on 9/18/02 5:42 AM, Ralph Flegal at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Gentlemen, > > I own a Powerbase 200, and want to upgrade the machine as far as possible. > What must I do? Can I bring it up to date, so that it may be good for a couple > more years, any thoughts? > > What is the best way to proceed? Currently I have installed 128 MB ram, stock > hard drive, accessory zip drive, and a scanner. The OS is 7.5.5 which is > running perfectly. > > Should I buy a new machine?
Your last question first: Certainly it's simpler to buy a new machine. There are older iMacs (new or refurbished) that can be had for less than $1,000, and the eMac is just over $1,000. The more you spend, the neater and faster your machine will be. That said, many of us in this group enjoy tinkering with our beloved old Power Computing machines. If tinkering is your thing, then, by all means, upgrade! Other World Computing has the PowerLogix 400 Mhz G3 1MB backside cache daughterboard upgrade for about $120; you would probably see a good performance boost, going from your 603e PowerBase to the G3. (The gain isn't as dramatic going from the later 604e processor.) That same vendor (I'm just a customer, not an advocate or insider) sells 128MB RAM DIMMs for about $25 each. Buy three, and along with the PowerLogix card, you're not much over $200. Now you've boosted performance. Later OSes do offer some additional features. But in fairness, I helped resurrect a PowerCenterPro recently with OS 8.1, and it performed very well. If you feel like going to 8.1 or 8.6 or 9.1, knock yourself out. You can probably pick up a genuine Power Computing 8.0 CD (with FWB Hard Disk and CD toolkits) for $25 or less. But truthfully, if you're pleased with 7.5.5 -- and if you don't need or want later software that requires 8.6 or later, or want later features such as the more thorough Apple System Profiler or 9.1's Multiuser -- then you could just stick with 7.5.5 for awhile. Then again, if you're a tinkerer, jump in and get 9.x! The advice about getting an IDE/ATA controller so you can use the cheaper ATA hard drives is sold advice. If you want USB accessories (like scrollable mice) you'll want a USB PCI card. A cheap Belkin will work (be sure to download Apple's 1.4.1 USB adapter support. Have fun! -- Chuck -- Power Computing is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Power Computing list info: <http://lowendmac.com/power/list.html> 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]> List archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powercomputing%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
