"R. A. Cantrell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> asks: >I have a 520c with the 603/167 card and 36 mgs of ram (using ram >double to get 72) and I'm expecting a 10 gig HD soon. Questions: as to OS, I >now have 7.6 running and it seems smooth enough, so should I got to 8.1, >and will it run 8.6? If so, is there any breakpoint benefit from going to >8.6.; as to code, is the cpu chip the sole determining consideration in >whether to load PPC apps instead of 68K? I've been using 9.1 on a pair of 167mhz/40MB 540C PBs for a couple of years and I'm very pleased with the way they've performed for me. As 9.1 has much more PPC-native code than any of the earlier OSes it's pretty zippy (relatively speaking of course), but for sheer responsiveness it's still hard to beat 7.6 or 8.1. Since you're going to a much larger HD I really suggest formatting the new drive's partitions as HFS+, which requires a minimum of OS 8.1.
Here's my page on the subject of using 8.5/6 and 9.1 on PPC-upgraded Macs: <http://members.aol.com/dankephoto/ppc_upgrade/86patch.htm> As for which OS to use: yikes, now there's a contentious subject! :-) Here on the PBs List debates have raged for weeks on end over the optimal OS. Here's only a couple of the PB500-relevant issues and my points of view. Those who do alot of mobile computing seem to prefer the smaller memory footprint of the earlier OSes, which reduces the power-costly reliance on virtual memory. I don't often use my PB500s away from external power, so 9.1's use of VM doesn't bother me. HD speed is also an issue with VM. Old slooow HDs + VM = sloooow PB, so those with original HDs probably won't be too thrilled about using VM. Newer, bigger, faster drives (such as my PB500s' 30 giggers :-) make a considerable positive difference, enough so that I'm comfortable with the 'Books' responsiveness using 9.1's VM. All that said however, it's still best to try out the options yerself and see which works best for _you_. hth, Dan K ................................. http://macdan.n3.net/ carracho://dankephoto.dhs.org:9700 hotline://dankephoto.dhs.org:9500 ................................. -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PowerBooks list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/powerbooks.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/powerbooks%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
