Looking for a colour PowerBook? If so, there are many options
for you to consider. I will be talking about colour PowerBooks
starting with the 165c and ending with the 190cs.
The PowerBook 165c was a 165 (33 MHz '030) with a colour screen
attached. The screen was passive matrix and showed only 640 x 400.
There was no dedicated VRAM for the internal display (there was
512K for an external monitor). Instead, the 165c used DRAM for
video, and, like the IIsi, screen redraws and loading images were
slow.
The next colour model, and the first full-featured colour model,
was the PowerBook 180c. The 180c used
a beautiful active matrix screen, which is bright and shows good
solid colour. The 180c featured a 640 x 480 screen resolution, which
was required to run many games and gives more space on the desktop.
It also makes the icons appear very small.
Being able to run the PowerBook from a battery for only about an
hour was the price you had to pay for the colour screens on the
165c and 180c.
The Duo line combined a PowerBook and a desktop machine in one.
The Duo could be removed from its dock and used as a portable. It
could be later docked and used as a full-featured desktop machine.
The 270c was based on the Duo 250, but it was the only Duo to feature an
FPU. The 270c's 33 MHz 68030 processor with FPU, its 640 x 480 colour
active matrix screen, and its two-hour battery life make this my
68030 PowerBook of choice. The 270c can accept up to 32 MB of RAM
(motherboard RAM can't be used if you install a 32 MB card)
The Duo 280c was an upgraded 270c,
with a 33 MHz 68LC040 ('040 chip lacking the FPU). The 280c had RAM
expansion to 40 MB. For some reason, in the 280c, the motherboard
RAM can be used if you install a 32 MB card. The only other
difference was that the name was moved from right below the little
Apple logo below the screen to the left side of the base above the
keyboard. Maybe Apple thought it annoyed people by being where it
was?
Anyway, if you need to run a program that requires an '040 (or
if the model name annoys you up by the screen) buy the 280c,
otherwise go with a 270c. The 270c is almost as fast, will be a bit
less expensive to buy, and is actually a bit faster with things
that require an FPU.
If you don't want a Duo, there is the PowerBook 500 series to
consider. These were 68LC040 based machines with 
the exception of the 550c which was not sold in the U.S. The base
model colour machine was the 520c. It
was nice with its 25 MHz 68LC040 processor, optional 19.2 modem,
built in ethernet, trackpad (the first Mac to have one), full sized
keyboard with power button, and 16-bit stereo sound with stereo
speakers. It had just one little thing that annoyed me - the
screen! It is another passive matrix colour screen.
Passive matrix black and white screens are great, but colour? It
just ruins the whole machine. First of all, passive matrix colour
screens tend to be very blotchy. Expect white patches all over the
screen, and expect to be fiddling with the contrast and brightness
controls each time you change the angle of the display. These
displays also tend to be a bit blurry, and slow screen redraws are
another side effect.
The 540c, on the other hand, which
was the top model 500 series sold in the U.S, was an incredible
machine. It had a 33 MHz 68LC040 processor, and 640 x 480 active
matrix display in addition to the features in the 520. If you want
a 500 series PowerBook, go for a 540c.
Next comes the 190cs. Apple did it
again - spoiled a nice machine with a bad screen, another passive
matrix colour screen. Otherwise, the 190cs was great with its 33
MHz 68LC040, RAM expandable to 40 MB, and newly designed black case
which just screamed "professional at work!" The 190 series dropped
the 500's built in ethernet, modem, and stereo speakers.
As you can see, there is a wide choice of pre-PowerPC
PowerBooks. The PowerBook Duo 270c is by far the best 68030
PowerBook. For '040 models, you have a choice. If you want
something reasonably priced, buy a 190cs. If you need something
with features, buy a PowerBook 540c. If you need something small
and light, the Duo 280c is your only choice.
Don't pay more than US$150 for a 165c or 180c. Don't pay more
than $250 for a Duo 270c w/ dock. A 280c shouldn't cost more than
$300 w/dock. Don't pay more than $250 for a 520c, $300 for a 540c,
or more than $200 for a 190cs.
There are many good deals out there on 68K PowerBooks, check the
Low End Mac dealers list and the
online auction sites such as
eBay. Just keep in mind that these machines are not going to be
cutting edge, but if what you are doing is a basic task, one of
these PowerBooks may be all that you need.
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