Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Mac Daniel's Advice

Online with a Performa 636

- 2000.02.22

Q: I'd like to get on the internet with my Macintosh Performa 636. Is that possible? Can I buy a modem for it, or would it be useless? What kind of modem? What do I need to get on-line?

A: It is possible, and it is definitely not useless! Without knowing more about your Performa, I will make my recommendations with the most cost-effective solutions in mind.

Upgrade your RAM. I'm going to recommend at least 32 MB in addition to the 4 MB on the system board, but if you don't have a lot of cash lying around, go with at least 16 MB SIMM for a total of 20 MB. I've said it before: there is no such thing as too much RAM. Buy as much as your budget will allow.
Upgrade to System 7.5.5. This is a free upgrade and will make getting on the internet a lot easier for you. If you have some money to spend on an upgrade (and you have at least 20 MB of RAM, and preferably 32 MB), you can pick up a copy of Mac OS 8.1 from eBay for around $20-$30.
Decide how you want to connect to the internet. Depending on what is available in your area, this could be via a regular old modem, a DSL connection, or a cable modem.
1. Regular old modem. This modem dials over the phone lines and connects to a modem bank at your ISP. I wouldn't buy anything slower than a 33.6 modem - if you're like me, you'll get mighty tired of waiting for things to download, web pages to view, etc. Cost: $0-$19.95/month.
2. DSL connection. If it's available, it will be taken care of through your phone company and ISP. In my area, it costs $49 per month - not cheap, especially for the casual internet user. Availability can also be dicey, depending on how up-to-date the phone system in your area is. You'll also need to purchase an LC PDS ethernet card for your Performa 636.
3. Cable modem. Again, this depends on how up-to-date your local TV cable system is. For my local cable provider, it runs around $30/month, and they provide e-mail services. It's nice and fast, and the cost isn't prohibitive. Once again, you'll need an LC PDS ethernet card in your 636 for this option. Most cable providers will provide some setup help and some even will sell you the ethernet card and install it for a fee.

From the three options, the cable modem is my favorite solution for getting on the internet. It costs slightly more than a regular dial-in ISP, but it is much faster and it doesn't tie up your phone line. It is my opinion that when putting these older Macintoshes on the web, the fewer speed bottlenecks on the connection, the better. My LC 580 really flies when I have the occasion to put it on a high speed network - your 636 will, too.

If you're operating on a tight budget and want to stick with a regular dial-in ISP, though, remember a few things: make sure they're Mac friendly. It's not worth your time to deal with ignorant or intolerant techs if you call up with a question about your connection. Also look for an ISP with a low user to modem ratio. They really should go any higher than eight users for every one of their modems - you shouldn't have to deal with busy signals.

Putting older Macs on the internet is anything but a hopeless endeavor. With a little bit of time and not a lot of money, they can remain very useful machines for years to come.

Julie Fugett is a network administrator for an almost 100% Mac department at a large Midwestern university. Her favorite movie of all time is Tron, and she still can't come up with a decent name or theme for her 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

WiFi Hardware Compatible with Desktop Macs Running OS X, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. USB, ethernet, PCI, and other wireless hardware compatible with Mac OS X.
WiFi CardBus Adapters Compatible with PowerBooks, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. CardBus hardware and drivers compatible with PowerBooks running Mac OS X.
WiFi PC Cards Compatible with PowerBooks Running OS X, MetaPhyzx, 03.11. PCMCIA/PC Card hardware and drivers compatible with PowerBooks running Mac OS X.
WiFi PC Cards for PowerBooks Running Mac OS 9, MetaPhyzx, 03.10. PCMCIA cards and drivers reported to be compatible with PowerBook running the Classic Mac OS.
More in the Mac Daniel index.

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: iMac Core Duo, Jan. 2006 - The first Intel-based iMacs ran at 1.83-2.0 GHz, came with 17" and 20" displays.
Group of the Day: Mac Pro List is for those using a Mac Pro.
November 23 in LEM history: 99: Should I buy a USB card? - 01: Can a low-end Mac be an only Mac? - Palm Desktop without a PDA - CyberDog saves the day - 05: How Consumer Reports could compare Macs fairly - Speakers for your Mac - Living with the hi-res 15" PowerBook - Birth of the PowerBook - Daystar 1.9 GHz iMac G4 upgrade - 1.92 GHz PowerBook upgrade
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2009 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, iPhone, PowerBook, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.