🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <92273.1245368827268@awiwuw11.wu-wien.ac.at> 8827268@awiwuw11.wu-wien.ac.at (worm) writes:
>Dear netters|
>
>I wanted to know which accelerators (type, performance, price, compatibility, e
>tc.) are available for the Mac II.
>
>Especially I heard that the radius rocket is said to be good. How fast are the
>boards (25, 33 MHz or faster?)? Would it be possible to install the board by my
>self?

The Radius Rockets are fast, and you have the ability to effectively run
two or more Macs at once in a single box.  However, being NuBus cards,
they are inherently less compatable than a processor-direct accelerator
card like the DayStar PowerCache.  You might find that a lot of programs
which ran on your Mac II (and which even run on a Quadra) don't run with
the Rocket.  The Rocket also requires its own RAM, so you'll have to pay
extra for that.  I doubt that you'll be worried about lack of available
NuBus slots on a Mac II, but people with IIcx's and IIci's might be
tight on NuBus slots.  The PowerCache doesn't use one.

If you're not familiar with the PowerCache, it's a combination
accelerator and 32K cache card which works with the Mac II, as well as most
other Macs.  A $39 adaptor is the only thing you need to change to use
the PowerCache in a different kind of Mac, and DayStar will trade one
adaptor for another for free.  The adaptor for the Mac II fits in the
CPU and MMU sockets, and comes with a tool for removing the CPU and MMU
so you can easily insert the adaptor.

Right now you can only get 68030 accelerators up to 50mhz, but a 33mhz
'040 is due out by the end of the year and a 40mhz '040 is due out next
year.  The 68030 accelerators are available with or without an FPU (if
you get one without the FPU it will still use the one on your
motherboard), and range in price from $600 or so (for the 33mhz without
FPU) to $1500 or so (for the 50mhz with FPU).  You can upgrade at any
time for the difference in list price.  As part of a special deal, if you 
buy the 50mhz '030 with FPU before November 1 you can upgrade to the 33mhz 
'040 when it comes out for $99.  If you buy the 50mhz w/o FPU you can upgrade 
for $399.  Otherwise you just upgrade for the difference in list price (the 
33mhz '040 will list for $1999).

You can expect the 33mhz '030 PowerCache to double your Mac II's speed,
and the 50mhz '030 should triple it.  The PowerCache cards are 100%
compatible.  I haven't run across anything that won't run with it yet (I
have a 50mhz PowerCache w/o FPU in my LC II).


--
Steve Kanefsky