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6100 Value, Voodoo3
Low End Mac Reader Specials
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Charlie Ruggiero - 1999.11.04
Q: The Power Mac 6100s these days are getting cheaper and cheaper. What are some good uses for them as a secondary computer?
A: Power Users: The Power Mac 6100 is a special machine because it has a PowerPC processor, while at the same time it has a cheap price tag (sometimes under $199). If you do any kind of rendering (audio, video, graphics), the 6100 is perfect for the job if you do not need the final product right away and don't want to give up your main Mac. The Power Mac 6100 also features onboard ethernet to transfer your finished products back to your main computer(s).
The 6100/60 has just enough processing power to run MP3s without problems, and it makes a great personal jukebox without taking up the processing power on your main Mac. If you get a 6100 with a CD-ROM, you could use it as a simple CD-Player or use it to burn audio and data CDs with a CD-R drive. This frees up your main machine to surf the web and play video games.
The 6100 makes a great small business or home Apple file server. It also runs well as a low-hit Web server. If you have been wanting to try out Linux on the Mac, you can pick up a 6100 and install MkLinux.
- For more on the 6100, see Setting Up a 6100 by Dan Knight.
Q: Should I wait for the Voodoo3 retail Mac specific version, or should I buy the PC version of the card and use the firmware flasher to convert it over to Mac?
A: First off, if you don't know what firmware is, then you should definitely buy the retail Mac specific version.
For everyone else: It's a bit of a risk going with the PC version because the drivers are being distributed "for developer use only," which means that 3dfx will provide no support for problems, nor do they promise to continue delivering software driver updates. The PC version is significantly cheaper. However, in the end it may pay to get the Mac version. Here's why:
- PC Version may have video-in and video-out (Voodoo3 3500 model) that you will not be able to use because there is no driver support for those features in the developer drivers.
- The Mac version (if bought from VillageTronics) should come with Glide support at some point. It should also have RAVE drivers as well. The developer drivers have no such support. Glide and RAVE give the card compatibility with more games.
- If you buy a Mac version you will get tech support and driver updates far more often then the developer drivers - and the peace of mind that you are helping out a Macintosh company.
Mactell, which sold a fairly affordable Voodoo3 card for the Mac, recently closed its doors. A group of former Mactell employees is forming Rantic Labs, which will pick up the Mactell FireWire and USB drives. They have not yet announced whether they will also handle the Voodoo3 card.
VillageTronics cards are available in North America through Software Hut. They are more expensive than PC cards, which is why so many are willing to upgrade firmware.
For more information on 3dfx and Voodoo, visit Mac3dfx. The 3dfx Voodoo3 2000
PCI card (Windows version) is available for
$109.95 (shipped) from Outpost.com. Mac3dfx rates it a best value ($/fps)
among Mac 3D video cards (see review on Mac3dfx).
Also see Why Gaming Matters for
more information on how the Voodoo3 cards beat Apple's standard ATI
video. 
Charlie Ruggiero has used a lot of Macs, from Plus to G4, and even ran a BBS (remember those?) on a Plus. He works as Macintosh tech support and technology advisor for the College of Education at Michigan State University. He does a lot of hardware and software troubleshooting, as well as a great deal of video editing, capture, and streaming. Charlie is well versed in HyperCard, fairly knowledgeable in Future Basic, and has a good background in sound and video. He even has his own site, Edge of Heaven.
Not sure if you should upgrade your old Mac or replace it? Check the Mac Daniel index to see if we've already addressed your problem.
Recent Mac Daniel columns
- Bringing G3 iMacs and other G3 Macs into the Tiger Age, Dan Knight, 12.07. Tips on hard drives, memory, WiFi, and getting Mac OS X 10.4 installed on G3 iMacs and other older G3 Macs.
- Multiple users on the same Mac at work, Dan Knight, 11.15. How to set up a Mac so multiple users can log in and use it - and use the same pool of work files.
- 1 working eMac from 2 broken ones, Dan Knight, 11.14. A pair of matching eMacs, each with a different failure, results in one working eMac and lots of leftovers.
- Problems running Classic mode in Tiger, Dan Knight, 11.08. After upgrading to Tiger, the old Classic installation stopped working. Where to find the pieces to get everything up to date.
- More in the Mac Daniel index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: DayStar Genesis, Oct. 1995 - The first 'Mac' with multiple processors, technology Daystar licensed to Apple.
- List of the Day: SuperMacs is for those using Umax SuperMac clones.
- October 6 in LEM history: 98: USB is a good thing - Can Apple save Emailer? - 99: Kihei iMacs - 00: Advice about PDS Power Macs - 03: A replacement PowerBook battery - 04: AirPort Express - 05: The Apple Lisa story - 06: Don't ignore battery recall - Use any networked computer as an additional Mac display
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- Best MacBook Deals, Low End Mac Deals, 10.02. Used 1.83 GHz, $649; 2.0 SD, $750; refurb 2.1 GHz, $899; 2.4, $1,099; black, $1,299; new 2.1, $1,019 after rebate; 2.4, $1,204 a/r; black, $1,394 a/r.
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- More links in our archive.
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