Picked up a Power Mac, want to add bluetooth

[tdevers]

I have acquired a June 2004 Power Mac. It's a dual 2.0, 1GB, 160GB hard drive, GeForce FX 5200. It's in fairly good nick. I installed 10.5 last evening, did all the wonderful updates and have it just about where I want it.

I plan on adding another 2GB of RAM, is there anything certain brand I should stick to? I did search around but this info seems to be buried quite deep. I will also be purchasing a WD 1TB drive in the near future to replace the noisy Maxtor that is currently in there.

I do want to add the bluetooth module to it, I see where it goes, read the tutorials. I found FastMac that carries the module, hardware, and antenna for around $40. I would also like to add the airport card to it but that isn't as important right now.

I feel like I'm cheating on my MacBook by using this guy. It's a great addition to my Apple family!

 

[SmurfBoxMasta]

For the ram, brand is not so important, but specs are.....so 1st go to http://www.crucial.com & use their selector tool to find the right kind.....write down the specs & the shop around for the best price......

suggest you lookie here:

http://www.ramseeker.com
http://www.pricewatch.com
http://www.macsales.com
http://www.datamem.com

just to name a few.....most of these have lifetime warranties, no-questions-asked return/replacement policies, and more importantly, don't gouge you on shipping

ps....depending on what you will do with the machine, you may wanna consider replacing that bogie pos 5200 with a real video card, like a Radeon 9800XT or so

 

[tdevers]

Thanks for the links! The video card will be in there for a little while. No funds to upgrade it. I would say it's on par with my MB's integrated graphics.

I did clean it up inside and out and it looks like a new rig! I did purchase a bluetooth card from a member on here. Just have to figure out the pesky wake from sleep, code 0020.

 

[OrangeSVTguy]

Sell the crappy FX5200 on ebay. I sold mine for $50 and then bought a 9800 pro PC version for $20 something and then flashed it .

That crappy card doesn't even support Core Animation on Leopard.

 

[tdevers]

You have my attention! I'm definitely interested in upgrading that as well if it will be that cheap.

I ordered RAM and the drive earlier today. Hopefully I'll have this in tip top shape by the end of next week!

 

[tdevers]

As of last night my storage and memory increased drastically, 1TB and 2GB respectively. I also installed the factory bluetooth module. It looks like the antenna is required. Bummer! Just need to get that taken care of and a new video card and this thing will be great. It really flies for every day tasks right now.

 

[pwn247]

I was also looking for Bluetooth with my 2006 Mac Pro. So I managed to pick up a USB Bluetooth adapter dongle on clearance at Circuit City not too long ago, and it's been fantastic. At first I was very skeptical as to whether it would be compatible with OS X or not; the box said it was Windows-only. But Leopard immediately detected it and I've had zero problems connecting it with my aluminum wireless keyboard.

You could get a cheapy one like this, or spend a little extra on brandname.

 

[tdevers]

I have one by TrendNet that I'm using currently. I also purchased the OEM module from another member on here so I have the module. I just need to pick up the antenna. I'd rather not have the dongle taking up one of the limited number of USB ports when it can be run internally.

 

[Fomaphone]

I have one by TrendNet that I'm using currently. I also purchased the OEM module from another member on here so I have the module. I just need to pick up the antenna. I'd rather not have the dongle taking up one of the limited number of USB ports when it can be run internally.

it took me forever to try and get my cell phone to see my ppc via bluetooth. (it's a razr v3. POS.) i picked up a cheap USB dongle on eBay for $6.99 and 3 dollar shipping. it worked immediately.