You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Monitor for power Mac G3 266MHz

I need to get and connect a new monitor for my old power Mac G3 266MHz. What do I need? How do I connect a newer monitor?


Earlier displays & monitors

Posted on Oct 2, 2023 8:09 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 3, 2023 4:41 AM

Assuming that your G3 hasn't been upgraded with a PCI graphics card having a (PC-type/VGA) HD-15 display port, you're using the onboard graphics port with its DB-15 port. A Mac-to-VGA adapter would be needed, if you plan to connect a third-party display to that port. The next obstacle to overcome is the onboard graphics chip's lack of support for newer flat-screen displays with a widescreen aspect ratio. These aspect ratios didn't exist in 1998 and aren't programmed into the graphics chip's ROM. I'd suggest going to a computer reseller or thrift store and looking for an older/used 4:3 aspect ratio flat screen display, so the onboard graphics chip has a better probability of supporting its native resolution. A widescreen display will have an incompatible native resolution, resulting in a distorted image. Some time back, I recommended the same solution to another user in the same situation. He reported back that he bought a used Dell, either the P170S (17") or P190S (19") from a PC reseller and it was just what he needed.


Do you want to use the G3 or are you primarily concerned with viewing/retrieving files? If that's the case, the internal hard drive could be removed and connected to a newer Mac using a USB-to-IDE adapter (with included power supply). These aren't platform-specific and can be purchased at any store selling PC peripherals.


2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 3, 2023 4:41 AM in response to Perc41

Assuming that your G3 hasn't been upgraded with a PCI graphics card having a (PC-type/VGA) HD-15 display port, you're using the onboard graphics port with its DB-15 port. A Mac-to-VGA adapter would be needed, if you plan to connect a third-party display to that port. The next obstacle to overcome is the onboard graphics chip's lack of support for newer flat-screen displays with a widescreen aspect ratio. These aspect ratios didn't exist in 1998 and aren't programmed into the graphics chip's ROM. I'd suggest going to a computer reseller or thrift store and looking for an older/used 4:3 aspect ratio flat screen display, so the onboard graphics chip has a better probability of supporting its native resolution. A widescreen display will have an incompatible native resolution, resulting in a distorted image. Some time back, I recommended the same solution to another user in the same situation. He reported back that he bought a used Dell, either the P170S (17") or P190S (19") from a PC reseller and it was just what he needed.


Do you want to use the G3 or are you primarily concerned with viewing/retrieving files? If that's the case, the internal hard drive could be removed and connected to a newer Mac using a USB-to-IDE adapter (with included power supply). These aren't platform-specific and can be purchased at any store selling PC peripherals.


Monitor for power Mac G3 266MHz

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.