8100? G3 iMac?

[Calum]

My work is closing down, and selling off their accumulated computers. They're all macs from SE30s onwards. THey have one of about seven different types of macs. Basically i want to know how much i should reasonably pay for either an 8100 or a G3 iMac. So, how much? also, are they easily upgradeable? also, re: OS, will i be able to run it on either an 8100 or an iMac? and will i have to buy it or is it one of those ones that are free (what with apple's revenue being in hardware et c)?

What are your thoughts? i gather the 8100s will come with system 7 and the iMacs will probably come with OS9.

What's the verdict? I swing more in the way of the 8100, but is it worth it or will it become obsolete soon, and can i upgrade it if it does?

[TheQuirk]

no idea. but.. erm.. can I buy one too?  

[cocoamix]

The 8100 is more expandable and has processor upgrades available, I think. The iMac has the advantage of a much faster system bus.

Both will run OS 8 or 9 fine, but only the iMac (depending on the model) will run OS X in any way close to usable.

[psyjax]

quote:Originally posted by cocoamix:
The 8100 is more expandable and has processor upgrades available, I think. The iMac has the advantage of a much faster system bus.

Both will run OS 8 or 9 fine, but only the iMac (depending on the model) will run OS X in any way close to usable.

If the iMac is G3 400 or higher, Id take it.

The 8100 would only be good if you are not willing to mod it up or upgrade it.

That sux that your goin' out of buisness. Never knew exactly what you did over there, but it  allways sounded like you were having fun  

[Calum]

oh i'll find something else pretty quick! it makes it even more fun that i have to move house three days after my job finishes, and still haven't found somewhere to move into yet! hooray!

My 'revision a' iMac (supposedly worth 300 quid (about US$500)) has had it's motherboard die, requiring a 232 pound replacement!!! This makes me hesitant to buy any of the other iMacs which are admittedly one year newer, but still.....

[rtgwbmsr]

Lots of info for you:

G3 iMacs 233-333 should fetch $400-$550
An 8100 should go for about $300 (That's actually kind of high...)

A G3 500 Mhz upgrade (Sonnet) for the 8100 from eshop.macsales.com (OWC) costs $250. A bonus of that upgrade is it doubles the bus speed (I haven't actually tested this, but that's what it says. While your there you can check out the iMac upgrades.

-Dustin

[ravuya]

8100 is good hardware. Lots of expandability, lots of power. The G3 iMac, however, is good for 9.2 and above, but early models will chug on Mac OS X.

[cocoamix]

I suggest going to www.everymac.com and checking the specs of any prospective purchases.
The 8100 while good for the time, is pretty outdated. It doesn't have any PCI slots and used NuBus slots instead. I would only recommend it if it's an A/V model, which has audio and video in and out, which is always nifty.
Otherwise, go for the iMac.

[Calum]

well the one that blew its motherboard last week is a green G3 'revision a', 233mhz i believe? they wanted 300 pounds for it when it was alive. Now one of the purple iMacs (revison b? 400s maybe?) is going dodgy too. I think i will wait a bit before getting a mac...