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Mac Daniel's Advice

Can a PB 5300 Stomach OS 8.5 or 8.6?

- 2001.01.17

Q: I own a PowerBook 5300c/100 MHz running OS 8.1. It's poky but stable as a rock. But now I'm considering getting cable internet service that requires Mac OS 8.5 or better. Can my 5300 stomach 8.5 or 8.6? Won't those systems slow performance?

A: As Mac OS 8.1 is not necessarily fast on your PowerBook, 8.5 or 8.6 could make it faster since it contains more PowerPC code than 8.1. Even if your processor is only a 100 MHz 603, it could react positively to the upgrade, as long as your hardware is in good condition.

The big question is whether you have enough RAM to handle the switch. Mac OS 8.5 requires a minimum of 16 MB, and Mac OS 8.6 ups the demand to at least 24 MB. I strongly suggest that you go well beyond that number for good performance and the opportunity to use more than one application at a time.

Your 5300 can go up to 64 MB, but the downside of this is that you have only one RAM slot. It means that you would have to remove your old RAM when doing an upgrade, to replace it with the new chip.

If you already have sufficient RAM or you can upgrade it, Mac OS 8.5 or 8.6 could provide you a speed boost. I recommend no less than 40 MB for 8.5 or 56-64 MB for 8.6. If you have no intent to increase your RAM to such amounts, performance will greatly suffer.

Michael Munger is a French Canadian living in Montreal. He discovered the Mac in 1994 while studying journalism, the profession he loves and practices. He also studied history and communications. He currently writes iBasics and Macinthoughts for Low End Mac. He wrote On the Flip Side for The Mac Observer and co-founded MacSoldiers in 1998. You can learn more about him on his personal website.

Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.

Recent Mac Daniel columns

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Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: 17" iMac G4/800 MHz, July 2002 - The iMac 'grows up' with a 17" 1440 x 900 display.
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November 8 in LEM history: 99: OS 9: I think I like it - 01: The simplified Mac life - Soured on Windows - Flea market Mac - 02: Little room for improvement in new 'Books - Combo drive upgrade for iceBooks - 04: Re-Porter - 05: Fix the old iMac or buy a Mac mini? - Apple's Copland project - 06: MacBook Core 2 - MacBook value equation - Cheap is as cheap does - 07: Problems with Classic mode in Tiger - The G4 Power Mac that won't run Leopard
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