One of the things that I’ve found myself doing over the years is collecting old Apple Computers. I have always enjoyed them, having grown up on several different ones over the years. They have always had a very unique aesthetic to them and there are specific designs that are highly desirable and/or collectible for many people. In addition a lot of the older merchandise, such as posters (Specifically the “Think Different” education posters), pins, shirts, etc. are prized as well. So it was both an outgrowth of having some money from my jobs, being in the right place to purchase them relatively cheap, and gradually getting older.
I currently own an LC520, a Power Mac 6100, 2 Power Mac G4 MDD’s (One is a 1.0ghz DP, the other is the granddaddy 1.42ghz DP), a Powerbook G4 Titanium 800mhz, a Powerbook G4 1.67ghz Aluminum, a Power Mac G4 Cube, and finally a Macbook Pro Early 2010. Now this may sound excessive and it probably is, but most of them are still highly usable even in this day and age and some have quite a bit of sentimental value as well. I am referring to the LC520, which was my dad’s and was a computer that I used for many years when growing up. The 6100 I’ve had for some time and can’t remember how I got it; I am unsure whether it works or not as I do not have an adapter for the Macintosh Display connector to VGA.
The two Power Mac G4’s used to be property of Temple University, but I was able to purchase them through the Computer Recycling Program. I think they were $50 and $100 respectively, which is ridiculously cheap even when they’re worth at least triple that price. The 1.0 is currently idling, but I use the 1.42 quite a bit and have “pimped it out”. I added a new 250gb hard drive, a 120mm ducted fan to help cool the PSU + PCI cards, a new 120mm fan to replace the noisy stock one, an Airport Extreme card, and the pièce de résistance has to be the BFG Nvidia Geforce 7800GS graphics card that I flashed to work with the computer. I am still testing it at this stage to make sure there is enough power, but I’ve got a backup Ati Radeon 9800XT that I also had in it that I know works flawlessly. That one I also flashed as well. The computer is still pretty quick, given its age but it does slow down on some content that decides to use the processor instead of using the hardware accelerated graphics (FLASH!!!).
The PowerBook G4 Aluminum has a bit of an interesting story. I bought it off craigslist for $200, with the reason they were selling it being that the battery was effectively dead. I jumped on it immediately, because they again sell for double and triple that price and was able to get it. I remember talking with the original owner and how she received a slew of emails expressing interest in the computer but I was the first. I confirmed that the battery was effectively dead as the mAh reading was 500 or something like that (New ones ship with 4400mAh), so all it needed was a new battery and it was usable. Unfortunately it developed the lower ram slot failure problem since I’ve owned it so it is limited to 1gb of ram. It’s still an excellent computer and the second fastest PowerBook ever made.
Now the PowerMac G4 Cube’s story really gets to me. I know that it might be weird to have feelings about inanimate objects but when The New York Museum of Modern Art holds a G4 Cube, along with its distinctive Harman Kardon transparent speakers, as part of its collection, it really is something quite special. Again it was a Craigslist find, but for the unbelievable price of $60 along with a keyboard, mouse, documentation, CD’s, and an Apple 15″ LCD monitor. Naturally I jumped at the chance immediately and was able to get it. It was located in Bala Cynwyd not too far off Route 1. I remember that as I was testing it to verify the functionality of it, I was talking with the owners. Unbelievably, they wanted to get rid of it and were going to put it on the curb with the trash until one of their family member suggested that they put it on Craigslist to sell. I simply couldn’t believe what I was hearing. They were prepared to simply throw this computer away. Now I’m not sure how other people are supposed to feel, but the computer, monitor and equipment all worked just fine. Add to that it was a 500mhz G4 Cube, the fastest one ever made, and it just gets to me. I just can’t understand why someone would have such a cavalier attitude towards something like that. Fortunately, it now rests safe and secure in my apartment and I will keep it and treasure it forever, for it is one of the best looking computers ever made. Don’t believe me? Look for yourself (Note, this is a stock photo, but it is the same setup as mine):
Well, that’s it for now, I’ll have a part 2 written for you sometime.