v097pba8@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ken F Morton) (04/12/91)
I'm looking for information system components to hot-rod my GS. Specifically accelerators and Hard Drives. I think a 20 meg HD would be fine - how much do they do for? The main usage of the system would be for music sequencing (MIDI) with Passport's Master Tracks Pro GS. Would an accelerator throw off the timing? Oh yeah, what's the best stereo card out there? I don't really want sampling on the card - I like that serial interface sampler that has been talked about. Any word on that? Well, thanks for your help... Ken Morton v097pba8@ubvms.Bitnet v097pba8@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu
joseph@rutgers.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) (04/13/91)
In article <70413@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> v097pba8@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Ken F Morton) writes: > > I'm looking for information system components to hot-rod my >GS. Specifically accelerators and Hard Drives. Ken, From the Inside cover of this month's incider, it seems that ZIP has had a change of heart. I called the company and asked what happened to the older model 1500 and 1525 (the chip replacement cards with the non upgradable caches and questionable DMA compatability)? They claimed to have advertised but never produced any significant quantities of these two accelerators for the Apple IIGS. They are focusing their current efforts on selling various incarnations of the previous top-of-the-line ZIP GSX. The 7Mhz version with a small chache is on sale for only $149: a very good price. If you've got more $ to blow they have faster versions (to 10 Mhz) and cache expansion. The TransWarp GS from Applied engineering has evlolved into a solid product after a fairly rocky start, but it generally isn't available at as low a price as the ZIP. Also their support policies for Apple II users have recently changed for the worse, making them a second place choice for almost any Apple II product. For a hard disk interface board, I heartily recommend the RamFast SCSI board from CV Technologies. (513-435-5743) Several vendors in A+/Incider sell this board. It is much faster than even the High Speed Apple Board, it is elegant, easy to install and use. Software for formatting and etc is included ON A ROM ON THE BOARD. You can't lose the software for this peripheral unless you are really talented :-) This card, like the High Speed Apple SCSI card requres DMA (direct memory access) compatible memory. Call the manufacturer of your ram board or CV Tech for info on whether your ram board is compatible. You can use almost ANY Macintosh compatible imbedded SCSI hard disk drive with Apple II SCSI boards. Try getting a copy of MacWeek (macintosh industry rag) The ads in the back of that magazine list dozens of vendors with VERY good pricing. Example: 20 MB drives with 2 year warranties and 30 day money back guarantees for as little as $229, 40 MB $299, 46 MB (slower drive) $259, 60MB $329, (Relax Technologies 415-471-6112) I hope this info helps Seymour Joseph
unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) (04/13/91)
In article <Apr.12.17.10.48.1991.22098@aramis.rutgers.edu> joseph@rutgers.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) writes: >incarnations of the previous top-of-the-line ZIP GSX. The 7Mhz version with a >small chache is on sale for only $149: a very good price. If you've got more >$ to blow they have faster versions (to 10 Mhz) and cache expansion. Are the higher versions simply the same card with a higher speed CPU (and maybe faster cache RAM)? And are there empty sockets FOR The new cache RAM or can I just put in higher capacity RAM chips in the sockets that are there or what? Basically, can I upgrade the damn thing MYSELF for waaaaaay less money if I ever get one? Like going down to an electronics store (Fry's for those of you fortunate enough to live in Silicon Valley or having heard of it! heh heh), and getting more RAM for at most 1/2 the price they charge you.. -- /unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu Apple IIGS Forever! ULTIMA VI GS -mail me. CDs-mail me\ \ McIntosh Junior: The Power to Crush the Other Kids. /
scottr@gnh-applesauce.cts.com (Scott Rothstein) (04/13/91)
Forget about a 20 meg HD -- I've had a 100 meg for 9 months, and I have 55 megs filled already. Don't even STOOP below 40 megs. If possible, get a RAMfast -- they are AWESOME SCSI cards! re: accelerators. Get the Zip (I did). It blows the solder traces off the Transwarp. And it's less expensive. //////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \ Internet: scottr@gnh-applesauce.cts.com /\ I.D.F.: /\ 'tis but / / AKA: Monte \/ no retreat \/ a scratch \ \ Applesauce BBS: (212) 721-4122 /\ no surrender /\ -- M.P. / /--------------------------------------------------------------------------\ \ Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, / / -- Edgar Allan Poe \ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////////
whitewolf@gnh-starport.cts.com (Tae Song) (04/14/91)
| I'm looking for information system components to hot-rod my |GS. Specifically accelerators and Hard Drives. I think a 20 meg HD |would be fine - how much do they do for? The main usage of the system |would be for music sequencing (MIDI) with Passport's Master Tracks Pro GS. |Would an accelerator throw off the timing? Oh yeah, what's the best stereo |card out there? I don't really want sampling on the card - I like that serial |interface sampler that has been talked about. Any word on that? For accelerator, I'd go with Zip's GSX model 1800, which runs at 9Mhz. For HD I'd go with RamFAST DMA SCSI controller and HD... will you could build one, but I have heard there is a fairly inexpensive 100MB Quantum with case and PS for round $500-600. This a good deal, since you don't have to roll you own cable and stuff. Just plug and go. If you don't have a MIDI already, I would suggest AE's Audio Animator, which also has a 12-bit A/D sampler built on, and also does stereo. IF you already have MIDI then go with Sonic Blaster it has stereo and sampling. whitewolf@gnh-starport!info-apple
joseph@rutgers.rutgers.edu (Seymour Joseph) (04/16/91)
RE: upgrading your ZIP GSX yourself Why not call ZIP yourself, find out, and then let us know. I don't even own one of these babies. The phone call was toll free too. Seymour
gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn) (04/16/91)
In article <m0jRcdE-00000GC@jartel.info.com> scottr@gnh-applesauce.cts.com (Scott Rothstein) writes: >Don't even STOOP below 40 megs. I agree, especially since the original requestor said he was going to be handling sound (MIDI) data files. Sound and graphics data tend to burn up disk real estate at an alarming rate. The 44MB Syquest removable cartridge SCSI drive is very nice (it costs around $500 including one cartridge, plus about $80 per each additional 44MB cartridge). I use it primarily as a backup medium, but it is fast enough to be used as a primary disk too. The only trick is that you have to organize your files so that you can remove a set of them when you need to access another set.
JDA@CU.NIH.GOV ("Doug Ashbrook") (04/17/91)
> From the Inside cover of this month's incider, it seems that ZIP has had a > change of heart. I called the company and asked what happened to the older > model 1500 and 1525 (the chip replacement cards with the non upgradable caches > and questionable DMA compatability)? They claimed to have advertised but > never produced any significant quantities of these two accelerators for the > Apple IIGS. They are focusing their current efforts on selling various > incarnations of the previous top-of-the-line ZIP GSX. The 7Mhz version with a > small chache is on sale for only $149: a very good price. If you've got more > $ to blow they have faster versions (to 10 Mhz) and cache expansion. > > Seymour Joseph When I saw a price of $149, I decided that it was finally time for me to buy an accelerator. I called A2-Central and Programs Plus to see if they had Zip cards at the new low price. Neither did. I then found an 800 number for Zip Technology in the latest GS+ magazine (March/April 91, volume 2, number 4). I called this number numerous times yesterday, but never got an answer. Today I finally got their non-800 number and called Zip. They quoted me the following prices: 8 Mhz, 8K cache $178.95 8 Mhz, 16K cache $198.90 8 Mhz, 32K cache $228.?? 8 Mhz, 64K cache $278.25 plus $6.25 shipping and handling. This still sounded like a reasonably good price to me. For anyone who wants to call, their number (in Culver City, CA) is (213) 337-1313 and they told me that their correct 800 number is (800) 937-9737 (but I never tried this number). I have no connections with any company listed except that I have been a satisfied customer of both A2-Central and Programs Plus and hope I will be able to say the same of Zip Technology in the future. ==================================================================== J. Douglas Ashbrook (301) 402-1248 INTERNET: JDA@CU.NIH.GOV BITNET: JDA@NIHCU National Institutes of Health, Computer Center, Bethesda, MD 20892
mvk@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (Michael V. Kent) (04/17/91)
In article <9104161727.AA06654@alw.nih.gov> JDA@CU.NIH.GOV ("Doug Ashbrook") writes: >When I saw a price of $149, I decided that it was finally time for me >to buy an accelerator. I called A2-Central and Programs Plus to see >if they had Zip cards at the new low price. Neither did. I then >found an 800 number for Zip Technology in the latest GS+ magazine >(March/April 91, volume 2, number 4). I called this number numerous >times yesterday, but never got an answer. Today I finally got their >non-800 number and called Zip. They quoted me the following prices: > > 8 Mhz, 8K cache $178.95 > 8 Mhz, 16K cache $198.90 > 8 Mhz, 32K cache $228.?? > 8 Mhz, 64K cache $278.25 I talked to Digital Data Express yesterday, and they might be offering a 7 MHz (16K SRAM) for $149 until Friday, 19 April. They are also offering an upgrade to 10 MHz for $150, but a 12 MHz version seems likely in the near future for about the same price. -- Michael Kent mvk@itsgw.rpi.edu McDonnell Douglas Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute St. Louis, Missouri Troy, New York Apple II Forever!