🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <atticus-ya023580000502970230350001@news.mindspring.com>,
atticus@mindspring.com (Andy Walton) wrote:

[Snip]

> I'd probably go with the 7500, because it has several advantages which it
> doesn't sound like you'll use. Off the top of my head, the 7500's
> advantages (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong):

Good guess :)
> 
> - More RAM upgradability. The 7500 has 8 DIMM slots and 16Mb on the
>   motherboard, for a total of 528MB max RAM. the 640 has 8 on the
>   motherboard and 2 slots, for a maximum of 136MB.

The 7500 doesn't have _any_ RAM on the motherboard - everything is
DIMMs.

> - SCSI. The 7500 has dual fast SCSI buses, which is important if you plan to
>   run a high-end disk array. 

I think only the internal bus is fast - and it comes with a slow drive
(which you could,
of course, replace).

> - More robust video. The 7500's motherboard video goes up to 4MB VRAM, which
>   will drive a 21" monitor at millions of colors. The 6400 only has 1MB of
>   VRAM, and will only drive a 15" monitor at thousands of colors, or a 17"
>   at 256. If you want to run Photoshop on a big monitor, you'll have to
>   buy a video card for the 6400 -- another added cost that makes the 7500
>   more attractive.

Really??  Wow, that's kind of lame.

> Even though the 6400 has twice the clock speed, it's more of a wash than it
> would seem. The 603e is a less powerful chip than the 601 (defying all
> product-naming logic), but has much, much lower power demands and heat than
> the 601. That's why it's used in PowerBooks. It's also much, much cheaper
> to make, which is why it's used in Performas.

The _603_ is a less powerful chip than the 601, but the 603e is about the same
as a 601 (or so I understand).

> The 6400, by virtue of more limited upgrade options, is likely to become
> obsolete sooner. If the 7500 sounds more attractive, check reputable
> mail-order dealers for a clearance price, or take a look at the 7200 (just
> like the 7500, but a little faster, with one SCSI bus and no video in) or
> 7600 (which is just like the 7500, only substantially faster -- it has a
> PPC 604 processor).

Yes, and you can plug in your own 604 into the 7500 for a relatively small
amonut of money.

-JM