I know these machines aren't universally loved, but I credit the 5400 for my interest in beige all-in-one Macs, and possibly Macs at all. My junior high school had them in the shop classroom for learning 2D CAD, and I remember thinking that they were so much better than the Dell my parents had at home. I always wanted one, but although they were starting to be replaced with new iMacs, the district wasn't quite ready to scrap them yet. The teacher gave me a disused SE/30 instead, which ended up being even better in hindsight, and the reason I got into black and white compacts, but that's another story.
I've wanted a 5x00 since then, but they're not that easy to find, and are often in bad shape. I've been watching eBay and Facebook marketplace more intently for the past year or so, but I haven't been able to find a decent one for <=$200, and none of the available ones have been nearby enough to avoid very risky shipping. I ended up checking out the Free Geek Twin Cities inventory this afternoon, which don't look at very often, and behold: https://www.freegeektwincities.org/apple/ar5400. It says Sold Out because I bought it! I should be able to pick it up this weekend.
The brightness buttons are worse for wear, but that's the only damage I see, so hopefully the rest of the plastic parts are relatively intact. I'm really excited to get it home!
I've wanted a 5x00 since then, but they're not that easy to find, and are often in bad shape. I've been watching eBay and Facebook marketplace more intently for the past year or so, but I haven't been able to find a decent one for <=$200, and none of the available ones have been nearby enough to avoid very risky shipping. I ended up checking out the Free Geek Twin Cities inventory this afternoon, which don't look at very often, and behold: https://www.freegeektwincities.org/apple/ar5400. It says Sold Out because I bought it! I should be able to pick it up this weekend.
The brightness buttons are worse for wear, but that's the only damage I see, so hopefully the rest of the plastic parts are relatively intact. I'm really excited to get it home!
