700 MHz iMac G3s

[Mike Richardson]

Picked up one last week and three more today from the recycler. All are 700 MHz Graphites.

A relatively rare model of iMac, some say the rarest of all the CRT iMacs.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Two appear to be excellent.

One has burn in, what appears to be the Mac OS X Login screen.

Another one has tiny scratches and arced once, so I probably have to junk that one.

I think what I'll do is take some lesser Graphite iMacs (400 MHz and such) which have good screens and transplant the bottom guts into those, so I still have 700 MHz machines which are a lot more valuable.

 

[luddite]

Is the 700 MHz graphite a DV model? I have a 400 MHz graphite "SE DV" and it runs circles around my 700 MHz all white iMac.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Is the 700 MHz graphite a DV model? I have a 400 MHz graphite "SE DV" and it runs circles around my 700 MHz all white iMac.

There must be something wrong with your 700 MHz iMac. "DV" was just a designation Apple used when they introduced the slot-loaders to indicate that the iMac had FireWire. Later on they dropped the designation but kept FireWire.

If I recall, the original slot-loading lineup was like this:

iMac (350 MHz, no FireWire)

iMac DV (400 MHz)

iMac DV SE (400 MHz Graphite)

According to Wikipedia, "(the) 700MHz model (was) discontinued in January 2002", and according to Low End Mac the 700 MHz model didn't come out until August 2001, which would make it one of the shortest-lived Macintosh models if these are both true.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Unrelated but I didn't want to make a new thread: Someone in a white pickup just took one of the scrap iMacs I had set outside. It's kind of funny, he did it real quietly like he was stealing, and only took one. These are iMacs with arcing or bad tubes and such and I pull out the motherboard and other good parts and take the rest for recycling. Ultimately I don't mind but it's still interesting.

 

[pqhf5kd]

FYI: there was a 350 with Firewire.

 

[Mike Richardson]

FYI: there was a 350 with Firewire.

I do not know of any such iMacs, and have not come across any.

 

[pqhf5kd]

:I Forget everything I said. :I

 

[Christopher]

People say that Tiger is incompatible with the non firewire 350MHz, but it actually is.

 

[tmtomh]

People say that Tiger is incompatible with the non firewire 350MHz, but it actually is.

Christopher is correct. Tiger's System Requirements include a firewire port, but that was a (rather arbitrary) way for Apple to keep its support efforts simple for Tiger. I've installed Tiger on several 350MHz iMacs and it's never been a problem. IIRC you don't even need to fool the installer - it just works.

M

 

[iamdigitalman]

People say that Tiger is incompatible with the non firewire 350MHz, but it actually is.

Christopher is correct. Tiger's System Requirements include a firewire port, but that was a (rather arbitrary) way for Apple to keep its support efforts simple for Tiger. I've installed Tiger on several 350MHz iMacs and it's never been a problem. IIRC you don't even need to fool the installer - it just works.

M

Yeah, because the motherboard had the firewire chip in it, it just lacked the ports, IIRC. So, you *could* add firewire to these, though not easily.

Nice score!! I have been on the hunt for a 700mhz model for some time. Quite rare indeed. I would be happy with any iMac G3, they are just so cute.

 

[Mike Richardson]

Sounds like the Rev. A iMacs where you could add a floppy drive and an ADB port just by adding the connectors. There was already a serial port - just disconnect the rarely-used internal infrared receiver, and connect your serial device to the port that says "NOT A SERIAL PORT".

 

[z180]

Are the 700's overclockable to 800 mhz?

 

[Macman756]

Nice find,

I have a 700Ghz Snow iMac all original with box. Owned it since new, what was that like mid 2000? Great machine.

 

[John Hokanson Jr.]

Sounds like the Rev. A iMacs where you could add a floppy drive and an ADB port just by adding the connectors. There was already a serial port - just disconnect the rarely-used internal infrared receiver, and connect your serial device to the port that says "NOT A SERIAL PORT".

Neat trick. Plus, you can actually regain IR via a USB device. I've heard of a couple that work with the iMac if you want to turn it into a set top media player.

Incidently, Apple didn't completely discontinue ADB until about 2004 (not 1999). Certain Macbooks used it as an internal bus between the trackpad and keyboard.

And legend has it that Woz developed it one month because he was bored.

- John