Boxed 4400/200

[Franklinstein]

I picked this up a couple months ago but haven't finished it until now. Thanks to @jessenator I was able to get the missing hard drive carrier.

Though not commonly sold in Asia, this is a proper 4400 instead of a 7220. It is badged as a "Performa Package" computer, specifically configured as a "Private Series Graphic Model," bundled with a CS modem and a number of basic graphics programs. Unfortunately, though it's boxed, the outer box is a little tattered and the larger of the two interior boxes with the keyboard and mouse are missing, as are all software disks other than the Mac OS 8 CD. As a consolation, though, it did come with a surprise: a 240MHz L2 G3 upgrade from none other than Japan's favorite producer of Mac upgrades, Interware! Fortunately the G3 upgrade works with generic PowerLogix drivers.

I have upgraded it to 64MB RAM, a 10/100 Ethernet card, a USB/FW combo card, and an 8GB Fireball CX, all running with Mac OS 8.6.

 

[LaPorta]

I’ve never seen 4400s before...a very interesting case it has.

 

[jessenator]

proper 4400 instead of a 7220. It is badged as a "Performa Package" computer, specifically configured as a "Private Series Graphic Model," bundled with a CS modem and a number of basic graphics programs.

That's cool! Power Macintosh DEATH! So, graphics programs... did it come with MS Kids Fine Artist or KidPix ? Before I owned Photoshop I loved Aldus SuperPaint myself, but that was plainly a system 7 dinosaur. What did it come with really?

So they actually made CPU upgrades via the L2 cache slot?  That's pretty nifty. I'll have to troll Buyee for one.

a very interesting case it has. 

C  H  E  A  P

It's more metal than Vyvyan. The only plastic is that pop-out front bezel, which makes retrobriting a lot easier. Have mine prepped, but haven't stopped by Sally's yet.

The plus side is that the painted metal portion gives a nice color to match

 

[omidimo]

Boxed 4400, did not think anyone would save it, but the Japanese market is wonderful. The closest I will get to a boxed 4400 is the complete Accessory Kit. 

G3 Upgrade to boot! Is it a 4400/StarMax specific model or could it also work in 5x00/6x00/TAMs? I did consider trying one of my Crescendos in my 4400 at one point, but opted against it, as they made specific models for 4400/StarMaxes and the ones I have are the standard ones.

FireWire/USB Card came right up? No bottle-neck issues?

 

[Franklinstein]

Yeah these things didn't get a lot of love so I was surprised to find one in a box, albeit a bit abused.

It looks like the Interware L2 G3 upgrade was built specifically (and originally) for the 4400/Tanzania, but the Alchemy board is nearly the same so it likely didn't require much reworking to get it to work in the 54/64xx when Interware decided to release one for them. Unless of course the later L2 upgrade worked in both the 54/64 and 55/65 instead of one or the other; then it would've needed a lot of tweaking to support both effectively (I have no info either way).

I don't have any problems with the FW/USB combo card in this one; usually it's the Gazelle-based 55/65xx/TAM that have the bridge problems. It may help that my combo card has external power instead of PCI-supplied power, but I dunno.

According to the box, it was bundled with:

System 7.6.1 (amended to include OS 8 )

Apple Internet Starter Kit

ClarisWorks 4.0

ANGEL SOFT

Dr.SURF for Macintosh Ver2.0

Infogallery

MUSIC NAVIGATOR

NIFTY Manager

Claris HomePage

Painter 4.0

Adobe PhotoShop LE

ImagePad TWO for Macintosh

... and a few other things with too much Kanji for me to read. I assume the last three things were what made this the Graphics model.

 

[Cory5412]

So they actually made CPU upgrades via the L2 cache slot?  That's pretty nifty. I'll have to troll Buyee for one

You shouldn't have to trawl Japan's auction sites for one, these were available from US vendors for systems sold in the US, too. EveryMac has a listing: https://everymac.com/upgrade_cards/by_system/powermac_tz.html

a proper 4400 instead of a 7220. It is badged as a "Performa Package" computer

What a wild mix of things. I'd never known the 4400 to be available explicitly as a performa, so I'm surprised to see they bothered labeling this "Performa Package" like that.

Painter, Photoshop, and ImagePad (which I imagine is a Japanese domestic application) are out of the norm for a Performa bundle, at least in the US. Photoshop LE used to get bundled with things like digital cameras and scanners on a fairly regular basis, though.

 

[jessenator]

According to the box, it was bundled with:

System 7.6.1 (amended to include OS 8 )

Interesting. Must've been a slightly later release to the NA 4400 & SEA 7220, as those came with 7.5.3 I think. Amelio's promo for 7.6 came boxed, at least in 65scribe's video about it.

You shouldn't have to trawl Japan's auction sites for one, these were available from US vendors for systems sold in the US, too.

Haha, yeah, I noticed that right after I wrote that :facepalm: Looks like there was a MaxPowr that sold recently, and for not stupid money *looking at you, Sonnet Crescendo G3*

I'll keep my eyes peeled. I kinda want to buy that second "for parts" 4400 just to tinker with the motherboard: 50MHz bus boost and 240MHz clock boost. If I were to do that, I'd borrow a suction tool or something so as to not muck the board up.

Franklinstein, does the upgrade card boost the bus in any way or is it still controlled on the board elsewhere? I'm trying to recall how these boards were even organized.

 

[Franklinstein]

does the upgrade card boost the bus in any way or is it still controlled on the board elsewhere? I'm trying to recall how these boards were even organized.

Nah clock speed is still original bus dependent. Thats why i was wondering above if there existed a version that would operate in both the 4400 and/or 54/64xx (40MHz) and the 55/6500/TAM (50MHz), maybe by simply running faster in the latter than the former. The model I got in this one is the Booster 4400 240/512k, using a 233MHz 750 with a slight upclock. It's enough of a boost to be worth using but I doubt I would have bought it new, at least if i had the cache card installed. 300 or better would have been more what I would have gone for.

 

[omidimo]

300 or better would have been more what I would have gone for.

Vpower 325/1MB would have been a nice boost if it was compatible, but was not, only the 300/1MB. Still when you think about it, Interware did a great job making solid cards for a short lived line.

 

[jessenator]

300 or better would have been more what I would have gone for. 

I put in an offer on a Crescendo 400/ 1MB ...and they accepted just now. Fingers crossed it'll work

Here's a MaxPowr 300/200: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283453195281 

 

[jessenator]

I just know realize my above statement was somewhat hypocritical, but I'll just say I didn't pay "stupid money" for that sonnet...

 

[jessenator]

View attachment 27240

Did you tell me already (probably in some other thread or PM) that VImage and Interware are the same company/sell the same products?

I was looking at the other L2 G3 upgrades out there and the Vpower PM4400 looked familiar. Then I found a high res shot and did a little CSI on it:

Not that it's some grand revelation or anything. I guess if the drivers you used give you problems, you could try to find the VImage driver.

Did you stick with Mac OS 8.6 or drop down to 8.1? 

 

[Franklinstein]

Did you tell me already (probably in some other thread or PM) that VImage and Interware are the same company/sell the same products?
[...]

Did you stick with Mac OS 8.6 or drop down to 8.1? 

Yeah I guess their marketing team decided that Vimage had brand recognition outside of Japan or something, so Interware used that name on their processor upgrades sold overseas (previously it was specifically applied to their video cards, while their processor upgrades were sold under the Booster name).

I prefer OS 8.6 to 8.1 for a number of reasons, but the main reason to use it here is the FW/USB combo card which doesn't have support on 8.1.