Help!! Upgrading G3 - OS8.6 - 350mhz - 128MB RAM.

[RSengupta]

Hi!
New to this forum. New to Mac.
I've used my Mac G3 Blue & White [G3 - OS8.6 - 350mhz - 128MB RAM] twice.
I think I'm comfortable navigating through the menus - that's it.
I want to know how much I can hope to be able to upgrade this machine with a view to possibly using it to do some multi-track audio recording.
I know that G4s are commonly used in professional recording studios but I'd like to get my feet wet with this if it is possible to upgrade.
If there is a thread that has already discussed this - please point me to it. I did look around - but found it difficult to locate anything.
I have opened this easy-open box - taken out the 128mb pci100 stick and put it back in.
I'd like to know how much processor, OS & memory it is possible to upgrade this with towards the recording goal.
If that is not possible - I'd like at least to be able to beef it up so that it can be used to play Warcraft 3 [min OS9 - 128MB - 400mhz].
After I've upgraded as much as it can be upgraded - will it be able to handle multi-track recording? Will it be worth doing - or should I just look at buying a G4 - Dual processor machine?
I'd appreciate any help and as much help as I can find.
Thanks!

 

[Mord]

i'd suggest putting in a g4 zif like this one http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=6995&Item=OWCZG4450B500

and getting a radeon 9200 like http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upg...I=#TimeFormat(Now(),+&shoupgrds=Show+Upgrades this one

and put some ram in there, it can take 4x 256MB dimms for a 1GB maximum get a least 512MB more

with all of those things done you will have a pretty fine mac, but beware of sonnet g4 upgrades they downlclock you system bus which is a very bad thing.

and get a 7200rpm HD from any pc shop the gain in speed is fairly big when doing audio stuff

if you want ultimate speed get one of these http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=6688&Item=OWCZG4500B600

 

[seamuskrat]

To begin with, I sugegst more RAM.

www.ramseeker.com, www.memorytogo.com, or www.macsales.com are good starts. Get at lesast 512 better yet, more.

That will help alot.

Next, the CPU. A G3 is ok for basics, but you can upgrade your machine nicely. You can go with a faster G3 or a faster G4. Since you want to do sound work, I suggest a G4. Again, www.macsales.com - Other World Computing can help. They have a neat feature that allows you to select your model, which you know, and then it will show all upgrades available for it. Pick the pice you want and order. They have excellent directions as well.
You can make that generation machine rather useful for a few hundred dollars and get some excellent use out of it.

Keep us posted on how you manage it.

or

Hi!
New to this forum. New to Mac.
I've used my Mac G3 Blue & White [G3 - OS8.6 - 350mhz - 128MB RAM] twice.
I think I'm comfortable navigating through the menus - that's it.
I want to know how much I can hope to be able to upgrade this machine with a view to possibly using it to do some multi-track audio recording.
I know that G4s are commonly used in professional recording studios but I'd like to get my feet wet with this if it is possible to upgrade.
If there is a thread that has already discussed this - please point me to it. I did look around - but found it difficult to locate anything.
I have opened this easy-open box - taken out the 128mb pci100 stick and put it back in.
I'd like to know how much processor, OS & memory it is possible to upgrade this with towards the recording goal.
If that is not possible - I'd like at least to be able to beef it up so that it can be used to play Warcraft 3 [min OS9 - 128MB - 400mhz].
After I've upgraded as much as it can be upgraded - will it be able to handle multi-track recording? Will it be worth doing - or should I just look at buying a G4 - Dual processor machine?
I'd appreciate any help and as much help as I can find.
Thanks!

 

[Mord]

oh and get yourself a copy of os x 10.3

 

[Horrortaxi]

Good news, it'll do it now. Of course that's on software as old as the computer. That might work out well for you.

This album was recorded using a PowerMac 9600, ProTools, Logic 5, and Recycle (among others) so there's no way you can tell me it can't be done on a G3 350.

What you might want to do at this stage is get more RAM, a bigger hard drive, and the Panther OS. You ought to be in good shape then...well, unless the software isn't available in OS X yet. I haven't checked for a while but last time I did check the big guys were still only on OS 9.

What software are you thinking about using?

 

[Duff-Man]

Duff-Man says....all the replies so far have given you some really good options for upgrading your G3, and they'll all make it run better for sure. Can you say what your budget is like for this? If you were to do all those upgrades (cpu, ram, hard drive, OS etc etc) you may be better off looking at the refurbs at Apple's online store - maybe for not too much more you can get a better G4 or even G5 that will do the job even better....oh yeah!

 

[RSengupta]

Thanks!

Thank you all so much.
I have not had time to look at the links that you put out there for me but I will do so today.
One of the thoughts I had was that it might end up being as expensive to upgrade as to buy a refurb.
Still - I am happy to know that I can get this machine humming along pretty well for what, on first appearance, seems to be not too much money.
I'll do some research and come back if I have more questions - which is likely - snc I hv nvr dn hrdwr or sftwr upgrds bfr.
I had not even thought about what software etc I would use because I didn't know how upgradeable the Mac was . . . now I'm going to have to consider things like soundcards & recording software & plugins as well . . . as my first application for the mac might be to master some of my songs.
Once again - thanks to all of you.


Robin