nCity Upgrade Ceilings

Hopelessly obsolete PowerPC and G3 Macs:: Machines reach obsolescence when port types, memory limitations and/or expansion options become outdated or exhausted. Some machines go obsolete sooner than others; "all-in-one" models and laptops lacking expansion ports go sooner than towers (which have multiple upgrade options built-in).
: A week doesn't go by without someone wandering into the shop or calling, wanting to upgrade an old PPC or G3 machine, hoping to bring it up to modern standards and go online. Even if you obtain a current Operating System, install software updates, add more RAM, a bigger hard drive and a new PRAM battery, you'll still have a slow processor and aged machine. If its power supply fails or CRT goes dead, you'll be throwing more money at it, and you'll have invested more than enough to buy a faster, newer Mac. It simply is not feasible.
: So, what to do with an old, obsolete computer? Give it away? No. You'll only put someone else through a horrible learning experience. (See "Computer Aversion Therapy" on Noids and Nerds page of Forum section.) Give it to the kids to play games on? Maybe. Some older machines, if properly equipped, might be put to use in a dedicated capacity as video security, an answering machine, or a big ol' rolodex perhaps - but my best advice is to keep or overwrite your hard drive (for security reasons) and send that obsolete old machine packing.
: Apple has a recycle program, free with the purchase of a new Mac. Or, for $30 shipping (including packing materials, if necessary), you can ship almost any old computer to a recycle center. Here in Nevada County, computers, stereos, TVs and such can be dropped off (for free) at Nevada County's transfer station on McCourtney Road. Dead iPods may also be recycled at any Apple store, plus you'll receive a 10% discount on a new iPod. For details, visit Apple's web site: http://www.apple.com/environment/recycling/
: Do I know someone who might want that old, outdated CPU, printer or peripheral? Sorry, no.

Reasonably current machines (G4s, G5s):: These may be a few years old, but if current market value is at least a few hundred bucks - and machine is in good shape - there's hope. Some of the same upgrades mentioned above may be necessary (OS, RAM, hard drive storage capacity), but at least the machine is equipped with modern ports and a relatively fast CPU. Suggested upgrades include the following:

RAM. The more, the merrier. If you use your Mac for more than simple word processing and email, consider upgrading to the machine's maximum (typically 1-to-2GB), which may require removing existing RAM modules to install larger ones (see below for more info). Adding RAM will improve machine's performance considerably.
Operating System. Many older G4s shipped with early versions of OSX (10.0-10.2). I'm surprised how many people are still running early versions of OSX (10.0 thru 10.2); an upgrade to Panther (10.3) is a vast improvement. If you have a broadband connection to the internet and sufficient RAM, we recommend upgrading to Tiger (10.4) to take advantage of Dashboard and other features.
Hard drive capacity. Many of these machines (especially notebooks) shipped with hard drives that may be filling up. If your hard drive is more than 70% full, it may be time to think about installing a larger drive, or adding a second drive.

: Some G4 Macs were quite unusual. G4 flat-panel iMacs (the white dome-shaped machines with a chrome neck), and venerable old G4 PowerMac Cubes are two examples of unique computer designs that have developed something of a cult following. These machines are worth maintaining by virtue of their design, especially the basketball-sized iMacs which are fast enough to run Tiger (10.4) and surf the 'net with impunity. The 450MHz Cube, unfortunately, shares a regrettable limitation with other G4 PowerMacs (Graphite and Quicksilver towers), namely the lack of large hard drive support. These machines will not format or recognize hard drives having a capacity over 128GB, drives which are small by today's standards, and getting hard to find. In addition, G4 PowerMacs used ADC and VGA video out ports; ADC only works with Apple displays of the same vintage.

G4 and G5 iMacs, G4 and G5 towers:: Later model G4s and all G5s shipped with Panther OS 10.3 or Tiger OS 10.4, including lots of modern software, so upgrades usually involve adding RAM (towers have four or eight slots), and/or improving hard drive storage. External FireWire drives are available, as are enormous Serial ATA drives for the second drive bay in G5 towers. Upgrades aren't cheap (as you no doubt know), but if you are considering audio or video editing, have an enormous iTunes library, or do a lot of graphics and design work, these machines are a good way to go. Upgrades are readily available, including huge hard drives, fast DVD burners, and wireless network options.
: Towers, because of their expansion capabilities, are the machine of choice for professionals who need massive storage, raw speed and processing power. The Mac Pro (with eight RAM slots and four hard drive bays) can manage up to 16GB RAM and 4TB of internal storage. iMacs are plenty powerful for most folks, too, but - as always - adding RAM can never hurt. Consult your machine's manual and System Profile to find maximum RAM capacity, number of slots, installation info and RAM specs.

G4 Notebooks (iBooks, PowerBooks):: G4 notebook machines are well worth the expense of upgrading - both RAM and hard drive capacity - although this usually means replacing the existing hard drive (as opposed to adding a second), and adding RAM may require removing a RAM board or two in order to install larger ones. Since notebook hard drives have limited storage capacity (by virtue of their compact physical size), another popular modification is to replace the optical drive with a second internal hard drive using a mounting bracket/adapter made specifically for this purpose - and go without CD/DVD capability. (Why not just add an external FireWire drive?)
: Titanium G4 PowerBooks (aka, TiBooks) were among the quickest, easiest notebooks to open, upgrade and service, but they had one serious drawback involving the display and hinges. Unlike other notebooks, the TiBook's display module was not designed to be serviced, its hinges were delicate, and a broken hinge meant replacing the entire display. The first thing to look at on a TiBook are always the hinges; if a TiBook has been handled with care (or its hinges have been replaced), it is still worth maintaining and upgrading, especially if it has an 867MHz processor or later.

Intel Macs:: All new Macs use Intel processors nowadays, a fact that creates mixed emotions among longtime Mac fans. Among other things, some Intel-powered Macs require RAM to be installed in matching pairs (a throwback to the SE/30 days), and some Intel-powered Macs actually share installed RAM between CPU and video. Having to install RAM in pairs can make upgrades expensive, and sharing that RAM with video can make it absolutely necessary; a double-whammy in some cases. If buying a new Mac, consider adding RAM.

What is it, and why do I need more?: Adding RAM (Random Access Memory) is probably the most cost effective and significant upgrade step you can take, even for a brand-new computer. Ram is where everything takes place; when you startup your Mac, its Operating System loads into RAM. When you launch an application program, it also loads into RAM. RAM is where creation and editing take place; your work is only written to disk (hard drive) when you save it (in most cases - some applications save automatically). In the meantime, most everything you do or change takes place in RAM (which is why it's important to save your work often).
: More RAM means faster processing. It also allows you to have as many applications open simultaneously as your RAM will allow; more RAM = more applications. If you use your computer for more than simple word processing and email, you will benefit from adding RAM.

Memory (RAM) types:

RAM modules (sometimes referred to as DIMMs, Dual Inline Memory Modules) come in a variety of sizes, types and brands, with various technical specifications. RAM is extremely machine-specific; sometimes a RAM module can be moved from Mac to Mac within a machine "family" (i.e. same processor and bus specs), but this is rare. Modules are keyed to fit matching RAM slots.

Research your machine's requirements, found in your User Manual, by checking your System Profile, or by researching machine's model number (usually MxxxxLL/A). Buy memory from reputable vendors; bad RAM can bring down the entire system, prevent startup, and cause all sorts of nonsense (usually cured by removal). Or, we'll do the research and installation for you.

Notebook, iMac and G5 memory.
What happens if I run out of RAM?: Back in the day (as they say) when applications were thoughtfully written and carefully beta-tested prior to release, they might have had a subroutine that would periodically check RAM remaining and warn you to save your work before running out of memory. Now-a-days, the program will likely freeze, quit without warning or simply stop responding to input. 'Course, back then, a freeze brought down the entire machine and you'd have to reboot. Now, only the active application goes down (so we've made some progress, eh?). Either way, you lose everything you've done since the last save.
: If you experience frequent freezing and apps that unexpectedly quit, you probably need to add more RAM - especially if the freezing problem affects more than one application. Your Operating System requires a fair amount all by itself; 256MB is recommended for Panther (officially 128MB will do), 512MB for Tiger.

Deciding how much RAM to add:: So-called "power users" - designers, videographers, programmers, etc. - will probably have 2GB or more in their Macs. (PowerMacs can have up to 8GB, but that gets rather expensive.) For most people, it's a decision involving the number of slots available, the amount of RAM already installed, and a budget-versus-need decision. Consult your System Profile (Apple menu -> About this Mac -> More Info button -> memory) and see how much you have installed and how many slots your Mac has. If you have an empty slot, consider stuffing at least 512MB into it. If all slots are filled (sometimes there's only two), you'll have to remove the smallest DIMM and replace it with a larger one.
: Consider the type of work you do - how many apps you're likely to have open at once, and what kind/size files you deal with - then add as much RAM as you can afford. If you like, we'll be happy to discuss options with you.

Storage (hard drive) upgrades:: With ever increasing System and software file size, storage capacity can be a concern. It is important to remember that hard drives require a certain amount of free space to operate efficiently, and that drives can also become fragmented over time. It's not unusual to have an entire drive dedicated to an iTunes library, an iPhoto album, or for use with audio/video editing.
: Drive manufacturers strive to establish and maintain a reputation for dependability, and not all brands succeed; ask anyone who remembers the Jasmine drive. As with most things these days, picking a superior brand is a moving target; companies change hands and sometimes quality suffers. Apple has shipped machines with just about every brand of hard drive made over the years, and only Apple can tell you what their criteria for selecting a drive happens to be. We all have our opinions, as do I, but availability, fit, and size often trump brand name. Point is, drives are not all the same, price is not the determining factor, and It's _ALWAYS_ good to have a backup.

Drive selection:: Fit - physical size, type, electrical connections and mounting - is especially critical when replacing notebook hard drives. Full size drives used in iMacs and PowerMacs are much more standardized, thus there are many more options to choose from within machine's specifications. ATA (IDE) and SATA (Serial ATA) are the most common (but not interchangeable; SATA has replaced ATA drives starting with the G5). SCSI drives, the fastest read/write drive thanks to a built-in controller, are the type found running servers today, like the Xserve.

Drive configuration, format and partitions:

Once a suitable size and type of hard drive has been selected, the drive must be configured for installation, then formatted for use under the Operating System of choice. Until these steps have been completed, a new hard drive will be ignored.

Formatting includes the option to partition a drive; logical partitions appear as separate hard disks when mounted on the desktop. Partitions may be created for a variety of reasons. Organization is one; perhaps a partition dedicated to your iTunes library. (There is nothing to gain performance-wise from partitioning a drive with the boot System onboard.) A Windows partition using VirtualPC or Apple's BootCamp is another reason to partition a drive. But, for most purposes, partitioning a drive is not necessary (or recommended).

Notebook and full-size hard drives.
External hard drives:: These are usually full-size drives - identical to internal hard drives - mounted inside a case or enclosure. Enclosures are available for notebook-size hard drives as well. External drives connect to your computer via USB or FireWire; some enclosures have both types of ports.

External drive enclosures:

Pictured (right) are the bottom halves of two (empty) FireWire enclosures used here at the shop for data recovery and service purposes. Each enclosure has two FireWire ports.

Neither of these enclosures have a fan; the smaller one, for low-voltage notebook drives, doesn't really need a fan thanks to small size and low power consumption. Power is supplied thru its FireWire connection. Large enclosures for full-size drives really _should_ have a fan, especially if they are running for long periods of time. Large enclosures have their own AC power supply. Some external drives include a "one-touch" backup system.

FireWire drive enclosures.

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