Mac84: Original Apple iMac G3 20th Birthday Restoration
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2018
- I can hardly believe the original Bondi Blue iMac G3 from 1998 is 20 years old! Let's take a look back at what made this game changing machine so special while we restore it back to it's factory condition. Plus we'll have some fun with games and see how fast this thing really is.
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the desicion to make these computers come in colours is what saved apple. It was the first time a computer had become fashionable.
I have a rev b...
512 mb of ram, overclocked to 300 MHz and with a Voodoo2 :D
Man I love the thing, we've been best friends for so many years :)
Those Voodoo2 upgrade cards are rather rare, but work rather well!
@@nitrax8629
The moment I've put mine in the iMac I went from the hyper crap of the ATI rage horror to butter silk smooth. It was like going from ps1 to ps4, it was simply crazy.
Next step is... SDD upgrade :D
I just opened my 1998 version i-mac (same as the one you looked at today) for the first time, to replace the battery. I searched all over town today for the replacement to no avail. This was my first computer which I bought new and have had only two problems with it, maybe 3 now if I can't get a new battery. The mouse, which I changed quickly and the memory. I found it could not open much without freezing until I had a 128 chip replacement installed. I also added a port for connectivity to my electronic piano. I was told at the time that the newer versions would not let me do this. All in all, the imac has been a reliable workhorse for years. I still have it in my office. Thank you for posting this video.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
You can order 1/2 AA 3.6 V SAFT brand batteries online, although it doesn’t do much other than keep the time. So it may be safer to leave it out to avoid future potential damage.
OMG I’m twice as old as that vintage Mac.......in RUclips years, I’m dead.
Me too I'm 55 years old
Instablaster
One of the few Macs I ever used as someone who grew up with Windows PCs. I sure miss the less minimalist and more colorful tech of the 2000s.
I was three years old when I first touched one of these. They’d been discontinued for about 4 years, but to me, it felt brand new. It was like I had made friends with someone. Now I want to see if can get my hands on one again.
The 90s were awesome. Too bad you missed them.
@@tenminutetokyo2643 I’ve been collecting albums and consoles from the 90s. If anything, I’m glad the 90s already happened so I could see all the cool stuff all at once.
I miss this computer, it was cool compared to the bland off white.
I'd like to see one modded one with modern components in that old case
You can jam in an SSD.
@@tenminutetokyo2643 that’s now how it works, you’ll still be stuck with really low ram that the motherboard can handle, PowerPC G3 processor and usb 1.0 etc. etc. VGA modding these however is quite interesting, you could use those iMacs as CRT monitors that you can plug on any VGA card
Theorectically you can - the CRT on this model only uses a basic connector that can be easily converted to VGA.
I had no idea the first gens had a fan in it or used a tray like that. Very cool!
You're probably thinking of the later released iMac G3 DV. The new model had a slot-loading disc drive and no cooling fan to keep the noise down. It was a revision to the iMac you see here but it was also just as popular.
I will put a Noctua in there, it is my current quest!
I loved this video! I have a Tangerine slot-loading iMac running 8.6! Also, the blank space where the ports are with screws next to it is for a card of some sort if i remember correctly.
Yes it was apparently a diagnostic port used by Apple for the rev A and B models only. It was the Mezzanine Slot. Companies soon figured out it provided a 32-bit PCI bus and offered SCSI adapters, FireWire ports, TV tuners, CPU upgrades and video cards. Sadly I don’t own any of these, but I’d love to try them out.
@@Mac84 Yep, the Voodoo2 got a limited release for this slot, great for upgrading the 3D performance especially on Rev A models!
4:35 Booting to 10.3.9, then to Mac OS 9.2, then to Windows 3.1 was a pretty nostalgic sequence
That’s like the best iMac even now.
I still have my 2nd gen Bondi Blue, might have to pull it out and fire it up again. Nice job!
I've been heavily researching into this computer lately. idk why it's very nostalgic and unique to me, and for its time it was pretty genius, compared to todays iMac its great seeing how far apple has come with redesigning it. also I remember using these computers in junior high from 1998-2002.
I remember this really well. I was 8 when these things came out and I had just transferred to a new school. The school still was still using Apple IIs well in to the late 90s. A year later they upgraded to all of these G3s.
Just picked up a 400mhz Blueberry slot loader for 40USD yesterday (Sept 18th '22) so excited to begin upgrading!
"Thankfully somehow I got it"
I just found this video. This is great! I run a used electronics store specializing in retro games and vintage stuff, I just snagged ones of these that came traded in. Debating restoring it. Your video was very informative
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. What color is the iMac you got, does it have a tray load disc drive or a slot load? They're very fun machines as long as the CRT isn't failing.
@@Mac84 how can you tell the CRT IS failing?
nostalgia hit! i remember when school suddenly got rid of our old Macintoshes and brought these in. everyone thought the see-thru case was cool, and the keyboards felt and sounded great. you shouldve used the original mouse for this video!
great video i got an Imac G3 last week and having fun with it. Running 9.2
We had these in our school in 1999 i was in 6th grade. I hated macs, still do but they were definitely unique at the time. I remember playing Nanosaur in our classroom.
hope for these oldies, we're impressed.
I have a 2001 450mHz indigo g3 on 10.3 panther. Runs very well
Don't stay on Mac OS 8.5.x. It's buggy. 8.6 is the most rock solid of the later era classic Mac OS versions.
Oh I know from first hand (painful) experience! Plus a lot of USB devices require Mac OS 8.6. I’ll be upgrading it soon! 👍
9.2.2 is the best you can get in the Classic world
Just found this channel still in the beginning but amazing man good video quality 👍👍👍👍
Thanks! 👍
Excellent video!
Very awesome video ! For me, it's now clear... I'm getting myself an iMac g3 again! I love these machines and I love your channel too ! Subscribed !
I literally went from a smile to a frown the moment I saw the PRAM battery. I gotta pull it outta mine, right away!
Yep!! I pulled it out don’t worry hahaha
@Stephen Tidwell Do the new Lithium ones risk the same problem? I don't know what chemistry the old ones uses, and I am not sure if Lithium batteries eventually break down and leak. I can't think of any other examples of Lithium batteries doing that.
Great video! Thanks so much for making it. :)
Great review. I have my original Rev. B sitting here in the gamecave. Pretty sure I already upgraded it to maximum back in the day too.
My friend got me one for $1.00 at a local tag sale, same model as yours. I liked the DVD drive and OS 9.22! I put Appleworks 6 on it. "Insanely great" deal!
Full system and Internet! Mosaic!
My first Mac. So many good memories.
Was over in the PC world using Windows, and at the time dismissed the iMac as being a computer aimed at children - but with this closer look, I suppose it wasn't so bad a design after all, and does have some of the original Mac's (or at least as far back to the Mac SE design) hallmark characteristics of being all self-contained but with detached keyboard. And forgot that this was Apple's transition to USB - thanks for an informative video about this rather notable retro computer
Swell video. I enjoyed it. What a sweet computer this was. Good times in the 90s
Thank you! I have a follow-up video coming up soon which I hope is just as fun.
Got a nice original Bondi Blue Rev. A sitting in my comp room as we speak (in addition to... well... too many other Macs)! A classic design that definitely made headlines at the time. :)
I love this channel!
WoW tnks 4 a video Bro.
Cool video!
woah! I started my design career on one of these things. imagine it's been 23 years now. running photoshop with 2 or 6MB! VRAM and 96MB RAM. TNX for a trip down memory lane Steve (I'm nowadays an Apple / Computer collector running a cMP project these days. they are going to be built into my garage wall heating up the place with tubes and such. I gather I can heat up 20 square meters with just three cMP 2008 running high fans. and just under 1 Kw
I just got an iMac very similar to this from my boss; he had it in storage and let me have it for free. Just needed a little cleaning and housekeeping on the hard drive, and it was good to go. Thankfully I don't think I need to upgrade it much, since it has quite a bit of RAM in it. Only problem is the optical drive keeps spitting out everything I put in it. Amazingly, I recently bought an external LG optical drive for my PC, and it actually works on the iMac.
I got a graphite 500 mhz iMac G3 from a recycling center, it powered right up and works fine.
Very good video! The intro is great!
Nice video. I got a Rev. B iMac G3 also (got it for $35 with an eOne!) which has some problems (dead cd drive, missing modem port somehow, among other things). Anyways, keep up the good work! Hope to see more videos soon!
Edit: Also, nice change to the intro!
Retro Rider that’s a good deal! I passed up on an eOne once, but they’re pretty odd machines, would be fun to play with one. Thanks for the kind words, I have more videos in the works. 🤓
Yeah, eOnes are super weird, probably one of the rarest and weirdest computers in my collection. Mine has a dying (I'm not totally sure about that though) hard drive, but there are no resources online about how to take it apart, too scared to do it myself. Glad to see that there's gonna be new videos! I've been trying to make some but editing is a real pain.
From watching LGR's eOne video, the plastic on the case seems to be of questionable quality, so yeah... good luck opening it up carefully! :O Yes, editing is probably the most time intensive part of these videos, next to setup and recording.
lol. Working on one of these right now and removing the back plastic panel was just as violent as it appeared in your video, despite my also trying desperately to not break anything lol.
Hahaha, every time I take the bottom off of one of these I expect it to explode into a million pieces. But even being gentle they tend to just fly off! 😳
Great machine! I got a 500 MHz one for Christmas last year to add to my collection. I just upgraded it to 1 gig of RAM last week, and I have been running 9.2 as well as OS X on it. I'm trying to hunt down an AirPort card for it at the moment.
Very cool! I hope your iMac has the AirPort Card adapter. Those adapters are getting harder to find, as they were only for iMac G3 slot-load models. Thankfully I've had better luck finding AirPort cards hiding in broken machines I've picked up.
@@Mac84 I have the adapter but no card LOL.
Well put together video with great camera work and lighting! I hope you removed that PRAM battery before reassembling. Those Maxell batteries are notorious for leaking.
Thanks!! Ah yes, I have some new PRAM batteries coming in the mail, so I'll be replacing this one and many others! I had one leak on an old pizza box Mac... RIP!
Just picked one up for $3 at the thrift store,time for a birthday!
Wow, nice find! 👍
Just subbed keep up the great work
Awesome video, bad thing that 512mb ram didnt work, but i loved it.
Finally someone who knows the old unreal games! Haha. I loved them. I always have to test UT99 on every machine I use. 😂😂😂
Nice! Yes I try it out on a lot of systems as well! 🤓
good video!! a long time ago i had a big litigation deal with apple and i won see apple imac dispute i even ignored steve when he called :)
I was playing the OG unreal tournament when this video loaded up.
Wow this thing is so much easier to service than the slot loading model that came afterwards.
And then Steve Wozniak bought a set for every school computer lab in Santa Clara County. I used an iMac week one when I was 7. As soon as all the different colours came out, we got new computers. And then that ended Steve Wozniak buying us computers through the 90s. After that if the district wanted Apple computers they would have to purchase them themselves at educational discount. Buying Apple computers at educational discount was about the same as buying Windows computers without educational discount, so the district went with Windows 2000 Pentium 4 computers to replace the iMacs. The first wave of iMacs also came when all the schools got T1 drops. IT ended up hating MacOS 8 and 9 since it didn't play as nicely with Novell Netware as Windows NT did. They had no problem with System 6 & 7 pre-networking. Only the high school Digital Art class and the school educational cable channels got Macs after that. Sometime shortly after I graduated the Digital Art class got cut citing the cost of transitioning from G4 iMacs to Intel iMacs to run the latest version of Photoshop and Illustrator.
Very good video make more! 😃
Hey there... I bought a Rev A off eBay about two years ago. I had one in 1999, and later gave it away. But, I missed little Mothra, and so I bought Mothra 2.
Thing works surprisingly well. Had to open it once to replace the PRAM battery and reset a little black button in there (have since forgotten its name), but it's been doing just fine. Using Illustrator on it to recreate some of the original Star Trek computer displays. I may use AE 5.5 on it as well to animate those (or I'll bring the files over to my 2020 Macbook Pro running SheepShaver).
My only disappointment is its inability to jump onto the internet full blast. I can access a few sites, but most sites, and e-mail, I cannot get on this machine.
All vintage machines of this era have older web browsers which cannot understand the new security or SSL standards of modern pages and protocols. Sadly it’s a common issue across all vintage Macs, PCs, etc.
There are proxy projects and things to bypass this (like using a Rapsberry Pi to act as an in-between) or using a website like theoldnet, but none of them may be perfect.
@@Mac84 Never heard of those ... I am intrigued...
5:09 I'll be sure to install that on my iMac G4
I bought one and loved it at the time the only issue was software was limited
Nice super old apple imac g3
A little late to this party, but for future reference, when you want to change out/upgrade the ram in this model iMac, make sure you get CL2 timing ram. I bought 2 256MB modules with CL2 timing off eBay and it was just plug and play. My iMac had no issues recognizing it. Granted my iMac G3 is slightly newer then that one since mine was a Rev D. Though I think that should still be relevant to your model too as the only big change between mine and yours was the removal of the IR port. This may not be applicable to the original Rev A model though.
Oh and in my case I got matching modules. Both same speed and brand. Mismatching modules will almost always give you a bad time. Next time try to match ram speed and brand. Capacities can differ but if you are maxing to 512, that's irrelevant since both will be 256MB anyways.
By the way, there are 512MB modules out there. But I've not seen very few that even specify what timing they have. I think I saw one that had CL2, but not on eBay.
Has anyone ever attempted to go to 1GB of ram with 2 512MB modules with CL2 timing? It might work. But I'm not gonna go out buying ram sticks to find out. :P
By the way if you are even more hard-core about upgrading it to it's max potential, there are G4 CPU upgrades. It's not a walk in the park though. You have to de-solder the old CPU, reball the new one (which you also have to de-solder from what ever motherboard/card you sourced it from) and change a couple resistors out on the CPU card to ensure proper voltage and speed multiplier. This requires some extra soldering equipment like a hot air station to do properly though and you have to use some specific types of CPUs. I forget which. But I've seen a RUclips video showing it working. One day when I have the money I might try and find someone to do make an upgraded card. There's one individual over at the 68kmla forums that I know has done one. So I'll probably look there for when that time comes.
From what I've seen, you can run a 400Mhz G4 in this thing without running into thermal issues with the heat-sink design (as long as you get the voltage correct). Can maybe push 450, but I don't know of anyone who has tried that.
I suppose it's possible to do this on the later slot loaders but the CPU is not on a daughter card like on the older ones and that model didn't have a fan so thermal issues will be even worse. I've not heard of anyone doing a G4 upgrade on one of those. :P
I have a 2001 Bondi Blue iMac G3 with the hockey puck mouse and an keyboard
Cool! The 2001 model is Blueberry, but has a very similar shade to the Bondi blue, but brighter!! Bondi Blue was replaced by Blueberry in the 1999 iMac models, which also introduced a total of 5 colors!
Thanks I didn’t know that
I love that mouse!!! It’s so bad it’s cool. Just think of your favorite movie, the one you don’t tell your friends about. Plus you could take parts off of the mouse and change the colors.
Oh yeah. Used to program it the year it came out. Rev B. also had 2 Firewire ports.
It's 2001. You're in class. the room is cooking from all the hot imacs
My old commercial art class had a room full of eMacs... the school was not air conditioned. The eMacs and Pentium III systems did not help the heat situation in the summer time!
Uploaded on my birthday!
Nice video, had used this exact model in primary school... was definitely this colour, not sure if it was a Rev A or Rev B model though. One big tip for getting Unreal Tournament to run better: lower the texture quality. That setting has a massive performance impact on ATi Rage Pro cards. Even so, you likely won't get great performance, as the 233MHz processor is a bit on the slow side for this game.
Nice!😍 super cool video man!👌👌
MacWarehouse! Wow
I approve of this video
Rosonol lighter fluid, lightly applied, takes stickers off all day on plastic or metal. Wouldn’t use it on a painted surface tho. Anything with Naphtha in it will do.
You should install the MicroConversions Voodoo 2 which was designed for the mezzanine slot.
If I had one I would! Sadly those devices are pretty hard to come by these days.
Bondi Blue rev B iMac G3. When I bought it, it was still in Mac OS 8.5 (original Sw release) and looks like never received any kind of updates. I just finished installing all the firmware and ROM updates and now is ready for Mac OS 9 and X, the big issue was it was not recognizing USB sticks so I transfered all files over File Sharing with my other iMac G3 600 on Mac OS 9.1 (pure classic enviroment). The firmware and software updates were installed in this order:
1 - iMac CD update 2.0
2 - iMac firmware update 1.2
3 - iMac update 1.1
4 - Mac OS 8.6 update
5 - USB mass storage support 1.3.5
6 - Mac OS ROM 1.0 update
Now it is more useful than before with Classilla Browser and reading USB sticks but it is still in Mac OS 8.6, I will leave it like this for now
Lmao this iMac is older than me by a whole 4 years
Hi Thanks for you video, I have a model like your imac G3, what kind of webcam run on that models? Thanks
here's an idea for another upgrade. I took a pair of Bose speakers apart and replaced the old speakers with the Bose. it sounds really good now I used gorilla glue to secure them to the speaker housing the holes didn't line up but everything else did :)
i wish they would bring colors back to pc's.. something that looks cool again
Mac OS 9.2 was very good.
I have rev B iMac G3 running Mac OS 8.6. It is perfect also running iTunes on it to tune Radio stations
I just upgraded this iMac to 8.6 over the weekend. I have noticed a decrease in startup issues and USB accessory problems.
@@Mac84 You need to to the update 1.0 or something like that , I did a bunch of updatings when I did the upgrade from 8.5 to 8.6 I remember mentioning on the Lowend Facebook webpage or Mac OS 9 alive
You talk like the guys who are teaching English in course videos :'v
It even gave me nostalgia... it was traumatic.
Nostalgia A+
I have one that has this weird image bug where windows would make line appears horizontally... I wonder if I should reseat the video cable
Great video. Would you make the same system recommendation for an iMac DV SE (Summer 2000)? It seems it shipped with 9.0.4, but I’m wondering if 8.5 or 8.6 wouldn’t be better. Thanks.
Mac OS 9.0.4 is the original OS. However System 9 can be buggy, so I’d recommend upgrading to the latest version of 9.
I’m unsure if 8.5 or 8.6 is supported on that hardware, it isn’t officially by Apple. So I would assume even if it did work you may run into some issues. I have 9.2 installed on my Graphite DV SE model with 512 MB of RAM and it runs great! Just make sure your install disc doesn’t get caught in the aging slot load drive. 👍
My first computer was a DV special edition iMac G3
@Stephen Tidwell And minor CPU bump too I think
Hi, I was wondering if you know if any of the Powermac G3 or G4's support PCI v2.2?
how did you monitor FPS? is that a counter built into Unreal or were you using another program to monitor FPS?
yep, built-in console commands
It makes me sad how people super celebrated Windows XP’s 20th anniversary, but nobody gave a damn about the iMac 20th anniversary 😔
Great job. Keep going
Could you theoretically replace the optical drive with a second hard-drive?
I'd imagine it's possible, as I replaced my G4 Cube's optical drive with a second SSD.
so first gens before the multi-colors had a tray like that, rather diff from the newer ones! ( i have a Snow White G3 mself)
My first Mac was the iMac strawberry.
How did you connect it to the internet Ive been having trouble with that
I'm planning on getting one of these that doesn't have software keyboard or mouse what do you recommend as the original operating system software and mouse and keyboard that comes with it
It depends on the model, but Mac OS 8.6 is usually ideal. Most USB keyboards and mice (unless they are wireless) should work OK with the iMac. Good luck!
I had blue one ;)
Is it possible to use the G3 monitor as a secondary monitor only plugging the monitor cable (using extension cable) at a PC video out?
It’s not as easy as it seems. The iMac logic board sends signals to the CRT so it turns on and gets it ready to display an image. I think some people have got this working, but it’s not as simple as just plugging in a cable.
I have imac g3 rev b. I have tried two ide
To sata adapters. One freezes on large file copies the other a startech booted
Once and never boots again, remains with an amber light. Anyone have success on a rev b with an adapter? I may just buy an old ide drive
I just found one of these, a house clearance and a chance meet, for £40 :). Rev A, but sadly with a VERY sun yellowed top, Im going to try retro-brighting it, but first Ill test the peroxide on the case bottom clear plastic, in case it clouds up, goes brown etc. BTW, mine has NO Vram upgrade, and looking on Ebay, no Ram comes up. Just wondering how you got your Vram + System Ram?
this is my puter! :) haha bondy blue
I remember playing tomb raider on one in PC world xD... Oh the good old days.
There was a Windows VM on mine too, mine also only works upside down....
I have the two Indigo Slot Loading version of the iMac G3, one is a DV model and the other is not. Both are in much worse of a condition of yours as far as scratches go; your Mac looks pristine in comparison. Do you have any tips or tricks on getting them out? I think they are made of the same plastic material as the Bodie Blue Tray models. Some of the scratches are white and do not feel deep so I think they can come out but I just don't know the right tool and or chemical to use. I'd really appreciate any help!
I would want the newest imac g3 fully upgraded with ssd and newest mac osx
Is your iMac G3 loud ?