Best Power Mac G3 Deals

2008.04.23

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $192 / 2GB kit $109. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 1GB $23--Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

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Other World Computing: OWC Mercury Elite FW800/FW400/USB2/eSATA TOP-RATED Solutions offer High Performance, Reliable storage for all your data storage needs. Industry leading 2yr limited + up to 5yr HD Mechanism Warranty too! Up to 2.0TB(2000GB), 500GB specials from $199.99

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

Memory For New Intel Core2 DUO MacBooks, MacBook Pro, MacMini & iMacs" 4GB Kit $80, 3GB Kit $60, 2GB Kit $40, 1GB $20. Click to Maximize your Macs...

Whether you're looking for a powerful, upgradable computer to use with the classic Mac OS or an inexpensive machine that supports Mac OS X, a Power Mac G3 can be just the ticket, especially with a 7200 rpm hard drive and lots of RAM (up to 768 MB on the beige G3, 1 GB on the blue & white). Power Mac G3s can be upgraded with G4 processors.

Beige Power Mac G3s, introduced over a decade ago (November 1997) and are the oldest Macs supported under any version of OS X. We consider the used beige G3 market to be on its last legs. There's just not much money to be made selling $50 computers, and there are some real drawbacks to using OS X on beige G3s compared to the Blue & White G3. These were the most powerful Macs ever built that included a floppy drive (not supported by OS X) and had built-in SCSI support, so it can be a great platform for reading and writing floppies and SCSI drives.

You can buy a blue & white Power Mac G3/300 for just US$80, making it a great, inexpensive way to own a Mac with FireWire. Boost RAM to at least 256 MB (512 MB or more is better), add a 7200 rpm hard drive, and replace the CD-ROM with a Combo drive, and you're ready to run Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger".

blue and white G3 We recommend at least 256 MB of RAM and 4 GB of free hard drive space if you want to use OS X. You'll be happier with more RAM and a fast, modern hard drive. Note that hard drives over 120 GB are not fully supported by the hard drive controller in G3 Macs - and you must have a hard drive or first partition of less than 8 GB if you wish to run OS X on a beige G3.

Apple does not support the beige G3 with OS X 10.3 (Panther) or later, but it is supported with 10.2.x and earlier. Panther can be installed on the beige G3 using XPostFacto 3.1, and Tiger can be installed using XPostFacto 4. Note that 10.4 normally ships on DVD-ROM, so you will need a DVD-capable drive or have to exchange your DVD for a CD install set. (For another B&W G3 option, see Installing OS X 10.4 'Tiger' on DVD-challenged Macs using FireWire Target Disk Mode.)

Apple isn't supporting the G3 in Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard", and it appears that no Mac without AGP video support will work with it. See The Future of G3 Power Macs in the Age of Leopard for more on that subject.

We've looked at both types of Power Mac G3 and rated the beige G3 a good buy and the blue & white a best buy. To really get the most out of OS X, the blue & white is the superior machine. (The b&w G3 has a FireWire port, although it cannot normally boot from a FireWire drive.)

Used Macs typically have a 90 day warranty. Prices limited to quantity on hand. Not responsible for typos. Please email any corrections or additional sources with competitive prices to Dan Knight .

Best deals are in bold type in listings below.

Best Used Beige Power Macintosh G3 Prices

HOT beige 300, $50, Beta Macs
beige 333, $198, Mac-Pro

Best Used Blue & White G3 Prices

HOT B&W 300 (Rev. A), $80, Wegener Media
B&W 350 (Rev. B), $120, Wegener Media
B&W 400 (Rev. B), $150, Wegener Media
B&W 450 (Rev. B), $165, Wegener Media

Mac OS Prices

Recent Memory Prices

Beige G3: 32 MB, $3; 64 MB, $8; 128 MB, $11.95; 256 MB, $14.89
B&W G3: 32 MB, $3; 64 MB, $8; 128 MB, $11.95; 256 MB, $14.89

At these prices, there's no reason not to have at least one 256 MB module installed, 512-768 MB will help unleash OS X, and the B&W supports up to 1 GB of RAM.

Beige Power Mac G3

233/266 MHz • 300-366 MHz • G3 All-in-One

Be sure to read our Road Apple report on the Rev. A beige G3 as well as our Best Buy report to make a more informed buying decision.

Power Mac G3 (blue & white)

The b&w G3 can be an excellent buy (see our Best Buy report), but make sure you're getting a Rev. 2 unit. Rev. 1 had some serious problems that can cause data corruption when a second hard drive is installed.

beige 300, 64/6/CD, Zip 100, keyboard and mouse, Mac OS 9, $49.99

beige 266 desktop, 96/6/CD, $147.77
B&W 350, 128/6/CD, $167.77
B&W 400, 128/6/CD, $197.77
B&W 450, 128/12/CD, $329.77

Prices reflect 3% cash discount.

beige 233 desktop, 64/4/CD, keyboard and mouse, $129
used ADB keyboard, $3
new Apple ADB mouse, $19

60 day warranty

B&W 300 (Rev. A), 64/6/CD?, $79.99
B&W 350 (Rev. B), 64/6/Zip 100, $119.99
B&W 400 (Rev. B), 64/6/Zip 100, $149.99
B&W 450 (Rev. B), 64/6/Zip 100, $164.99
add $19.99 for keyboard and mouse
Twin Turbo 128 8 MB video card, $14.99
ATI Rage 128 16 MB video card, $34.50

Need more horsepower? See our Best Online Power Mac G4 Deals.

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