Hi Scott, I'm kind of surprised that nobody has suggested this option yet so I might as well. This path is basically what I took as well. I had a c600 since new but found it just too slow and limited after a few years. So taking the advice of others on this list, I began the search and located an s900. I think I paid about $200 then but now I regularly see them available for as low as $50 on the swap list with a bit of memory and possibly a few extras. No they're not as fancy as one of the newer Macs on the market but they do the job. As Paul pointed out in another post, Will is even running Panther on his. If memory is needed, it is now as low as $20 for a 128mb stick.
Except for the processor which was stock, I was able to transfer almost everything of value out of the c600 into the s900. I can't remember if the c500 zif is the same kind that will fit into a XLR8 MachCarrier card and slip right into the cpu? Maybe somebody can confirm this or not. If so, you can pick up a carrier for about $40 on the list and have the s900 running at 400mhz or more with your zif. So yeah, there would be a limited cost in moving over, but if the zif will fit, you can do it for under $100. If not, there are always processor cards on the swap list really cheap depending on the speed you are looking for. There were just a couple of MachCarriers w/ zifs posted a few days ago. Then you could as suggested part out that old machine, or sell as a whole stock, to pay for some or all of the upgrade. Don't forget to try posting a for sale sign at the local grocery store. One issue however I just recalled, the c500, like the c600, has both scsi and ide interface. Which means your 20 gig is probably ide. So if you wanted to use it, you would need to find an ATA/ide pci card. So I guess this would add another $50. Sure even the s900s are not the latest technology but with sufficient processor and memory, this is a great machine. Thanks to those who directed me In this path in the past. This machine is great and does the job once the bugs are worked out. So I guess you just have to weigh which direction to take. Would this route be better than buying new, cost wise yeah. Just more food for thought... Dave s900 G4 400 Sonnet 768 mb Ram -- SuperMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | Service & Replacement Parts [EMAIL PROTECTED] | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> SuperMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/supermacs/list.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/supermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
