on 10-24-2001 16:03, (G-List) at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I'm getting a B&W G3 soon and would like some recommendations on getting a > CD burner for this rig. Internal or external? USB or Firewire? I would also > like OS X and Toast compatabilty.
Good idea to check at www.xlr8yourmac.com under the CDRW/Drive compatibility database, with thousands of user feedback reports. Excellent way to check on bootability, too, as that's the No. 1 problem reported by those who found problems. Check the www.roxio.com site re Toast compatibility. Actually it's not a bad first step, because even if the CDRW doesn't list Mac compatiblity, the fact that it's Toast-compatible is a good sign. Anyway, that said, the best reason to get an IDE internal CDRW is to save money. If money is no object, get an external Firewire drive with Burnproof technology. If, like me, you have to watch your pennies, there are tons of IDE CDRW's out there for ridiculously low prices. There have been excellent reports on Lite-On CDRW's, which Apple used (IIRC) in the latest G4's. Can anyone confirm? Anyway, I've found Lite-On 16-10-40 CDRWs at lots of PC stores for about $80, while the 24-10-40 model goes for about $90. Check www.xlr8yourmac.com for compatibility with your specific Mac. I bought an Acer 10-8-32 to replace the DVD in my B&W 350, after reading reports at xlr8, and it's been very solid. It is bootable. I paid about $100 a year ago, which was a decent price then. I remember paying about $240 3 years ago for an external SCSI Teac 4x-12x CDR, which incidentally is a super CD burner. Six months from now you'll probably be complaining that you spent almost $100 for a 24-10-40 CDRW! Good hunting. Chris H P.S. If you still haven't settled on which G3 to buy, you might want to make sure it has a Rev. 2 logic board - again, check out xlr8yourmac for the different part numbers on the Rev. 1 and Rev. 2 logic boards (easy to find when you open up the G3). The Rev. 1 logic board has some problems with larger hard drives, master-slave combinations and disk corruption. Other upgrade options: - max out the RAM to 1GB - an ATA/66 or ATA/100 controller card that is OS X compatible - if you don't need an internal modem, you might consider getting a serial/localtalk adapter that fits into the modem slot: there are some good deals to be found on "old" serial peripherals, such as Epson Photo printers, Apple laserwriters and Wacom graphics tablets; if you go this route, you can also get a Macally Port Xpander, which plugs into the serial port and gives you three ports - possible with the Yosemite because the Xpander needs an ADB port - and speaking of ADB ports, the Yosemite has one, so the above point also applies here (e.g. Wacom tablet) - by the time you get comfortable with your Yosemite, G4 Zif cards will probably have come down a lot more in price, so you'll plenty of options (good feedback on OWC ZIF and Powerlogix ZIF cards, which are fairly cheap now). All the best. -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
