rankins@argentina.crd.ge.com (raymond r rankins) (11/03/90)
A friend of mine is looking into buying a used Mac. What makes it confusing is the number of old Mac models available. I was hoping that someone could help explain to me the differences in the various Mac models. What we'd like to know is what ports each has, how much memory, expandability, upgradeability, SCSI port or not, type of internal disk, major differences between models, etc. We're also interested in what the current prices for each of the used models are (at least ballpark prices). As far as we understand it, the lineage is as follows: Mac Mac 512 Mac 512E Mac Plus Mac SE Mac SE/30 Mac II If there are any models we missed, please fill them in as well. Thanks in advance for your help. Ray Ray Rankins |(518) 387-7174 | INTERNET: rankins@argentina.crd.ge.com 2 Moonglow Rd. |(518) 583-3320 | COMPUSERVE: 71131,3236 Gansevoort, NY 12831 | | AmericaOnline: RayRankins <insert standard disclaimer here> | GEnie: R.Rankins
edgar@function.mps.ohio-state.edu (Gerald Edgar) (11/03/90)
> What we'd like to know is what ports each has, how much >memory, expandability, upgradeability, SCSI port or not, type of >internal disk, major differences between models, etc. See the table on page 172 of the current (December) issue of Mac World. -- Gerald A. Edgar Department of Mathematics Bitnet: EDGAR@OHSTPY The Ohio State University Internet: edgar@mps.ohio-state.edu Columbus, OH 43210 ...!{att,pyramid}!osu-cis!shape.mps.ohio-state.edu!edgar
stanfiel@testeng1.misemi (Chris Stanfield) (11/06/90)
In article <13362@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> rankins@argentina.crd.ge.com (raymond r rankins) writes: As far as we understand it, the lineage >is as follows: > Mac - 128k mem, can be upgraded to 512 or 512E (probably not worth it) 2 serial ports, 1 400k internal floppy, 1 400k external floppy port. Price <$200 Mac 512 - 512k, otherwise as 128, can be upgraded to E (~$300) Price <$250 Mac 512E - 512k, 128k ROM set. As 128 and 512, except that there are upgrades available which allow the addition of a SCSI port and more. RAM (up to 4Mb - cost approx. $300 plus RAM) Price <$300 Mac Plus - 1Mb, SCSI port, can be upgraded to 4Mb by changint the supplied 256k simms for 1Mb simms. Price $<500 Mac SE - like the Plus, but comes with two internal floppies or 1 floppy and 1 hard drive (usually 20M, occasionaly 40M) Same memory, and also has one expansion slot. Price <$1500 Mac SE/30 - All the above use the 68000 processor, but this baby uses the 68030. Usually supplied with one floppy and a hard drive (40M), and has one expansion slot. I believe this one will take up tp 5M of memory, not just 4M (?) Price $2000 to $3000, maybe more. Mac II - You can get anything you want, depending on which model you choose, but the prices start a LOT higher. In particular, these machines have multiple expansion slots (number depends on machine) Price $4000 and up. Depending on your budget, the cheapest solution might be to get a used Plus with 2.5 or 4M of memory, unless you can get a very cheap 512E and can do the upgrade yourself. (The latter is fairly easy). If you have the money, the MacII is the best machine, as it supports colour, has expansion slots and is fast. If you want the small Mac but need the speed, then get a MacSE30, or get a 68030 upgrade board for a 512E ($1500) if you can get a chep enough 512E. One final thing - the keyboards are better with the later machines, with the SE and up coming with ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) keyboards and mice. This bus allows the addiotion of certain peripherals, such as trackballs and scanners. I'm sure some others will correct any errors in the above, and add their 2 cents worth, especially on my pricing, at least I hope so! Good luck, and remember - there are plenty of bargains out there if you look around. Chris Stanfield, Mitel Corporation: E-mail to:- uunet!mitel!testeng1!stanfiel (613) 592 2122 Ext.4960 We do not inherit the world from our parents - we borrow it from our children.
blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) (11/06/90)
stanfiel@testeng1.misemi (Chris Stanfield) writes: >In article <13362@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> rankins@argentina.crd.ge.com (raymond r rankins) writes: >As far as we understand it, the lineage >>is as follows: >Mac SE/30 - All the above use the 68000 processor, but this baby uses >the 68030. Usually supplied with one floppy and a hard drive (40M), >and has one expansion slot. I believe this one will take up tp 5M of >memory, not just 4M (?) Price $2000 to $3000, maybe more. The SE/30 will take up to 32Mb with 4M SIMMs. Even with 1M SIMMs, it will take 8Mb. See Tech Note 176 for memory configurations of all Macintoshes from the Plus onwards (no, I don't know when the tech note will be updated for the 3 new machines; I expect it will be in the next batch of release notes.) --Brian Bechtel blob@apple.com "My opinion, not Apple's"
rsholmes@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Rich Holmes) (11/06/90)
In article <13362@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> rankins@argentina.crd.ge.com (raymond r rankins) writes: >A friend of mine is looking into buying a used Mac. What makes it >confusing is the number of old Mac models available. I was hoping Check out the latest issue of MacUser: it won't answer all your questions, but it does have a chart of all the Mac models ever made along with their chief features. (They did leave out the Mac XL though... :-) ) For information on the Macs currently in production, head on down to your Apple dealer; they've got a color pamphlet (16 pages or so) with all the details. My 20 millibucks: if you've got $1000 or more, you can buy one of the three new models and get more bang for the buck than you're likely to get on the used market. If you've got less than $1000, get a used Plus or SE. Don't bother with anything less, unless it's SO cheap you can afford to also get one of the third-party upgrades. (The Classic sells for under $1000, but don't forget you'll need software and will probably want a printer. Unless you steal both, they'll cost a few hundred). -- - Rich Holmes rich@suhep.bitnet Syracuse U. Physics Dept. rich@suhep.phy.syr.edu or if you must: rsholmes@rodan.acs.syr.edu
jfr@locus.com (Jon Rosen) (11/07/90)
In article <5179@testeng1.misemi> stanfiel@testeng1.UUCP () writes: >Mac - 128k mem, can be upgraded to 512 or 512E (probably not worth it) 2 >serial ports, 1 400k internal floppy, 1 400k external floppy port. >Price <$200 Probably more like <$100-150 >Mac 512E - 512k, 128k ROM set. As 128 and 512, except that there are >upgrades available which allow the addition of a SCSI port and more. >RAM (up to 4Mb - cost approx. $300 plus RAM) Price <$300 Probably more like <$250 >Mac Plus - 1Mb, SCSI port, can be upgraded to 4Mb by changint the >supplied 256k simms for 1Mb simms. Price $<500 Probably more like <$400 , <$500 with 2.5M or 4M of memory >Mac SE - like the Plus, but comes with two internal floppies or 1 >floppy and 1 hard drive (usually 20M, occasionaly 40M) Same memory, >and also has one expansion slot. Price <$1500 WHOA!!! With a brand new CLASSIC selling at $1500 with a 40M hard drive, WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD SOMEONE SPEND $1500 ON A USED SE???? The only things you get for your money are a slot (probably not needed by most people ) and everything else that is old (old ROMs, old keybpoard...) Nah, I think an SE without hard drive would be <$600 and an SE with a hard drive would be <$1000 in most cases... >Mac SE/30 - All the above use the 68000 processor, but this baby uses >the 68030. Usually supplied with one floppy and a hard drive (40M), >and has one expansion slot. I believe this one will take up tp 5M of >memory, not just 4M (?) Price $2000 to $3000, maybe more. Who knows on this one? The Mac II Si is, with color monitor and 68030 about $3500 street price so this may be close... However, you still need to factor in expandability of the Si, color, etc... >Mac II - You can get anything you want, depending on which model you >choose, but the prices start a LOT higher. In particular, these >machines have multiple expansion slots (number depends on machine) >Price $4000 and up. > If you can still find a Mac Plus NEW (some stores may still have them for under $600), you may be better off with a new Mac Plus and some cheap memory upgrades... This will still get you your warranty which used machines generally don't have... Alternatively, if you can afford it, the new Classic may be a better buy then annything else... Good luck... Jon Rosen
lrm3@ellis.uchicago.edu (Lawrence Reed Miller) (11/07/90)
blob@Apple.COM (Brian Bechtel) writes: >The SE/30 will take up to 32Mb with 4M SIMMs. Even with 1M SIMMs, it >will take 8Mb. See Tech Note 176 for memory configurations of all >Macintoshes from the Plus onwards (no, I don't know when the tech note >will be updated for the 3 new machines; I expect it will be in the next >batch of release notes.) Will the current OS address 32 MB of RAM? It was my understanding that the way the system software worked currently only allowed 8 MB of RAM, which is why some 4MB SIMM vendors offer RAM disk software with their chips. Has this situation changed? The "official" word I got a couple months ago from Apple's AUX Technical support line was "Well, we dont know. We haven't tried it yet." So the hardware will let you plug in 32 MB, but can you use it??? (I hope I'm wrong on this one...) Lawrence Miller