Dennis McLaughlin wrote: > Hi Everyone. > > I'm am the proud owner of a previously enjoyed > PowerMac 8500. I purchased this item through eBay and > am very happy to own my first Mac. I'd love a new > PowerBook, but a new house and other stuff make it > hard to justify. :( > > Anyways, I was wondering of a few things: > > 1) Although OS X isn't supported on Pre-G3 Macs, > XPostFacto (and others) make it possible to install > Jaguar on Pre-G3 Macs. This new 8500 has 160MBs of RAM > and a 1.2GB hard drive. I read that 1.5GB is required > for an OS X installation. What is the absolute minimum > hard drive space needed to install Jaguar and will the > installer allow this?
The absolute minimum to install Jag is going to be a grave disappointment...it will run like a stuffed pig. I'm thinking of getting a > SCSI-to-IDE bridge adapter so I can use one of my IDE > hard drives. Much cheaper to simply buy an PCI IDE controller. OWC has one for $55 right now: <http://eshop.macsales.com/Item_Specials.cfm?ID=3853&Item=ACDAEC6260M> Much recommended solution for using OSX on this machine. > 3) The Mac has been upgraded to a 225Mhz 604e. How > "fast" will OS X run on it? Is it usable? Again, I'm > just trying to get my feet wet with Macs. > OSX < 1.2 will run on it. kinda. 160 mb of ram is way too little; ideally you want a minimum of 256 mbs, though 128 is the stated minimum. A real G3 or G4 processor is an absolute requirement for Jaguar, which is a lot faster than previous versions of OSX. I'd shop for a G3 or G4 upgrade (preferably a G4) With a G4 upgrade, and some memory: 128 mb sticks are $26 right now at OWC (damn they've gone up!) <http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=2420&Item=OWC5MD128MB> or $22.50 at Data memory systems <http://www.datamem.com/viewitems.asp?C=1002&K=&IT_KEY=186&action=open&x=#DM50%20029> > 4) Has anyone had any troubles with installing a PCI > USB adapter in Pre-G3 Macs? So long as you get an OHCI compliant card, no problem. Some people have had problems with 4-port cards. Are USB keyboards and mice > recognized properly under both MacOS 9.x and Jaguar? > Keyboards are problematic...since the keyboard isn't recognized until the USB extension is loaded, you will not be able to use any keyboard startup shortcuts. Mice work ok, though. I'd recommend sticking with the adb keyboard, personally. > 5) And finally, will the stock video adapter (2MB > VRAM) built-into the 8500 work under OS X? > Yep. -- Bruce Johnson University of Arizona College of Pharmacy Information Technology Group Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.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/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
