| Author |
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Blake
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - 02:33 pm: | 
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Does a Mac G3 require a special monitor or will any PC do? Just had a 21" Mac Studio display fail. This is the Mac Blue and White 400 MHz G3 nightmare machine belonging to my parents. Would like a 17" or 19" LCD desktop monitor, nothing real fancy.
Also, am planning to upgrade from Mac OS 10.1 to 10.3 or 10.4. Is 10.4 worth the extra expense?
I hate that computer with a passion, but I will not let it beat me! I will get it working! |
Krassh
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - 03:14 pm: |
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Looked that model up in google and the specs say a standard VGA interface. |
Steve_mackay
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - 05:58 pm: |
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Blake, the thing with Mac OSX is it actually gets FASTER with every release.
Kinda like Windows would be in the Bizzaro world 
Blow up the 'ole Blue and White, and get mom a Mac mini. Or just forget the idea of getting a monitor. Just get her a new iMac. You'd be AMAZED how much faster the new Intel macs are.
But if you're dead set on just gettin' a monitor?
How about a 19" LCD for $100?
http://www.pcconnection.com/ProductDetail?Sku=6732 843&SourceID=k54384 |
Nutsnbolt
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - 07:19 pm: |
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I am using 10.4 I love it.
I use an ibook g4. which is just now macbook. These things are great.
Do the upgrade.
Mark |
Gentleman_jon
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - 07:20 pm: |
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Mac OS X 10.4 is a big improvement, - be sure to upgrade to the latest release 10.4.8 after you install it.
10.1 was really a beta release, it just does not work at all well, and many programs won't run on it at all.
Any modern LCD monitor will work just fine.
The Blue and White G3 was not a particularly felicitous version of the Macintosh. Lots of upgrades are available from Other World Computers, the Mac specialists.
However really nothing you can do to the unit will be more satisfying than running it over with a large truck, at high speed, and replacing it with a recent iMac.
Of course, it is just as important to gear up for your Mac as it is for your motorbike.
Safety first, know what I mean?
 |
Cyclone262
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - 09:19 pm: |
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I would not bother upgrading that machine.Its still useful for OS9 applications,its kinda waste of time for OSX.Save yourself some headaches and do like the other posters recommend.Ebay the old machine off to some hardcore PowerPc holdover.
Using a G4 iBook myself currently,still have my iMac DV400 and a much older 6115.I too shall be making the intel switch.MacOSX is excellent and really shines with the intel processor (Which grieves me to say.)
Please dont blow it up it is still very useful to the hardcore Macophile! |
Chainsaw
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 09:07 am: |
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Also, am planning to upgrade from Mac OS 10.1 to 10.3 or 10.4. Is 10.4 worth the extra expense?
10.1 to 10.3.9 is FREE. The upgrade to 10.4 (Tiger) will cost $100.
That G3 is 7 years old. Play the good son and buy 'em an upgrade already!
(Message edited by chainsaw on December 28, 2006) |
Henrik
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 09:40 am: |
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System 10.4.8 works great. Go for it.
However get thee to:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/A ppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=D8593B5A&nclm=Certified Mac
and look at some of the killer deals on Intel based macs. For instance:
Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0
Learn More
• Save 30% off the original price
Original price: $1,699.00
Your price: $1,199.00
If your parents don't need a desktop system and would rather trade screen real estate for portability there are some great deals on MacBooks as well.
Henrik |
Doon
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 03:23 pm: |
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Running 10.4.8 on a 17 Powerbook G4 right now + 23" Cinema Display. Have a PowerPC Mini and a iMAC DV SE at home. can't wait to get an Intel based mac, but it was either the buell or a new mac for home. The lightning won
Blake, that computer that henrik posted above is great, and should last them another 7 years (don't hold me to that). |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 03:55 pm: |
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I should have been more clear in my initial post. No new mac is going to happen. An upgrade to 10.3 is free for 10.1 owners? For real? GEEZ! Where? How?
Mom and Dad don't need anything more than the G3. There is no possible way to justify spending a bunch of money on another new computer. Will a VGA interface support greater than VGA screen resolutions, for instance the 1280x1024 offered by that LCD monitor you so kindly point out?
They just want to continue to be able to use the G3 for web surfing, not much more. No way in heck are they going to invest in another Mac after the utter nightmare they have experienced for the last 7 years with that B&W 400MHz G3. The thing has 640MB RAM, so should run the web and more just fine. No?
We just want to get it up and running with a reliable OS that will allow web surfing. That is it! Nothing more! Just a dumb web interface! Well maybe also to interface with a Palm and digital camera, but that's it! It can do that just fine, right? No need whatsoever for more processing speed for that, right? Come on guys, some folks are on a tight budget, including me. 
BTW, Ya gotta love how some Mac users express disdain for the older Mac OS' and even the machines themselves. I agree!  So did Mom and Dad, which is why they just made the leap to a nice new Dell Notebook with a 24" WQVGA desktop monitor. |
Doon
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 04:22 pm: |
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blake: From looking at specs online It should be able to support the 1280x01024
Video: ATI Rage 128 on 66 MHz bus, supports resolutions to 1600x1200 with 32-bit support, VGA output
Web stuff should be fine along. Movie and or flash playback probably going to be a bit rough.
But I still use my Imac DV to surf in the living room and it works fine (as long as you don't try video...) |
Steve_mackay
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 04:25 pm: |
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Will a VGA interface support greater than VGA screen resolutions, for instance the 1280x1024 offered by that LCD monitor you so kindly point out?
Yes, as long as the VGA card has enough VRAM to run it. The monitor will also display other resolutions, such as the standard VGA just fine(640x48, 1024x768, and 1280x1024 are quite common for even the cheapest of LCDs)
The thing has 640MB RAM, so should run the web and more just fine. No?
Yes |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 05:08 pm: |
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Cool! Thanks all for all the excellent advice!
Who mentioned that free upgrade from 10.1 to 10.3? I cannot find it on the apple site anywhere? How/where do we obtain the free upgrade?
Looks like 10.4 is a bunch of new bells and whistles, all very nice, but not at all needed or beneficial even for web surfing, so 10.3 if free is the way we will go.
Am I missing something? |
Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 05:20 pm: |
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Hold the horses.  I suspect the OS *may* be Mac OS 10.0.4. My bad. |
Dbird29
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 07:28 pm: |
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Get a Mac Mini for $600 and be done with it.
You can even dual boot to XP or Linux and there won't be a treadmill of updates because of not needing a new video card, more RAM, a new power supply because the old one was held together with dust bunnies, etc, etc, etc....
My rule for any computer work for relatives is new gear or I will be into hours and hours of phone support. |
Gentleman_jon
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 08:14 pm: |
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Good thinking Bird.
I just might add legal software to the list of must-haves for friends and relatives.
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Blake
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 08:20 pm: |
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I need a new monitor and an OS upgrade is all. Good grief.
And what is all this talk of booting to Linux or XP? Why the heck would I want to do that?
The video card, as Doon so astutely points out, is an ATI Rage 128 which is up to the task just fine. I even have a spare as my first guess was that the video card was the culprit and so bought a replacement, a used one for $19.
It was definitely the monitor, stuff was sparking and smoking inside it. |
Dbird29
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 08:26 pm: |
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We have many Apple systems at work that are frozen in OS Rev time due to all the little niggly items like RAM upgrades, video card upgrades etc.
They are still just computers and have the capacity to drain endless amounts of effort & money.
As far as relative's computer upgrades, I think the saying is "no good deed goes unpunished".
Good LucK and Happy New Year. |
Typeone
| | Posted on Thursday, December 28, 2006 - 09:44 pm: |
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buy more RAM. X loves it. they will be happier.. . but even though its not an option, i agree with the others. ditch the B&W and buy a mini to hook up to an old monitor + keyboard. done.
EDIT: you want real cheap and insanely useful? find an eMac, buy it, turn it on. presto! solid forever. seriously. we used to use one as our company FTP server internal/external + general test, browse, etc machine. thing was NEVER shut down. never flinched. all in one unit for an amazing price. they can be had for about $400 1Ghz G4.
(Message edited by typeone on December 28, 2006) |
Blake
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 08:12 am: |
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They only need a monitor and an OS upgrade. Did I say that? Is there an echo in here? Hello?
Is 640 MB not sufficient for web browsing and running OS 10.3.9? Why are you suggesting more RAM? 
Mom got the monitor on order. Thanks again Steve!  That is a killer deal and with a 3-year warranty too. |
Nutsnbolt
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 08:41 am: |
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System Preferences, Software Update and let it run, it will detect your old version and ask you to upload the new one.
This is exactly what I have done and I am running 10.4 for FREE. 10.4 doesn't cost you a thing if you are already running OSX to begin with
That should help blake. |
Typeone
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 08:51 am: |
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i know, i know, you already said we were answering the wrong questions but you got the VGA answer and pretty much the OS upgrade answer... it sounded to me like that Mac has issues running a newer OS. i had a B&W running X, i know what its like... and the B&W G3s aren't so happy with X. its a HOG, wanting to gobble up all available RAM and VM disk space. so yes, maxing out the RAM (its cheap too!) is a very, very good idea to make X a little happier. my belief is that it will help smooth things out for them and extend the life of the setup. you'd be surprised how the VM swap file grows over time if they open/work/close apps and files a lot without shutting the Mac down. more RAM would give X a little more breathing room, thats all, and thats why i recommend it. yes, even for just a web/email machine.
(curious if they only have a 5400rpm drive too. bump to 7200rpm or 10K helps X as well on those older Macs. but i know you dont want to hear that. hence the tiny text) |
Typeone
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 08:54 am: |
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This is exactly what I have done and I am running 10.4 for FREE. 10.4 doesn't cost you a thing if you are already running OSX to begin with
not from 10.0.4 he can't. need to purchase the latest. its worth it. get it for them, Blake... along with more RAM  |
Sparky
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 04:25 pm: |
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FYI, the iMac I use is a slot-loading Indigo 500 Mhz G3 and I've been cautioned by several Mac enthusiasts that 10.3.9 is the highest version it should run. And it works great! As 10.4 is really designed for G4's and later, I don't think 10.4 would work too well in your folk's machine.
I'd definitely max out the ram though to help it run more smoothly with the new OS upgrade. |
Blake
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 05:21 pm: |
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Thanks Darryl (Sparky)! That confirms what I've suspected concerning the OS. Will go with an OS upgrade to 10.3.9. Now, where to find it on CD for a killer price. Anyone know? Anyone got an old unused Mac OS X 10.3 on CD lying around? |
Nutsnbolt
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 07:46 pm: |
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I may be able to help you on that. I have bonfire to ride to tonight, let me get back with you in the morning on that one, Blake.
Let the others chime in, though. I have my startup disk and the disk I can use if mine crashes. Mine came preinstalled with 10.3 on it. So, I'm pretty sure I can copy with the Toast Program. Let me get with an IT friend of mine tonight and find out.
Later, skaters
Mark |
Typeone
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 10:29 pm: |
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As 10.4 is really designed for G4's and later, I don't think 10.4 would work too well in your folk's machine.
I've never heard that, Sparky. of course the old G3 isn't ideal, but every new version of X seems better to me, even on old hardware. here's a review from OS News installing Tiger (10.4) on a 400Mhz G3 iMac.. .
"I was impressed by the speed of Tiger on this 400 Mhz G3. I remember a time in 2001 when our ex-housemate bought a 500 Mhz iMac with Mac OS X 10.1.5. It crawled! But Apple has made an exceptional job optimizing Mac OS X since then. Especially with Panther and now with Tiger, a supported 400 Mhz G3 is more than enough for some basic internet usage (browsing, email, IM etc). When my husband came back from work and saw me using this iMac he remarked "hmm, it's not as slow as I remember it". And indeed, it is not. -Eugenia Loli-Queru on 2006-07-08
i would still recommend maxing out the RAM since it can be had for so cheap, but sounds like you could give it a go with only 640MB. |
Phillyblast
| | Posted on Friday, December 29, 2006 - 10:56 pm: |
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Blake,
Might want to check http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/6914909A/
or similar - "oem" dvd for 49 bucks.
I went that way when updating my parents slot-loader iMac a while ago. Honestly they couldn't be happier with the new OS. 512M of ram and it hums along nicely - my Dad is even into iPhoto - printed his own Christmas cards this year. |
Bertman
| | Posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 02:54 am: |
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Must be an OSX thing on the old Macs. My Beige G3 machine running an over-clocked 400 (466Mhz) processor with only 384MB ram runs flawless on OS 8.6. Standard VGA monitor is run on it.
Although a brand new 20" iMac is hopefully going up this weekend. |
Blake
| | Posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 05:08 am: |
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Philly,
We need CD's, the old G3 doesn't have a DVD reader. I know, they are only $40. Just not needed so if we can avoid that expense, it would be nice. Thanks for chiming in.
Bert,
Consider yourself soundly blessed! My wife has used Macs exclusively for the past ten years at work (architecture and interior design firm). She says that until recently crashes were a daily and sometimes more frequent fact of Mac use.
Sounds to me like the newer OS's are putting that to rest just like the newer versions of Windows.
Ain't progress grand? |
Typeone
| | Posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 08:35 am: |
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eBay:
Mac OS X Tiger Full Install CD Kit, New
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger Universal Install CD, New
(Message edited by typeone on December 30, 2006) |
Doon
| | Posted on Saturday, December 30, 2006 - 09:36 am: |
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I have 10.4.8 running Fine on a IMAC DV (G3) with 640 MB of ram. It sits on a table in the Den so we can easily surf from the couch and so my wife can IM @ me at work when she is resting (Morning sickness not treating her well). Have no issues with it running on 10.4. Now if only I had some spare $ to get a new MacPro for home.. But alas house shopping has most of my play $$ tied up. |
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Monitor & OS Upgrade for troubled Mac G3?