[G4] Buying a G4 Questions

[J J]

<< Wade Perry wrote'
Oh Wise and Opinioned "G" listers,

I am currently a member of the "G" list for G3's. 
I thought I would solicit
opinions and advice for the G4, from the folks who 
own them. I am currently looking at purchasing a 
used G4 (e-Bay), and would like some additional
input.


I am looking at  733 to 933 MHz. I really like the 
2002 MDD 867. Prices seem
to be reasonable at around $1000 to $1500 usd. 
2001 models of G4's in this
MHz range are going for around $300 to $500 less, 
have slower system bus.

Is it worth the extra $$ to go for 2002 model with 
DDR ram and faster
system bus (167 MHz vs 133).

Would I be wise to look at the 533 MHz Digital 
Audio (2001)?

Is the Apple Superdrive worth the additional 
investment, or should I just
buy an after market DVD-R (RW,R+, etc)

Looking forward to your replies.

Wade A. Perry

Get a dual G4 if you are buying used. Even a dual 
500 AGP 100 Mhz bus is pretty good and darn cheap 
now. Or for a bit more, a dual 800. The OS is 
built for it and the upgrade possibilities down 
the road are better. The bus speed will slow the 
system a bit compared but I do find my G4 450 does 
just fine for most things and those tasks that 
take time always did in the past.

IMO the duals will outlast the single processors 
by many years due to upgradability. The faster the 
bus speed the longer you can keep up. Bus speed of 
100 Mhz can only upgrade to dual 800 processors 
before the bus gets in the way. Higher bus speeds 
mean upgrades to dual 1.25 Ghz or higher 
processors in the future. Remember, Apple will 
probablly release G5 models in a year and a half 
(according to rumours) and they will kick the G4 
lines butt.

Just one word of caution-Research the machine 
well. Used means lots of feedback on each model. 
Each model has different problems-no sound in/out 
port, Ram costs, case configuation, different 
keyboard, dvi/adc connectors, etc.

They go out of date so fast. sigh.

jj