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Mac Daniel's Advice

Upgrade or Replace My Performa 575?

Dan Knight

VSC writes: I just wanted to add my observations to the discussion on the 575, if possible:

One of the readers was concerned about whether he could use System 7.5.5 or Mac OS 8.0 on his 575 if he choose to purchase the cobranded Daystar/Apple 601 Processor Upgrade. In a nutshell, they work just fine - Apple has never stated that their card would not support these upgrades, and Daystar simply said that they would not support the use of an OS higher than 7.5.1 on their card. (This is a moot issue, as Daystar no longer is among us to support anything.) An additional point: given the choice, get an Apple-branded 66 MHz board, as its the only one with a 'snowball's chance' at a warranty (which could be important, see more below).

Three more observations:

One: IMHO, even the lowly 66 MHz version packs a wallop over 'stock' 68040 performance. This is to such an extent that when my 66 MHz board died (this is the 'more below' yet-to-come), the machine was rendered 'unusable' in comparison (of course, it was laden w/ OS 8.1 and other software that was patently unbearable in '040 mode).

The 601 upgrade will physically impede the use of the LC-PDS slot on 475, 575 and 630 series, but the latter two will retain use the Comm Slot for ethernet or modem use. 475s do not have a comm slot and will have to employ serial- or SCSI-port solutions if ethernet is desired.

Three (the caveat): These and many similar 601 upgrades are prone to 'giving up the ghost,' a fact that I attribute to overheating, as the dead units I have seen have been in 'circulation-challenged' Centris 650s, Performa 475s, and Performa 575s, but never in Quadra 900s, so take precautions. I am not sure that it can be made to fit all of the 601 cards out there, but I'd look into those inexpensive (read: 'cheap insurance') 'Peltier Junction' thermoelectric coolers that Shreve Systems has <www.shrevesystems.com>. These are tailored to replace the 601 clip-on heat sink. Then again, some Macs may take some work to get power to this device. Mine died before I had a chance to retrofit it and find out, after three years of faithful 7/24 operation.

I hope these 'Field Notes' give your readers a little additional insight on this upgrade option. And if someone finds those 100 MHz Daystars out there for sale, tell me, I'd probably do it again; 575s are great machines, the sturdy SE/30's of their time. :)

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.

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