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pinkoos · Apr 7, 2002, 01:20 AM

Hello,

My brother is in the market for an old mac to run some music software that he has. He is only going to be using the mac for 7 to 8 months and, so, doesn't want to invest too much money into it.

He needs the whole system (cpu, monitor, keyboard, mouse).

The minimum requirements from the music software box are:

*cd-rom
*color monitor
*68040 33 MHz processor
*16 MB RAM (for OS earlier than 8), 32 MB RAM (for OS later than 8)
*24 MB Hard disk space
*OS 7.5 or better
*640x480 256 color video

Again, he's not looking to get a high power system, so a mac that just meets all the minimum requirements above would be fine for him.

Does anybody have any recommendations on which model to get and where to get it (reputable mail order companies that sell older macs)?

Thanks in advance.

D'Espice · Apr 7, 2002, 05:47 AM

Well, it's hard to get such old computers. And even if you do, you usually pay as much as for a better model.

I'd suggest a PowerMac 4400 or better. He can work with it, it's not to expensive (www.ebay.com) and if he likes it, as far as I know it's upgradable.

MacMonster · Apr 7, 2002, 02:09 PM

LC 575 or Performa 5200.

gto47 · Apr 7, 2002, 07:31 PM

I'd get an old powermac 6100. THey are 60-66mhz, and can take up to 72megs of ram. Check www.apple-history.com for detailed specs. THeyre dirt cheap. Say $15.00 for the computer itself. The monitor and keyboard are up to you if theyre not included. As for where to buy there are a few places. I'd try macresq.com, macofalltrades.com, powermax.com, or i'd try checking macsales.com in the garage sale section. Just found one of these out to the trash with a dead pram battery, and ressurected it. Its very stable, and runs decently. It can run os9 too, which is pretty impressive for something available so cheaply. Just a thought. Its probably the cheapest thing you'll find... and its performance will be vastly superior to any 68040.

WizOSX · Apr 7, 2002, 07:37 PM

I think I would go for a PowerMac 7300, 7500 or 7600. They sell on ebay with 64mb of RAM, CDROM and a 1.2gb hard drive for about $50. Of course, there would be shipping and a montor to buy. Total should be less than $100 if you get a cheap PC monitor and adaptor. I think the 7600 is the best buy among them because it includes AV inputs so you can plug a VCR into it and watch TV on the monitor or grab frames. Really quite a lot for $100. And it's easily and fairly cheaply upgradable. The trick would be to find a local dealer with a used one they would back up for maybe a month or so at that price, but that should be possible.

buchrob · Apr 7, 2002, 08:56 PM

This is one case where the difference between buying the MINIMUM and RECOMMENDED system is likely to be about $50. at most.

Any system: check out the monitor first for burn-in, fuzziness or other signs of uncorrectable geometry. Speaker quality on any old mac tends to be mediocre.

If the recommended system is 68040-based, a Quadra 640 or LC 575 are both relatively bulletproof.

If the recommended system is PPC, then 6100, 8100 or 8500, especially the 8500 AV are fine. The last model will have specific jacks for unput and output that may be of real interest and utility.

pinkoos · Apr 10, 2002, 11:16 AM

Originally posted by pinkoos:
<STRONG>Hello,

My brother is in the market for an old mac to run some music software that he has. He is only going to be using the mac for 7 to 8 months and, so, doesn't want to invest too much money into it.

He needs the whole system (cpu, monitor, keyboard, mouse).

The minimum requirements from the music software box are:

*cd-rom
*color monitor
*68040 33 MHz processor
*16 MB RAM (for OS earlier than 8), 32 MB RAM (for OS later than 8)
*24 MB Hard disk space
*OS 7.5 or better
*640x480 256 color video

Again, he's not looking to get a high power system, so a mac that just meets all the minimum requirements above would be fine for him.

Does anybody have any recommendations on which model to get and where to get it (reputable mail order companies that sell older macs)?

Thanks in advance.</STRONG>

Thanks to everyone's responses. I think I've narrowed it down to an all-in-one system. Does anybody know of a good site that lists all of the all in one systems and the different specs? Any recommendations for a good all-in-one system that meets or exceeds the specifications above?

Thanks again.

MacMonster · Apr 10, 2002, 02:45 PM

www.lowendmac.com

macfool2002 · Apr 10, 2002, 03:37 PM

Pinkoos,
I've got a PowerMac 7100 with these specs:
- 2GB drive
- CD-ROM
- PowerPC 66Mhz
- floppy drive
- 40MB ram
- SCSI
- OS 8.6
- ethernet adapter
- external SCSI Zip Drive
- original ADB keyboard and mouse
- original boxes and manuals for everything

I'm also currently using the 7100 with a Sonnet G3 upgrade card running 0S 9.1 at 266Mhz

I've got an Apple 14" monitor with built in stereo speakers and headphone jack too.

If you don't need the upgrade card I can always sell it separately.

I've been using the 7100 with an ADB Kensington 4 button trackball if you'd rather have it than the mouse.

Let me know, I'm in Austin so we could meet somewhere between here and Houston.

BTW, are you still selling your 15" screen?

[ 04-11-2002: Message edited by: macfool2002 ]