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I'm very interested in trying out Mac OS X 10.2, but buying a new Mac is just not an option for me...I don't have the $1000 it would take, and my wife would kill me for spending that much on one even if I DID have that much to spend. However, a coworker has recently offered to sell me an iMac 333 MHz G3, with 128 megs of RAM, for $100. She's an honest person, and says the machine is in mint condition...she's buying a new PC and doesn't want her Mac any more. My question is, will Jaguar run acceptably on this machine? I checked Apple's website, and it meets the specs...and from what people have told me, Apple is more reliable with their minimum requirements than other companies. Anyway, thanks for your time!
--Preston

Hi Preston. The answer to your question is a qualified yes. It will run it okay, but you won't get the same performance you would get from OS 9 on that machine. However for $100 you really can't go wrong and if you spend another $100 you could double or tipple the RAM and get improved performance. More RAM and OS X = Better Performance.

Westlake blew out 5 candles on the birthday cake the other day:

http://www.westlakeinteractive.com/news0296.html

--Phil Sulak


HAPPY BIRTHDAY WESTLAKE!!!!!!!

I am having a big dilemma over whether to get the new 800 MHz iBook or the 800 MHz G4 eMac? This would be my first Mac, and I am getting it as a second computer mainly for Video Editing.

My main concern is how fast is a G3 at 800 MHz? Will it be super outdated / useless too soon or do you think it will last me for a good while? I know that Final Cut Pro 3 and Jaguar are optimized for the G4, so I was wondering how long it would be till software won?t run on a G3? I am like total PC Boy, and really have no clue to judge the performance differences between the G3 and G4.
--Adam R.

Get the eMac. Editing video on a G3 is like grating cheese with a thimble. The G4 is a HUGE leap over the G3 for stuff like that (and gaming!)

Hello. I'm a 35 year old graphic designer (and gamer!) that uses Macintosh at work for a variety of design solutions. At home it's another thing; I have an AMD laptop, a 1.4Ghz AMD Thunderbird PC w/Geforce 3, WinXP, Linux (Mandrake) and a Microsoft XBOX. Apple's latest iMac, with its 17" widescreen, 800Mhz G4, GeForce4 MX, OS X and the overall cool design of the thing has me quite interested. Can you honestly tell me what kind of gaming performance I can get out of this iMac? I know it's not in the same league as a PC/XBOX, but I'm sure it has something to offer. Information on framerates/resolutions could help my purchasing decision.
--Mark

OH MY GOD, YOU'RE 35!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding. I'm almost as old as you... BUT NOT QUITE! Honestly? The 800Mhz iMac is a great gaming machine. Most PC gamers I know are using a variation of the GeForce 4 and the MX is pretty nice. You should be able to play any of the games coming to the Mac over the next year, even the 3D intensives ones. Many of them will be Xbox/PC quality. I don't have an 800Mhz machine so I can't give you frame rate info, but I play on a 733 and the only game I really have a problem with to date is Sacrifice. As a gaming machine, it should last you through 2003 but probably not much beyond and it probably won't be good enough for Doom 3 or Halo.

Are either Grand Theft Auto 3 or Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 coming to Mac
ever? if so when?
--Yaris

Probably not. Sorry!