Upgrading the Beige G3

The computer you bought about three years ago is starting to to feel sluggish. The beige G3 is starting to get old. The 233 or 266 MHz processor is not capable of handling the programs you are running. Your newer version of the Mac OS runs slowly.

What to do - buy a new computer, hold on and wait, or buy an upgrade?

My beige G3 has a 233 MHz PowerPC 750 (G3) with a 512K cache, 128 MB of memory (upgraded from 32 MB), a stock 4 GB Quantum Fireball hard drive, and Mac OS X public beta - a subject for a future article - upgraded from OS 8.0.

I have noticed, particularly under OS 9 and X, that this G3 no longer feels as fast as it once did. When it was new, it was the most advanced Macintosh, the business Macintosh. While people were still buying 6500s and 8600s, the G3 was at the top. Even when it was a year old, it was still at the cutting edge of technology. Since the 233 MHz G3 processor was "up to twice as fast" as Intel Pentium processors with the same MHz rating, it had no problem running Virtual PC and Windows 95. And that was with 32 MB of RAM.

Now the computer is showing its age. The 233 MHz processor isn't fast enough to play some of the newer games. I don't mean just the high end games - even some of the more "classic" games like SimCity 3000 don't run well. Running Virtual PC with Windows 98 SE feels like you are using a Pentium 60 with Win98 (this is with Mac OS 8.6 and 128 MB of RAM).

The ATI accelerated video with 2 MB of VRAM doesn't support all of the resolutions and colours that my 17" NEC monitor can handle. It was fine with the 14" monitor we used to use.

The "personality" card is broken; there is no way to get stereo sound. The keyboard has been used so much that the letters are starting to wear away. The top of the computer is slightly yellowed and scratched.

The question I ask myself is, "How can a computer get slow?"

They start "getting slow" because of new operating systems, new programs with more features, and steep memory requirements. Use a Mac II with 4 MB of RAM, System 6, and ClarisWorks 1, and it will feel faster than anything you have used before. Use a Mac II with System 7.5.5, 8 MB of RAM, and AppleWorks 5, and it will feel slower than anything you've used before.

System 6 is faster than 7 or 8. Remember, the lower the version of software, the more features you don't have and the faster it is. Even if the new version of AppleWorks says, "newer and faster than ever," it won't be. It will give you more features, but they just require more memory and processor speed. That statement should translate into, "newer and requires a faster computer than ever."

It's all a matter of software, features, and memory. Use your G3 with 32 MB of RAM, OS 8.0, and ClarisWorks 4, and you won't feel any slowdown. Upgrade it to OS 9 and AppleWorks 6, and you will notice a huge slowdown. When the G3 was new, Mac OS 8.0 and ClarisWorks 4 were both current versions, and 32 MB was a decent amount of memory. Now you need at least 128 MB to run modern applications, and you probably want OS 8.6 or 9 (warning: OS 9 tends to contribute to short pauses where the machine stops everything and waits to catch up with itself before it continues)

You do have to ask yourself some questions before you buy/install new software. Make up five yes/no questions. Examples are do I really need the auction manager in Internet Explorer 5 and do I really need the Macintosh Manager/Multiple Users feature in Mac OS 9?

If you answer "no" to three or more of the questions, you can ask yourself one more question: "Why do I want to upgrade this software?" Usually the answer will be, "I want to have that new version before anyone else."

If you go with only current software on your G3, your Mac will feel slow and antiquated. If you go with the versions of software that have features you need, you will find that your Mac doesn't feel much slower than it did three years ago.

It's your choice. I decided to go with current to see how far I could push my computer. If you want a computer to be productive on, I suggest you go the other direction and use the apps that have the features you want.

The G3 desktop is getting older now, and the prices are falling like the leaves outside this time of year (at least in Connecticut). When the iMac 233 Rev. B was introduced, used G3 prices were over $1,000. Now I look again, and I can get a decent 233 MHz G3 desktop for about $600. That's with enough RAM. It almost makes that 7500 you were thinking of buying no longer an option. Remember also that these G3s support OS X (very slowly) and have a faster bus speed than the 7500. They also have a 24X CD-ROM, a 4 or 6 GB hard disk, and an accelerated ATI video card (which you may want to replace with a PCI card).

To do modern things in the modern world, you must have a modern computer. The beige G3 is a modern computer. It is older, but it is still based on the same processor as the iBook (the iBook has a G3e or 750cx, which is just slightly different), iMac, and the PowerBook.

The beige G3 is a very capable Mac, but don't overload it unless you know ow it will handle the load. If you need something cutting edge, the G3 is not quite it, but it can get you by for another year, maybe two, being able to run the current business software. Games? Start looking toward a G4 ASAP.

Looking at the upgrades for the G3 series Macs, I must say that I wouldn't upgrade it. I don't feel that it is cost effective enough. If you need something faster, buy a new computer. If you want to spend hundreds of dollars on upgrades for this machine, go with at least a 400 MHz G3 upgrade (see Low End Mac's Guide to G3 ZIF Upgrades and Guide to G4 ZIF Upgrades), but you will have to spend at least $300 - and you may lose OS X compatibility.

If you haven't bought a G3 desktop yet, unless you need the ADB, SCSI, floppy drive, and beige case, you can get a much better deal on a G3 Yosemite (the blue tower) at 450 MHz for about $1000, maybe less. That is a computer that is about a year old, versus three for the beige G3. It starts out nearly twice as fast as the beige G3 and has a faster system bus.

In short, the beige G3 is a nice machine, just don't push it too far. It's great for Internet, email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, web design, graphics, etc. It's a great deal for those people who want a modern computer, want a separate monitor (when the iMac's 15" display isn't big enough), but can't spend a lot of money.