I recently had to choose a computer for college. I knew I wanted
something with a G3 processor and a decent-sized hard disk. I avoided
the iMac line intentionally, due to
the lack of customization possibilities. I like to play around a bit
with my computers, so the iMacs weren't considered. I also wanted the
option of adding a second monitor for a palette screen, which no iMacs
offered. The Road Apple series of
Power Macs was avoided, and the 6400 and 6500 were also not considered due
to the premium price they command. Sure, it's got a nice subwoofer, but
I can get a decent set of speakers for my computer for $30 on
eBay.
I have a personal preference for Apple machines over clones, as the
clones have limited support for upgrades and such. This is not to say
that other products are inferior, just that these are the models I like
and will mostly deal with. I also have a tendency to list prices after
shipping. It's a pain to try to figure that out later. My favorite
auction site is eBay, but when I say eBay, I also mean Yahoo! Auctions,
Amazon, and the rest.
This machine has many nice features. It comes in a tower case with
plenty of slots and drive bays, even though the case itself is a pain
to work in. The actual computer itself is quite cheap, and NuBus
expansion cards and RAM are also relatively inexpensive.
The computer: The 8100/80 can be obtained easily on
eBay for under $150, probably closer to $100. There are a few pointers
that should be remembered when looking for this machine:
- Try to get the 8100/80. This had the fastest bus speed and will be
the fastest once upgraded with a G3.
- Make sure you get a CD-ROM! Some 8100s didn't ship with one, but I
guarantee you will need it.
- Don't worry about getting an AV model. Once you get the G3 upgrade
you either have to buy an adapter to use this or sell it. As these will
sell for $25, don't turn down an AV machine - just don't pay extra for
it. If you are certain you will use the AV features, then go ahead and
get it, keeping in mind you will need the PDS adapter, which retails
for $100, to use a G3 upgrade.
- There is the potential to save a lot of money by buying an 8100
with the G3 upgrade already installed. Be careful that you do the math
and make sure it really is a good deal.
- Take RAM into account. If a machine has 80 MB of RAM, that will
probably suffice, and if it doesn't, it's a lot cheaper to upgrade
later as long as there are still empty memory sockets.
- Don't lose perspective: That extra 2 GB drive is still going
to be too small, and although that audio input card might be fun, but
don't pay for what you don't need.
The G3 upgrade: I recommend a card with 1 MB of level 2
cache. If you look at the largest difference in performance of a given
upgrade, the largest jump is when the cache moves from 512 KB to
1 MB. Unfortunately, this is also the biggest price jump. I
recommend a Sonnet Crescendo G3/NuBus 266/1 MB. This will run you
about $250. You may be able to save a few dollars by buying on eBay or
a similar auction site. Unfortunately, people tend to keep their G3
upgrades unless they also sell their computer. This means that the
resale value is going to be pretty close to retail.
The RAM: You will want at least 64 MB of RAM, but I recommend
128 MB. You need 72-pin FPM SIMMs rated at 80ns or faster, and you must
install them in matched pairs. If the system already has 40 MB
installed, just get another 64 MB - 104 MB is plenty! You should be
able to get these for about $1/MB on eBay or the LEM-Swap list, as they're relatively common.
You can use SIMMs with or without parity, including those scrounged
from old 486s and low-end Pentiums. EDO SIMMs should work, but they are
unsupported by Apple.
The hard disk: Since we're putting all this money into a
machine, we want to have plenty of space. 9 GB should do. Keep in
mind that you will probably have a spare drive bay, so you can add this
to your existing hard drive. A 9.1 GB SCSI hard drive should do fine
and will cost you around $200. You will need to get a 50-pin drive,
unless you plan on putting in a SCSI card like the FWB Jackhammer or
the ATTO Silicon Express IV. With either of those SCSI cards you can
use 50-pin or 68-pin drives. The other option is to buy a few smaller
drives from eBay or Yahoo! Auctions. In this case you will most likely
need to switch the SCSI IDs and mess around with termination on at
least one of the drives.
Video card: Since we replaced the Apple HPV card or AV card
with the G3 upgrade, we need a NuBus video card. Most accelerated NuBus
video cards have problems with either PowerPCs or Mac OS 8 and above.
The VillageTronic MacPicasso 320
sells on eBay for under $50, performs fine up to Mac OS 9.0.4, and
provides 2 MB of SGRAM for QuickDraw acceleration. The MacPicasso 340 has 4 MB of SGRAM,
but is somewhat rarer and more expensive. If you can get a good deal on
either card, go for it. For more details on NuBus video cards, check
out Low End Mac's Guide to NuBus Video
Cards.
Extras: If you think you deserve a special treat, go out and
find a NuBus SCSI card. Both FWB and ATTO make fine SCSI cards, and for
good compatibility with the Sonnet G3 upgrade you should use ATTO's
Silicon Express IV. This will let you connect your hard disk at speeds
somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 times that of the built in SCSI.
Expect to notice it. Also expect to notice the price - $75 and up on
eBay.
Operating System: I recommend Mac OS 8.6. I don't think there
would be enough advantages of Mac OS 9 on an 8100 to make it worth the
hassle. If there are some perks in Mac OS 9 that you feel you would
use, go ahead. It will run fine, albeit a little slower than MacOS
8.6
Final Damage: $725 ($800 with the Jackhammer)
With the exception of the G3 and G4 towers, the 7500 has the easiest case for
adding extras you will ever see. This has a nice PCI architecture, so
adding expansion cards is cheap and easy. Another nice thing is the AV
features. Sure, it's just a nice feature that you probably won't use
much, but it's free. Unfortunately RAM for this beast is expensive -
and I really mean expensive. The 7500 is somewhat cheaper than the
8500, because they case
has less room for extra upgrades. But let's face it, you're probably
not going to be doing a whole lot of upgrading after this. If you can
get any Power Mac 7300-9600 for the same price as the 7500, take it.
However don't get tricked into paying "just a little bit more."
The computer: The actual price of the computer varies widely
based on features. RAM is a BIG issue with this thing, so work on
paying about $125 + $1 per MB of RAM.
- A "bare" computer is fine. The hard disk is probably too small, the
RAM to little to worry about, and the processor card will probably be
replaced.
- Check out the RAM. RAM for this machine can cost $1.50 to $2.00 per
megabyte if you need it on an unlucky day that the market is up. As
stated earlier, if you can get the RAM for $1/MB, go for it.
- Don't get all excited about a PCI card you're unlikely to use, but
feel free to get excited about one you will use. The same applies with
the hard disk. Unless it's at least 6 GB, you will probably want a
new one anyway.
The G3 upgrade: As noted before, I would get the slowest
upgrade that has 1 MB of level 2 cache. Right now, this seems to
be the Sonnet Crescendo/PCI 400 MHz/1 MB, which retails at $300.
If you look around on eBay, you might be able to find an older upgrade.
A 300 MHz/1 MB card should be available for about $225. Although
Sonnet calls this the Crescendo/PCI, it fits in the processor slot, not
the PCI slot. The "PCI" is to indicate it was for PCI PowerMacs.
The RAM: Ah, the RAM. RAM prices for this series of machines
(7300-7600, 8500-8600, 9500-9600), are notoriously high and notoriously
fickle. You will need 70ns or faster 168-pin DIMMs. These are not the
same as PC66 or PC100 DIMMs. They are usually listed as "RAM for Power
Mac 72-9600". Try to get your computer up over 96 MB of RAM by paying
no more than $1.50 per megabyte. If you have matching pairs of DIMMs
you can interleave your RAM for a small boost in speed.
The hard disk: UltraATA/66 drives are incredibly cheap
compared to SCSI drives, but the 7500 has no UltraATA/66 support. That
isn't a problem, as Sonnet makes one in the form of the Tempo. Not only does this
allow you to connect cheap drives to your computer, but it's
theoretically 5 times faster than the onboard SCSI. And if you need
more storage later, you can add an UltraATA/66 drive in the lower bay
without any problem (unless you have something else in that bay, like a
Zip drive). The card is $100, and it is unlikely you will be able to
pick it up cheaper used. You should easily be able to get a 10-15 GB
UltraATA/66 hard drive for $100, bringing the total to $200.
Video card: The ATI Rage Orion is a decent video card with
similar performance to the video card that ships with the Blue G3s. It
is a 128-bit, 16 MB PCI card, which should be fine for the average user
and even for many gamers. Be warned that some programs do not always
work with the acceleration. This is often available for $75 on eBay.
While some other cards are available for less, I would not get anything
with less than 4 MB of RAM and would not pay more than $35 for
it.
Extras: After the graphics card and the Sonnet Tempo, you
only have one PCI slot left. A USB card will cost around $25, but then
you have no way to get FireWire support. A FireWire/USB combo card will
go for around $100 on eBay, so make sure you will use the FireWire
before forking out the extra $75 for it.
Operating System: Go for MacOS 9.0.4. It should run fine on
this machine. If you are particularly strapped for cash you can use Mac
OS 8.6. Its just as good on such a system and could be as much as $50
cheaper.
Final Damage: $850 ($875 with USB, $950 with USB and
FireWire)
The blue & white
G3 has the advantage of a 100 MHz system bus, an UltraATA/33 hard
disk bus, and a ZIF processor, all of which make it cheaper to upgrade
in the future. I would pass on the beige G3 series and the later
Power Macs simply because you pay the overhead for a faster processor
and a few extra gadgets. There isn't much upgrading to do at all on
these.
The Computer: I feel that it's incredibly important to get
the Revision B motherboard. It has better graphics and IDE support. If
you ever want to happily use two UltraATA drives in here, be sure to
get the Rev. B. A quick way to check is to open up the computer, which
is incredibly easy, and look at the hard disk mounting brackets. On the
far right will be the UltraATA mount bracket. If there is a hard disk
there, look for a set of metal brackets that look like they could mount
a second drive above the first.
All 300 MHz Blue G3s are Rev. A, and all 450 MHz ones have the Rev.
B motherboard, so you only really need to crack it open and check the
mountings on the 350 MHz and 400 MHz versions. Expect to pay
$1,000-1,200 depending on features like DVD and SCSI hard disks.
The RAM: You want at least 128 MB of RAM. You will appreciate
more, so just go and buy a 128 MB DIMM if you have less than 128 MB.
Prices are well under $1/MB, and they sometimes approach $0.50 per
megabyte used on eBay. First try ramseeker to find the best retail RAM
prices, or try looking on DealMac and
DealNN.
Hard disk: The hard disk will probably be fine for now. Even
the cheapest blue G3 came with a 6 GB drive, and as long as you
make sure to get the Rev. B, it's a trivial upgrade to add more drives
in the future.
Video card: The ATI Rage 128 has 16 MB of VRAM, which should
be ample for most of your needs. Sure, it's not top of the range, but
it's no lightweight.
Extras: There are more extras than you can shake a stick at
with this machine. A TV Tuner card is often nice, but beware of the ATI
XClaim VR as there is a compatibility problem due to the ATI Rage 128
that ships with the G3. ATI has promised to replace the BIOS on my
XClaim card, but the process is long and tedious.
Operating System: Mac OS 9.0.4. Get Mac OS X when it comes
out, of course! What else?
Final Damage: $1100
Which System Do I Choose?
So we have the following systems nicely setup:
- Power Macintosh 8100/G3 for $700
- Power Macintosh 7500/G3 for $850
- Power Macintosh G3 for $1100
If you have the money, go for the Blue G3. With either of the two
other systems, that's the level of performance you'll be aiming for.
The Blue G3 can be upgraded to 1 GHz* with over 1 GB of RAM
and has four internal hard drive bays.
- * Assuming the G3 or G4 reaches 1 GHz at some
point.
However, $250 will buy you a fair whack of textbooks or whatever, so
it is quite tempting to go for the 7500. The choice between the 8100
and the 7500 is a very different matter. The 7500 is a newer and
slightly faster machine, but the 8100 is very capable machine. The 8100
has a larger case with more drive bays - and you save $150. If you can
only afford to spend $700 on your computer, don't feel you need to
stretch to the 7500.
Share your perspective on the Mac by emailing with "My Turn" as your subject.
