Looking for an old mac, apple desktop. I want it for garage band. I'm looking for hte ones that are the monitor and toower all in one. Anyone know where to buy them, what they are called, and if they have garage band.
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Older/used macs.
- Thread starter WookieeForLife
- Start date
eMacs are what you are after. or an old iMac, or a PC h4xed to run Apple, or a PC with FL Studio.
Yep, these are ancient (the first) iMacs, with G3 processor. I have one in my storage, and I don't think they have enough juice to run Garageband.
What you could look for is a G4-G5 iMac or a PowerMac. G4 iMacs have the LCD above the dome-shaped central unit, and G5's have the current "monitor" look (in white plastic). G5's were the last generation before Intels, and everyone has pretty much moved on, so they can be had for 300-400 bucks.
I am, unfortunately, running an eMac at work. You don't want none of this. Compared to my 3.0ghz MBP that I have at home... well let's just say I could have manufactured enough rope to hang myself by the time I get certain tasks done on this thing.
Find used high end. Can be had cheap.
Find used high end. Can be had cheap.
"old", "ancient", and similar words associated with iMacs & eMacs just boggles my mind... Up until four months ago I was using a beige G3 circa 1998...and I didn't even consider that "old"!
I think it's all relative. I still have my G4 tower circa 1999, it's awaiting a wipe to become a music server, but past that I don't think I could deal with it. Once I went to college I upgraded to a 15" Powerbook that lasted me 5 or 6 years. I only got a new laptop because one of my Ram bays were on the fritz and my screen was dimming. That and the knowledge that mac was no longer supporting the PPC processors in future OS updates pushed me on to a new MBP once they were released. I maxed it out so that it would last me just as long as my last laptop, but now my work computer is frustrating in its well-loved quirks.
Back on topic to the OP: see if you can find an older iMac or or G4/5 with at least 1.5ghz processor. That way you should be able to run Garageband with 2 or 4 tracks pretty easily. I would wipe it and install OS X Leopard (v10.5) with the older version of garageband (less bloat, ran better). If you need a screen, acer makes some decent LCDs in the 19" range for like $120 bucks.
You can always get Audacity and Export to MP3 from there. Trust me, there are many ways to de-fur a feline.
Macs hold resale surprisingly well, I just sold a Macbook (last generation) with a crack in the shell for 500$. A new one is 999$. I see some decent deals on G4's and IMacs. The Imac is the route I'd go. I'm sure you could find a real nice one for 500$ or less.
What's your price range? I would highly suggest looking for a previous generation iMac, Mac Mini, or even a MacBook. Check the Apple Refurb store as well as your local Craigslist for deals.
