Thread

iTechDV Flower Power iMac

· Hardware · 10 posts · Mar 15, 2010 — Aug 5, 2021 View original thread ↗

#1 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 - 01:59

Bought a Flower Power iMac G3 that turned out to have a G4 upgrade inside.

It started out as a Snow G3 400 but over time has had many parts added/swapped out including the casing

After a little research it turns out this upgrade was carried out by:

http://web.archive.org/web/20030423064138/http://www.technowarehousellc.com/g4upforslloi.html

known as 'iTechDV'

Currently using it with a Firewire Elgato EyeTV 410 as a TV which runs well on Mac OS X 10.4x

imacdvchart.gif.2722261e04bd36109ff4902c13ee3479.gif

The Graphite (pictured) is a G3/700 also have a Ruby G3/450 and Blue Dalmation G3/500

#2 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 - 09:10

That's an unexpected bonus! What was the cost?

#3 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 - 11:24

Couldn't value it at the time so paid the scrap value for the Airport Card, RAM and plastics

#4 Mon, 15 Mar 2010 - 21:38

Those G4 upgrades are really hard to find. Only the early iMacs with the internal expansion port can be fitted with them. Finding them unused or freed from the confines of the machine they were installed in is difficult. Someone obviously didn't know it was in there or forgot about it when they let the machine go or they'd have asked a ton for it.

#5 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 - 00:14

Seems like it has already done the rounds of forums

Just found this when searching the serial number: SG0140FLJ7B

http://www.macuser.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=299402&highlight=

#6 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 - 00:27

Only the early iMacs with the internal expansion port can be fitted with them.

Fastmac offers this upgrade for slot-loading models (for $200 8-o ). They have their CPU soldered to the Mobo. http://store.fastmac.com/product_info.php?products_id=46 I think Sonnet used to offer one for around $300, but I might be confused with other things.

What a great find! :lisa:

BTW, leopard CAN run on that iMac, albeit very slowly }

#7 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 - 01:43

thats so cool! thats the first time I've ever heard of a G3 iMac being upgraded to a G4. (now I heard of a molar mac, but this is news!)

#8 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 - 07:34

Fastmac offers this upgrade for slot-loading models (for $200 ). They have their CPU soldered to the Mobo. http://store.fastmac.com/product_info.php?products_id=46 I think Sonnet used to offer one for around $300, but I might be confused with other things.

You guys are thinking of different things - there were the NewerTech iMaxPowr G4 upgrades, the PowerLogix iForce G4 upgrades, and the Sonnet HARMONi G3 upgrades (which included a FireWire port) available for tray load iMacs, the Rev. A and B Bondi iMacs (which had the Mezzanine slot), and the C and D "Fruit flavoured" iMacs (which had no Mezzanine slot). Regardless of their Mezzanine slot status, however, all tray load iMacs still had the CPU mounted on a daughtercard, making it possible for third parties to come up with processor upgrades.

The slot load iMac, however, had the CPU soldered directly to the logic board, and therefore apart from this iTechDV upgrade, there were no other processor upgrades made for the slot load iMacs.

Either way, great find!