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Mac Forum / General / Hardware / January 2006looking for recommendations on a used Mac to be used as an Internet terminal
Hello. I have an LCD HDTV (26-inch) with digital and VGA inputs. I'm going to set up a computer of some sort on it as an Internet terminal. Strictly for web browsing and email, it doesn't need to do video, play CD or MP3s, games etc... I thought it would be neat to have a Mac instead of a Windows or Linux PC, but I do not really know where to start as far as specs or models to consider. My only real requirement is that whatever I get need to be able to run Firefox 1.5 pretty well. That's what I'll use for all web browsing and webmail (unless there's a better browser for the Mac...). A Mac Mini would be really nice but it's too expensive, even used...if I got a PC I would something like a used Compaq Ipaq compact PC, maybe 500Mhz, with 256MB of memory. Is there any rough equivalent to that in the Mac world? I would like to have something small, but I'll deal with large size as a tradeoff for better performance and hopefully a lower price. > I have an LCD HDTV (26-inch) with digital and VGA inputs. I'm going > to set up a computer of some sort on it as an Internet terminal. > Strictly for web browsing and email, it doesn't need to do video, > play CD or MP3s, games etc... Sounds like a great idea! Although keep in mind that many web pages include video, flash animations, etc., that will require a little bit of horsepower to run smoothly. > My only real requirement is that whatever I get > need to be able to run Firefox 1.5 pretty well. That's what I'll use > for all web browsing and webmail (unless there's a better browser for > the Mac...). I think Firefox is one of the best, although Safari 2 is quite good. But that requires a computer that can run Mac OS 10.4, and that may put things out of your price range. Here's what the Mac version of Firefox requires, per their web site: * Mac OS X 10.3.x and later * PowerPC 604e 266 MHz (Recommended: PowerPC G4 667MHz or greater) * G3, G4, 64 MB RAM (Recommended: 256 MB RAM or greater) * 72 MB hard drive space So, they recommend a G4/667, but you can get away with much less if you don't mind a little hiccup in performance here and there. I'd *strongly* recommend more than 256MB of RAM, or the thing will be swapping to hard drive constantly. OS X just has too big of a footprint to run comfortably. 320MB would be my bare minimum. My recommendation, with your tight budget in mind, would be a used G3 PowerMac, and a copy of OS 10.3 to install on it. It'll certainly be much larger than a Mini, but the Mini's new, so more money. The ATI Rage 128 video card in this model has direct VGA output. Here's what I put together with a not-too-thorough search: <http://www.shrevesystems.com/> G3 Blue & White, 300MHz, 64MB RAM, 6GB HD, CD, keyboard, mouse. $79. <http://www.crucial.com/store/MPartspecs.Asp?mtbpoid=455C6538A5CA7304&WS MD=Power+Mac+G3+Yosemite+%28Blue+and+White%29&WSPN=CT184832> 256MB memory upgrade for G3 Blue & White: $69 from Crucial. Mac OS 10.3 (used): around $60 on eBay with shipping. (If you get it that way, be *very* careful not to buy a copy that was bundled with a machine, as they won't be able to install on other models. You need the "full retail" copy.) Total: around $250 with estimated shipping on everything. This is going to be a pretty darn slow machine for web browsing, but it should work OK. (For comparison, we got a $500 Compaq to use as an internet kiosk at work, and it's the *slowest* machine I've ever used. Windows XP, 2.7GHz processor, and 256MB of RAM. It absolutely crawls. I'd rather have the G3 above!) A Mini would be *much* faster than the G3, but hey, an extra ~$250 is a lot more money. Hope that helps.  SignatureGarner R. Miller Clifton Park, NY =USA= http://www.garnermiller.com/ > > I have an LCD HDTV (26-inch) with digital and VGA inputs. I'm going > > to set up a computer of some sort on it as an Internet terminal. [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] > > Hope that helps. You forgot that the the B&W G3 will probably need a firmware update to run OS X. SignatureYours, Tom > You forgot that the the B&W G3 will probably need a firmware update to > run OS X. Having never owned one, I didn't know that. Thanks. For the OP, a little searching turned up this page, which addresses the issue: http://www.lowendmac.com/lab/05/0301.html There's a link in the article to the firmware update itself. SignatureGarner R. Miller Clifton Park, NY =USA= http://www.garnermiller.com/ > You forgot that the the B&W G3 will probably need a firmware update to > run OS X. No, probably it will already be running OS X and be done with the update. And if it's not, then just point your browser here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58374 More stuff here: http://www.apple.com/support/powermac/g3/ SignatureTimberwoof <me at timberwoof dot com> http://www.timberwoof.com > Hello. > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > but I'll deal with large > size as a tradeoff for better performance and hopefully a lower price. Check eBay for a used eMac. Beautiful 17" screen and super cheap. I just sold a 700 mhz model on eBay for $350.00, but I was lucky. They usually go for around $295.00/ SignatureArf! Old CSMAer > Check eBay for a used eMac. Beautiful 17" screen and super cheap. I > just sold a 700 mhz model on eBay for $350.00, but I was lucky. They > usually go for around $295.00/ How did you pack it? How did you ship it? How much did shipping cost? > > Check eBay for a used eMac. Beautiful 17" screen and super cheap. I > > just sold a 700 mhz model on eBay for $350.00, but I was lucky. They > > usually go for around $295.00/ > > How did you pack it? How did you ship it? How much did shipping cost? Most people will ship it in the original box, which works fine. The thing weighs 60 pounds, so expect to pay up to $50.00 if it is going from one coast to the other; less for other destinations. SignatureArf! Old CSMAer >>>Check eBay for a used eMac. Beautiful 17" screen and super cheap. I >>>just sold a 700 mhz model on eBay for $350.00, but I was lucky. They [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > thing weighs 60 pounds, so expect to pay up to $50.00 if it is going > from one coast to the other; less for other destinations. We probably didn't save the boxes, oh well. Thanks. |
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