Recently I've had a couple of problems upgrading a Quadra 800 with a PPC 8100/100 motherboard. Okay, at bottom this was probably my own fault for not researching the project completely before starting, but even so, I was rather annoyed at certain unexpected complications that cropped up.
I've got a little Quadra 800 I've been using for a print and file server. Finding a few extra dollars in my monthly budget, I bought a PPC 8100/100 mobo and an 8100 rear panel and got started. The 8100 mobo popped right into the Quadra case, just like I expected. But then a couple of headaches popped up. First problem: the Quadra power cord that connects the Quadra motherboard with the power supply will not fit the 8100 mobo. I had to track down the right power cord. I bought one from a dealer and--wouldn'ta you know it?--one turned up on Ebay the next day for a fourth of the price I'd paid the dealer. This was a real pain and put the whole project over budget. It would have been helpful to know about this before I started to the upgrade. Second problem: I knew the PDS on the 8100 had to be filled with with either a video card, an accelerator or a PDS terminator. There is a serious danger of frying the 8100 mobo if the PDS is left empty. I figured this was no problem, as I had both an AV and an HPV card I could use. Wrong. It turns out the Quadra 800 case is not exactly the same as the 8100 case. The Nubus slots and the PDS are positioned differently on the Quad 800 mobo, and the plastic frame inside the case which supports the power supply, mobo, drives etc. is apparently different from the one in the 8100 case. As the power cable had already put the project over budget, I wasn't about to buy a PDS terminator (which I understand are rare and hard to find) or an accelerator (muy expensivo). I finally cut up the frame to fit the HPV card inside. Anyway, it's up and seems to be running fine now. All in all, though, I would have been better off just buying an 8100/100 on Ebay. It would have cost about the same and spared me some aggravation. If anybody ever asks you about upgrading an 800 with an 8100 motherboard, PLEASE be sure to tell them about these two problems. They'll be glad you did. -- Quadlist 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> Quadlist info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/quadlist.shtml> The FAQ: <http://macfaq.org/> 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/quadlist%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
