🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <rengel-0402972213340001@dialup132.tcs.tulane.edu>,
rengel@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu (Ronald E Engel) wrote:

  :Pagemaker            Photoshop   Freehand
  :Netscape Gold        Quark       Pagemill

  :Ny primary uses for this machine will be desktop publishing and graphic
  :design, including web page design (for my work) and surfing the net.

  :At CompUSA, the worker swore to me that the PowerMac 7500/100 was much
  :better (worth the extra $500) than the Performa 6400 even though on paper
  :it looked worse. A bystander then walked by and said that that was
  :completely wrong, that the 6400 would be better.

This is always a tough question. It's like asking "which is better, a Geo
Metro or a Chevy Suburban?" It always depends on individual needs. 

I don't recommend Performas that often, but I think the CompUSA guy was
giving you bad advice. The 7500/100, first of all, has been discontinued
for several months, replaced by the 7600/120 and 7600/132. The sales guy
has an incentive to push old inventory, which I suspect he was doing. The
7500/100 should be a clearance deal, and shouldn't cost $500 more than the
6400.

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):

- More slots. The 7500 has 3 PCI slots, vs. 2 for the 6400.

- 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.

- Video in. Video input is built onto the 7500 motherboard, and an 
  added-cost option for the 6400.

- Ethernet. Built into the 7500's motherboard, and requires an additional-cost
  card for the 6400. If you add an Ethernet card on the 6400, you won't be
  able to use the internal modem that comes with the machine.

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

- Upgradability. The 7500 has more DIMM slots for added RAM, and an upgradable 
  processor. 

- 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.

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 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).

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Andy Walton * atticus@mindspring.com * http://www.mindspring.com/~atticus