text: would it be smarter to try to load a higher operating system onto an old imac or to buy a new one? the one i have now is os 9.2 and i never use it.  i do have the microsoft office software to install on an osx version or higher...  i am having a moving sale soon and am trying to decide whether to sell this old one or try to have it made more modern.  if it would be smart to keep it and have it worked on, how would i go about it and generally how much would it cost?  thanks! you say you have 9.2, but you don't say what kidn of imac you have.  is it the original one (the color they called "bondi blue")?  if so, i think you would be better off taking the money you would spend on os x and putting it toward a new imac.  (or if you can find a monitor somwhere, a mac mini, which is even cheaper.)  if it is a later generation imac, then you will see a big difference with os x, assuming you have plenty of ram--at least 512 k.  but i would not spend the money ($129) on the latest version of the os, which is 10.4.  you can pick up v. 10.3 for less than half that, if you look at ebay and similar sites.  if you decide to go this route, make sure that your buy a copy that is good for all macs (not the ones that are given with a particular model).  that way you know it will install on your imac.  also, if you install 10.3, go to the apple web site and download the free upgrades to take it to 10.3.9.  i am writing this on a second-generation g3 imac, one step newer than the bondi version, and i am using 10.3.9 but if you can afford it, my main advice is to spend the money on a new computer if your imac is old.  it is what i will do as soon as i can afford to.  good luck.  remember, "imac, therefore i am." :-)