Power Macintosh

Power Mac 6300/160

a.k.a. Performa 6360

Got a PCI Power Mac? Join our PCI PowerMacs Group.
Our Mac OS 9 Group is for anyoneusing Mac OS 9, either natively or in Classic Mode.

The6360 replaced the 6320's 120 MHz 603e with a 160 MHz 603e CPU.Fortunately, it also had an improved motherboard design thatovercame the most egregious failings of the "Road Apple" x200 series.

This was the first Performa to use 168-pin DIMMs. It wasreplaced by the faster, tower style Performa6360.

The Upgrade Box

Details

Power Mac 6300/160 introduced 1996.10.01; discontinued
Performa 6360 introduced 1996.10.01; discontinued
requires System 7.5.1 through 9.1
CPU: 160 MHz PPC 603e
bus: 40 MHz
performance: XXX (relative to SE)
ROM: 4 MB
RAM: 16 MB (8 MB on motherboard), expandable to 136 MB usingtwo 8, 16, 32, or 64 MB 70ns or faster 168-pin DIMMs
VRAM: 1 MB
Video: thousands of colors to 800 x 600, 256 colors to 1024 x768
L2 cache: optional, up to 1 MB
hard drive: 1.2 GB IDE
CD-ROM: 8x
microphone: standard 3.5mm minijack, compatible with line-levelinput including Apple's PlainTalk microphone
ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
serial: 2 DIN-8 GeoPorts on back of computer
SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
video input slot
video out port
Comm II slot, occupied by 28.8 kbps modem
one PCI slot
Gestalt ID: 58
Size (HxWxD): 4.3" x 12.6" x 16.5"
weight: 17 pounds

Accelerators & Upgrades

third-party video card will improve performance
Vimage Vpower PF G3 240 MHz upgrade card

Online Resources

Low End Mac's bestclassic Mac OS deals. Best online prices for System 6, 7.1, 7.5.x,Mac OS 7.6, 8.0, 8.1, 8.5, 9.0, 9.2.2, and other versions.
Low End Mac'sCompleat Guide to Mac OS 9, 2008 edition, Charles Moore,Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.05.12. Declared dead by Steve Jobs 6years ago, Mac OS 9 remains fast and stable, but Classic softwarehasn't kept up with Web changes. What Macs support OS 9, where to buyit, and how to update to version 9.2.2.
Environmentallyresponsible retirement for old Macs, Rick Lawson, Pioneers in MacDevelopment, 2008.06.13. After you've scavenged what useful parts youcan from your old Mac, what's the most environmentally friendly way todispose of the rest?
Know your Mac'supgrade options, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 2008.08.26.Any Mac can be upgraded, but it's a question of what can be upgraded -RAM, hard drive, video, CPU - and how far it can be upgraded.
Why youshould partition your Mac's hard drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings,2008.12.11. "At the very least, it makes sense to have a secondpartition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you haveproblems with your work partition, you can boot from the 'emergency'partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics."
CreatingClassic Mac boot floppies in OS X, Paul Brierley, The 'Book Beat,2008.08.07. Yes, it is possible to create a boot floppy for the ClassicMac OS using an OS X Mac that doesn't have Classic. Here's how.
The compressed airkeyboard repair, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings,2008.07.24. If your keyboard isn't working as well as it once did,blasting under the keys with compressed air may be the cure.
More G4 upgrade advice, securedisk wipes, 500 MHz iMacs with Tiger in action, and more, DanKnight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.05.09. The importance of securelyclearing your hard drive before you pass on your Mac, Pismo and closedlid mode, G3 iMacs in the classroom, and more thoughts on upgrading G4Power Macs.
Vintage Macvideo and monitor mania, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple, 2007.12.17.Vintage Macs and monitors didn't use VGA connectors. Tips on makingmodern monitors work with old Macs.
Getting insidevintage Macs and swapping out bad parts, Adam Rosen, Adam's Apple,2007.12.14. When an old Mac dies, the best source of parts is usuallyanother dead Mac with different failed parts.
Better and safer surfing withInternet Explorer and the Classic Mac OS, Max Wallgren, Mac Daniel,2007.11.06. Tips on which browsers work best with different Mac OSversions plus extra software to clean cookies and caches, detectviruses, handle downloads, etc.
Hacking Mac OS 7.6.1 so many MacOS 8 apps will run, Max Wallgren, Mac Daniel, 2007.10.30. With alittle ResEdit work and a second copy of your System Folder, you canrun a lot of OS 8 apps with Mac OS 7.6.1.
Interchangeabilty andcompatibility of Apple 1.4 MB SuperDrive floppy drives, SonicPurity, Mac Daniel, 2007.09.26. Apple used two kinds of high-densityfloppy drives on Macs, auto-inject and manual inject. Can they beswapped?
Apple's consumer Performaline, 1992 to 1997, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.09.14. Appledecided to pursue the average consumer by renaming existing Macs,bundling them with software, and putting their colorful boxes inregular retail outlets.
Mac System 7.5.5 can do anythingMac OS 7.6.1 can, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations,2007.06.04. Yes, it is possible to run Internet Explorer 5.1.7 andSoundJam with System 7.5.5. You just need to have all the updates -and make one modification for SoundJam.
Appearance Manager allowsInternet Explorer 5.1.7 to work with Mac OS 7.6.1, MaxWallgren, Mac Daniel, 2007.05.23. Want a fairly modern browser withan old, fast operating system? Mac OS 7.6.1 plus the AppearanceManager and Internet Explorer may be just what you want.
Format any drive for older Macswith patched Apple tools, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations,2007.04.25. Apple HD SC Setup and Drive Setup only work with Applebranded hard drives - until you apply the patches linked to thisarticle.
System 7 Today, advocates ofApple's 'orphan' Mac OS 7.6.1, Tommy Thomas, Welcome toMacintosh, 2006.10.26. Why Mac OS 7.6.1 is far better for 68040 andPowerPC Macs than System 7.5.x.
Mac OS 8 and 8.1: Maximum size,maximum convenience, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations,2006.09.11. Mac OS 8 and 8.1 add some useful new features andtools, and it can even be practical on 68030-based Macs.
Installing Linux on a PCI PowerMac, Part 1, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.09.05.Preparing your PCI Power Mac (or clone) for Linux and gettingopenSUSE Linux installed.
Preparing your Mac's hard drivefor Linux, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.08.09.Before you install Linux, you have to partition your hard drive. Alook at three different hard drive strategies for Mac Linux.
Customizing Mac OS 9,Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence, 2006.08.01. Fiddling withthemes, picking a browser, and making the Classic Mac OS work justthe way you want it to.
The ins and outs of bootingLinux on the Mac, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End,2006.07.31. "Old World" Macs can't boot directly into Linux. Theyneed to boot the Classic Mac OS first, then pass control over toLinux.
Preparing your PCI Power Macfor Linux, Larry Stotler, Linux on the Low End, 2006.07.26. Howpowerful a CPU do you need? How much memory? Do you need a fasterdrive controller? Are some video cards better than others?
Floppy drive observations: Acompleat guide to Mac floppy drives and disk formats, ScottBaret, Online Tech Journal, 2006.06.29. A history of the Mac floppyfrom the 400K drive in the Mac 128K through the manual-inject 1.4MSuperDrives used in the late 1990s.
ATI Radeon7000 Driver for Mac OS 7.6.1, System 7 Today, 2006.05.29. ATI'sinstallers don't support System 7.6.1, but System 7 Today's does,making this the fastest video card to work with Mac OS 7.6.1
System 7.6.1 is perfect formany older Macs, John Martorana, That Old Mac Magic,2006.03.24. Want the best speed from your old Mac? System 7.6.1 cangive you that with a fairly small memory footprint - also helpfulon older Macs.
System 7.5 and Mac OS 7.6: Thebeginning and end of an era, Tyler Sable, Classic Restorations,2006.02.15. System 7.5 and Mac OS 7.6 introduced many new featuresand greater modernity while staying within reach of most earlyMacintosh models.
Web browser tips for theclassic Mac OS, Nathan Thompson, Embracing Obsolescence,2006.01.03. Tips on getting the most out of WaMCom, Mozilla,Internet Explorer, iCab, Opera, and WannaBe using the classic MacOS.
The best browsers for PowerPCMacs and the classic Mac OS, Nathan Thompson, EmbracingObsolescence, 2005.12.16. Two browsers stand out from the pack: iCab 3 ismodern and remains under development, and WaMCom brings Mozilla toolder Macs.
Why you should use Mac OS 7.6 toget the most out of vintage Macs, Thomas Ahart, The ProductiveMac, 2005.12.12. Although you may be able to run OS 8 or 9 on yourold Mac, you'll generally find better performance using Mac OS7.6.
Is a 5400 worth buying orupgrading?, Evan Kleiman, Mac Daniel, 2003.05.12. Does thePower Mac or Performa 5400 have enough power to justify its currentprice? Once I have one, how can I upgrade it?
Guide to G3 Accelerators for Level 2Cache Slot
Update: Guides to G3 NuBus,ZIF, and DaughterCard Upgrades, Low End Mac, 12/1.
Apple Specs for Power Mac 6300/160, Performa 6360

Cautions

Internal HDFormat: Cannot See IDE Drives (Apple Knowledge Base 18360)notes that due to changes in the way modern IDE drives areformatted at the factory, early versions of Apple HD SC Setup (onesthat come with System 7.5.1 and earlier) will not recognize them.You should boot System 7.5.2 or later and use Drive Setup 1.0.3 orhigher with these drives.
Macs with IDE hard drive do not provide SCSI termination power,depending on external SCSI devices to provide it. For more details,see SCSI TerminationPower.

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