Allegro USB 2.0 a Great Way to Add Several USB 2.0 Ports to Your Power Mac
Low End Mac Reader Specials
Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $192 / 2GB kit $109. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 1GB $23--Free shipping available.
Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com
LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.
OtherWorld Computing: NewerTech miniStack FW400+USB2 up to 750GB + Built in Hubs. Ultimate in performance storage + saves space with built in FW/USB2 Powered Hubs - all in convenient & sleek 6.5" x 6.5" x 1.5" profile. SPECIALS: 500GB now $219.99; 250GB now $139.99!
Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.
Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.
NEW MacPro Memory 800Mhz With Apple Spec Heat Sink 2GB Kit $104 / 4GB Kit $184 / 8GB Kit $362 Click to Maximize your Macs...
Dan Knight - 2007.03.28
Bookmark in del.icio.usIn the world of personal computing, you can never have too much speed, too much RAM, too much drive space, or too many USB ports.
My main computer is a Power Mac G4/1 GHz dual processor machine from 2002. I bought it used a couple years back, and it's been a very reliable workhorse, replacing a 1.25 GHz eMac from 2004. With two CPUs and a dedicated AGP video card, this is a far faster machine - and I can boot it into Mac OS 9 if I need to.
Upgrades
My first upgrade was replacing the 80 GB hard drive with a 250 GB Maxtor DiamondMax 10. This speedy drive was quite affordable, about $100 at the time, and it served me well for over a year. Until just 2-3 months out of warranty. And 2-3 months later, the matching Maxtor drive I used for backup experienced the same failure.
Lesson learned. I won't buy another Maxtor drive. I've had great luck with IBM and Hitachi Deskstar drives, so I initially ordered a 250 GB Deskstar drive to replace my Maxtor. But a few months later, that drive is full. Next upgrade: a 400 GB Deskstar drive. That should give me breathing room!
I bought this computer with 768 MB of RAM, and increasing that to 1.75 GB made a real difference in performance. Your experience may be different, but I often run a dozen or more programs at once - including Classic Mode - and I take full advantage of all this memory.
About a year ago I addressed this Power Mac's last shortcoming. It has two USB 1.1 ports on the motherboard and no support for the faster USB 2.0 protocol. I picked up an inexpensive 2-port USB 2.0 card because I had some USB 2.0 peripherals. It worked just fine - but it wasn't enough. Even with hubs, I kept running out of ports.
Worse yet, some USB 2.0 devices want to be plugged into the computer, not into a USB hub.
Sonnet Allegro USB 2.0
A reader emailed me about his experience with Sonnet's Allegro USB 2.0 card, which provides four external USB 2.0 ports and one internal one. This sounded great, since I have several USB 2.0 devices that want to be plugged into the computer rather than a hub.
This is one small PCI card, as you can see in the photo.
It's only half the height of the card shown on Sonnet's website,
and I was surprised to see such a compact card. If fit very
comfortably between my existing USB 2.0 card and my SCSI card.
It took next to no time to install the card. I probably spent more time disconnecting cables than putting the card in place - and I definitely spent more time reconnecting wires after the installation.
I'm running
Tiger (Mac OS X 10.4.x) on Power Mac, and it immediately recognized
the card. I now have two USB 1.1 ports, six external USB 2.0 ports,
and two internal USB 2.0 ports. For the life of me, I don't see any
good reason for an internal USB 2.0 port on a Power Mac, but if you
wanted to hack a card reader or USB 2.0 hub into the bay for the
second optical drive, I suppose it would be useful.
Anyhow, I had no trouble using all of the external ports. I use one USB 1.1 port for the receiver from my Logitech Cordless Elite Duo, a keyboard/mouse combo I've used and loved for years. The other connects to my Tripp-Lite battery backup - there's no need for USB 2.0 speed there.
Other USB
2.0 devices include a film scanner, a card reader, an XLR8 ProView USB that lets me digitize analog video, two
printers (a color Magicolor 2430D and a black & white Brother HL-5250DL printer, and
two USB 2.0 hubs - one built into my Dell flat panel display and
the other built into my computer desk.
These hubs make it easy to connect my thumb drive, a USB mouse (when my cordless one needs to recharge), the other iPod dock cable, and my son's Logitech USB headset (for use with Skype). And I haven't even connected my Kodak photo printer....
I also have an external Newer Tech miniStack v2 (which I hope to review soon) plugged into one FireWire port and a dock for my iPod photo in the other.
Like I said, you can never have too many USB 2.0 ports.
If you don't already have USB 2.0 in your Power Mac, this is a great way to add it (you must be running Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later to support full USB 2.0 speed) and probably have ports to spare. If your Power Mac already has USB 2.0 and you need more ports, four more external ports for US$30 is a great way to be prepared for the future.
The blue & white G3 is the
oldest Mac supported, and the Allegro USB 2.0 will work as a USB
1.1 card with Mac OS 8.6 through 10.2.7. 
UPDATE: Several readers have asked if I have any problems with sleep/wake. I have not noticed sleep/wake problems with either the Allegro or my other USB 2.0 card.
Also, Darren suggested some good uses for an internal USB port. My favorites were adding a USB Bluetooth module or an 802.11 WiFi module internally - clever! With a little work, you could also use it to add a USB port or card reader to the front of your Power Mac. In addition, Francis Gibson suggests using it for the USB dongle for a wireless mouse.
Manufacturers and distributors: Interested in having your product reviewed? Please read our review policy.
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Beyond the Mac mini, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 05.16. What if Apple were to think different and eliminate the built-in optical drive, cut $100 from the price, and offer an expansion chassis?
- BlackBerry's bold challenge to iPhone, Zune sales still flat, 3G iPhone launch nigh, and more, iNews Review, 05.16. Also a new Google Reader for the iPhone, an iPod-based supercomputer, remote Mac access from iPhone and iPod touch, new cases, and much more.
- Open source virtualization for Macs, iMac shutdowns, Psystar reviews, and more, Mac News Review, 05.16. Also aluminum iMac USB power concerns, Penryn iMac twice as powerful as fastest G5 iMac, Radeon vs. GeForce in top-end iMac, Odysseus email client in beta, and more.
- Limited USB bus power in Santa Rosa Macs, 1 TB in your 'Book, MacBook cooler, and more, The 'Book Review, 05.16. Hitachi first to market with 320 GB 7200 rpm notebook drive, Apple to refund for sparking power adapters, 10 hour external MacBook Air battery, bargain 'Books from $150 to $2,699, and more.
- Mac Pro beats HP and Dell at their own game: Price, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 05.16. Whether comparing the top-end or low-end of Mac Pro options, comparable models from Dell and HP cost more.
- Best Mac mini deals, 05.16. Used 1.25 GHz G4 Combo, $449;; refurb 1.5 Core Solo, $450; 1.66 Duo SD, $489; 1.83, $599; ; new 1.83 Core2, $569 after rebate; 2.0 SD, $769 a/r.
- Best 15" PowerBook G4 deals, 05.16. Used 1 GHz Combo, $550; 1.25 SD, $575; 1.33, $625; 1.5, $675; 1.67, $725; hi-res, $800.
- Best classic iPod deals, 05.16. Used 20 GB, $120; 30, $140; 40, $160; 60 color, $189; 30 video, $180; 60, $200; refurb 80 classic, $209; new, $230; refurb 160, $299; new, $330.
- Best iBook G4 deals, 05.16. Used 12" 1.07 GHz Combo w/AP, $350; 1.33 GHz w/o AP, $400; 14" 933 MHz w/AP, $400; 1.07 GHz, $425; 1.33 SuperDrive, $450; 1.42, $500.
- Best iPhone deals, 05.16. New 8 GB iPhone, $399; 16 GB, $499.
- Best Mac Pro deals, 05.16. Refurb 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,888; 2.8, $1,999; 3.0, $2,299; 8-core '07, $2,499; new 2.8 4-core, $2,199; 8-core, $2,598 after rebate; 3.0 '08 $3,399 a/r; 3.2, $4,169 a/r.
- Mac of the Day: Mac LC II, Mar. 1992 - The LC gets 4 MB base RAM, gains virtual memory thanks to 68030 CPU.
- List of the Day: Tiger List is for anyone using Mac OS X 10.4.
- May 17 in LEM history: 01: On the Web - 02: Educational computing done wrong - Learning Linux on a PC? - 04: Pismo CPU upgrades - 06: MacBook Pro speed bump - Classic option for Intel Macs - X11: Your window for using Unix apps on the Mac - 07: World's fastest G3
- Leopard is the way to go, even on most old G4 Macs, Carl Nygren, My Turn, 05.14. The useful and just cool features in Mac OS X 10.5 make this the biggest step forward in the history of the Mac OS.
- Windows on Macs: Three paths for integration, Jason Packer, Macs in the Enterprise, 05.14. Mac users have three routes for running Windows apps: Run Windows using Boot Camp or virtualization, or use a compatibility layer such as WINE.
- Mac OS 9 still nice, anticipating Odysseus, PowerBook 1400 upgrades, and more, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 05.14. Also rebuilding PowerBook batteries, FastMac vs. NuPower replacement batteries, and only one G4 upgrade left for WallStreet PowerBooks.
- Up-to-date or low-end, we need technology in our schools, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 05.14. Modern computers are great educational tools, but sometimes less distracting options (like no Internet) make more sense.
- Best iMac G4 deals, 05.14. Used 15" 800 MHz Combo, $320; SuperDrive, $380; 1 GHz Combo, $400; SD, $485; 17" 1.25 GHz, $459; 20", $750.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 deals, 05.14. Mac OS X 10.0.3, $40; 10.1, $49; 10.2, $60; 10.3 DVD, $50; CD, $100; 10.1 Server, unlimited users, $109; 10.3 Server, $130.
- Best MacBook Air deals, 05.14. 1.6 GHz, 80 GB, $1,694 after rebate; 1.8 GHz, $1,994 a/r; 1.6 GHz, 64 GB SSD, $2,689 a/r; 1.8 GHz, $2,950 a/r; SuperDrive, $99.
- More links in our archive.
About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts
Have a question?
Ask an expert!
Navigation
Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum
Favorite Sites
MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System
6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
Mac FAQ
Abandonware
Petition
Mac vs. PC Info
Affiliates
The Apple
Store
Mac
Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial
Memory
batteries.com
Advertise
