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Classic Macs in the Intel Age
My Compact Macs: Macintosh SE/30 and Classic II
- 2008.06.11 - Tip Jar
Last time I promised you an article on my Compact Macs.
Today I'm keeping that promise.
First off, the Compact Macs are great machines because 1) they are small (that's why they are called Compact Macs), 2) they are relatively powerful, 3) most of them handle systems up to Mac OS 7.6.
Before I talk about my Compacts, I'd just like to mention a cool feature of a certain family member, the Classic. Not to be confused with the newer Classic II, the Classic was slower and had less possibilities for expansion than its successor, but it did have one cool feature: It had the ability to boot System 6.03 from a built in ROM disk when you hold down Cmd-Opt-X-O during startup.
I have no idea for what purpose the Cupertino folks built this into the Classic, but it's still cool. Perhaps it was there for service purposes.
Anyway, let's talk about two of my Compacts. (Just like the PowerBook article, I chose my favorites.)
Classic II
The Classic II is the successor of the slower Classic. Also known as the Performa 200, this Compact features a 16 MHz 68030 processor, which is awesome in comparison to the Classic's 8 MHz 68000 - plus it shipped with 2 MB of RAM, which was twice as much as the Classic's base of 1 MB.
It supports System 6.08L,
which makes this machine faster than a Pentium 4 with Windows 1.0.
(Yes, it's possible! I know, 'cause I've tried it. Feel sorry for me,
please.) However, I choose to use System 7.1 as my primary operating
system due to compatibility issues with System 6. Versions up to 7.6
are supported.
My Classic II is maxed out with 10 MB of RAM and a 500 MB hard drive, (God bless eBay!), which makes it a very fast Mac under 7.1. I always enjoy a round of Shufflepuck Café on the Mac, which of course works flawlessly.
These Compacts go quite cheap on eBay or the LEM swap list these days, and they're a great value. Just don't try Mac OS 7.6; it's like Leopard on a G3 - slow and buggy. For that OS, get a Power Mac!
SE/30
First off, this machine is no longer in my possession, but I do remember it vividly (and fondly!).
The SE/30 was, simply, the greatest Compact Mac ever built! It supports 128 MB of RAM. It has a nice screen. It was fast. In conclusion, it was awesome.
My SE/30 had 32 MB of RAM and ran
System 7.5.5. I used an external SCSI CD-ROM drive to install software,
and it was great.
Let's go back to the memory part. 128 MB. Imagine having that back in 1990! Your friend who was still on a Mac Plus would pass out. So would any computer guy.
The bad thing is that it only supports systems up to 7.5.5 (although I've heard of people using Mac OS 8). Were the SE/30 still mine, I'd try it.
It also has an expansion slot. Mine had a LAN card installed, and it worked fine for surfing the Web. I believe I used iCab for that purpose, although I'm not sure.
I just read the SE/30 profile here on Low End Mac; it seems it had a 100W power supply! Freakin' amazing! My Packard Bell from 1996 (got it last year for some reason, had it for a month or so) had a 65W power supply - and it's bigger than the SE/30. It used to crash whenever I surfed the Web, so I just threw it in a dumpster!
If you spot an SE/30 on eBay and don't place a bid, you've made the mistake of your life. You are now guaranteed 7 years of misfortune.
Seriously, they are great machines and should not be underestimated. In fact, I'm getting a new one shortly.
Next time: my desktop Macs.
If you find Carl's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Columns by Carl Nygren
- Is Wirecard a Real Alternative to PayPal?, 08.07. PayPal has an established worldwide presence, but Wirecard is offered by a real bank and has lower fees. Any drawbacks?
- Is Windows XP better than Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger'?, 07.28. Vista is a bust, and Leopard won't run on G3 Macs. How do legacy G3 and G4 Macs with Tiger compare with a fairly modern 2 GHz PC running Windows XP?
- Bringing a 233 MHz iMac into the Mac OS X age, 07.15. Upgraded with 128 MB additional RAM and a larger hard drive, the iMacs was ready for Mac OS X 10.2 'Jaguar' - and runs it very nicely.
- Upgrading your eMac for better gaming and hi-res video performance, 07.11. This eMac started out with too little RAM and not enough hard drive space. With several upgrades, it plays games quite well and handles HD video content nicely.
- More in the Classic Macs in the Intel Age index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: Mac mini Core Solo, Feb. 2006 - The only Mac to use a Core Solo CPU, this model ran at 1.5 GHz, has integrated graphics, and includes a Combo drive
- Group of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
- November 24 in LEM history: 98: Microsoft's heavy hand - 00: Looking at the iMac - 04: The best Mac for the holidays - Picking the right replacement for a dead mouse - Better battery for 15" AlBook
- Support Low End Mac
Recent Content on Low End Mac
- Why Spaces is My Favorite Leopard (and Snow Leopard) Feature, Charles W. Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 11.23. Spaces, a feature introduced with OS X 10.5, is like having several monitors on your Mac without the cost and space of using multiple displays.
- i5 iMac Benchmarked, Mac mini 'Shouldn't Be Overlooked', Twitter Client for Classic Mac OS, and More, Mac News Review, 11.20. Also why Apple leaves the low end to others, 10.6.2 fixes video playback problem in 27" iMac, 3D Leopard and Snow Leopard performance, and more.
- Apple's Tablet an End Run Beyond Netbooks, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 11.20. Whatever Apple has planned will leverage existing technologies while going beyond what its competitors can offer.
- Apple #4 in Reliability, Apple Tablet a Gadget for All?, HP's i7 Notebook Outdoes Mac Rivals, and More, The 'Book Review, 11.20. Also Flash 10.1 improves video on Hackintosh netbooks, thin-and-light notebooks impress, Windows XP finally on the way out, and more.
- NASA Chemical Sensor for iPhone, Smartphone Death Match, iPhone Earrings, and More, Ian R Campbell, 11.20. Also mobile phone dangers, new apps, GPS solution for iPod touch, new iPod and iPhone cases, and more.
- Replacing the Hard Drive in a Clamshell iBook, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 11.19. Yes, it is one of the most difficult Apple notebooks to disassemble and reassemble, but a 10 GB hard drive just will not do.
- IBM Model F: A Great Old Keyboard with an Outdated Layout, Tommy Thomas, Welcome to Macintosh, 11.19. Although it used a different technology than the revered IBM Model M keyboard, the Model F was a great keyboard in its own right.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 11.23. Used 867 MHz SuperDrive, $348; 1 GHz Combo, $379; SD, $519; 1.33 GHz, $529; 1.5 GHz Combo, $549; SuperDrive, $609.
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 11.23. Used 2.66 GHz 4-core, $1,300; 3.0 4-core. $1,919; refurb 2.66 4-core Nehalem, $2,149; 2.93, $2,549; 2.93 8-core, $4,999; new 2.26 8-core, $2,290.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 11.23. Used 802.11g AirPort Extreme, $49; 500 GB Time Capsule, $150; new, $190; 1 TB dual-band, $280; 2 TB, $469; 802.11n AirPort Extreme, $170.
- Best eMac Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz Combo, $100; SuperDrive, $269; 1.25 GHz Combo, $119; SD, $319; 1.42 GHz Combo, $289; SD, $498.
- Best Mac OS X 10.6 and Mac Box Set Deals, 11.18. "Snow Leopard", single user, $25; 5 users, $45; Mac Box Set, single user, $139; 5 users, $180; Server, $414. Shipping included.
- Best Xserve Deals, 11.18. Used 1 GHz dual G4, $649; 2.3 dual G5, $795; 3.0 4-core Xeon, $1,899; refurb 2.26 4-core, $2,499; new, $2,888; refurb 8-core, $2,999; new, $3,449; more.
- Best 15" MacBook Pro Deals, 11.17. Used 1.83 GHz, $750; 2.16, $800; 2.33, $900; refurb 2.4, $1,299; 2.53, $1,449; 2.66, $1,699; 2.8, $1,899; new 2.53, $1,579; 2.66, $1,799; more.
- Best Power Mac G4 and AGP Video Card Deals, 11.17. Used 400 MHz, $50; 933 MHz, $80; 500 dual, $60; 867 dual, $90; 1 GHz dual, $150; 1.25 GHz dual, $225; 1.42 GHz, $499.
- Best Mac OS X 10.5 Deals, 11.17. "Leopard" upgrade, $80; single user license, $135; 5 users, $173; Mac Box Set, 5 users, $230; Server, 10 users, $340; unlimited, $850. Shipping included.
- More deals in our archive.
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