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D-BLOCK · Nov 21, 2003, 12:55 AM

Does anyone know how well a G3 blue/white will run Jaguar? I am going to a University surplus sale tomorrow where they have a system going for 175 bucks...lowered since it hasn't moved for weeks. It has 256 meg ram/dvd/scsi/usb/firewire/20 gig drive....I am going to use it for a secondary machine, just using Jag w/Safari/Eudora/Office/itunes for my wife so she won't kick me off the ibook all the time.

Any thoughts?

Chinasaur · Nov 21, 2003, 01:18 AM

Do it. That's a great price for DVD and 20GB. For that price you can afford to bump up the RAM (definately) and CPU (most likely) later if you want to and still be ahead of the game.

I run a B&W @ 800Mhz (Powerlogix) upgraded from a 450. I love the box..even at it's original speed.

Jaguar will run fine on it for what you are planning to do with it. Panther would be even better as it would make the G3 feel faster.

For $175? Don't even hesitate. Do it.

DrBoar · Nov 21, 2003, 01:39 AM

Go for it. I had 10.1 on a G3/300 with only 192 MB of RAM. I then saved some jumpers form dead SCSI disks and used those to try different CPU speeds and I could actually overclcok it to 350 MHz, for free

It will be plenty for "Safari/Eudora/Office/itunes" and why care if it does not play Halo. I love the B&W it is a classic and the best Mac ever. That is until the G6 arrives

Landos Mustache · Nov 21, 2003, 01:57 AM

It runs fine, just make sure you have 512 RAM.

mac freak · Nov 21, 2003, 07:17 AM

Go for it. Spend a few extras bucks to double the RAM and you're set!

MichiganRich · Nov 21, 2003, 09:45 AM

You'd have to come across with more than 175 bucks to get mine away from me. Granted, I have a ton of upgrades (G4 card at 600mhz) in mine because I didn't care for the G4's that seemed to get noisier as they got faster. Now that I sprung for a G5 (and this 17" alBook fell into my lap) it has become my third computer, but it has a special place in my heart. I consider it to be the Swiss Army knife of macs, it has the modern ports (FW, USB) yet has all the legacy ports (ADB, SCSI) as well. The enclosure design, in retrospect, can be called nothing less than groundbreaking. I can swap RAM and the HD's within the time it takes even a modern PeeCee guy to find his screwdriver.

Speaking of RAM, I definitely think 512 megs would be good. While the price has gone up a bit recently, a second 256 should cost you around $50 shipped according to MacSeek.com.

The Achille's heel?.... PCI graphics bus, without a doubt. There's just so fast the video card is ever gonna go in those (and the first gen G4) models.

Tim Kosch · Nov 21, 2003, 12:36 PM

I've had my dual G5 for about three weeks or so and really like it. I still also have a G3 B&W (400 Mhz I think) and a G4 PowerBook (500 Mhz). Like with other posts I have read I do think that my G3 runs actually quite fast with 10.3.1 on it. I have 384 MB of RAM. I think it is a solid machine. It worked well with Pro Tools and Bias Peak.

I want to find a way of incorporating it into my network of computers (meaning how I can make the best use of it). I can't stand trying to keep multiple computers in sync with each other. I like having iTunes open and seeing all three of the Mac's files available (and even songs on my Alienware PC).

I see there is some type of 10.3 server. Are there any programs on there of any value for a small home network? The system requirements show that a G3 would work. I like the idea of having a server although I don't know why I need it.

Tim

tooki · Nov 21, 2003, 06:36 PM

I have a rev b B&W G3/350 (OS X installed on stock, slow 6GB drive, files on a 40GB drive) with 448MB RAM running Jag, and while it is easy to get it bogged down, it does run fundamentally fine, and works marvelously as my DVD player (thanks to gorgeous 19" CRT), music server, and print/file server (thanks to Jag's printer sharing, which is immaculate).

tooki

Tim Kosch · Nov 21, 2003, 06:45 PM

Originally posted by tooki:
I have a rev b B&W G3/350 (OS X installed on stock, slow 6GB drive, files on a 40GB drive) with 448MB RAM running Jag, and while it is easy to get it bogged down, it does run fundamentally fine, and works marvelously as my DVD player (thanks to gorgeous 19" CRT), music server, and print/file server (thanks to Jag's printer sharing, which is immaculate).

tooki

How do you use this as a print server? Do you upload files to the G3 to print? If you do this, does it actually speed the printing up any? With printing so fast now is it necessary for a print server?

I have a LaserWriter Select 360 connected to my network via a Farallon EtherMac iPrint adapter (AppleTalk to Ethernet) so it is available to everything on the network (even the PC running XP pro, but since I haven't taken any time to figure out how to get it to print it doesn't use it yet).

Tim

alphamatrix · Nov 21, 2003, 08:48 PM

Originally posted by Tim Kosch:
How do you use this as a print server? Do you upload files to the G3 to print? If you do this, does it actually speed the printing up any? With printing so fast now is it necessary for a print server?

He probably uses it to share a non-network enable printer with the built-in printer sharing.

I got my B&W for free

350Mhz G3, 6GB and 40GB HDs with 384MB RAM.
Its got Panther installed and its running fine, no speed demon but usable.

Cadaver · Nov 23, 2003, 08:26 AM

I'm forced to use a PC at work, but for a while I had my TiBook at the office to use instead. I loved having a Mac at the office, too, not just at home. I recently sold the TiBook (in part to pay for my dual G5) and was lamenting the fact I wouldn't have a Mac at work.

Then I realized something. Amongst a couple of old iMacs I've collected (I have 3 kids, and I've got the iMacs set up in the basement for kid games), I have my sister's old 6GB, 350MHz blue & white G3. Well, thanks to Other World Computing, I've got a 900MHz G3 ZIF, a $69 60GB HD and a 256MB stick of RAM on it's way - for less than $350! I'm dropping in a Radeon Mac Edition PCI card I have left over from a dual display dual 800Mhz Quicksilver I used to have. When all said and done, I'll have a 900Mhz machine with 576MB RAM and a Radeon card to take to work. I'll be most happy not to have to use the POS Dell anymore.

Panther is going on it as soon at it's all put together.

Lateralus · Nov 24, 2003, 12:27 PM

Originally posted by Cadaver:
Well, thanks to Other World Computing, I've got a 900MHz G3 ZIF, a $69 60GB HD and a 256MB stick of RAM on it's way - for less than $350! I'm dropping in a Radeon Mac Edition PCI card I have left over from a dual display dual 800Mhz Quicksilver I used to have. When all said and done, I'll have a 900Mhz machine with 576MB RAM and a Radeon card to take to work. I'll be most happy not to have to use the POS Dell anymore.

Panther is going on it as soon at it's all put together.

You'll enjoy the upgrade, I have one as well, also from OWC. And with the PCI/Quartz Extreme hack enabled, Panther flies on my setup.

Cadaver · Nov 26, 2003, 10:12 PM

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
You'll enjoy the upgrade, I have one as well, also from OWC. And with the PCI/Quartz Extreme hack enabled, Panther flies on my setup.

Assembled & complete. Did have some issues with a potentially bad 60GB hard drive which kept gorking my OS install. But, now that everything is working, I'm very pleased. And actually somewhat surprised by the sprightly performance.

The PCI/QE hack really does make a very noticeable difference.

This circa 1998 (released Jan. 7, 1999) Macintosh is now going to replace my circa 2002 Dell PC at work

Lateralus · Nov 27, 2003, 02:27 AM

Originally posted by Cadaver:
This circa 1998 (released Jan. 7, 1999) Macintosh is now going to replace my circa 2002 Dell PC at work

Good to see your upgrade worked well, my first 900MHz upgrade was DOA, but it only took about 5 days to receive a replacement from the time I sent it off.

Anyways, I love this machine.