G3 - Why I love my computer
Written: Mar 14 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, stable, expandable, very cheap now!
Cons: Some don't like the design
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| techiedragon's Full Review: Apple Power Macintosh G3 (M7104LL/A) Mac Desktop |
I am a Mac convert (used to have total disdain for them) because of OS 8.5 and this computer. I do tech support for both Macs and PCs, so I have a lot of experience fixing and working with computers, and the more I fix PCs the more I appreciate Macs (except for Performas <g>). I find the Macintosh OS more intuitive and less likely to break, as well as much more easily customizable. For example, I know what 99% of the files on my computer are for and can put them wherever I want them to go (even add/remove items from the Contextual Menus), as opposed to on a PC, where I can't even move an application folder without using a special utility or playing with the registry. Sure, it's true that the Mac OS has a somewhat outdated base (but then Windows 95/98 is still partially DOS-based!), but that will be completely changed when OS X comes out later this year.
The specs on my computer: G3 400 with 17" Apple Monitor, 256 MB RAM, ~30 gigs HD space in 2 IDE drives, DVD-ROM, Zip drive, ixTV TV Tuner PCI card, Firewire CD-RW drive, and random USB peripherals. I run 8.6 on my main drive, and 9.0 on a secondary drive.
I have one of the first G3 400s made, as I ordered mine just after they were announced at MacWorld SF in Jan 1999. I have had no problems with it whatsoever. This computer is especially a great buy now that the G4s are out, as it has dropped in price dramatically but is still close to cutting edge - I can't forsee needing more speed or expandability. Even if I do get a better computer in a couple of years, this one will still do great running Office, Internet applications, DVDs, multimedia, etc.
NOTE: If you buy this computer, make sure to get it with DVD! It is almost impossible to find the special Apple / ATI Rage 128 graphics card with the built-in DVD decoder, and aftermarket options are very expensive.
The case: one of the best parts of the computers. I have to install Ethernet cards in computers, and often the worst part is figuring out how the cases come apart. The G3 / G4 case has a small latch on the side, which you pull to make the whole side open outwards. I've actually done this while my computer is running, which is probably not a good thing but hasn't hurt the computer yet, and looks really neat (lots of little lights). When I added more RAM, it literally took me 5 minutes. Even though it may look a little odd (I like it :) ), the handles are actually very useful for carrying the machine around, such as to the living room to watch DVDs in a more comfortable setting.
Add-ons / Expandability: While some people do not like the fact that the Blue and White (B/W) G3s and later do not have built-in SCSI, it is possible to get a good SCSI PCI card for around $50. I do not use SCSI, as I much prefer Firewire and USB (hot-swappable, no SCSI chain issues) and have not found the need to buy any SCSI peripherals. Almost all USB and Firewire peripherals will work with the computer, even those advertised as PC only. Also, all of the best IDE hard drives will work in the computer (I have two Maxtor Diamondmax Plus drives), as will regular PC100 RAM, which makes upgrading the computer much cheaper and easier than for Macs in the past.
Some people complain that 3 PCI slots (plus a dedicated PCI slot for the video card) are not enough. That has not been a problem for me, and especially with the advent of more USB and Firewire peripherals it should be less of a issue in the future, except for very high-end graphics / music users.
Apple 17" Studio Display: it's wonderful - in my opinion one of the best out there. The only caveat is that it's rather large and a bit pricey; if you don't care about matching colors, go for a short depth 17" or 19" display by Viewsonic or someone else.
mouse / keyboard: I actually agree that the one-button mouse needs to be expanded. That's why I bought a Logitech USB scrolling mouse (two buttons and a scroll wheel) for about $15. As a computer costs over $1000, I think quibbling over having to go out to Best Buy and choose a nice USB mouse that you really like is a silly reason to dislike the G3. The keyboard is similar - I happen to like it and think it's very high quality, and I have not had any typing problems. There are inexpensive replacement USB keyboards for people who would like them (PC users often swap their keyboards for ergonomic ones anyway, so this isn't really that uncommon).
No floppy drive: Oh please. I have had more people come to me when I'm on cluster duty with broken disks and lost files than with any other problem. We now have the policy of discouraging floppies and teaching everyone how to save to the network filespace. Floppy disks really are an outdated and unreliable technology. If you think you might need floppies, you can get a USB floppy or SuperDisk drive, or get a Zip drive and use a friend's computer to transfer all the stuff on the random floppies to one or two Zip disks. There's no reason to force everyone to get one.
Pricing: Macs have traditionally cost more than comparable PCs, which was part of why they lost their dominant position in the consumer computer market. However, the difference in $$$ has diminished greatly with the iMacs and G3 / G4s. I just priced comparable PC and Mac systems for a friend of mine. A good comparison would be a Gateway Athlon 800 and a Macintosh G4 400 (despite the discrepancy in megahertz, the G4 chip is sufficiently quick / efficient in other ways to match the Athlon closely in real world speed). Without peripherals, the prices ended up to be $1817 for the Gateway and $1875 for the G4. While it is possible to get cheaper PCs which may look nice on paper, I have found many to be much harder to maintain and upgrade, with inferior support options. It is necessary to compare a computer from Apple, a highly respected company, to those from respected PC companies, such as Dell, Micron, or Gateway.
(Also, a G3 400 or 450 should be about $500 less than a comparable G4, with not too much speed difference until OS X and other Altivec-enhanced applications become common - and still competitive with 700 MHZ PCs.) Thus the price difference is no longer a real reason not to buy a Mac.
It is true that prices for Macintosh upgrades and peripherals appear higher than those for PCs in print ads. That is because of two factors: 1) products for Macs have traditionally been cheaper by mail-order / on-line, not at places like CompUSA, and 2) products geared at iMacs are often more expensive than the equivalent products for PCs, even if the PC products (read BEIGE) work perfectly well on Macs. As I said before, PC and Mac hardware has become pretty much the same, with IDE, SCSI, USB, and Firewire items usually working in either type of machine (for the same price).
Amount of software: While there is more software (especially shareware) written for Windows, a ton of it is junk. I would rather have a choice between 3 good Macintosh programs than 10 Windows programs in which 7 of them don't work well. There are Macintosh programs out there for everything you would want to do. It is true that not all Windows programs have been ported to the Mac, or vice versa, but you rarely find a case in which there isn't at least a good alternative. If you do need a Windows program, there are emulators like Virtual PC which work wonderfully. As for games, a dedicated game station (i.e. PlayStation) will run more games better than a PC - that's what it's designed to do. May as well buy one of those instead, and be able to do things on your computer while someone else is playing a game.
The MacOS: The following sites have well-written discussions of the differences between Windows 95/98 and the MacOS:
http://www.mackido.com/Myths/
http://www.mackido.com/Interface/
http://www.macmarines.com/ammo.html
http://www.execpc.com/~rjohnson/ics/index.html
In my experience, I have not found the MacOS to be more unstable than Windows *unless* it is configured incorrectly. This means that it doesn't have all its updates (programs or OS), or a program isn't written well and crashes the OS. I have found that programs that crash on my Mac (Netscape, sometimes) often crash on PCs as well (Netscape, on my dad's Gateway PII 500). Again, programs will not be able to take down the whole OS in OS X, and this is much less of a problem in OS 8.5 and above (Netscape does not completely crash either my Mac or my dad's PC).
I also find the MacOS to be much easier to troubleshoot and repair. Under Windows, it is much more likely that you'll have to reinstall the OS to fix a problem, and a clean install will often necessitate reinstalling many applications as well. As I said before, I know what 99% of the files on my Macintosh are for, making it much easier to fix any problems that may arise. Many issues can be solved by simply deleting Preferences, instead of having to delve into the Windows Registry and its arcane keys. Finally, program installation / removal is much easier - all that's necessary is to find the program folder and any of its Control Panels, Extensions, and Preferences (named in plain English) - no Registry entries or unknown DLLs to decode.
In the end, I highly recommend the Macintosh G3. It's fast, capable and easily expandable, with an OS that seems to become more flexible the more you examine it. Any left at retailers right now are great buys, so go get them!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
techiedragon
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 5 members
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