Mac Daniel's Advice

What about 7500 Upgrades?

Low End Mac Reader Specials

Memory To Go Special: MacPro 8 Core Memory 4GB kit $192 / 2GB kit $109. MacBook Pro / MacMini / iMac Intel Core2 DUO 2GB $44 1GB $23--Free shipping available.

Download Typestyler, still the Ultimate Styling Tool for Internet, Print and Video Graphics. Works great in Classic with a Native OS X Version on the way. Free Tryout: www.typestyler.com

LA Computer Company: LA Computer Company: Specials on AppleCare, Apple Displays, MacBooks, iMac's, MacBook Pros, Laptop and iPod accessories and more. Apple A/C Adapters for laptops starting at $25.00 Call 1-800-941-7654 or Click Here.

OtherWorld Computing: Better than new Batteries for iPods NewerTech NuPower, up to 20+ Hours! Complete with Tools from $19.99. Online videos. Professional installation available.

Mac users can finally play Party Poker for Mac. Not only that, they can also learn how to play PokerStars for Mac.

Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.

Compare products like desktop computers, laptops, and LCD TVs side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for a new cell phone GPS products or MP3 players. The Ciao network makes searching products easy for you.

Memory For New Intel Core2 DUO MacBooks, MacBook Pro, MacMini & iMacs" 4GB Kit $80, 3GB Kit $60, 2GB Kit $40, 1GB $20. Click to Maximize your Macs...

Dan Knight - 1998.12.01

CF sent this letter: I've got a few decisions to make in the next several months, and I'd like your two cents. Right now, my girlfriend and I have two Mac OS machines.

  1. I've got a Power Mac 7500 (older, somewhat fickle motherboard) upgraded with a Power Computing 604e 225 MHz daughtercard (stable 45 MHz bus) and 512k L2 Cache (which only seems to work well with Mac OS 8.5). I also have 112 MB RAM, a 1.2 GB Quantum Fireball and a 2.1 GB Quantum Fireball, internal 4x CD-ROM, external Zip, and 2x CD burner. I also have upgraded the VRAM to 4 MB and installed a Techworks Power3D card.
  2. My girlfriend's system is a Power Computing PowerTower with a 150 MHz 604, 128 MB RAM, 2.1 GB hard drive (unknown manufacturer), 6x CD-ROM, plus external Zip and EZFlyer. She's still running Mac OS 8.0 because of problems with ATM and 8.5.

Needless to say, I'm the "power-user" of the two of us. She is a designer and is happy if she can work quickly enough in Photoshop and Quark. I, on the other hand, am always looking for a few extra frames per second in Unreal or a few seconds shorter rendering time in Bryce 3D.

Here is the dilemma. I desperately want to upgrade to G3. I have a few alternatives: either upgrade my 7500's daughtercard once again and donate my 604e/225 to my girlfriend, or look at getting a new machine altogether and combine the best of the two older systems for her to use. Cost is an issue, because we will be making a major move shortly and have to save some pennies for a house, etc. Long-term cost is a consideration as well. What do you think?

Mac Daniel writes: Two Mac users - the basis of a good relationship. ;-)

Although you could drop $2,000 into a really hot 400 MHz G3 card, you can get 60% of that speed for 20% the money - there are a handful of 220 MHz to 233 MHz G3 cards under $400 today. (See our Guide to G3 Daughter Cards for an up-to-date listing.)

That said, I think the sweet spot for upgrades today is in the 250-300 MHz range. Under that, the performance jump between a 225 MHz 604e and a G3 at about the same clock speed is maybe 50%. Beyond that speed, you come closer to doubling performance at very reasonable ($500-800) prices.

And remember that you're getting two upgrades for the cost of one: a G3 for your Mac and a 225 MHz 604e for her PowerTower.

HK sent this letter: I've got a 7500 with a 604/146, 144 MB RAM, and a 1 MB L2 cache. I'm wondering about the value of upgrading. I've got minimal money. I was thinking of the 220 cards and cranking it up.

In addition, my father has a SuperMac 604e/180 and a 6100. What do you think about them? Is it even worth it for the 6100?

Mac Daniel writes: I'm a huge fan of the 7500 because it can be upgraded so far. You can get some great bargains on 200-233 MHz 604e cards - and some of the G3 cards are under US$400. Since you already have a 1 MB L2 cache, your best value may be a fast 604e card, especially if you can find one for US$150-200.

Your father's SuperMac is a fine machine. I have a SuperMac J700/180 at home and love it. It has all the upgrade options of the 7500 -- but more drive bays and more memory capacity.

As for the 6100, I recently learned that a 1 MB L2 cache can nearly double performance. This is mostly because the 6100 uses system memory for video, which is slow. By using a cache larger than the 640 KB the system sets aside for video, the whole system can run faster.

There are also some nice G3 upgrades for the 6100, although I would find it difficult to justify that much expense on such a limited design.

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

Recent Content on Low End Mac

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice 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.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." 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.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, 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.


Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Low End Living

Amazon.com

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Open Link

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.