Best Buys in Used Macs

Power Macintosh 7500

1998.04.09. Updated 2001.09

We're sorry, but these are very old, very dated articles. Best buys in used Macs is such a moving target that we simply can't keep up to date and have given up even trying. Please read these in their historical context, as some of these articles were written in the early years of Low End Mac.

Although introduced with a 100 MHz Power PC 601 processor, the Power Macintosh 7500 and it's faster siblings, the 7600 and 7300, accept CPU daughter cards, allowing incredible speed boosts - up to 500 MHz ! (Comments apply to all three models, although I will refer to them as 7500 for the sake of brevity.) At present, 300 MHz G3 cards are available for under US$150, so upgrading on a budget is a real option. (See G3 Daughter Cards and G4 Daughter Cards for a detailed listings of upgrade options.)

In addition to the processor upgrade, the 7500 case has a second internal drive bay for an additional internal hard drive (or an internal Zip or Jaz drive, DAT tape drive, etc.). Memory can be expanded to 1 GB!

Of the three models, the 7500 is the best buy if you intend to upgrade the CPU, because you won't be paying a premium for the ancient 100 MHz PPC 601 processor. Upgradability kept 7500 values up for years, but they have now dropped to the point that often close at $40-80 on eBay unless they include a monitor or G3 upgrade. The 7600 (120-200 MHz) typically sells for $60-125, and the 7300 (166-200 MHz) for $75-175. (Note that eBay prices will usually be lower than local prices, since shipping can easily add $20-30 to the final cost.)

The 7600 and 7300 remain somewhat more expensive, due to the more powerful 604 and 604e CPU, but may also provide the horsepower you need without the expense of a daughter card. Of the three, the 7500 represents the best buy; the other are two good buys. (Note that the 7300 is the only one of the three without video input.)

Join us on Facebook!

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Macintosh Portable, introduced 1989.09.20. The nearly 16 lb. behemoth was innovative but not a smashing success.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

About LEM Support Usage Privacy Contact

Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2012 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc. unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iPad iPhone, iMac, iPod, MacBook, MagSafe, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.
Advice is presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
Email may be published at our discretion unless marked "not for publication"; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.

Custom Search

Follow Low End Mac on Twitter
Join Low End Mac on Facebook

Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler 11 is now in the Mac App Store!! -- Special Introductory Price of $59.95!! -- To Buy From The Mac App Store Click Here Now!! Or buy direct from Strider Software.

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker and Mac Casino applications in minutes.

Affiliates

Amazon.com
The Apple Store
The iTunes Store
PC Connection Express
GainSaver
Parallels Desktop for Mac
eBay