic scratches and missing speaker grill, it's not as if they do anything other than protect the components inside. I tried to get another deal through craigslist but the guy insisted that $225 was a good deal for a Dual 867MHz g4 with a 80gig HD and no OS keyboard, or mouse. Needless to say I turned down the offer.

I left a message about the mac mini because I honestly do not expect to win the ebay mac, people always bid more in the final hours.

I was also thinking about this one (No stealing it from me ) Apple PowerMac G4 1.25GHz w/1GM RAM and combo drive - eBay (item 160364028327 end time Sep-27-09 14:00:37 PDT)

[Mac SK]

I hesitate to put this on here where everyone can see it since it is from ebay, but is this a good deal? Apple PowerMac G4 800MHz QuickSilver,1GB,80GB,DVD-RW - eBay (item 260477725247 end time Sep-22-09 13:47:29 PDT)

Any questions I should be asking about this one?

I see some issues but its not bad. No ones bid on it yet. The mark on the side is may clean up some and the latch can be repaired if your handy with some tools. The one I got for $26. Was missing the HD but I got the whole thing for $65.

[pigoo3]

I left a message about the mac mini because I honestly do not expect to win the ebay mac, people always bid more in the final hours.

I was also thinking about this one (No stealing it from me ) Apple PowerMac G4 1.25GHz w/1GM RAM and combo drive - eBay (item 160364028327 end time Sep-27-09 14:00:37 PDT)

Like you mentioned above...there's really no sense in getting excited about an e-Bay auction until the last hour...or even the last 5 minutes of an auction due to last minute bidding.

The auction you posted above for the PowerMac G4 1.25...has more than 5 days left in it...and I can almost guarantee that it will sell for close to $200 or more. The power supply in it is worth at least $100.

Basically...you can almost forget about getting any "great" deals on e-Bay! There are just too many other bidders out there with more money to spend. Sure...occasionally you will get lucky.

The best way to get a great deal on a computer is to shop locally...and this may primarily be Craig's List....but also Thrift Stores, newspaper classifieds, garage sales, and maybe even a "flea market".

Good luck,

- Nick