apple Rookie needs pointers for buying 2nd-hand imac g4.

[tommytahoe]

Hey everyone out there,
just joined up to this forum. Looks like a helpful panel all around. My reason for posting is to absorb as much info. as possible for purchasing a refurbished / used imac g4. For budgetary reasons, I'm staying away from the g5, so if anyone could let me know what I need to look for when test-driving these things from sellers. How will I know if they are pawning off something with defective drives, programs, BIOS, etc. Also, are there MHz, RAm, AND HARD-DRIVE GB minimums I should look for? I won't be using high-tech applications, but don't want the bargain basement of memory either.

Anything you got for me is great. I want to start seeking out honest sellers on craigslist, etc...

Thanks.

Tom M.
bigtommytahoe@hotmail.com

[Robo]

I would be wary of getting anything older than the final revision, to be honest. That would be 1 GHz for the 15" model and 1.25 GHz for the 17" and 20" models. Any iMacs older than that don't have USB 2.0.

If you're fine with that, fine - but it's something to keep in mind.

Happy hunting! :D

EDIT: Oh, and have you taken a look at the Mac mini? It's at 1.33 and 1.5 GHz now, and a Mac mini and display might be cheaper than you could find an iMac G4 for. Plus, you're sure to get the latest versions of OS X, iLife, etc.

Again, something to think about.