Question Looking for the last best model of ancient mac

[mikeford]

I haven't used a Mac in ages, last new system was a PowerMac 7500, and I don't want to go that far back, but I do want something old enough that it should have some level of overlap, and compatibility with my old files and software/games. Which model and OS is best for this?

What was the big compatibilty break from the OS8 era?

 

[treevor]

The biggest break came from OS9 to OSX. You can find plenty of candy color iMac's on the used market nowadays thanks to everyone under the sun thinking anything with an Apple logo on it has tons of value still... (the Porsche of computers right?). Most of those came with an OSX installation disc which included support files for OS9 software and games. Or if you would rather run native, they supported running OS9 as well provided you didn’t throw any odd new hardware at it.

That being said once you find one it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll need to crack it open and replace the CMOS

As far as model, look out for an imac g3. Personally look after two plus an emac at work, we get them in all the time for ecycling so try your local electronics recycling center

 

[mikeford]

Thanks, lots of people think things are worth what they paid 20 years ago, but as you say plenty go to ecycle places.

 

[alizee]

Make sure to get something with PowerPC, not 68k. Anything that runs on System 7 will run OS8 or OS9. I’d get something with a G3 or G4, and make sure that if it’s a G4 that it boots OS9. The TiBook (PowerBook G4 with black plastic keyboard) is a really good option.

I was looking at eBay for PowerMac G3, iMac G3, quicksilver PowerMac G4, and they were all about $100-$200. I think that’s about what a complete system is going to cost because they’re getting rarer and rarer.

 

[mikeford]

Thanks for reply, got me doing a better search, powermac g5 os9 and found this on everymac. Do I really need boots to OS9 vs supports classic mode?

I do have a number of older mac, 128k, IIx, IIfx, 4400 with a G3 upgrade, so looking for as big of a bump in performance and reliability.

Apple Power Macintosh G4 1.25 DP (MDD) Specs
Identifiers: Mirrored Drive Doors - M8573LL/A - PowerMac3,6 - M8570 - 1914

*Boots OS9.

Apple Power Macintosh G5 "Quad Core" (2.5) Specs
Identifiers: Late 2005 - M9592LL/A - PowerMac11,2 - A1117/A1177* - 2023

*This model is capable of using Mac OS 9 applications within the Mac OS X "Classic" environment provided with Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" and lower ("Classic" is not supported starting with Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard"). It cannot boot into Mac OS 9.

 

[TheStu]

I'm not 100% sure what your target use case is, but I'd wager that just Classic mode should be sufficient. The PowerMac G5 Quad will be your best, fastest bet for a non-intel system, but as I recall, it only supports 10.4.x and 10.5.x, which means you'd only be able to run 10.4.x if Classic applications are a significant need for you.

 

[alizee]

Classic mode will probably work, but it is emulation. Google around for the particular software titles to see if they support Classic mode.

You will definitely need to be able to boot 10.4, classic mode was dropped in 10.5, but I believe every PowerPC Mac supports 10.4 or lower.

I would suggest against the quad core G5. It is loud, power-hungry, and has a liquid cooler that makes self-servicing harder. If you want G5, the other late 05 machines (dual core, not dual chip) are great because they support DDR2 and PCIe, but I would expect them to be fairly expensive.

If you go the G4 route, the mirrored drive door PowerMac is great. It is easy to work on, reliable, can have 802.11g and Bluetooth. The MDD 2003 model boots OS9 natively:
Model Identifier PowerMac3,6
Model Number M8570

 

[Foster Hysinger]

Thanks for reply, got me doing a better search, powermac g5 os9 and found this on everymac. Do I really need boots to OS9 vs supports classic mode?

I do have a number of older mac, 128k, IIx, IIfx, 4400 with a G3 upgrade, so looking for as big of a bump in performance and reliability.

Apple Power Macintosh G4 1.25 DP (MDD) Specs
Identifiers: Mirrored Drive Doors - M8573LL/A - PowerMac3,6 - M8570 - 1914

*Boots OS9.

Apple Power Macintosh G5 "Quad Core" (2.5) Specs
Identifiers: Late 2005 - M9592LL/A - PowerMac11,2 - A1117/A1177* - 2023

*This model is capable of using Mac OS 9 applications within the Mac OS X "Classic" environment provided with Mac OS X 10.4.11 "Tiger" and lower ("Classic" is not supported starting with Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard"). It cannot boot into Mac OS 9.

Nice models by the way

 

[JackRyan404]

I haven't used a Mac in ages, last new system was a PowerMac 7500, and I don't want to go that far back, but I do want something old enough that it should have some level of overlap, and compatibility with my old files and software/games. Which model and OS is best for this?
Once you get your mac you can stream online series using https://freeaccount.org/free-fubotv-login/ in your free time.
What was the big compatibilty break from the OS8 era?

Go for Mac Book 2017
It's small and stylish.
Specs:
CPU: Dual-core Intel Core m3 – Core i5 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615 | RAM:8GB – 16GB | Screen: 12-inch Retina (2,304 x 1,440) IPS | Storage: 256GB – 512GB PCIe SSD | Dimensions (W x D x H): 11.04 x 7.74 x 0.14~0.52in Also you can share any large sized file/document through keep2share site. You can create your keep2share account through free keep2share premium accounts

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Some variation of the iMac DV (350-600MHz) would run MacOS 9 and all your old apps and games. Gigabit ethernet, USB 1 only, but otherwise is compatible with flash drives and whatnot, so should be easy to get data on it.

Should be pretty easy to find at a computer recycler, etc.