the G3 is going to be upgraded to run OS X 10.3 Panther so my little sister has a computer all her own. I'll put my tax money I get back towards one of the new iMac's... I have nothing else to spend on the benz other than brake pads and fuel.. so woo?

It was a "drive by" Botnst musing . . .

You got a pretty great deal!

There won't be a logon. You should be able do a clean install from there.

From LowEndMac.com

iMac 500 (Early 2001)
North American Edition

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The 500 MHz iMac 2001 is the middle member of the iMac 2001 family. It is Apple's least expensive computer with CD-RW capability and comes in indigo, flower power, and blue Dalmatian (really - see the picture!).

This model replaces the 450 MHz Mac DV+ at a $100 price reduction while adding CD-RW, improved video, and a faster CPU. The North American edition differs from the international edition in the following ways:

* Uses newer PowerPC 750CXe processor, not older PPC 750
* 500 MHz 256 KB on-chip cache, not 200 MHz 512 KB backside cache
* ATI Rage 128 Ultra, not older Rage 128 Pro
* 16 MB video memory, not 8 MB

If you are running Mac OS 9.1 or later, iMac Firmware Update 4.1.9 should be installed. If you are using Mac OS X, you must boot from a Mac OS 9.1-9.2.2 writeable partition (not a CD or network disk) prior to updating. You cannot update to OS X 10.3 or later unless you first install Firmware Update 4.1.9.

* For more information on firmware updates, see iMac: When to Install Available Updaters.

Mac OS X

Non-Apple upgrades and peripherals (such as unsupported USB devices, replacement drives, and third-party memory) may cause problems when installing or booting into Mac OS X.

Be sure to read and follow Apple's "Read Before You Install" install instructions to increase the likelihood of getting OS X installed and running on the first try.
Details

* introduced 2001.02.22 at US$1,199
* requires Mac OS 9.1 or later
* CPU: 500 MHz PPC 750CXe (a.k.a. G3e)
* bus: 100 MHz
* performance: unknown
* RAM: 64 MB, expandable to 1,024 MB using two PC100 SDRAM (3.3 V, 64-bit, 168-pin, 100 MHz)
* VRAM: 16 MB
* Video: supports resolutions of 640 x 480 at 117 Hz, 800 x 600 at 95 Hz, and 1024 x 768 at 75 Hz using ATI RAGE Ultra 128 chip set
* monitor: 15" (13.8" viewable) multiscan to 1024 x 768
* L2 cache: 256 KB on-chip cache running at full CPU speed
* hard drive: 20 GB Ultra ATA drive. Maximum IDE drive size is 128 GB without third-party support. See How big a hard drive can I put in my iMac, eMac, or Power Mac? for your options.
* CD-RW: 8x/4x/24x maximum throughput
* USB ports: 2 separate USB 1.1 ports and controllers
* FireWire 400: 2 ports
* integrated 56 kbps modem supports v.90 standard
* 10/100Base-T ethernet connector
* AirPort: Requires AirPort Card Adapter
* Microphone: internal
* power: 150W
* height: 15.0 in/38.1 cm
* width: 15.0 in/38.1 cm
* depth: 17.1 in/43.5 cm
* weight: 34.7 lb/15.8 kg
* part numbers: M7669 (indigo), M8347 (blue Dalmatian), M8348 (flower power)
* family numbers: M5521

Not gonna run OS X, ITunes and all that very well with that ghetto processor. Not to my standards anyway. I'm impatient when it comes to computers though and don't like to mess around with old junk...minimum system requirements are a joke these days. I usually just spend 800 bucks or so and build a really good friggin computer and re-use components when I can (HD, monitor etc) and it always turns out much better than anything you can buy pre-packaged. And since I can afford much better components this way the system will last me a long time.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Actually, a 500MHz G3 is plenty of processing power to run OSX and most modern software.

I've used OS10.3 on a 400MHz PowerMac G4 for a year without any problems.

Yeah, thats the thing about computers, what's just fine for one person is not for another. If you are surfing the web how much processing power do you need? Not much, but add Itunes, which is an absolute hog for what it does (but it looks pretty!), and it gets annoying for me. This is coming from my experience with my uncle's Mac 500Mhz. The 500Mhz in the Apple is much better than anyything that would go in a windows machine though at least...and the OS is a lot leaner than windows.

Me, I like to be able to surf, listen to music, defrag my HD, scan for spyware, scan for viruses and still be able to stream video without any stutters. Not to mention be able to play a game or two, which admittedly, is not high on the typical mac user's list. I just have a pet peeve of people who say they've had the same computer for 10 years! and they've installed windows xp on it! but no worries they've added 512 mb of memory! and it runs just fine!

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

My 400mhz iMac G3 is great as the 'life support' system for my iPod and iTunes 7.x running under OS X 10.3, plays DVD movies fine, but it doesn't like DVD +R movies and it cannot handle DV movie editing. iLfe's iMoveHD isn't compatible, but that's to be expected.

I got the 500 mhz for free woot plus an AirPort card as well in it. It loads but to a screen like that of a windows machine but without a logon box and no dock or icons... whats up with that?