Most people don't need the latest and greatest in computer
technology. Low End Mac has
traditionally covered the older, cheaper, less capable computers.
However, there comes a time when something is just too old for
certain tasks.
My recommendation when most people ask me if I can find them a
good, cheap, secondhand computer is to go for a PCI Power Mac. A
basic setup can be had for under $200, which includes the computer
with at least a gigabyte of storage, 64 MB of RAM, a monitor, and a
modem. These computers can take USB/FireWire cards, ATA cards, and
higher performance video cards, as well as G3 upgrades. They're very
capable machines for very little money and make for a great household
computer for a family.
I try to keep people away from the 6400
and 6500 series. Personally, I
love the things. I think the case design is great and the sound
system is excellent. Unfortunately, they have a fairly low RAM limit
(136 MB) and only two PCI slots. While there is onboard ATA, it is
very slow. The G3 upgrade cards do not integrate as seamlessly as
they do into other PCI Power Macs. The nice case and sound system do
add to the price a lot, as well.
On the plus side, Apple's TV/Video system is excellent. If you
want to capture low resolution videos or watch television, these
machines are great. Due to the lack of expansion, I wouldn't
recommend them to a family or college student, but they make a great
secondary computer to have for children to do school assignments,
listen to music, or watch television on. They can be expanded
somewhat as needs increase, but all solutions leave something to be
desired.
As far as I see it, the NuBus Power Macs are history. This is not
to say that they aren't good machines; my mother's primary machine is
a 7100/80 with 136 MB RAM and a
Newer Tech G3 upgrade. But it is impossible to add USB, FireWire, or
ATA to it, and the G3 upgrades can sometimes be a little sketchy. You
can run Mac OS 9, Micro$oft Office 2001, and AppleWorks 6.2 on
them, and the 6100 is nice as
small. If all you need to do is write documents and handle email,
something like the 6100 would work just fine.
The 68k series are still good machines. If you need a $10 computer
to write an essay on, or something for your three-year-old to
discover computing on, or something for a teenager to "learn about"
(read: break), an LC III or
Quadra work great. They will
word process, browse the Internet, write emails, and chat on the more
popular instant messengers, but for all of these tasks you must use
older versions of software. This is not always a problem for most,
but it can cause headaches as far as compatibility goes. If you write
something in ClarisWorks and email it to a buddy on a PC, Word 2000
may not open it. Likewise, HTML 4 support in 68k browsers is poor at
best.
While you would have a nice $10 computer, its value would be
precisely that. A computer nearly eight years old cannot be expected
to keep up with the features of newer computers, and things that seem
easy on new machines suddenly become a huge task on the older
machine. The frustration this can cause is frequently worth the extra
$50 or so to get something like a 6100.
The key to value computing, in my opinion, is not to budget too
low. Even if you're just looking for a machine for your grandparents
to send you email from, try to look past that $10 SE
and closer to a $50 6100. If the difference seems large to you, start
looking at other expenses you have. Lunch at McDonald's costs about
$5. A blender or a pair of jeans will cost you $30.
A computer is both an appliance and an entertainment device; by
spending just a little bit more for a low-end Mac, you can get
something that better fits your needs. Decide what your price range
should be, then add an extra $50 "just in case."
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