1 Year and 17 Macs later...

[Gamer9430]

Well, its just about a year ago that I came in here thinking a PowerMac G5 was really rare and a collectors item. Since then, a lot has changed. I have gotten to know a lot of members, some of which have become great friends of mine. I've blown up my knowledge of computers, Macs, PPC, and Apple to much more vast than it was a year ago. Finally, I've begun collecting Macs and computers in general. Over the course of a year, I've acquired besides the Dual 2.3GHz PowerMac G5...

(in order)
1. Power Macintosh 6100/66
2. eMac G4 (700MHz)
3. iBook G4 12in. (1.33GHz)
4. Macintosh 512ke
5. PowerMac G4 MDD (Dual 1.25GHz FW800)
6. PowerBook G3 Wallstreet II/PDQ ()
7. Macintosh Performa 6360
8. Power Macintosh 8500
9. Power Macintosh 7300
10. eMac G4 (1.25GHz)
11. MacBook (Early 08 >> Early 09)
12. Mac Mini G4 (1.25GHz)
13. PowerBook G4 12in (1.5GHz)
14. PowerBook G4 15in (1.25Ghz)
15. PowerBook G4 17in (1GHz)
16. PowerBook G4 17in (1.33GHz)
17. MacBook (Late 07 >> Early 08 >> Early 09*)
*Early 09 upgrade may not happen for awhile... Just got the machine today!

Besides those Macs, I also had my Late 2011 13in MBP and my G5. I also got a few PCs as well over the year;
(in order)
1. Dell OptiPlex 360
2. Dell Latitude E6410
3. Dell OptiPlex 380
4. Dell Dimension 4100
5. IBM ThinkPad T43

Besides those PCs, I also had my HP Pavilion 500-c60, Dell Dimension XPS T500, Dell Latitude LM, and Dell Dimension 4700.

Overall, its been a great year, and if I told myself a year ago that I would have 28 computers a year later, I would have laughed. Who knows what this year ahead holds, but hopefully its going to be a good one.

Thanks to this awesome community! Couldn't have gotten here without you guys and gals.

Special shoutout/thanks to: @bunnspecial, @Altemose, @128keaton, @LightBulbFun, @eyoungren, @iModFrenzy, @MacCubed, @tevion5, @keremtezcan, @comda, @CYB3RBYTE, @gavinstubbs09, and @Surrat. You guys have become such great friends of mine and have assisted me on countless occasions and I really appreciate it!

PS: you can read about my antics and lack of knowledge in my first ever thread here about getting my G5 and other free macs: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/getting-free-apple-products.1806749/ . Interestingly enough, @eyoungren was the first to have responded to me, lol.

 

[eyoungren]

My PowerPC count is quite low. My problem is that there are exactly two PowerPC Mac models I like. The 17" PowerBook and the PowerMac G4 Quicksilver. Both of which I already have. I do have a few others, but they were either given to me or purchased for other members of the family.

I tend not to seek out new Macs for that reason, but also because of space and an inability to create a 'purpose' for a Mac of the same type.

I can justify hauling around an iPhone, an iPad, a PowerBook and an MBP. Ultimately, not that I really NEED a purpose for a new PowerPC Mac, but it helps to justify the space it takes up.

If I were single it'd probably be much less of an issue.

Glad you've picked up a few yourself though.

 

[three]

What a fantastic collection! I've been dying to pick up more and more PowerPC machines, as they're just so special in their own way, but as @eyoungren stated above, I don't have the space and I just don't have any specific purpose for any of these machines. The "file server / jukebox" reason only works for so long for me. I've got my two iMac G3s, two iMac G4s, eMac, and my PowerBook 12" and a G4 Mini and rarely use them. I just wish that I had a good reason to utilize my current PowerPC Mac collection, but my main PC / Hackintosh just performs any task without any sweat and worrying on my part.

I wish you luck with your continual collection!

 

[Gamer9430]

In response to @three and @eyoungren, even though I have all of these macs, I do try to find a specific purpose to them. I agree with @three on the whole file server/jukebox thing, I've done that with several of my machines and the effect has worn off. That includes my MDD, 700MHz eMac, and Mini G4. I'm currently trying to find a good use for my PDQ by hacking tiger onto it. I also struggle to find good uses for the beige-boxes... Other than those mentioned machines, I regularly use the PowerBooks, the G5, and the 1.25GHz eMac for random tasks. Usually my go-to laptop for sitting on the couch has been either the 15 or 17, depending on what size I'm in the mood to use. The 12in has been struggling to work, but I'm also in the process of fixing it. It's a size for portability and i can't stand just letting it collect dust, so because I wasn't using the Mini, I'm pulling it and using it's HDD.

 

[iModFrenzy]

My PowerPC count is pretty low, but I can't really place desktops around my house so its why I go with just laptops.

iBook G3-500mhz OS 9 (What I am typing from right now )
PowerBook 1.25ghz OS X Tiger
PowerBook 540- 68k (Needs repairs, just lazy.)

For x86:
Thinkpad T60(best score)
Macbook Core Duo Black(don't ask, horrible failure)
Macbook 2,1 Black(main)

The only desktop I picked up was a Lenovo Thinkcentre(gutted it and put in a Athlon II X2 4GB & Radeon 5670 GDDR5 512mb), I am getting rid of the Thinkcentre tho for an iPhone 5S(iMessage is a huge loss on android).I also picked up a iMac 2006 GMA 950 C2D, don't have a desk yet so it just sits on the floor .

 

[Dannyshing27]

Nice collections

Myself I am trying to reduce my number but its a nightmare trying to get rid of things

My collection consists of

1. Macintosh Plus
2. Macintosh Classic
3. Macintosh Classic 2
4. Powerbook duo with duo dock
5. Macintosh 6100
6. Macintosh 7100
7. Powerbook 1400cs
8. Powerbook G3 "Kanga"
9. Powerbook G3 Lombard
10. Powerbook G5 wallstreet (broken)
11. G3 minitower
12. G3 iMac DV
13. G4 iMac 800mhz 20"
14. G4 Sawtooth AGP
15. G4 Quicksilver
16. G4 cube (broken cd drive)
17. G4 Mac Mini 1.5ghz
18. G4 MDD dual 1.5ghz (overclocked)
19. iBook G4 933mhz
20. Powerbook G4 400mhz (broken, my own fault!)
21. Powerbook G4 667mhz
22. 15" Powerbook G4 1.67
23. 15" Powerbook G4 1.5 (broken)
24. 17" Powerbook G4 1ghz (broken)
25. Powermac G5 dual 2.5
26. Powermac G5 dual 2.0 PCIe
27. G5 iMac 1.6
28. Mac Mini 1,1 (upgraded processor) (broken, needs HDD temp sensor)
29. Macbook white 2006
30. Macbook white 2007
31. Mac mini 2009
32. Mac pro 2008
33. Macbook Air original 2008
34. Mac mini server 2011 model
35. 15" Macbook pro early 2011 i7
36. 13" Macbook pro 2012
37. 15" Macbook pro retina mid 2015
38. 5k retina iMac 2014 i7

A number of windows computers but no more than about 3

Getting rid of them is like choosing which limb you can live without!

 

[bunnspecial]

I started counting Macs last night and was somewhat frightened at the number.

With that said, I now have an(easily reachable) challenge to top 100.

 

[Dannyshing27]

Its the endless obsession with seeing how well you can make old technology run or tinkering with computer parts that drives me on.

 

[iModFrenzy]

I am trying to reduce my number but its a nightmare trying to get rid of things

Getting rid of them is like choosing which limb you can live without!

I wouldn't mind helping you reduce (PM Me)

I agree with that though.

 

[Gamer9430]

Nice collections

Myself I am trying to reduce my number but its a nightmare trying to get rid of things

My collection consists of

1. Macintosh Plus
2. Macintosh Classic
3. Macintosh Classic 2
4. Powerbook duo with duo dock
5. Macintosh 6100
6. Macintosh 7100
7. Powerbook 1400cs
8. Powerbook G3 "Kanga"
9. Powerbook G3 Lombard
10. Powerbook G5 wallstreet (broken)
11. G3 minitower
12. G3 iMac DV
13. G4 iMac 800mhz 20"
14. G4 Sawtooth AGP
15. G4 Quicksilver
16. G4 cube (broken cd drive)
17. G4 Mac Mini 1.5ghz
18. G4 MDD dual 1.5ghz (overclocked)
19. iBook G4 933mhz
20. Powerbook G4 400mhz (broken, my own fault!)
21. Powerbook G4 667mhz
22. 15" Powerbook G4 1.67
23. 15" Powerbook G4 1.5 (broken)
24. 17" Powerbook G4 1ghz (broken)
25. Powermac G5 dual 2.5
26. Powermac G5 dual 2.0 PCIe
27. G5 iMac 1.6
28. Mac Mini 1,1 (upgraded processor) (broken, needs HDD temp sensor)
29. Macbook white 2006
30. Macbook white 2007
31. Mac mini 2009
32. Mac pro 2008
33. Macbook Air original 2008
34. Mac mini server 2011 model
35. 15" Macbook pro early 2011 i7
36. 13" Macbook pro 2012
37. 15" Macbook pro retina mid 2015
38. 5k retina iMac 2014 i7

A number of windows computers but no more than about 3

Getting rid of them is like choosing which limb you can live without!

I'd be able to assist as well, let me know!

 

[iModFrenzy]

I'd be able to assist as well, let me know!

And... award goes to Gamer9430 for longest quote of the year haha

 

[Jessica Lares]

That's a lot of computers there!

There was a time at our old house where you'd walk into a room and see a huge CRT just sitting on a bed. There were a lot of times where my dad used to setup computers on the carpet. A few years after we moved into our new house, you'd open a closet and find an AIO. Now we just have ThinkPads under beds and in closets.

And of course I have my PowerPCs, one in a closet, one on the side of the bed, one under my desk, and then an iBook and beige desktop are just sitting on their sides with jealousy that a Newton MessagePad is getting all the attention right now.

I also am very fond of certain models, and I just happen to have all those classic Macs except the first Macintoshes which at this point, I would get a look of disapproval from my parents. It's nothing like having a shelf of music and books (which I don't have physical storage space for either).

 

[eyoungren]

My wife is understanding. I think possibly more than most. It's the reason I have been allowed about ten percent of the living room for a Mac using six monitors.

But there is a point, and as long as I cannot even tenuously justify a reason for having another computer, I reached that point a few years ago.

 

[Dannyshing27]

My wife is understanding. I think possibly more than most. It's the reason I have about ten percent of the living room with a Mac using six monitors.

But there is a point, and as long as I cannot even tenuously justify a reason for having another computer I reached that point a few years ago.

I can't agree more, I have reached the point that the thought of another computer makes me feel ill

Fortunately I am in a similar situation my girlfriend is very understanding and as long as I keep the "retro" side of my collecting to my study and converted loft I am ok.

That mac and six monitors must be an impressive sight

 

[eyoungren]

That mac and six monitors must be an impressive sight

Well, it is to me. To some others (such as my wife) - not so much, LOL!

There's a link to it in my signature, but I never miss an opportunity, so…

Ignore the Android tab. It's been traded in for an iPad Air 2.

 

[Dannyshing27]

very impressive, how is the heat with that many on?

 

[iModFrenzy]

Man, I'd love to get my hands on this CRT. John Carmack used it in 1995.

 

[flyrod]

That's a pretty good collection. Which ones do you use most often?

 

[eyoungren]

very impressive, how is the heat with that many on?

It's managed…I'll say that.

I spent a lot of time over the last year and a half or so and only very recently have managed to nail it down.

First off, it's got a Sonnet 1.2Ghz processor, so that combined with three video cards, one of which is a higher end card (Radeon 9800 Pro) produce quite a bit of heat - more than enough to overwhelm the stock cooling.

The inside has been almost entirely gutted. I don't use IDE drives (I have a SATA card) so I pulled up the bottom plates. I knocked a hole in the bottom for a 120mm fan and both the case fan and the PSU fan have been replaced with faster CFM model fans.

I have a 80mm fan pulling in air from the front (the blue LED you see where the speaker should be), the stock intake fan in the rear and another 120mm fan I have sitting on top of the hard drives.

The main hard drive is sitting right on top of the 120mm fan I put in on the bottom. I stumbled into this one blind. It's acting as a big drive cooler for the main drive (the air draws out) and because the drive is sitting on top of it, the case fan is now back to it's normal efficiency. The fan in the front draws air over the top of the drives.

That 120mm fan sitting on the drives I mentioned is actually there to blast as much air as I can get on the 9800 Pro video card. In all my tinkering I've managed to kill the part of the card that provides power to the fan that's supposed to cool it. So, I used a big heat sink and this fan keeps things tolerable.

All of this works out to an average of 108º for my primary drive and 100º for my secondary drive under normal conditions. With the monitors off the drives are around 104º and 95º respectively. Under load I can see 111º and 104º respectively.

Considering that at various points in this process my drive temps were as hot as 120º+ I consider this to be very, very good. It's roughly equivalent to the temps my unmodified MacPro at work is getting (for drives).

Drive temp is all I have to go by as there are no other temp sensors in the system.

Here's the final layout.

PS, @Gamer9430, sorry to hijack your thread!

 

[Gamer9430]

PS, @Gamer9430, sorry to hijack your thread!

Not an issue!

 

[Dannyshing27]

Seems like it has been given a lot of thought and consideration

Have you considered using the SATA card to convert to eSATA using the blank PCI plate? Hence making your data points external or are you concerned with the aesthetics of having bulky external drives hanging around and the additional power packs for eSATA enclosures?

Either way its one hell of an upgraded computer

 

[eyoungren]

Seems like it has been given a lot of thought and consideration

Have you considered using the SATA card to convert to eSATA using the blank PCI plate? Hence making your data points external or are you concerned with the aesthetics of having bulky external drives hanging around and the additional power packs for eSATA enclosures?

Either way its one hell of an upgraded computer

LOL, sorry. No, not a lot of thought into it, other than what I wanted to do to it. Figuring out the heat issue was a matter of trial and error which ended up breaking a few parts.

I'm still not happy with the internal arrangement. Compared to some other upgrades I've seen (@harrymatic and others on the web) my Mac hardly looks clean inside. I'd like to get that polished up at some point.

But I did always intend this QS to be my testbed for ideas and most of them have worked out.

It came with a Sonnet upgrade, but I am always on the hunt for a faster upgrade if I can find one. I had a dual at one point but it didn't behave well. I passed the problem on to bunnspecial and he's managed to get it stable, but only because he's done a few things to it that I wasn't able to do.

As far as external stuff, no. I'd like to keep it inside. My next idea though is switching to laptop drives or SSDs. But when/if I do that I want the same capacity I have right now at minimum. And that's two 1TB hard drives. So…that's going to be expensive.