I Perfected the iMac G4

Thanks pcbway.com for sponsoring today's video!
Today we're doing a build that I've only dreamt of - building an iMac G4 powered by Apple Silicon! And it's all thanks to some very clever Australians at @juicy_crumb
VIDEO LINKS:
🍎 Juicy Crumb: juicycrumb.com
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#MARCHintosh #iMac #Apple

[@penguin10916]

If they created a variation of this board with a mount for a Mac mini system board, this would be perfect.

[@ActionRetro]

I think I'm going to try to design some kind of 3D printable mount

[@danielc9312]

@@ActionRetroA short update video would be cool once things are all tied up. I love seeing old hardware with new life. Gonna go subscribe. 👍

[@pseudotasuki]

Or even just internal connectors so you don't have to loop the cables outside.

[@penguin10916]

@@pseudotasuki Agreed. And if they combined that with a mount, that'd be absolutely perfect

[@tlhunter]

Exposing internal ports would make it convenient to drop in any small mobo, like a Pi or thinkcentre

[@bigtimmothy7795]

The G4 looks like it belongs in a Dentists office that doesn't accept my insurance.

[@AverageMichaelJordans]

In this sea of praise for the G4, the last thing I expected was the hardest roast I'll ever see

[@mainsink6385]

Hilarious

[@armandocortez2291]

😂😂😂

[@AddiJay2397]

Best comment of 2024

[@tobiaslofi]

Pretty sure many luxury shops, spas and dentists had them as their payment point / booking computer at the front desk.

[@livefreeprintguns]

The lampshade iMac was by far the pinnacle of the G4 lineup... the articulating on that unit was the most balanced and buttery smooth thing I have ever put my hands on. If you weren't around for it, there's just no way of describing how well they perfected that feature.

[@RockRedGenesis]

I'm primarily a windows user, i can count on one hand the times I've used a Mac or an iMac and even I think the iMac G4 is one of the most beautiful computers ever made. A work of art! And even though this G4 is just a glorified monitor now, what a monitor it is!

[@CanuckGod]

Same... overall, I've never been a fan of the Mac or their ecosystem (never mind I found their stuff horribly overpriced for my budget, and I just prefer either Windows or Linux [or even DOS back in the day] systems to it), but they did make some very snazzy looking products, and it's always fun to see people giving new functionality to older products.

[@RWBHere]

They cost a lot, but sip power and last for years without problems@@CanuckGod . Over all, I spend less on TCO by buying and using Apple kit. It does what I want, and does it well. My current workhorse iMac has been running 24/7/365 for 5 years so far. The previous one did so for 9 years, before I gave it away. It's still in regular use. But my favourite is still my c. 2001 'iLamp' with the 17" display.

[@MrDuncl]

The computer hardware which I thought looked amazing was the transparent Apple 17" Studio Display CRT monitor. Had it had the right plug to plug into a PC I would have bought one and the matching loudspeakers the day I first saw one.

[@RyanMonoxide]

This is the most beautiful computer that has ever been made. The clear acrylic around the matte white bezel of the display. The frosted plastic on the base and back of the display. The ultra fine concentric machined circles on the bottom which most people will never see. The stainless steel arm and the vent holes. The chrome Apple logo. The pop out tray. The speakers and keyboard and mouse. I mean… it just doesn’t get any better. I have a 17” on display at home and can’t get enough of the design all these years later.

[@ladeluff_]

couldn´t agree more. I am lucky enough to get the 20" version. apple engeneering at its finest peek! (you hear me Jonathan Ive!)

[@RWBHere]

Mine had the speaker plug broken off inside the socket (and the previous owner _threw away_ the original speakers), so I have to use an external amp via the headphone socket. Other than that, it runs beautifully.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

OK Stevie

[@floatplane]

The iMac people **actually** want! Beautiful!

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

I can't say "want" in my case - but if someone gave me one for free or left one by the side of the road, I'd certainly bring it into my man cave, do necessary repairs (within reasonable cost) and stick Linux on it... as I tend to do with every abandoned computer sent in my direction. Nice design, albeit to me a computer is a tool and I really don't care what colour or shape it is - as long as it does well the stuff I need it to.

[@stfuomgdude]

@@terrydaktyllus1320missing the point of this entirely

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

@@stfuomgdudeThis is a discussion about computers, not me. Therefore do try to keep up and stay on topic, there's a good chap.

[@BilisNegra]

@@terrydaktyllus1320 It's odd that someone like you, who states that a computer is just a tool to you, watches this channel. It's quite on the opposite side to the merely utilitarian approach!

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

@@BilisNegraThis is a discussion about computers, not me - especially as "me" is a topic you know nothing about anyway. Therefore do try to keep up and stay on topic, there's a good chap - and put your little pile of "amateur Internet psychologist" books away now. Discussion closed, have a lovely rest of your day. And please stop obsessing about complete strangers on the Internet, it's not healthy behaviour.

[@fluffycritter]

I’d love to see 3D printed plugs to improve the fit and finish of those I/O ports on the back. Also a future board revision where there’s a full raspi system that can drive the screen directly running Rasbian or the like, where it’s essentially a Linux iMac that supports target display mode.

[@mikenotpike]

Imagine Apple made an anniversary edition iMac in the style of an iMac G3 or G4. Would be a cool collectors item.

[@InfernosReaper]

I might honestly buy an oldschool-style modern Mac

[@MrDuncl]

@basicallyhuman Most iPhones have looked almost exactly the same as the previous model 🙂

[@JaredConnell]

Imagine how cool it would be if they made a mini set of devices a la the Nintendo NES classic edition, with iMac G3 and G4 models and maybe iBook and powerbook models too, all running mac OS classic emulators. Of course it will never happen, but one can dream!

[@GaryBeltz]

I love the purple color of the board.

[@juicy_crumb]

We're glad to hear that!

[@LemSportsinterviews]

​@@juicy_crumbhi guys! very interesting, i'm pretty stoked about this. i've had new motherboard replacements/adapters for old computers on the brain lately, thanks for making something so interesting

[@BilisNegra]

That makes it a lush piece of eye candy, to be sure.

[@user-iw1tv7nm9f]

Love purple it's my fave but you'll never see it LMAO 🤣

[@GaryBeltz]

@@user-iw1tv7nm9f I wools just make a bottom that was transparent lol

[@Epicgamer_Mac]

I LOVE Juicy Crumb. They also make boards for the 27” 2011 iMac which had such common crippling graphics failures. To see them continue to grow and make more old computers still usable is awesome.

[@LouisSubearth]

So its the same people. Psiviewri did a video instlling that board I think.

[@Pendleton115]

I'm the co-founder of Juicy Crumb, thanks for the kind words! Hopefully this is just the beginning!

[@tuvalutorture]

Oh my god, really? I actually have one of those 2011 27 inchers lying around, maybe I'd do something like that to it (dont have a use for it so), and It'd give me a classic aluminium iMac look (I do NOT like the new imacs) while giving me the power of a new iMac (actually maybe even more because maybe you could fit an m3 pro mac mini in there, when it releases ofc)

[@blackcoffeegarage]

FANTASTIC! Hope they make these boards for the 17"!! I've got one here that is near mint!

[@TylerFurrison]

Don't do it for a working system

[@digitalrampage]

@@TylerFurrison - The beautiful thing about this board compared to alternatives is that there is no damage to the iMac. Easily returned to factory default whenever you like. We do care about the original products - but so many people are just throwing these in the trash... We need to give them a life between being new - old and retro.

[@kestralwrites]

@@digitalrampageIt's an incredible mission and a fantastic product - so creative! Roll on the 17" version!

[@seventribe]

+1

[@MichaelAStanhope]

I NEED THIS! My 20" iMac is dead like yours, this would be freaking awesome!

[@ActionRetro]

Do eeet!

[@juicy_crumb]

@@ActionRetroSeconded

[@maltoNitho]

Oh yeah! And now my Saturday has officially started 😊

[@CouldBeMathijs]

Mine's coming to an end already 😢

[@Mariokart6]

Heck yeah! Starting my weekend off with Action Retro is always a treat

[@jamesthuresson5341]

Hi

[@MrRelevance02]

my Sunday is officially ending

[@Mariokart6]

@@MrRelevance02 So sad

[@darkestlost]

This display is gorgeous

[@midnightblue3285]

looks dim

[@webmasale]

Not even 4k

[@TheDantheman9001]

not even 240hz g-sync smh@@webmasale

[@DanaDoesStuff]

This is the coolest thing ever! I have a 20” iMac G4, and it used to run perfectly after I repasted the CPU. Then I put it in storage for a while. Took it out maybe a year later and it is dead, dead, dead. I would definitely be interested in trying this.

[@Clodd1]

This iMac still looks modern. I'd love to see this with the trash can Mac, that one is so beautiful.

[@plushifoxed]

same!! would love to see an MTA-trash-can Mac pro with an M-series board inside...

[@BilisNegra]

So do I. I hope it's not deemed too modern for this channel...

[@MegaManNeo]

Pretty sure the M1 and M2 desktop boards fit inside the trash can too. Revive old machines!

[@rkymtnrsx]

I love seeing new life given to old machines that shaped the industry.

[@cubessupermathdungeon8295]

The arm on that monitor was really nice! I wish Apple still made them like that.

[@Fred_Raimer]

I sure hope a 17" version is in the works

[@samuell.foxton4177]

I have the original 15”, though my current plan is to try Adelie and use it to VNC into a Pi 4 or mini PC running Kodi

[@GodSaveTheUnitedStates]

Wow, you are a very lucky guy. I was a PC guy when this Mac came out but I still drooled over it. What a great way to get this masterpiece back to its former glory!

[@CanuckGod]

Pretty much been an x86 PC guy all along, but admittedly this is a beautiful beast, nice to see that it's getting some modern love.

[@ctrlaltrees]

You absolute madman

[@DuffHuge]

lmfao u must be from the UK!

[@mcborge1]

@@DuffHugeReese is also a KZbinr, check out his channel if you like vintage Atari computers. :)

[@charlottesimss9853]

Absolutely insane. I used to have the more square display G4 and loved it, but sold it when I moved as it was big and didn't do anything. I didn't forsee the M1 series and how I could actually make my dream a reality. Definitely on the hunt for another

[@Otakunopodcast]

I really wish I had kept my iLuxo. It was a (iirc) 17 inch 800 MHz G4. It worked perfectly fine at one point, but when I pulled it out of storage about a year ago, it was completely DOA. Just blinked its power light, nothing more. I tried several of the common fixes (and some of the less-common ones) -- reseated all the connectors, changed the battery, reset the PRAM, etc., blew hot air on the power supply using my hot air station (some models had power supplies known to have bad capacitors, and heating them brings them back to life. I was still somewhat leery of recapping high voltage stuff at the time, so recapping it was not an option) and also tried swapping in different memory, unfortunately to no avail. Ended up selling it because I was getting fed up with it, plus I needed the money. I absolutely love the design of the thing, the monitor that just sort of floats in midair is truly magical, and was really sorry to see it go. I would have LOVED to do a mod like this. I actually have an M1 mini that is my daily driver (I'm typing this comment on it right now) and would have loved to hack that into the old G4's shell.

[@dotapark]

God, when M1 was announced and people did this kind of stuff, I loved it so much. And after this video, I realize that I STILL love to watching it. Thank you for the video.

[@MotownBatman]

Wikid Awesome! Thats Board is gonna go Brrrrrr

[@BernardoHenriquez]

11:42 Wow looks very futuristic, i love it

[@RicardoRamosRetrocomputacao]

The problem is in the firmware. They need to add a routine to the firmware to detect if there is input to the hdmi. If there is, it sends the signal, if there is not: 1. Cuts the power supply to the monitor through a relay (requires re-wiring) 2. Adjusts the screen brightness to minimum (or completely turns off the backling, if possible) and Leave it like this, as soon as it is plugged into the socket, it will be on. Another cool solution would be to add an HDMI CEC controller to be able to control the computer through HDMI, this would allow a physical on/off button on the motherboard, which will make the computer sleep/turn off via HDMI. The motherboard's USB should be a USB 3.0+ hub that derives all ports from a single port on the Mac mini, connected internally, as well as HDMI

[@juicy_crumb]

The DockLite G4 uses the "Hotplug Detect" pin to identify when a host device is connected and activates the backlight accordingly. Due to the architecture of the display and how Apple designed it there was no way for us to verify when the display was receiving an actual video source without adding additional complexity/cost to the design.

[@GSBarlev]

I did something similar during the Pandemic. Gutted the dome and swapped in an AsRock A300 motherboard with a Ryzen 3400G. While I found a great guide on converting the TMDS signal from the monitor to HDMI, it only worked once before I fried something, so I ended up swapping the old LCD for a modern one. It's now my daily driver. Great to see other people show this beautiful machine the love it deserves!

[@MarkyShaw]

Saturday morning just watchin’ mah stories

[@Squonk06]

It's amazing how much a case swap can give one the warm fuzzies. I once transferred a newer mid-tower's guts into an older full-size tower, and it was like having my old friend back. It helps that I was using the same monitor as I'd used with the older machine. I'd initially done the swap to get more internal space, since I wanted to expand and the newer machine's case was too cramped. However, I was so happy with the nostalgic effect that I ended up using that case for yet another build years later, despite it being ancient by that point and lacking in modern amenities like front-mounted USB and audio ports. Oh, well, that's what drive bay expansions are for. Sean's iMac "G4" in this video is like the super, ultra upgraded version of my experience.

[@LightTheUnicorn]

You can really feel your genuine excitement in this one. Super cool mod, and absolutely a fantastic use for this machine!

[@fussbucket3080]

I would love to do this on my 24 inch late 2006 iMac. Probably my favorite iMac ever

[@ChristmasMorning1995]

I have the 17 inch model of that imac. It's my favorite

[@cjc363636]

I've wondered about this retro/mini mod, myself. Looks awesome! Thanks for the demo/lesson!!

[@songsan807]

I have one of these iMac packed up in my garage. Now this give me some idea on what to do with it. Thanks.

[@iCaveDave]

Love this so much, I have a Classic II with an M1 mini inside and an iPad retina LCD on a controller board, but this is next level! Kudos!

[@Natures_Intentions]

thats so cool looking and works amazing

[@BRBTechTalk]

Nice to see you resurrect this classic. I love these kind of builds.

[@surodeluxe]

Absolutely awesome and beautiful, well done!

[@ry64x]

Such a sweet sleeper build, always loved the G4 design!

[@snip3rm00n]

i'm actually crying... The absolute love being shown to this gorgeous design is incredible!

[@ericbauer4559]

That’s awesome. Def going to try and get a board for mine.

[@johncundiff7075]

what a gorgeous sleeper!

[@codecthelios]

This is very rad. And it looks very do-able

[@MichaelAStanhope]

these were pretty epic machines. what resolution is it running at? The stock G4 I think ran at 1280x860 or something...

[@pseudotasuki]

The 20" model had a 1680x1050 display.

[@aidanbrooks771]

⁠​⁠@@pseudotasukidamn that’s pretty solid for 2002. Basically just 16/10 1080p

[@theredtechengineer1480]

@@aidanbrooks771no, it's 1050p

[@ValTek_Armory]

One of my teachers had a sunflower mac and I always loved the way it looked

[@yesamster]

I have always wanted to do this. And with the Power Mac G4 Cube. Such beautiful computers.

[@danielclark6033]

I am SO excited for this project! I've been wanting to get a G4 again and do something like this for a while and now it's so much more viable.

[@scottyhughes9179]

This is fabulous!! I have the iMac G4 20" - I am considering this!

[@budgetkeyboardist]

Fun! I loved this model back in the day.

[@coryengel]

The juicy crumb looks like a map of towns sprinkled across an Australian (or Kansan) plain.

[@thebuccaneersden]

Thanks for sharing! I really wanted to use my 27" iMac 2011 as an external display without all the weird hacks I've seen online, because the display is still friggin' gorgeous even in 2024 and Juicy Crumb has a kit for that too. Hurray!!! This is exactly what I was looking for!

[@appull60]

This is the sort of content that I just can’t enough of, thank you!

[@Eventualpine-g]

This is the EXACT type of video I want to make on my channel.

[@MaxOakland]

This is awesome! The iMac G4 is so iconic with such a cool design. The one flaw of this that I imagine is that the display isn't Retina, which is unfortunate

[@AfterBurnettAsks]

Had one of these back in the day - I was stoked when I upgraded to an iMac G5 as the G4 was pretty slow for editing and doing effects on my short film! Was a neat little machine, though. Be awesome if they went back to that design - being able to put the monitor wherever you like was just awesome.

[@whichwayiszigzag]

That's my dream computer too. Nice work Sean!

[@chipandrews2892]

That was totally AWESOME!! Now to get an old iMac G4 and upgrade it!

[@TheRetroBrit]

this is totally brilliant, i need to do this as i have a dead 20" imac also

[@Ten80P]

What a great and beautiful project. The quality of the display and. the resolution look amazing. If this would be offered in shops, I would consider buying it. Really great.

[@luisdiassilva]

Excelent. Love it. Well done. A model I have loved since it came out.

[@bepriceless]

The R2D2 Mac was one of the coolest things Apple made.

[@daniel.santos]

Now let’s get one with a Blu-ray drive!

[@DavidStahlOLDHAPPyMACs]

WoW When I come across A iMac G4 I will have to due that mod very clean install great job Sean

[@mustardroshi418]

my dream pc design with the latest tech well done

[@connorlearmonth665]

Nice job, wish this kit was available when I put the m1 in mine!

[@iJohns]

Super cool project and great video 👍 subbed!

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

This is my kind of recycling and reuse. Nice!

[@cameronbaraban1824]

Great video - and super cool!

[@JohnnyVinthe813]

Good job. Looks great.

[@Joshtheweatherman]

Still one of the most beautiful Mac designs of all time, imo

[@AdamMerdy123]

This is so cool! I've always adored the look of the iMac G4, but it was before my time as a Mac user (I switched in 2008/2009), so seeing what you've done with this makes my heart happy. I think its fair to say that its no longer an iMac G4 - its now an iMac M2. And I love it!

[@kenmotovlogs5884]

I'd love to see something like this done to the iBook G3 Clamshell

[@digitalrampage]

Unfortunately their rarity and plastics deteriorating wouldn't make this viable.

[@chumbawumba1959]

That right there is **Shenanigans Hall of Fame** material!!! Awesome, Sean 😂😂😂

[@gigsandguitars6921]

In my Opinion this and the Original Mac Pro were peak Apple design!

[@efixphoto]

This is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.

[@kiarashtajalli]

such cool aesthetics

[@williamlafrance2514]

Awesome, as always ! Cheers from Quebec

[@TheJRSvideos]

You have NO IDEA how overjoyed am that I came across this video! I have been waiting for someone to build a solution like this for YEARS. I've seen all the videos on how to convert a G4 iMac, but they all looked incredibly daunting and I knew I'd just end up destroying mine. This is an immediate order for me. So, so, so looking forward to trying this out.

[@dukeseb]

this is such a great nostalgia video!

[@HansKeesom]

Apple should produce this as a kind of 4k monitor with “stand” where you can insert your own complete mac mini into the stand or dock a macbook onto. If they make the next mac mini a bit smaller that should be easy. It would be such a stylish setup, certainly with those speakers

[@deechvogt1589]

Wow! Very inspired idea, and it had just the right amount jank.

[@dmitribilgere7604]

This is amazing. You are living the dream.

[@thetid8852]

That is just AMAZING! I'm so envious - I wish I had an iMac G4 customised for Intel i7 capable of running everything from Mavericks to Catalina, I'd be using it every day...

[@cap737]

Extra thumbs up for playing 7Days!

[@cwfeldmann]

@15:38 - May not be a lot out there but I almost guarantee the ones that are have been treated well because they haven't gone out of style. The reason you're talking about it today is testament to that :) My mom still has hers in her office but it hasn't run in a decade but it's still on her desk because it just looks so good. Thank you for showing me one way I can breathe exciting new life into it!

[@markshade8398]

Holy crap that is one of the coolest things I've ever seen!!!!!

[@VELI-Productions]

Been waiting for someone to do this 🙏

[@Matt-vs4zz]

I've always wanted to do this! You're living my dream. I'll always have a soft spot for the iMac G3 (my first ever computer), but the G4 is the most beautiful computer ever made.

[@skellener]

That’s really awesome! 👍

[@craigw.scribner6490]

I bought the original 15" monitor iMac the day it came out, back in 2002. It still works (although I don't use it, as I have a 2015 27" iMac) but I love what you've done with yours!

[@user-kw9ul6mi6q]

This iMac is what i ever wanted

[@henrynunes1062]

I always wanted to do that, but I"'m not that good to rewire it again. This solution is fantastic. I just ordered mine!

[@zenithquasar9623]

I love the form factor!

[@johnocampo552]

Man! .... from Retro to fast Future 2024! iMac G4 is surely an antique! This Video shows it WORKS !

[@swomper005]

Thank you so much for this video. I have a 17" inch iMac G4 that I have always wanted to turn into an M1 iMac G4. Now that you've created this video, I will be on the lookout for a 20" inch iMac G4, since Juicy Crumb only sells a board for the 20" inch iMac! Besides being a MAC User, I also collect old Macs. I have 5 old iMacs going back to 2000, 7 old Apple Laptops going back to 1995 and 2 old desktops going back to 1993. Keep up with the great content! Love your show!!!

[@strider_hiryu850]

this is one of the coolest seemless Mac mods i have ever seen. S+ man. S+.

[@toddholcomb1]

About time you got back to some Mac stuff! 😃

[@Manwe_SandS]

Amazing machine!

[@Cartagena1]

BRO! I’ve been wanting this EXACT thing for my 2002 iMac G4! Like I’ve literally been praying to every deity known and unknown for something like this. I’ve wanted to restore my old iMac to modern glory for so long and now it feels like I’m finally a step closer! 🥲

[@jean-danielkouassi8882]

Looks pretty good. I like this content ❤