The G4 iMacs, with the screen on the swivelling arm, were a stand alone computer with all its workings in the domed base. It does not need anything else to work.
If a G4 iMac is working but starting up without the chime it may have been shutdown with the sound muted or there may be headphones plugged in. If it is not starting up at all then it will need repairing.
Sims 3 will not work with a G4 iMac. The game requires a recent Mac with an Intel processor.
A PowerMac G3 case first started life as a biege box shape, with no usb or firewire, but with scsi and ethernet ports. Later after the introduction of the iMac G3, the PowerMac G3 case was completely redesigned to match. This introduced the 'sculpted' tower in Ice Blue & White with the corners looking like handles. This case design introduced firewire 400 and usb 1 for the first time. A few years later with the vastly more powerfull G4 processors came the new Graphite coloured but with same shape, more I/O. Later case revisions include the Quicksilver G4 and the Mirrored CD/DVD trat doored versions. Check out Apples support section on the webstie for more details.
I think the oldest imac I recommend is the iMac g4 (only if it's running tiger) you could purchase one on eBay for about £65
The iMac G4 is able to run any version of Mac OS X up to and including, version 10.5 (Leopard).
The original iMac was the G3 which came out in (1998). It was followed by the G4 (2002), then the G5 (2004), then the Intel iMac plastic version (2006). The 5th iMac was the aluminum iMac which came out in (August 2007), followed by the iMac Aluminum Unibody (2009). The newest iMac is simply called 2012 iMac and it came out on November 30, 2012.
Linux will run on all PCs with an Intel 80386 or compatible processor and higher. Linux will run on a select few m68k Macs (like the Mac Classic II), almost all PowerPC macs (like the PowerMac G3, G4, G5, and the iMac), and all Intel Macs.
Early ones has Mac OS9 and later ones came with OSx.
The PowerMac G3 was a Macintosh computer that appeared in 1997 and was discontinued in 1999. The G3 refers to the PPC processor. It was subsequently followed by the G4, G5 and then the Intel processor based Macs. It would have limited use today being unable to run the latest versions of Mac OS X.
To load a disc in an iMac G4, locate the slot-loading optical drive on the front of the computer. Gently insert the disc into the slot with the label facing up; the drive will automatically pull it in. Ensure that the iMac is powered on, as it will not accept a disc when off. If the disc doesn't load, check for obstructions or ensure the disc is clean and undamaged.
check all plugs,back left button to turn on/put to sleep.
A G4 iMac needs to be running at 867MHz or faster with Mac OS X v10.5.6 Leopard to use most of iLife '09.Neither iMovie nor GarageBand's Learn to Play feature will work as they require an Intel-based Mac with a dual-core processor.