From: "Christopher Hightower" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
If anyone could help me out I would appreciate it. I would like to run =
Panther on my 1999 iMac G3 333mhz. I was wondering what exactly I would =
need to do, to do so.
Not much. You need to max out the memory on that model (the maximum that machine can do is 512MB as 2x256MB chips), and you will likely need to replace the original hard drive (6GB?) with a larger one (a 120GB is both cheap and spacious). It makes no sense to put larger than 128GB in there because (IIRC) the Mac's onboard HD controller won't "see" anything more than that.
Regrettably, you can't replace or improve the video card, so you're stuck without Quartz Extreme. This makes only a small difference in performance, but leaves you out of some of the cool "eye candy" effects like the "rotating cube" of Fast User Switching.
Panther will not be blazingly fast, particularly compared to OS 9, but should be exceedingly functional and workable. I use Panther on a G3/700 iMac and it works beautifully, so with sufficient RAM (512MB) I should think even your slower machine would have a decent experience.
I was wondering if I should consider upgrading the processor.
Here's where we get to my real recommendation: buy a new (or refurb) machine. Let's take a look at what it would cost to kit out your present Mac, and then add in a processor upgrade, and then compare that to the current price on an eMac:
Upgrade RAM to 512MB: $120-150 (two 256MB SO-DIMMs, you'll have to discard the original 32 or 64MB chip your machine came with)
Upgrade HD to (let's say) 80-120 gigs: about $120 dollars, not counting the time spent disassembling the iMac and putting it back together.
Copy of Panther: $129
Total so far: around $400 not including tax
Add in a processor upgrade such as Sonnet's HARMONi for dramatically better performance and a firewire port (very handy for future expansion): $350 (upgrades your Mac to a G3/600 w/Firewire)
Total so far: $750
Price of a brand new eMac, base configuration or a refurb eMac: around $699-799
When you consider that the eMac includes a Combo Drive (plays DVDs/writes CDs), a copy of Panther, a copy of iLife (and the oomph to use it), a G4, a 17" screen, a large hard drive, Firewire and USB, a crapload (technical term) of bundled software, a better video card (Quartz Extreme!) and a one-year warranty (optional Applecare too!), even the "low-end" upgrade path starts to look like wasted money.
The problem with Panther, like Jaguar before it, is that running it makes you want to DO MORE with your computer (because it's all so much fun!). I'm sensitive to people's economic constraints, so if the "low end" upgrade works better for you now, so be it and I'm sure you'll get quite a bit of enjoyment out of it -- but be very aware that an upgrade like that will only extend the "enjoyable" life of your now five-year-old computer only by perhaps a year or two. An eMac will certainly last/satisfy you longer, though I must admit that the next five years will probably bring big gains in computer speed and other improvements, so even a new eMac bought today will probably be replaced in four years or so.
We Mac people are used to holding on to our machines for AT LEAST five years, but I'm afraid those days are probably coming to an end. Four years or less will probably be the rule of thumb henceforth, and if that bothers any of you then consider this: PC users *already* replace their machines about twice as often as we Mac users do (2.5 years on average for them, 5 years for us), and that trend may even accelerate for them as well. Pity our poor PC brethren. :)
If you can, I encourage you to think longer-term on this one, and go for the eMac.
_Chas_
http://www.orlandocitybeat.com The one-stop guide to Orlando art, culture, nightlife and more.
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