[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Motorola StarMax

StarMax 4000

Motorola StarMax 4000

Overview

The 4000-series was Motorola's professional-level Macompatible. Based on the Tanzania motherboard with a Power PC 604e CPU, these provide top performance at a reasonable price. All models include an EDI hard drive, an ATAPI CD-ROM player, and an unprecedented (at least in the Mac OS Planet) five-year warranty.

Tanzania-based computers will not boot with a dead PRAM battery. Try replacing the battery before attempting to replace the power supply on a "dead" StarMax.

The most common complaints have been the quality of the case and noisiness. Overall, the StarMax has proven itself very reliable.

Variants

  • 4000/160. 160 MHz 604e processor, desktop (DT) or tower (MT)
  • 4000/200. 200 MHz 604e processor, desktop or tower

Details

  • introduced 1996.09.17
  • requires System 7.5.3 through 9.1, excluding 7.5.5
  • CPU: 160-200 MHz PPC 604e
  • bus: 40 MHz
  • RAM: 16 MB or 32 MB standard (varies with configuration, but tower is always 32 MB), expandable to 160 MB using 3-volt 60ns or faster EDO DIMMs (older 5-volt DIMMs are not compatible). Peculiarly, RAM slot 3 addresses only a single bank of memory, unlike dual-bank slots 1 and 2. While you can use any DIMM up to 64 MB in slots 1 and 2, you should only use a single-bank DIMM in slot 3. This limits slot 3 to 32 MB. Except for the earliest towers, every StarMax ships with a single-bank DIMM in RAM slot 3 (some early towers shipped with a double-bank DIMM).
  • VRAM: 2 MB standard. VRAM replaceable with 4 MB SGRAM card.
  • Video: 15-pin SVGA port; standard 2 MB VRAM supports millions of colors at up to 800 x 600, thousands of colors at up to 1152 x 870, and 256 colors at up to 1280 x 1024
  • L2 cache: 512k
  • hard drive: EIDE, 1.2 MB, 2.5GB, or 4.3GB standard (varies with configuration, but tower is always 2.5GB)
  • CD-ROM: 8x or 16x ATAPI drive, varies with configuration
  • ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
  • PS/2 keyboard port
  • PS/2 mouse port
  • two miniDIN-8 GeoPorts on back of computer
  • SCSI: DB-25 connector on back of computer
  • PCI slots: 3 on desktop, 5 on tower

Accelerators & Upgrades

  • Vimage had a G3 upgrade for the 3000 and 4000

Online Resources

<go to StarMax index or LEM home page>

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.

Motorola Starmax

3000
4000
5000
6000