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Oisín · Mar 28, 2005, 01:18 PM

In the spare room here in my dorm corridor, one of the other guys has a lot of spare computers and computer parts.

Among them, apparently, is an old rainbow-logo PowerPC. He has no idea what (if anything) is on it, since he doesn't have the right cables to hook up a monitor.

It says on the back it's a PowerPC G3, 233 MHz, 512 KB Cache, 32 MB RAM, 4 GB hard drive. There's also an extra hard drive, but we don't know how big it is.

Is there any way this thing can run OSX? (With a measley 32 RAM? Or is it possible to get a hold of not-too-expensive extra RAM for it?)

Otherwise, got any funny ideas for what it can be used for?

budster101 · Mar 28, 2005, 01:21 PM

Drop it from the top of the dorm and video it crashing into the ground?
Send the tape to David Letterman, or ship it to him and have him drop it from a roof... better off as you'll stay out of any trouble should someone get hurt or you brake something else in the process..

zizban · Mar 28, 2005, 01:21 PM

Wow, same config as my first G3!

No way for Mac OS X, even if you maxed the ram..it would be slow. You could put os 9.x on it and that would fly, as would Linux.

SimpleLife · Mar 28, 2005, 01:27 PM

I found something similar, but there is no way to ID these computer. Even the back says nothing.

All I could see is "PowerPC G3" at the front with the rainbow Apple.

The salesman cannot tell what speed is the CPU going at. Could these be similar computers?

The guy has tons of those and is selling them for $250 Canadian a piece with 250 Meg of RAM and 4Gb HD. These are tower size, with some translucent mint green lock on top to unfold the computer and there is like many internal slots for expansion.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Mar 28, 2005, 01:39 PM

I installed OSX on a similar computer yesterday, it runs very well with 128 RAM and very good for general stuff with 320 RAM.

The Godfather · Mar 28, 2005, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by zizban:
Wow, same config as my first G3!

No way for Mac OS X, even if you maxed the ram..it would be slow. You could put os 9.x on it and that would fly, as would Linux.

With OS 9, you can use VPC 5 and get better performance than with many OSX capable Macs.

Mar 28, 2005, 02:05 PM

Originally posted by Ois�n:

Is there any way this thing can run OSX? (With a measley 32 RAM? Or is it possible to get a hold of not-too-expensive extra RAM for it?)

I installed it on that very model, but with 192MB of RAM. It was slow. It was usable for mail and looking stuff up on the web (note I didn't say browsing), but very slow.

The best thing for that model is to max out the RAM and install Linux on it and use it as a server.

Busemann · Mar 28, 2005, 02:12 PM

Could it be this?:

Those were the first great Macs after years with *ahem* garbage.

Oisín · Mar 28, 2005, 02:20 PM

Originally posted by Busemann:
Could it be this?:

Those were the first great Macs after years with *ahem* garbage.

Yup, that looks pretty precisely right.

So... if I (well, he, since it's not really mine, but I'm the Mac-lover, not him) wanted to boost it with lots of RAM, what kind of RAM would be needed, and where would one go about getting it? I tried checking the Apple Store for RAM to check prices, but they're divided by which model you need the RAM for, and obviously this ol' thing ain't on there...

xi_hyperon · Mar 28, 2005, 02:28 PM

I've got this exact model in storage... brings back memories.

Hugi · Mar 28, 2005, 02:30 PM

Good machines - I don't even consider them old (which probably means I'm getting old

).
Run fine with OS X.

discotronic · Mar 28, 2005, 02:38 PM

Those old G3 models can be over-clocked to 315MHz without any problems. I have done at least 10 of them. Going any higher than 315 and the machine won't boot. Here is a link:

http://drivejumper.com/ClockupG3/homepage.html

It will run 10.2 without any problems. You can use XPostFacto to install Panther. You really don't need any kind of special jumpers like most places say you do. I just used jumpers from old hard drives. If you can't find those you can use the jumper block that is on the main board. Use a very small flat screw driver and push the metal connectors out. Place them back in the appropriate slots.

The machine isn't a G5 by any means but it can be used for the basics like surfing the net and word processing.

Mar 28, 2005, 03:05 PM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
Y
So... if I (well, he, since it's not really mine, but I'm the Mac-lover, not him) wanted to boost it with lots of RAM, what kind of RAM would be needed, and where would one go about getting it?

http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgr...=Show+Upgrades

Oisín · Mar 28, 2005, 03:49 PM

Originally posted by discotronic:
Those old G3 models can be over-clocked to 315MHz without any problems. I have done at least 10 of them. Going any higher than 315 and the machine won't boot. Here is a link:

http://drivejumper.com/ClockupG3/homepage.html

Thanks for those links (hayesk too) - I'm seriously considering playing with this, though I'll basically have no idea what I'm doing - but the drivejumper link won't work

It will run 10.2 without any problems. You can use XPostFacto to install Panther. You really don't need any kind of special jumpers like most places say you do. I just used jumpers from old hard drives. If you can't find those you can use the jumper block that is on the main board. Use a very small flat screw driver and push the metal connectors out. Place them back in the appropriate slots.

Uhm, okay, you lost me already (told you I don't know what I'm doing). What's all this with jumpers? (You may address me as though I were a three-year-old

)

ChrisF · Mar 28, 2005, 04:13 PM

Originally posted by discotronic:
Those old G3 models can be over-clocked to 315MHz without any problems. I have done at least 10 of them. Going any higher than 315 and the machine won't boot.

You won't get the 233MHz CPU to run anywhere close to 315MHz. 266 will likely work.

olePigeon · Mar 28, 2005, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by ChrisF:
You won't get the 233MHz CPU to run anywhere close to 315MHz. 266 will likely work.

Pfft! Mine's running at 400MHz. I also have thermal grease and a CPU fan on it, but it's stable.

ChrisF · Mar 28, 2005, 05:50 PM

Originally posted by olePigeon:
Pfft! Mine's running at 400MHz. I also have thermal grease and a CPU fan on it, but it's stable.

It's an original 233MHz rated chip that's overclocked by over 70%? Are you certain it's not a higher rated CPU?

MilkmanDan · Mar 28, 2005, 05:52 PM

10.2 + 120 GIG Drive + Sharepoints = file server.

It works fine for a basic webserver as well.

Easy to add a $10 10/100 network card if you so need.

discotronic · Mar 30, 2005, 12:20 PM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
Thanks for those links (hayesk too) - I'm seriously considering playing with this, though I'll basically have no idea what I'm doing - but the drivejumper link won't work

Uhm, okay, you lost me already (told you I don't know what I'm doing). What's all this with jumpers? (You may address me as though I were a three-year-old )

The link is working fine for me. Try just using this one:

http://drivejumper.com/

When you get there click on Mac Beige G3 system link and you should be there.

On the main board there are tiny pins with a plastic block in the shape of a rectangle placed over the tiny pins. The block has metal contacts in them. They make contact with the tiny pins on the main board. By switching these are you can do things like change the BUS speed and CPU clock speed. The block is considered the jumper.

Hard drives have jumpers also. They are located on the back side where you find the power connector. These jumpers when changed to different settings let the computer know if the drive is the primary boot drive or a secondary slave drive.

Originally posted by ChrisF:

You won't get the 233MHz CPU to run anywhere close to 315MHz. 266 will likely work.

I know for a fact that your processor can be overclocked to at least 315MHz. I have done in on a few occasions. You don't have to add an extra fan or heatsink. I don't know for sure but I would say that Apple used the same processor in the 266MHz and 233MHz models since they where introduced at the same time but just underclocked them.

Oisín · Mar 30, 2005, 01:15 PM

Originally posted by discotronic:
The link is working fine for me. Try just using this one:

http://drivejumper.com/

Sorry, should have been more specific - by 'not working' I meant that it times out when trying to connect to drivejumper.com, not that it can't find the page. Still a no go

Stupid TDC

On the main board there are tiny pins with a plastic block in the shape of a rectangle placed over the tiny pins. The block has metal contacts in them. They make contact with the tiny pins on the main board. By switching these are you can do things like change the BUS speed and CPU clock speed. The block is considered the jumper.

Hard drives have jumpers also. They are located on the back side where you find the power connector. These jumpers when changed to different settings let the computer know if the drive is the primary boot drive or a secondary slave drive.

Aha, now I sort of more-or-less get it, I think. I'll have to take the machine a little more apart to see for myself, to get a proper image of what's what, but that made a lot more sense for this three-year-old

discotronic · Mar 30, 2005, 04:17 PM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
Sorry, should have been more specific - by 'not working' I meant that it times out when trying to connect to drivejumper.com, not that it can't find the page. Still a no go

If you want I can email you the page as an HTML and a picture of the motherboard with the location of the jumper block.

FulcrumPilot · Mar 30, 2005, 04:24 PM

Jukebox it and serve streams over the network? Can it take a wifi pci card? does os 9 support wireless? probably what I'd do with it anyway, just my 2 cents.

olePigeon · Mar 30, 2005, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by ChrisF:
It's an original 233MHz rated chip that's overclocked by over 70%? Are you certain it's not a higher rated CPU?

Nah, it was a 266MHz. But still impressive.

discotronic · Mar 30, 2005, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by olePigeon:
Nah, it was a 266MHz. But still impressive.

That is impressive

Do you have any way to measure the heat coming from the processor? My brother's B&W G3 has been running at 400MHz stable for almost a year. It is a 300MHz processor and it doesn't have an extra fan or anything. Most people that I have heard of could only get the processor going up to 350MHz. I guess he is one of the few lucky ones.

Oisín · Mar 30, 2005, 05:16 PM

Originally posted by discotronic:
If you want I can email you the page as an HTML and a picture of the motherboard with the location of the jumper block.

That'd be really cool, thanks! Mail addy: [email protected]

discotronic · Mar 30, 2005, 11:55 PM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
That'd be really cool, thanks! Mail addy: [email protected]

They are on their way. I sent two emails but I forgot to put the attachments on the first one.

Oisín · Mar 31, 2005, 09:32 AM

Thanks - just checked, I got 'em

effgee · 09:58 AM

Originally posted by Ois�n:
Yup, that looks pretty precisely right.

So... if I (well, he, since it's not really mine, but I'm the Mac-lover, not him) wanted to boost it with lots of RAM, what kind of RAM would be needed, and where would one go about getting it? I tried checking the Apple Store for RAM to check prices, but they're divided by which model you need the RAM for, and obviously this ol' thing ain't on there...

RAM from Germany

Info on every Mac ever made ... and more info on older Macs ... you'll also need this to install OS X on the box.

Alright - here's the upgrade path for complete nutcases ...

1GHz G4 ZIF upgrade
768MB's of RAM (if the box shipped after May 1st, 1998 - otherwise it'll support only 384MB)
ATA Card (PCI) + ATA drive
ATI Radeon 9200 (PCI, if it fits length-wise - dunno)

And yes - it would most likely be cheaper to get a used G4 tower. Nobody said anything about upgrades actually having to make sense.