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Motorola StarMax

StarMax 3000

Motorola StarMax 3000

Overview

The 3000-series was Motorola's entry-level Macompatible. Based on the Tanzania motherboard with a Power PC 603e CPU, these provide good performance at a lower price than the 604-based 4000-series. All models include an EDI hard drive, an ATAPI CD-ROM player, and an unprecedented (at least in the Mac OS Planet) five-year warranty.

Tanzania-based computers will not boot with a dead PRAM battery. Try replacing the battery before attempting to replace the power supply on a "dead" StarMax.

The most common complaints have been the quality of the case and noisiness. Overall, the StarMax has proven itself very reliable.

Variants

  • 3000/160. 160 MHz 603e processor, desktop (DT) or tower (MT)
  • 3000/180. 180 MHz 603e processor, desktop or tower
  • 3000/200. 200 MHz 603e processor, desktop or tower
  • 3000/240. 240 MHz 603e processor, tower only

Details

  • introduced 1996.09.17
  • requires System 7.5.3 through 9.1, excluding 7.5.5
  • CPU: 160-240 MHz PPC 603e
  • bus: 40 MHz
  • RAM: 16 MB standard in desktop configuration, 32 MB in towers, expandable to 160 MB using 3-volt 60ns or faster EDO DIMMs (older 5-volt DIMMs are not compatible). Peculiarly, RAM slot 3 addresses only a single bank of memory, unlike dual-bank slots 1 and 2. While you can use any DIMM up to 64 MB in slots 1 and 2, you should only use a single-bank DIMM in slot 3. This limits slot 3 to 32 MB. Except for the earliest towers, every StarMax ships with a single-bank DIMM in RAM slot 3 (some early towers shipped with a double-bank DIMM).
  • VRAM: 1 MB standard on desktops, 2 MB on towers. VRAM replaceable with 2 MB 3.3-volt EDO DRAM or 4 MB SGRAM card. (3000/240 ships with 4 MB VRAM.)
  • Video: 15-pin SVGA port; standard 1 MB VRAM supports thousands of colors at up to 800 x 600, 256 colors at up to 1152 x 870.
  • L2 cache: 256k, expandable to 512k (512k standard on 3000/240)
  • hard drive: EIDE, 1.2 MB standard in desktop configuration, 2.5GB in tower
  • CD-ROM: 8x or 16x ATAPI drive, varies with configuration
  • ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
  • PS/2 keyboard port
  • PS/2 mouse port
  • two miniDIN-8 GeoPorts on back of computer
  • SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
  • PCI slots: 3 on desktop, 5 on tower

Accelerators & Upgrades

  • Vimage had a G3 upgrade for the 3000 and 4000

Online Resources

<go to StarMax index or LEM home page>

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Motorola Starmax

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