Ah yes, the iMac G3. A computer that arguably saved...? Apple, and led to the revolution of no floppy disks, CD-ROM dominance, and childish color schemes. Thank god that last one died out...
What you probably aren't aware of is that there were many different versions of these computers; Tray-loading G3s used tray-loading CD-ROM drives, hence the retrospective name. Slot-loading G3s used a proprietary form of slot-loading CD-ROM/CD-RW and DVD-ROM drives (which were prone to failure) and came with many different revisions, up to a 700MHz PowerPC 750CXe with a 16MB Rage 128 Pro. Tray loading G3s only got up to a 333MHz PowerPC 750 and a Rage Pro with 6MB of VRAM, more specifically SGRAM.
The slot-loaders are like an entirely different pile of nuts and bolts. They reduced costs with manufacturing (AND IT SHOWS) and they were far more prone to failure.
Let's get started with the analog board (or the PAV board if you worked with these machines at Apple). Due to the fact that this system used passive cooling and a CRT, the system could get VERY HOT and would usually tend to overheat. Hell, a friend told me that she used some of these computers back in Elementary School and the kids would always put their hands above the cooling vents to warm them up during the winter time. I wonder how much wear got onto those PAVs...
Also due to heat, the inner frame would become super brittle. There's a reason why most people don't even bother with disassembly of these systems, and it's because of that frame. It even cracks without you touching it from a 3,000 mile radius. Tray loaders had a similar issue, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the slot loaders. That's also why you rarely see slot loaders in good shape; mine is in awful condition, but also it came out of an electronics store that caught fire... and still works to this day.
The graphics chip also suffers from heat issues, though it's more uncommon. My G3 has a few graphical issues due to excess heat. If they spent a few more bucks to put a fan on that system, some of these issues would have been easily avoided.
The CD-ROM drive was poorly designed in the slot loaders. There is a belt which is literally stretched horizontally, and those could fail super easily. As a result, the drive would not eject discs after you put them in or it wouldn't even take them at all. This was a very common problem and I'd imagine that apple service employees NEVER liked constantly fixing this issue. Back then you would just get a replacement drive, but now you're on your own and you would have to fix the existing drive. The rollers would also get worn out, but that issue was less common than the belt wearing down. Oh, can I also mention that you CAN'T install your own slot loading drive as the JAE connector was flipped? What a bummer, can't even go above a CD-RW unless you find that extremely rare drive that some aftermarket mac company made.
If you want a PowerPC mac that functions and can run Mac OS 9, go with a Power Mac G4 or an earlier eMac. The earlier G4s are robust as all hell and a lot of them still work to this day... but you might need a new power supply. As for eMacs, the 700MHz models seem to be reliable, but make sure you have an extra IVAD cable on hand. If you're not into CRTs or towers, a PowerBook G3 or G4 would be good options. You can even have an earlier iBook G4 or a USB2 eMac run OS 9 with some tweaks.
I've still got my 700MHz fire-rescued slot loader and I managed to acquire some parts a couple months back for it. If this CD drive works after reshaping the belt, I will party HARD. As for other macs, I have an AGP G4 that I may use as a dedicated OS 9 system. It has a dual 500MHz G4 and 2GB of RAM (I have tons of RAM and I need to at least put as much as I can in there. I know OS 9 only addresses 1.5, don't remind me.) along with a Radeon 9000 Pro. I have a GeForce 4 Ti 4600, but it's dead unfortunately. The 9000 Pro should be enough anyway, but the GeForce 4 would have been nicer for OS X Tiger. I also have more, a broken 7300/200, a clamshell with some charging port hackjob, an eMac which has been OC'ed to 1.92GHz for no real reason and runs 10.5, and a G4 cube that I still need a power adapter for (WHY do they cost $200 NOW???).
iMac G3s are weird systems, and they're only for the die-hard Apple collectors out there. It's nothing more than a PowerMac G3 stuffed into a poorly-designed all-in-one chassi, while also not having the top looking like a pair of breasts. You know why they're so uncommon? The tray loaders were only out for a year and the slot loaders drop like flies. I will admit, some of them look cool; my favorite colors are Bondi Blue and graphite.
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