SNIP > From: Nicole <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Moving to OS X
Nicole, I'll add my .02 cents based on the two B&W in my collection. > My machine: > Stock Rev. 2 B&W > 128 meg RAM Run at least 512 Mb of RAM. Memory is your best investment. PC133 is all that is available in most places right now. As DDR moves more into the mainstream, SDRAM is getting harder to find. If you plan to keep this box for a while, invest in the RAM you need. The B&W is a little picky about RAM under OS X. I had a boot issue with a B&W, that turned out to be a stick of RAM that worked fine in a Beige, and a G4, invest in low cost, brand name RAM (Kingston, PNY, etc ) it is worth a few dollars more for the stability. Keep the "sticks" sequential (four 64 Mb sticks, two 128 sticks, two 512 sticks, etc. ) I have found that the B&W is most performs best with consistency in regards to memory. > 6gig HD > Internal GV 56K modem > Rage ATI 128 video card While the Radeon 7000 is a great card, you can use the card for DVD playback in OS X (player is software decoded) . One of my machines is set up just this way. I sold the Rage 128 with the decoder card to pay for hard drive upgrades. Unless you are a graphic artist or serious gamer, I would put the new video card lower on the list of upgrades. > 32x CD-ROM and Zip drive IMHO, the best DVD/CDRW combo drive is not available any longer (Lite-On 4480), Lite-On and LG both make comparable drives. Be cautious and check the xlr8yourmac.com drive database. Some drives need little tweaks, and others will not be "bootable". Most drives will load and be visible in OS X, but may not be bootable. > Should I: > 1. Settle for a 40 gig HD? As James said, the 60 Gb drives are just as cheap so take advantage. One note that has not been mentioned is the buffer/cache size of the drive. Maxtor and Western Digital both make drives with an 8 Mb buffer/cache as opposed to the standard 2 Mb buffer/cache. Brand of drive will always be open to debate. On machines with a slower bus speed, it really helps access times. Also insure that it is a 7200 rpm drive. Example: Best Buy was recently offering a Maxtor 120 Gb drive on sale for $59.00 usd after rebate. I thought "what a great deal", until I found out it was an older 5400 2 Mb buffer drive. > 2. Consider a processor upgrade? You did not mention your processor speed, but OS 10.3.3 is running on one of the B&W I have with a 350 MHz processor. Wait on the processor, ZIF's are really coming down in price. > 3. Upgrade the video card? See above > 4. Use a DVD-ROM that doesn't ship with Mac software > (people have done it but...; and is there a > performance difference between internal and external > drives? See above > 5. Use the 2 available PCI slots for...? I'm thinking > a FW/USB combo card and maybe a TV tuner. See James Jones recommendations. I agree with comments already posted. > > Thanks, > Nicole > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail - More reliable, more storage, less spam > http://mail.yahoo.com > > -- > 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> > --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; > 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 Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com -- 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> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; 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 Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
