My recommendation: get a beige G3 - also known as a Powermac G3 MT (minitower) DT (desktop) or AIO (all-in-one ie built in monitor). They're dirt cheap at the moment - $200AU ($100 US) here in Australia and I hear they're about $150-200 US in America. (No I don't know why they are cheaper here) The AIO is more of course.
It'll cost you less than a PCI and G3 upgrade, has A/V sockets (if you get the A/V model), uses standard cheap PC RAM and IDE/ATA hard drives and CD drives. The system bus is faster - 66mHz vs the 40-50mHz in a PCI. And they have 3d video acceleration built in, which has been made compatible with recent versions of OS X (Jaguar) for faster screen rendering. It'll run OS X without hacking, slower than a new box for sure but faster than a PCI. They can be overclocked or cheaply upgraded with faster G3 and G4 ZIF processors, all the way up to a G4/550 mHz or a G3/800 - either second-hand ZIFs lifted from a later Mac or after-market retail kits. Try to get one of the later "Revision C" versions as they have faster video chips and can run four ATA drives in OS 9. The earlier Revs are limited to 2 in OS 9, but I think that has been fixed in X. Rev C motherboards are in the later 266 mHz boxes, and all the 300 mHz and higher versions - unless someone else has upgraded and older Rev with a faster ZIF. On the other hand, if you don't intend to run X or have four drives, an earlier version will do fine. Don't buy one with a voltage regulator made by Royal Tech if you intend to ever put a G4 in it - they won't handle it. It's only a small number of machines, but it's something to look out for. All you need to add then is a generic OHCI compatible USB card. For the power you get, they are an incredible bargain. Go on, you'll be happy. I am :-) Clae. >Subject: 7300, 7500, 7600, Oh My! >Date: Fri, 28 Feb 03 17:48:18 -0400 >From: Jason White <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >I'm planning on building my sister a 'new' computer as the 7100 I gave >her a few years ago just ain't cutting it any longer. With the budget >she's allowing me, I'm thinking the best I can get her is a PCI PowerMac >with a slow G3 card and 128M of RAM. -- "As a net is made up by a series of knots, so everything in this world is connected by a series of knots. If anyone thinks that the mesh of a net is an independant, isolated thing, he is mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series of connected meshes, and each mesh has its place and responsibilities in relation to other meshes." - The Teaching Of Buddha, (c) Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (Buddhist Promoting Foundation), Tokyo 1966, -- 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
