# Is it worth the hassle selling my old G4 tower? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 25, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448 "2015-09-25T01:11:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/1 "2015-09-25T01:11:09Z")
So I have a Mac G4 tower that I bought around the turn of the millennium. I haven’t used it since 2009, but it worked fine up until the day I replaced it. It also has no HD, mostly for privacy and security reasons. It does have the keyboard and mouse and such, though. Is it worth selling on CraigsList (eBay involves shipping, and for something that heavy I can’t see it as worthwhile), or should I just take it to the local electronics recycler? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/2 "2015-09-25T01:28:05Z")
5 more years and it’ll be considered vintage! keep it. or OR it’s not even worth being used as a boat anchor. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/3 "2015-09-25T03:58:06Z")
You can look at completed listings on eBay with the advanced search feature. The ones that have sold recently tend to be in the 30-40 dollar range and about 30 for shipping. I’d go to eBay and watch any current listings to see if they sell and for how much. ---
**Author:** ![edwardcoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cab0a1/32.png) [@edwardcoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwardcoast)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/4 "2015-09-25T04:12:16Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > So I have a Mac G4 tower that I bought around the turn of the millennium. I haven’t used it since 2009, but it worked fine up until the day I replaced it. It also has no HD, mostly for privacy and security reasons. It does have the keyboard and mouse and such, though. > > Is it worth selling on CraigsList (eBay involves shipping, and for something that heavy I can’t see it as worthwhile), or should I just take it to the local electronics recycler? I’m curious…It has no Hard Disk, so how are you booting this? What privacy and security reasons would cause you to remove a Hard Disk? By the way, keep the Mac G4, because it will run Mac OS 9 and you can play Power Pete (aka Mighty Mike) on it! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/5 "2015-09-25T13:14:36Z")
> [@edwardcoast](#): > > I’m curious…It has no Hard Disk, so how are you booting this? What privacy and security reasons would cause you to remove a Hard Disk? > > By the way, keep the Mac G4, because it will run Mac OS 9 and you can play Power Pete (aka Mighty Mike) on it! You can run OS 9 on Yosemite with Chubby Bunny. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/6 "2015-09-25T13:27:48Z")
I would look at donating it my local public school. They can always use computers… even older ones in good working order. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/7 "2015-09-25T15:26:00Z")
In my experience, old computers are just one step above old tube TVs on the scale of things you cannot get rid of. I’d go ahead and drop if off at your local recycling center, unless you’re willing to leave the thing in the basement for a few decades in the hope that’ll be a classic someday. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/8 "2015-09-25T15:44:54Z")
> [@edwardcoast](#): > > I’m curious…It has no Hard Disk, so how are you booting this? What privacy and security reasons would cause you to remove a Hard Disk? > > By the way, keep the Mac G4, because it will run Mac OS 9 and you can play Power Pete (aka Mighty Mike) on it! He removed the hard drive so that when he gets rid of the computer no one will get access to his old hard drive. The machine probably isn’t in working order now, which means no one wants it. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/9 "2015-09-25T20:06:57Z")
PC’s is easy, got many IDE hard drives, even SATA ones now. I keep all SSD’s though. Bawahahahaa Got a full 98se PC, dual removable HDs, dual CD drives, dual A drives ( 3.5 floppies ) first level flat screen, also have a tube monitor ) speakers color coded, power distribution with swivel for the monitor to go ‘wheeeee’ when it feels perky, big for the time power supply, all the RAM + a bit that 98se can use, full set 3.1 Windows floppies, lots of old floppy based addons, Win 95, 98, 98se CD’s, AOL 3.0 floppies, and CD’s up to 8 or 9 or what ever was the last about 1999. I figure the great grand kids can have fun with a working system after I am long gone. All to young grand kids to have great grands yet… Still has the best ‘Tetris’ game edition I have ever used. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/10 "2015-09-25T20:14:49Z")
::: also, window disks 2000, xp, using mt 7 ones. :::::: Little guy on island screen saver, I am de packrat… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/11 "2015-09-25T22:46:26Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I would look at donating it my local public school. They can always use computers… even older ones in good working order. I would check first. Schools need a lot of the same computer so they can move them around and so the kids can move from one to the other with no learning curve. It is also possible that the person who maintains them doesn’t need variety in his/her life. Donees can be pickier than you think, and for good reason. If I really wanted to get rid of it, I’d donate the thing to a charitable thrift store and take the tax deduction. Might be less money than selling it but a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/12 "2015-09-25T23:20:33Z")
Recycle it. Schools probably won’t take it and it isn’t worth the trouble of selling. ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/13 "2015-09-26T06:40:25Z")
That Mac is awfully old. 350 to 500 Mhz CPU, 10 to 72 gig drive, 64 to 256 meg memory. Need I go on? I don’t think it can run today’s programs but it’ll make a great Linux box. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-worth-the-hassle-selling-my-old-g4-tower/732448/14 "2015-09-26T21:45:13Z")
Without a HD it’s virtually junk. Donating it to a school or anything is just going to tick people off. At best, part it out. You’d be surprised how much you might get for the MB, etc., if sold separately. Go to eBay and check component prices.