PowerMac 6500

[ifrit05]

Did you look at my link I posted? The first card on this site should work for OS9.
http://stn2.headgap.com/resale/FMPr...ield=SortID&-Max=40&category=networking&-find

 

[Ih8reno]

Tried d it out and the "checkout" link is broken, bad sign.

 

[ifrit05]

Oops, sorry. As long as you get a network card that is based on the Realtek 8139 chipset you can get drivers from Realtek's website here under "Others" (MacOS 9.0, 9.1):
http://www.realtek.com.tw/Downloads...d=6&Level=5&Conn=4&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

 

[Ih8reno]

I'll see if I can find another one. Funny thing is I tried my old PC after digging it out and man, the ppc as old as it was seemed much quicker to open and use applications.

 

[ifrit05]

For sure! The PowerPC architecture was way ahead for it's time. You gotta remember that Apple's PowerPC implementations were based on server/workstation/mainframe CPU's so they beat out any comparable intel/AMD CPU at the time.

The G4 was officially considered a supercomputer when it was released!
Plus the G5's were the first mainstream consumer 64-bit CPU on the market!

 

[eyoungren]

For sure! The PowerPC architecture was way ahead for it's time. You gotta remember that Apple's PowerPC implementations were based on server/workstation/mainframe CPU's so they beat out any comparable intel/AMD CPU at the time.

The G4 was officially considered a supercomputer when it was released!
Plus the G5's were the first mainstream consumer 64-bit CPU on the market!

My Mac IIci was the first 32bit clean Mac II and was expandable to 128mb, which is all the 6500 is capable of.

Back in 1989 the IIci and 128mb of ram with a 40MB HD was running about $10,000.

If my 1989 IIci is still borderline relevant, that should tell you something about the later G4s and G5s.

 

[jrsx]

And now the world just sees them as useless pieces of junk, and Apple, they've all but forgotten about the PowerPC architecture, the greatest computer architecture ever produced.

 

[ifrit05]

My Mac IIci was the first 32bit clean Mac II and was expandable to 128mb, which is all the 6500 is capable of.

Back in 1989 the IIci and 128mb of ram with a 40MB HD was running about $10,000.

Yeah that was hi-end computing back then for sure.

And now the world just sees them as useless pieces of junk, and Apple, they've all but forgotten about the PowerPC architecture, the greatest computer architecture ever produced.

Thankfully we all know better.

 

[jrsx]

Thankfully we all know better.

Yeah at least we know where it's at....

 

[tevion5]

Gotta agree there, these "vintage" Macs are being harder to find these days, especially for bargains like that one. Glad you picked it up, and seem to be enjoying it.

I didn't know these were rare at all. Out of curiosity, would you think my PM 8600/250 will get rare anytime soon?

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Yeah that was hi-end computing back then for sure.



Thankfully we all know better.

Aside from being slower and hotter than contemporary intel chips since the early 2000's?
I love PPC too, but think I need an intel machine to do real work today!

 

[ifrit05]

Aside from being slower and hotter than contemporary intel chips since the early 2000's?
I love PPC too, but think I need an intel machine to do real work today!

In 1989, 128MB if RAM was comparable to our 4GB now.
And the Apple IIci was a 68030 CPU based machine (not PPC)...

Plus the G3 and G4 CPU's were BOTH faster than PII's and PIII's when they were released. Remember, CPU's are not only judged by how much Hz they pump out.

Plus, the G4 was OFFICIALLY considered a SUPER COMPUTER when it was released. Try building a super computer with a PIII.

 

[eyoungren]

I love PPC too, but think I need an intel machine to do real work today!

Do I do real work?

I put out two newspapers a week, two monthlys and two quarterlies. Ad design, composition, legals, classifieds, photo processing and page layout.

PowerMac G4/450 AGP with 1.75GB ram, 100GB HD running 10.5.8, Adobe CS 4, Acrobat 9 Pro with PitStop Pro and Quite A Box of Tricks, QuarkXPress 8 and Office 2008.

PowerMac G5 1.8Ghz (single processors) 4GB ram on 10.5.8, running the same apps.

We get the job done and have done so for the last nine years. And that G4 has been here longer than I have. We also have a G4/350 PCI serving as an Applescript server.

So. Do I do real work putting out these papers that subscribers and customers pay my boss real money for every week?

 

[tevion5]

In 1989, 128MB if RAM was comparable to our 4GB now.
And the Apple IIci was a 68030 CPU based machine (not PPC)...

Plus the G3 and G4 CPU's were BOTH faster than PII's and PIII's when they were released. Remember, CPU's are not only judged by how much Hz they pump out.

Plus, the G4 was OFFICIALLY considered a SUPER COMPUTER when it was released. Try building a super computer with a PIII.

Oh no denying they were the king at one point! But IBM just ended up being surpassed by intel by quite a considerable margin. Switching processor architecture was definitely an absolutely needed move.

 

[Intell]

I didn't know these were rare at all. Out of curiosity, would you think my PM 8600/250 will get rare anytime soon?

I don't think the 8600 is an uncommon machine. I know of at least five in my general location with two still being used for work.

 

[tevion5]

Do I do real work?

I put out two newspapers a week, two monthlys and two quarterlies. Ad design, composition, legals, classifieds, photo processing and page layout.

PowerMac G4/450 AGP with 1.75GB ram, 100GB HD running 10.5.8, Adobe CS 4, Acrobat 9 Pro with PitStop Pro and Quite A Box of Tricks, QuarkXPress 8 and Office 2008.

PowerMac G5 1.8Ghz (single processors) 4GB ram on 10.5.8, running the same apps.

We get the job done and have done so for the last nine years. And that G4 has been here longer than I have. We also have a G4/350 PCI serving as an Applescript server.

So. Do I do real work putting out these papers that subscribers and customers pay my boss real money for every week?

Alright, I see you do. But surely wouldn't the job be a lot faster and easier on most modern machines? I am understand budget constraints, but otherwise I would upgrade hastily and put that lovely G4 on display.

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I don't think the 8600 is an uncommon machine. I know of at least five in my general location with two still being used for work.

Oh well. I picked mine up for €20 fully working with os 9 as I needed it to write 800k disks for my 512Ke. Just a tool, not a display piece for me anyway.

 

[eyoungren]

Alright, I see you do. But surely wouldn't the job be a lot faster and easier on most modern machines? I am understand budget constraints, but otherwise I would upgrade hastily and put that lovely G4 on display.

If I had control of the money there are a lot of things that would be different. Unfortunately, I do not. But fortunately for me the Macs handle it. And it's done on time or early, which is all that matters.

I will be honest however, and say that the G4 AGP is now indeed relegated to supplemental jobs and doing it with 256mb on Leopard. I use an Intel Mac now and my co-worker uses the G5. But we only have the Intel because the G5 fried it's logicboard earlier this year and my boss HAD to replace it. He gave me the G5 and I promptly replaced the logicboard.

The G5 is back (on loan) so my coworker has a faster Mac to use.

I gave you the example I did without this information because that's the way we've worked for the last nine years, as an example, and the Intel Mac is less than a year old.

Now, certainly, if we were in the video business, there's no way this would work. Well, it could, but we'd not be meeting any deadlines at all.

BTW, the Intel Mac is a 2.8Ghz Quad Core Xeon. But it has 3GB of ram, 1GB less than the G5 has!

Personally, I'd much rather have the G5 back. It's faster (yeah it is, SMH) and more stable under Leopard than this Intel MacPro has been under Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

 

[840quadra]

I really like my 6500. I think the only Apple computer series with a built in subwoofer. Not the greatest, but at low to medium volume, produces much better sound than expected.

 

[eyoungren]

I really like my 6500. I think the only Apple computer series with a built in subwoofer. Not the greatest, but at low to medium volume, produces much better sound than expected.

The 6500 is a really good Mac. It's the first one I ever directly purchased and it's got IDE and PCI slots. A USB PCI card and a larger HD means the Mac is still relevant.

And plug it into a sound system and you get excellent audio. For most stuff to do with OS9, this Mac just rocks.

 

[tevion5]

I really like my 6500. I think the only Apple computer series with a built in subwoofer. Not the greatest, but at low to medium volume, produces much better sound than expected.

Actually I noticed the speaker in my 8600 is WAY better than the one in my G5, iMac or 2010 Mac Pro? :/

 

[eyoungren]

Actually I noticed the speaker in my 8600 is WAY better than the one in my G5, iMac or 2010 Mac Pro? :/

When I first booted the MacPro here at work I was seriously disappointed. The boot chime sounded like it was coming out of a tin can.

It does the job, but this thing has zero character!

 

[840quadra]

Actually I noticed the speaker in my 8600 is WAY better than the one in my G5, iMac or 2010 Mac Pro? :/

I haven't personally owned one of those yet, but I would imagine it would be far better than those! An other speaker that surprised me was the internal unit on my Quicksilver. Way more punch than I expected, I have actually used it for more casual music listening than I ever expected.

My favorite apple speakers to this day, are a tie between the HK built imac external speakers (apple Pro Speakers), and the speakers in my Applevision 1710av. I would still be using my 1710av daily if the display itself wasn't dead / dying. I actually run a set of the Apple Pro speakers at work, connected up to a small lepai amp.

 

[eyoungren]

An other speaker that surprised me was the internal unit on my Quicksilver. Way more punch than I expected, I have actually used it for more casual music listening than I ever expected.

That is because that speaker on the front of your QS is a Harmon Kardon speaker. It's the exact same one that's used in the Apple Pro speakers.

The way they designed the front of the QS Macs around that HK speaker is one of the reasons that I consider them to be the best looking G4s Apple made. Just my opinion.

I was REAL happy when I got a hold of my current QS a month back.

 

[840quadra]

That is because that speaker on the front of your QS is a Harmon Kardon speaker. It's the exact same one that's used in the Apple Pro speakers.

The way they designed the front of the QS Macs around that HK speaker is one of the reasons that I consider them to be the best looking G4s Apple made. Just my opinion.

I was REAL happy when I got a hold of my current QS a month back.

Mine is somewhat of a mutt. I sourced many apple spare parts years back from a Reseller. My quicksilver case was new, as well as the digital audio logic board inside it. It's a dual 533 digital audio inside a quicksilver case. And to this day, is the source of my home audio, and AirTunes.

The hk sourcing for the quicksilver driver makes sense.

 

[eyoungren]

Mine is somewhat of a mutt. I sourced many apple spare parts years back from a Reseller. My quicksilver case was new, as well as the digital audio logic board inside it. It's a dual 533 digital audio inside a quicksilver case. And to this day, is the source of my home audio, and AirTunes.

The hk sourcing for the quicksilver driver makes sense.

Yeah, it's my understanding that only the iMac G4s (lampshade versions) and the Quicksilvers have the Apple mini plug port for the Apple Pro speakers. I am fortunate that part of the transaction for my QS included a set of Apple Pro speakers. So, not only do I have the one in the QS itself, I have the two HK globes on my table hooked up to the QS. Nice sound.

 

[840quadra]

Yeah, it's my understanding that only the iMac G4s (lampshade versions) and the Quicksilvers have the Apple mini plug port for the Apple Pro speakers. I am fortunate that part of the transaction for my QS included a set of Apple Pro speakers. So, not only do I have the one in the QS itself, I have the two HK globes on my table hooked up to the QS. Nice sound.

The Digital Audio was the first G4 tower with that plug actually. So the pro speakers worked fine with my system, however I hacked the plug to it, and direct wired the speakers to a desktop audio amp I had sitting around. Actually produces better sound than the G4 internal amp was capable of.