[Fdanna]

I'm really confused about the upgrade possibilties for upgrading a 7300 machine. It seems like there are endless choices and prices that go from 250 to 700. Is it wise to spend money on something like this?

Things I'm considering:

Second, larger HD (no brainer)
Processor upgrade to G3, is that just a daughter card and does that mean I will be at the mercy of the manufacturer for OS compatibility?
L2 Cache upgrade, has anyone ever done this? Apple says it should work but they don't give much info as to the specs of the chip.
Video memory upgrade: anyone know what chip I should look for?


Thanks

[This message has been edited by Fdanna (edited 03-29-2000).]

Hi: First of all, you can use any of the daughtercard processors, I have an 8500 and I think our motherboards are almost identical. It's really easy to install and requires nothing other than a card to do. Just pop out your old one, and press the new one in *tightly*! As you said, adding a second, larger HD will be a "no-brainer," but consider buying a new SCSI card (ultra-scsi or faster) and a matching HD so that it wont slow down your newly sped-up machine. Buying a G3 or G4 processor also eliminates the need for upgrading your L2 cache, as it will act as L3 cache and slow down your machine. I originally upgraded my cache, then to a G3 processor and after I took the cache (1 MB RapidCache) out, the system seemed more responsive. You can max out your VRAM to 4 MB, but it is rather expensive (maybe 30-40 per 1MB chip). I would suggest buying a new video card such as the iXMicro ultimate-rez that are like 75 bucks. Good luck, and email me with any questions you might have.