1998 – JF writes: I’m another Power Mac 6100 owner who wants a faster Mac. I primarily want the extra speed for Web surfing. I use a 6100 with 40 MB RAM, Apple 15″ monitor, 256 KB L2 cache, and Supra 28.8 modem. I see that I can get a 7×00 or 8×00 for $500-600, but I don’t know if these machines will really give me an appreciable speed boost.

I also need a bigger hard drive – 2 gigs or more. For the budget I’m on (total outlay of $600 or less), I don’t know whether to get a new machine, or just get a clock chip booster, a faster modem and an external hard drive.

Got any advice? Do you know which of the inexpensive Power Macs will give a noticeable speed increase when it comes to displaying web pages?

Mac Daniel writes: I’d suggest the first model you look at is the Power Mac 7500. On the used market, prices start as low as $550. Even if you’re just getting a 100 MHz model, you’ll have plenty of options for a faster CPU (up to a 400 MHz G3), larger hard drive (two drive bays), and lots more RAM when you can afford it. On top of that, the 7500 can handle 4 MB VRAM for millions of colors even at higher resolution video settings – or an accelerated video card with 8 MB or even more VRAM.

Shop around for the hard drive. I’ve seen 1.2 GB drives for under $100 and even 4.5 GB drives for under $200. And you may find the hard drive that comes with the 7500 sufficient for your needs.

I’d also suggest looking into a 56k modem, if your ISP supports it. They’re quite reasonably priced these days and usually provide 40-44 kbps connections – about 50% faster than your 28.8.

Keywords: #powermac7500 #powermac6100

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