[pinkoos]

Hi All,

I'm really excited...I just got a dualie! It's basically a stock MDD dual 867 with 256 MB RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, combo optical drive, 32 MB Nvidia Geforce4MX, etc. Now, I want to do a few upgrades (I don't even have a monitor yet, so I can't even use it!), and would like some advice:

1. Software Restore or just wipe drive and install Jaguar? There's a lot of junk on the hard drive and I'd like to reformat and get rid of it all. Should I do a full software restore from the CDs or wipe the drive and just install Jaguar? I have the retail version of Jaguar as well as the OS X.2 CDs that came with the dualie. If I end up just reinstalling the OS (as opposed to software restore), which set of X.2 should I use (retail or the one that came with the dualie)?

2. RAM - of course I need to up the RAM and was wondering if there are any specs I should be aware of? I know that I need either PC2100 or 2700, right? Can I mix and match? What are some good places to get RAM (Crucial, OWC)? How much should a 512 stick run me? I saw SimpleTech PC2100/2700 at Costco for about $70...good deal?...good RAM?

3. Monitor - I want to go flat panel, 17 inches. What are some good brands and good prices? I saw a couple at Costco: Envision and Princeton, each around $380. These are analog only (no DVI), so I would have to use the DVI to VGA adapter that came with the dualie. Would getting a digital flat panel make that much of a difference? The prices are considerably higher for digital.

4. DVD burner - I want to get a DVD burner, but have read about so many horror stories trying to get aftermarket ones to work. Also, I'm not very techie, so if an internal one would require a lot of work to install, I'm not sure I can do it (I think I remember reading that the "faceplate" has to be pried off in order to get it to fit). However, assuming I do get an internal one, which one should I get? I guess the Pioneer A05 or something like that is the same one Apple uses, no? What are some good places to shop for this and how much should it set me back? Any good links somebody can direct me to regarding installing the Superdrive in the MDD dualie? Are there other options for internals? I think I also read that sometimes the OS needs to be installed/reinstalled after installing the drive...is that true? If so, should I install the drive and then wipe the drive/do a software restore/install the OS? What about external firewire burners? I think those would cost more than the internals, but I wouldn't have to mess with installing. I read a couple of recs in Macworld, but anybody used an external that he/she would personally recommend? I think I also read that iDVD won't work with external burners...true?

5. Wind Tunnel - this was a store demo, so apparently it has not been registered and it has it's full one year warranty. However, it did not have the power supply replacement that Apple was offering through the end of June. Any way Apple would let me get that replacement despite the exchange program being over? If so, how hard is it to install the replacement? I'll be keeping the dualie on a carpeted floor, so will the noise really be that much of a nuisance?

6. Firmware - I'll be running OS X full-time, so I don't even want OS 9 on the computer. With that in mind, are there any firmware upgrades that I need to install for this model?

I guess that's all I can think of right now.

If anybody has any other pointers/advice/links, that would be cool, too.

Thanks.

[BrunoBruin]

Congrats on your purchase, I had a dual-867 and it was a great machine.

Do Software Restore rather than installing from the Jag CDs. The Power Macs shipped with some applications that will not be installed if you just install Jaguar.

You need PC2100 RAM but 2700 will work fine. Get a digital flat panel; analog is so 1980s.

If you install a SuperDrive, get the Pioneer DVR-A05, which is the model Apple uses. That way it will be recognized by Disk Burner and so on. You can get iDVD as part of iLife and if you have a SuperDrive installed, iDVD will install and function correctly. It will not install if it doesn't see a SuperDrive on the system. Check dealmac for prices, it's always being offered by someone fairly cheaply. I think I've seen it at around $170.

EDIT: I should have pointed out that you do NOT need to reinstall your system software after installing the SuperDrive. And if you want to use iDVD, it will not recognize an external burner. In fact it won't even install. Get the internal, that's why you have two optical bays!

[DrBoar]

1. Software Restore or just wipe drive and install Jaguar?
Get a fresh start and do a clean install
2. RAM - of course I need to up the RAM and was wondering if there are any specs I should be aware of? I know that I need either PC2100 or 2700, right? Can I mix and match?
OWC are good and they now the mac stuff, like helping you out with DVD burners

3. Monitor - I want to go flat panel, 17 inches.
Samsung and Philips are good. Digital is better than analog but it varies among different monitors so some are allmost as good in analog as digital some substantially worse
4. DVD burner - ask OWC, it is also quite good to have a burner that you can boot from :-)
5. Wind Tunnel - take a look at http://www.g4noise.com/

[BrunoBruin]

Crucial and OWC are good sources for RAM. I've heard the MDD models are picky about RAM so I'd stick with quality. I've had no trouble with RAM from Crucial and I've always had really good service from OWC.

[DBvader]

I have a Dual 867/ATI 9000/1 GB RAM

I reccomend that you do a clean jag install.

DDR RAM is on sale a lot of retail places for pretty cheap (i bought 512 for 30 dollars a week ago from staples, and i saw comp usa selling it for 12.99/256 MB). So you may just want to look around. 512 of my memory is from PNY (the 2 15 dollar 256 MB sticks), 256 is apple stock, and another 256 is crucial. i havent had problems with any of them.

Monitor wise, apples Flat Panels are nice, but expensive, i just use a pretty standard Flat Screen 19" CRT, and it works great. For FP 17s, i would just look around, becuase you can get a lot better deals than apples own 17.

You said you wanted a DVD burner, my only advice there is to check out xlr8yourmac.com. i would also look into getting a faster burner (especially if you do a CD to CD copying). Best Buy has a 52 X on sale for 15 dollars this week.

I dont remember if My Dual 867 came with a Jag install disk (i know a couple laying around becuase ADC), but if you can do a clean isntall i would reccomend that, especially considering you said you dont want to use OS 9

[Mskr]

For RAM, I always recommend DealRam, which lists the online prices from actual vendors. That way, you can comparison shop a little to make sure you get the best deal. I think that generic RAM should be fine for normal usage, but Crucial's RAM might be a little more trustworthy if you're really worried about it.

[OreoCookie]

Get a LCD with digital-in, definitely.

Also don't settle for less than 512 Megs. I'd suggest another 512 Megs of RAM.

[macdude22]

Crucial Ram all the way, not only is it top notch but when you do have a problem Crucial is very fast in getting it taken care of. UPS just lost some ram of mine a couple days ago. The UPS Trace will take up to 8 days. Crucial waited a day and shipped me new ram, took a hit out of their own pocket because of UPS's screw up. Thats service.

As for the noise I also just got a refurb MDD that sounds like it's taking off, I have 2 HD's in there now. As loud as it is I'm thinking of putting a slotfan in there becuase I swear I could cook a roast of beef in there. At anyrate its still quieter than most PC's you'll hear.

[G-mac]

Congrats!

Best Buy and Circuit City recently have been having huge rebates on 512 PC2700 memory. I purchased 3 sticks during three weeks for $40 each. This was after sale and rebate. Of course, only one rebate per deal, per person, per address. Hence I only could grab three! They also had lots of other similar RAM deals for laptops etc. The sticks I purchased were PNY and Kingston. Not too bad - so far, no problems!

With regards to a 17" monitor, I purchased the Samsung 172T and love it! Has the DVI connector and great picture quality. Plus I got it pretty cheap.

As for being a "wind tunnel" you can try buying Apple's replacement fan on eBay or by contacting (and begging) Apple. Also, there are lots of other fans that people have successfully used in these forums. Do a search when you find some time.

Have fun getting that dualie maxed out!

[pinkoos]

Hi All,

Thanks for the great replies. Looks like I've got some research to do in terms of RAM prices and LCD monitor prices.

Thanks again.