im souping up my old 7100 need ideas

[applesurferrr]

I was cleaning out my closet today and i noticed that i had a old 7100 in there and for some reson i had money so i decided to "soup it up" i have 400 dollers i want to get a new monitor and i will get an apple keyboard a g3 chip for it would be nice but those are expensive and i was wondering if i really need that power. I am gona make it a new case with some mettal so it doesnt look like crap i want to put usb and firewire in it also so i can buy a like 80 gig firewire drive. and ofcource i need to get a new graphics card and put OS9 on there. that would be 400 and maybe a lil more i havent shopped and done the math... please post other ideas or rant on mine.
thanks
-cody

[whfsdude]

Nice, make it into a server :D or sell it at ebay, or maybe make an apple shrine :D

[AlphaTech]

I would suggest doing some research... the 7100 uses NuBus slots, NOT PCI. You MIGHT be able to located an USB card, but I seriously doubt it.

I am upgrading my landlord's 7100/66 with extra memory, a faster cd-rom and larger hard drive. He is also getting a 56k modem since he has a 28.8 now and wants something faster.

The G3 chip will show you increased performance, but you have to think about how long you want to be able to use the system. For the video, you will need to get an adapter for a new monitor (the 7100's video uses the old Mac video pin arrangement).

[applesurferrr]

scence i have money what would be a good cheap apple machine to do this on? i dont want to go over 200 for the computer...
thanks
-cody

[IndyGopher]

No USB, definitely no firewire. Also, you can't put enough memory in there (4 72-pin SIMM sockets) to make it worth messing with. If it's your only mac, write it off. Buy a used iMac with the $400. If you have other macs, you could use as a print server, I suppose, but with the 10Mbit ethernet, it would make a horrible fileserver. For reference, we sold 50 61/71/8100's last year for $25 each, and it still took over 2 months to get rid of them. Nubus is dead. Way dead. It's easier to find LC and PDS cards. (not that they suck any less)

[voicegy]

1. Doorstop
2. Aquarium
3. Conversation Piece
4. Donate to a teacher so he/she can show students what the inside of a computer looks like.

Then go buy an iPod!

[Beej]

IMHO, your $400 would be better off going towards a second hand iMac or something.

Upgrading a machine that old is a waste of time and money. Which, I guess, is only a bad thing if you don't have time and money to waste...

[Mac o' sex]

I always like to have an optimistic view of old macs...I guess i am sentimental. I also have a old 7100, that I have done nothing to in years..my iMac takes all my attention. But I have thought about upgrading it. First, get a better video card, maybe the radius thunder 24 nubus or something like that, there were some nice video cards (for thier time) made for nubus. Next Get a g3 upgrade, probably find a good used one on ebay. If you have a 7100/80 that is better than a 7100/66 because it has a 40 mhz system bus instead of 33 mhz. therefor the upgrade card will go at the fastest mhz it can, maybe 300 or 400mhz g3, that is not bad. Then Max out the ram, i think you can get 128 mb total..not alot, but ohwell, the best it can do. I don't think they make a usb or firewire video card for nubus....but, what you can do is, they used to make a nubus to PCI adapter box, it was a nubus card that went out to a box with 3 or so PCI slots, so you can use PCI, but only at nubus speed, still that lets you add usb and firewire, i hope...I don't remember the name of who made that thing though, but I am sure someone does...then get a FWB Jackhammer nubus card that adds fast and wide SCSI and maybe add a raid to the card, they used to make a raid called the sledgehammer, that was cool..then pop an internal CDRW into the old CD spot, if it fits, if not there are plenty of external ones that you can add to the jackhammer card too.. Hope that helps...

[Beej]

Hey, I'm just as sentimental as the next machead when it comes to older machines. I have a whole collection of them... but I admire them for what they were. I don't turn them into frankenmacs and pretend they're something they're not.

I'm not sure if you can be sentimental about something if you're trying to 'update' what you're sentimental about, I think it kind of defeats the purpose :)

[sionilar]

I would suggest reading a dictionary and getting some lessons in English for starters ...

[Beej]

Originally posted by sionilar
I would suggest reading a dictionary

What, from the start?

and getting some lessons in English for starters ...

I take several lessons in English. In fact, I don't take a single class at Uni in any other language. Oh, or do you mean I should take some English lessons? Ahh, OK, I'm with you now.

Without suggesting someone read a dictionary, I think you know what I mean.

Anyway, back to the point at hand: purple flames. Paint your old 7100 case black, and put metallic purple flames on it. Purple flames are cool! :D

[eyelikeart]

I feel it wouldn't be worth sinking too much money into an older box like that....if I were going to do anything with it, maybe put a fat hd in it, some ram and make sure it's ethernet ready so it can be a server.....

u can do that for under $400 easy.... ;)

however, I suppose it all depends on what your actual needs are to keep it. U mentioned it was found in a closet, so I'm assuming u don't really have a purpose to use it other than for a project? How about using it as an mp3 jukebox?

there have been a few articles in MacWorld magazine last year proposing ideas to turn old Macs into something quite useful....maybe that could give u some insight as well?

[Six]

If youre looking to turn it in to a powerhouse computer to do everything for you, I hate to say it, but its not possible... If you want a computer that you can do a lot of things on (that arent like professional apps) then take the 400 and buy yourself a used iMac... If you want to do something with that computer that would be more fun than usefull to many, (although I could consider this usefull) do what eyelikeart said, spend most of the money on the biggest HD you can get, and then, spring the last little bit of money left and buy a cable that will allow you to hook the computer in to youre stereo.. Rip all your CDs, get some Mp3's if you can, and such on it :)

[Hemingray]

I'm writing to you all from a 7100, and GOD IS THIS THING SLOW. A whopping 66MHz, 32MB RAM, and 250MB HD! Woohoo! Okay, I love old Macs too (have an entire Mac Graveyard out in storage) but for functionality I wouldn't put time or effort into it. You could get an 8xxx series tower or even an old G3 for not too much money. Oh... and whatever you do... DON'T load OS 9.x onto this thing! Man, it's slower than molasses on a cold morning. I should have stuck to 8.6.

This poor old thing makes me thankful to have a G4 400 waiting at home.

[stw]

1. Get a G3 (Newertech, Sonet)
2. Upgrade to 136 MB RAM
3. MacOS 9.1

Then depending on your use:
- Apple AV card for larger monitor 17"-19"
- CD-RW drive
- a large IDE hard disk with an SCSI-IDE adapter from Acard (see http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/IDE/IDE_to_SCSI/ide_to_scsi_adapter.html)

You will get a nice Mac for surfing or office work.
If you want USB, Firewire or MacOS X better get an used PowerMac or iMac.


stw
(on a 6100+G3)

[eyelikeart]

remember he said $400 to spend....

to do what u just suggested would be in way excess...

[evanmarx]

yep ... right ... first it started with 400 bucks. .. and then the avalanche followed ... well with 400$ you could buy a goldplated sledgehammer and drop it on the 7100 .... just kiddin!

i gave my old 7100 to my mum ... she had also my IIci

(but now i'm trying to convince her to boy a new imac!)

[applesurferrr]

thanks for all the responces!!!! but wat i really want is a fun machine i really wana make a starcraft network in my room i think that would be sweet!!I already have my awsomel 600 mghz ibook and i love it. maybe i could jus get a ethernet card and but that into it and a nice new monitor would be nice and thats pretty mutch wat i will be using it for. What else would be good for it?
-cody

[stw]

Etherent is build in. No need to buy a card.

[dantec]

You could dedicate it to crunching SETI packets... No that won't work, it would take 3 days for a single unit...

Quake server, nahhh couldn't put in a good enough graphics card... but I'm not totally sure, do you need a Graphic card to run a Quake III Server???

Make it a project for you trying to make it run OS X...

If you can do it pop in a G4 (don't waste your time with a G3, G4's will cost a little more $$ but those sonnet dual processor 500mhz cards look pretty sweet!).
Like other people have said in this forum, get a fat HD and fill it up with the most ram possible. Or mabye get a used G4 tower, and try and salvage the HD, extra CD-rom drive.. etc...

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by stw
Etherent is build in. No need to buy a card.

But you will need to get an adapter to plug it into a current network line. Different plug on the 7100 then on current systems (RJ45 is what is there now).

Good luck in finding one.

[Rocketman]

Originally posted by stw
1. Get a G3 (Newertech, Sonet)
2. Upgrade to 136 MB RAM
3. MacOS 9.1

Then depending on your use:
- Apple AV card for larger monitor 17"-19"
- CD-RW drive
- a large IDE hard disk with an SCSI-IDE adapter from Acard (see http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/IDE/IDE_to_SCSI/ide_to_scsi_adapter.html)

You will get a nice Mac for surfing or office work.
If you want USB, Firewire or MacOS X better get an used PowerMac or iMac.


stw
(on a 6100+G3)

For those of you with a need for this project, I have an 8100/100AV and a IIvx, both with upgraded graphics cards IIRC and reasonable ram, that need to be kept happy. The 8100 has a crashed HD, but seems to work fine otherwise. The IIvx is still running along. I would consider offers in the neighborhood of hundreds of dollars and I would ship them nicely and safely at your expense.

I will use the money to take my kid to McDonalds.

I don't want to do the ebay thing because I want a real Machead to get them since I think I took care of them nicely. I presume it would be CPU only and no monitors.

try <mailto:8100@v-serv.com>

If I get multiple offers in a 24 hour period I will reply with offer ranges for second chances.

I hope this is not offtopic!

Rocketman

[dantec]

Originally posted by Rocketman


For those of you with a need for this project, I have an 8100/100AV and a IIvx, both with upgraded graphics cards IIRC and reasonable ram, that need to be kept happy. The 8100 has a crashed HD, but seems to work fine otherwise. The IIvx is still running along. I would consider offers in the neighborhood of hundreds of dollars and I would ship them nicely and safely at your expense.

I will use the money to take my kid to McDonalds.

I don't want to do the ebay thing because I want a real Machead to get them since I think I took care of them nicely. I presume it would be CPU only and no monitors.

try <mailto:8100@v-serv.com>

If I get multiple offers in a 24 hour period I will reply with offer ranges for second chances.

I hope this is not offtopic!

Rocketman

Man, that thinkg about McDonalds... brought tears to my eyes!:eek:

[AlphaTech]

mcdonalds... (reaching for the barf bucket).

[Nsipa]

My ha'penny worth is:

Depending on what you want to use the 7100 for, unless it's for wordprocessing or playing elderly software, save up your dollars until you can afford something more contemporary, even if it's the most basic model available.

I've upgraded my 1998 beige G3 233Mhz over the years, firstly with an ATI RAGE Orion video card, then extra memory, and the year before last a MaxPowr G4/400Mhz accelorator card (just my luck - they went bust!).
Sounds good? OK, it's better than the original by far, but Mac OSX is still slow, even though 10.1.2 improved things, and software from the last few years l-a-a-g-s.

The bottom end G3 iMac (I've yet to see the G4 iMac in the UK) knocks the socks off it. There are so many things you CAN'T upgrade in the internal system architecture, like the Bus speed, that what should apparently be a slower setup, seems speedy.

[eyelikeart]

all of this talk about the 7100 is making me want to get back my old Starmax clone & turn it into a mp3 server!!

[johnpaul191]

trust me.... it's nubus (not pci) so no usb.... it's scsi not ide so hard drives are not as cheap as you think.... for $400, or even $200 you can pick up a 7600 or something on ebay, add a $20 usb card, throw in a cheaper ide hard drive and whatever else. i know that doesnt give you a great use for the 7100, but the G3 upgrades are not really worth it anymore..... esp if you do not have an otherwise rigged out system.
if you are just looking for an older mac to play with for a few hundred $$s..... you could score and older imac, or look on ebay. check lowendmac.com or everymac.com to figure out what is inside the machine (and how easy/cheap they are to upgrade).
BEWARE OF RAM! a lot of older macs use goofy ram that is so very not cheap. throwing in a fun amount of ram can cost as much as the old mac. even when buying used ram on ebay.