Low End Mac Reader Specials

TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com

Don't install Parallels to play poker online! Poker Mac will show you how to download and install a native Mac poker application such as Full Tilt Poker Mac.

Compare products like desktop computers, apple laptops, apple macs, and LCD Monitors side by side! All the information and reviews to make the best purchasing decision for new mobile phones, sat nav systems, or MP3 players. The Ciao online shopping community makes searching products easy for you.

Second Class Macs & Road Apples

PowerBook 1400/117

four

Dan Knight - 1999.04.13

Second Class Macs are Apple's somewhat compromised hardware designs. For the most part, they're not really bad - simply designs that didn't meet their full potential. (On our rating scale, the more brown apples, the worse the hardware.)

The PowerBook 1400 was available in several different configurations, including two screens (dual-scan and active matrix) and three processor speeds (117, 133, and 166 MHz). Only the 117 MHz version merits a Road Apple rating, and then only because Apple left out the Level 2 cache.

How much the L2 cache helps a computer depends on three factors: how fast the logic board memory path is, how fast the processor is, and how large the processor's cache is. For PowerMacs, a 256 KB L2 cache usually provides 30% more speed, with 512 KB bumping that to about 65%, and a 1 MB cache roughly doubling cacheless performance vs. a cacheless design.

The 1400/117 was already 13-14% slower than the 1400/133 based simply on CPU speed. Add in the L2 cache on the 133 MHz model, and it was 25-30% faster overall.

On the other hand, using a slower CPU and leaving out the cache did let Apple sell the 1400/117 for less than would have been possible otherwise, so we shouldn't be too hard on it.

In fact, if you install a processor upgrade (such as the Sonnet G3/333 with 512 MB cache), you gain a level 2 cache and remove the Road Apple stigma from the 1400/117.

Details

introduced 1996.10.01; discontinued 1997.07.14
requires System 7.5.3 (with PowerBook 1400 Enabler) or later, but not 7.5.5
CPU: 117 MHz PPC 603e
ROM: 4 MB
RAM: 12 or 16 MB, expandable to 64 MB
Level 2 cache: not on 117 MHz model
VRAM: 1 MB
display: 11.3" 16-bit 800 x 600 color dual-scan or active matrix
hard drive: 750 MB
CD-ROM: 6x (removable)
ADB: 1 port for keyboard and mouse
serial: 1 DIN-8 RS-422 port on back of computer
SCSI: HDI30 connector on back of computer
PC Card slots: two
size: 11.5 x 9.0 x 2.0"
weight: 6.6-7.0 pounds with battery

Links for the Day

Mac of the Day: Lisa, Jan. 1983 - The ancestor of the Macintosh had a mouse, a graphical interface, and a $10,000 price tag.
Group of the Day: Unsupported OS X is for those using OS X on unsupported hardware.
Support Low End Mac

Recent Deals

Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 03.22. Used 1.83 GHz, $570; 2.0, $599; 2.4 GHz, $889; refurb 2.26, $849; new, $900 after rebate; Pro, $1,119 a/r, 2.53, $1,399 a/r.
Best Power Mac G5 Deals, 03.22. 1.8 GHz single, $399; dual, $445; 2.0, $609; 2.5, $724; 2.7, $799; 2.3 GHz dual-core, $669; 2.5 GHz Quad, $799.
Best AirPort Deals, 03.22. Refurb AirPort Express, $79; new, $95; refurb dual-band AirPort Extreme Hub, $129; new simultaneous dual-band, $168.
Best Intel iMac Deals, 03.17. Used 17" from $600; 20" from $750; 24" from $825; refurb 21.5" nVidia, $999; new, $1,099; refurb Radeon, $1,299; new, $1,399; refurb 27" 3.06, $1,499; more.
Best G5 iMac Deals, 03.17. 17" 2.0 GHz, $380; 1.9 GHz iSight, $479 shipped; 20" 1.8 GHz, $509 shipped; 2.1 GHz iSight, $549 shipped.
Best Time Capsule Deals, 03.17. Close-out 500 GB, $140; new 1 TB, $279; used 2 TB simultaneous dual-band, $400; new, $455. Shipping included.
Best iPad Deals, 03.16. 16 GB iPad, $499; 32 GB, $599; 64 GB, $699; 16 GB with 3G, $629; 32 GB 3G, $729; 64 GB 3G, $829. Free ground shipping.
More deals in our archive.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2010 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, iPhone, PowerBook, 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.