1998 – TH writes: I have a Performa 6110 CD. It has the 60 MHz 601 processor, a 250 MB hard drive, and I just upgraded to 40 MB of RAM. I would like to get a new hard drive for this machine, perhaps as large as 2 GB, but I am unsure of where to look and of what type of hard drive would be compatible.
Could I get a second hard drive and use both? I’m looking at getting the most for the least amount of money. Also, I’m interested in speeding up things. What type of accelerator/processor upgrade would you suggest?
Mac Daniel writes: You have two options: You can replace the internal hard drive or add an external hard drive. Unless you know someone who’d be interested in your old hard drive (estimated used value US$35), you’re better off leaving it in place and buying an external hard drive.
External drives usually cost about $40-60 more than internal drives, but this also makes it easy to move the hard drive to a newer Mac if/when you upgrade. Further, you’re not just replacing your 250 MB drive with 2 GB or more – you’re adding that to the 250 MB you already have.
Having two drives also lets you experiment with a new version of the Mac OS before you commit to it. Not sure about Mac OS 7.6.1, 8.1, or 8.5? Copy your System Folder to the external drive, update it, and boot from it. If you don’t like it, you old System Folder is still on your internal drive.
Where to buy? Well, for a start, check the businesses that sponsor Low End Mac and the rest of the MacTimes Network. [Editor’s note: Low End Mac was once part of the MacTimes Network. MTN no longer exists, but just like older Macs, Low End Mac goes on and on and on.]
For what it’s worth, my first and only choice in hard drives is a Quantum mechanism. That’s what Apple uses most of the time, and Quantum has developed a fine reputation for value.
As for accelerators, the only option seems to be G3. How fast do you want to go today? Is a G3 accelerator a good value compared with a used Power Mac 7500, which has far more upgrade options (see Should I Speed Up My 6100 or Replace It?) and already includes a larger hard drive?
I haven’t worked with any of the G3 upgrades, but you might want to visit sites like Accelerate Your Mac, Bare Feats, and Mac Speed Zone to learn more about performance. For user feedback, look into the PowerMacs email list.
Keywords: #powermac6100
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