PowerMac 6100
Upgrade Guide This site is a comprehensive resource for a variety of upgrades to the Apple PowerMac 6100 and related machines. Contrary to popular press and opinion, the PowerMac 6100 is a very expandable and upgradeable machine! From its humble beginnings as a "beginner's" Performa, my venerable PowerMac is now a G3-powered, multimedia authoring workhorse machine with all manner of options, input devices, peripherals and cross-platform capabilities. It took a little elbow grease and a lot of reading, but now that the leg work has been done, it's really quite easy! Here's a table of contents:
Default configuration--Describes the original hardware and software
configurations of this series |
Cache upgrades--A 30% speed increase for $15? Read on |
RAM upgrades--Calculate how much RAM you can afford, then buy a little
bit more than that. You can have up to 520 MB in your 6100! |
CPU upgrades--Increase your speed up to 16 times with a G3 or G4 processor. Affordably! |
Hard drives--Replace your exhausted HD with a multi-gigabyte drive. You may even be able to use an IDE drive! Includes detailed installation instructions. |
CD-ROM Drives--Faster CD-ROM drives, plus CD-R and CD-RW drives, too. Includes detailed installation instructions. |
Graphics upgrades--Drive big, high resolution monitors with more colors,
or add AV capabilities |
Monitors--A brief introduction to the types and sizes of monitors supported
by this machine |
Operating System--My subjective impression of what Mac OS versions and alternative operating systems work well with this machine, including Linux |
Networking--Exchange files with and talk to other types of computers,
including PCs! See the top of the page for a wireless solution, or this page for a more comprehensive view of my network. |
Windows Interoperability--How to live in a world dominated by Windows machines |
DOS cards--How to run Windows on your Mac, via a hardware compatibility card or via software emulation |
Other Resources--Other useful resources and links on the Web, including a way to search for aliens with your 6100 |
Peripherals--Notes on miscellaneous peripherals that I've attached to my 6100 |
The FAQ--Frequently Asked Questions. Some with answers! |
 Sources--A
summary of what I've got, where I bought, what I paid, etc., with some
current street prices and sources where available. Buy some of my surplus parts!! |
|
From scratch--New section!! The basics on setting up a Power Mac 6100 from scratch, including links to operating systems, utilities and applications. All free! |
Maintenance--New section!! Under construction, but here are some basic maintenance tips |
Is your Mac a member of the 6100 family? If your Mac has a four digit model number beginning with 61 then yes. Otherwise, no. Please note that the Performa 5xxx series(meaning any Performa model number that begins with a 5) and the Performa 62xx series are not related. Sorry :(
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