Freecycle liberation!

[LSD]

I saw a message on the local FreeCycle group about an "Apple G3 Computer" so I sent off a reply asking to take it off their hands and they agreed. I go out there and it's a Bondi iMac G3. At least I think it's Bondi. Everymac says the Bondi only came in 233Mhz but this is a 266Mhz, 64MB, 6GB model. One of the RAM modules was toast though so it's down to 32MB. I'm thinking I might use it to replace the 7600 as my OS9 box if I can aquire some more RAM for it.

 

[Patrickool93]

Since it's 266mhz, it's a Rev C. blueberry iMac. Cool!

 

[LSD]

Except that it's *not* Blueberry. Blueberry is instantly recognisable as blue but this is closer to the colour of my Blue and White G3. The spec sticker on the underside backs up the spec inside too.

 

[Patrickool93]

Don't think of Bondi as Blue, it was greenish blue, closer to green then blue, basically Teal. Apple never made Bondi 266mhz.

 

[MacMan]

To quote Low End Mac : "There are rumors that some Bondi blue ones were built in January 1999 using the last of the Bondi cases."

This is on the iMac 266MHz specs page.

Very nice find there, it is quite unusual to pick up an iMac for completely free.

 

[LSD]

Since it was pointed out to me the colour I thought was Blueberry was, in fact, Indigo I have no idea what colour this machine is. What makes it look Bondi Blue in one pic makes it look Blueberry in another. I give up.

Anyway, onto other matters: Just how picky are these things for RAM? Apple say 384, Everymac says 512 ("unofficially) and LEM say some can take 256MB DIMMs while some, even identical ones, can't. What's the real story? 256MB SODIMMs seem to be more readily available then 128MB ones but I'm not sure 256MB ones would be worth buying if there's even a slight chance this machine wopn't play nice with them.

Very nice find there, it is quite unusual to pick up an iMac for completely free.

Yeah, it was advertised on Freecycle as simply an "Apple G3 Computer". I was expecting it to be a beige or a bluey, one of the old Pro machines. Was quite surprised when the guy brought the iMac out. Was a little disappointed when I got it home and found it was a 266Mhz model, mainly because that meant it took SODIMMs but it seems like quite a competent performer under OS 9. If I ever get more RAM for it I might throw Panther on there, just for kicks

 

[LCGuy]

256MB SO-DIMMs are a bit of a mystery bag...the problem is the early iMacs are a bit finicky about 256MB SO-DIMMs, in that with some, they will only address the first 128MB of the SO-DIMM.

For the record, 128MB ones aren't that hard to find or expensive...Microseconds, in Sydney sells 'em for $20 a piece...or at least they were back in April when i got my iMac stuff there. Good people to deal with.

 

[gobabushka]

there's never anything good on my local freecycle! cool find dude!

 

[LSD]

I've seen a handful of iMacs up on freecycle here, this is the first one I was quick enough to snag. There was another one yesterday but the guy listed it as being taken without even getting back to me which I'm a bit ticked off about but you win some, you lose some. In case you think I'm being greedy, I never intended to keep the second one. My housemate is after one so I was requesting it more for him than myself. I'll keep looking, maybe even post a WANTED thread later.

256MB SO-DIMMs are a bit of a mystery bag...the problem is the early iMacs are a bit finicky about 256MB SO-DIMMs, in that with some, they will only address the first 128MB of the SO-DIMM.
For the record, 128MB ones aren't that hard to find or expensive...Microseconds, in Sydney sells 'em for $20 a piece...or at least they were back in April when i got my iMac stuff there. Good people to deal with.

Yeah, a pair of 128MB SODIMMs seems to be the way to go. I'm not really aiming for OS X compatibility so 256MB should be fine.

 

[LCGuy]

Even so, i find that Jaguar runs fine with 256MB...thats what i have on my iMac 333.

 

[LSD]

I'd prefer Panther if I could manage it as plenty of modern software still runs under it. Realistically though, Jaguar is probably the better option. I'll probably end up trying both for the hell of it so I'll see what happens.

I also had a look at the Microseconds site. They didn't seem to have any RAM listed, at least in any obvious location and their automated product request was down so I sent an email straight to their sales address. They quoted me AUD$25 bucks a piece which seems reasonable enough. I'll keep them in mind when I get back to the iMac after finishing up the G4.

 

[LCGuy]

Really, Panther would be the better option, being more optimized than 10.2 and stuff. The only reason i'm still running Jag is because i don't have a copy of Panther.

 

[Bunsen]

early iMacs are a bit finicky about 256MB SO-DIMMs, in that with some, they will only address the first 128MB of the SO-DIMM.

The trick is to get ones with chips on both sides. These are "single banked". There's an upper limit on the size of the individual chips the iMac can address on the DIMM, so more chips = better.

 

[Quadraman]

Since it was pointed out to me the colour I thought was Blueberry was, in fact, Indigo I have no idea what colour this machine is. What makes it look Bondi Blue in one pic makes it look Blueberry in another. I give up.
Anyway, onto other matters: Just how picky are these things for RAM? Apple say 384, Everymac says 512 ("unofficially) and LEM say some can take 256MB DIMMs while some, even identical ones, can't. What's the real story? 256MB SODIMMs seem to be more readily available then 128MB ones but I'm not sure 256MB ones would be worth buying if there's even a slight chance this machine wopn't play nice with them.

Very nice find there, it is quite unusual to pick up an iMac for completely free.

Yeah, it was advertised on Freecycle as simply an "Apple G3 Computer". I was expecting it to be a beige or a bluey, one of the old Pro machines. Was quite surprised when the guy brought the iMac out. Was a little disappointed when I got it home and found it was a 266Mhz model, mainly because that meant it took SODIMMs but it seems like quite a competent performer under OS 9. If I ever get more RAM for it I might throw Panther on there, just for kicks

It can't be indigo and a 266. The indigo was a slot load in speeds ranging from 350-500mhz. If it's a 266 it has to be a revision C blueberry.

 

[madmax_2069]

early iMacs are a bit finicky about 256MB SO-DIMMs, in that with some, they will only address the first 128MB of the SO-DIMM.

The trick is to get ones with chips on both sides. These are "single banked". There's an upper limit on the size of the individual chips the iMac can address on the DIMM, so more chips = better.

yea, low density chips, like you said double banked. the same limitation as the Beige G3 and B&W G3 and Yikes G4 (i think cause its really a B&W under the hood)

they would only see 128mb out of 256mb available of the chips if you used a stick with only 1 bank = 8 chips ( high density chips) , and would see the full 256mb if it used double banked = 16 chips ( low density chips). i am not sure how many chips are on the sodimm stick.

 

[LSD]

It can't be indigo and a 266. The indigo was a slot load in speeds ranging from 350-500mhz. If it's a 266 it has to be a revision C blueberry.

I never said it was Indigo but rather that I'd all but rulled Blueberry out as a possibility because the colour I thought was Blueberry was in fact Indigo. The problem is compounded by the fact that pics can't seem to do either Bondi or Blueberry justice. What made it look Blueberry in one pic made it look Blueberry in another. Given the spec, Blueberry does seem to be the most logical choice.

 

[MacMan]

Lo-and-behold there is an iMac on my local freecycle as well today! I just wonder if I could sneak it past my parents...

 

[The Macster]

I just wonder if I could sneak it past my parents...

Somehow I suspect they might just notice a large and very brightly coloured box in your room that wasn't there yesterday... I feel your pain though, I was actually offered a free green iMac earlier in the year in response to a request for G3 upgrade parts, but couldn't possibly have taken it as I don't have the space for somewhere to keep it

 

[LCGuy]

Thats an advantage of PCs - its just "Yet Another Beige Box". About 3 or so weeks later my parents still haven't noticed the P3 From Britain™.