What to do with a 7200?

[pee-air]

I have an old 7200/90 and I don't know what to do with it. It's too slow for use as a web browsing machine. I could use it as a dedicated word processor/fax station, but my Quadra 700 is a better choice for that because it runs quieter and feels more responsive than the 7200. (Speeddoubler 8 doesn't do much for System 7.6 on a 7200/90) I could use it as an AppleTalk file server, but my Quadra 950 is already doing that job quite nicely.

So what to do with the 7200?

I already have my 7300 running as http server/ftp server/ntp server/dhcp server/dns server/firewall.

I'm using my beige G3 for web surfing and general Mac related tasks.

I'm using my Qudra 700 for word processing/faxing and as a journal.

I'm using my Quadra 950 as an AppleTalk file server for general storage of 68k software, and as a repository for backups of the Quadra 700's hard drive.

What to do with the 7200? Any suggestions?

 

[alk]

Punt it.

The 7200 is pretty much the most un-upgradeable PCI Mac in existence thanks to its soldered CPU, no PDS, and limited L2 expansion capability. If you get super lucky, you might track down one of the L2/PCI hybrid upgrade cards for it, but I wouldn't bother.

If your needs are being met by your other Macs, then, seriously, punt it. It will just take up space. Or you could gut it and turn it into a fancy external SCSI case.

Peace,

Drew

 

[Temetka]

Take out the motherboard.

Get a clock making kit.

Turn the motherboard into a giant wall clock.

Remove the Apple logo from the case.

Melt the case.

The 7200 should not have happened.

 

[Bunsen]

I'm with the others. Strip it for parts and boot the scraps out the door. Keep the PC Compatibility card if it has one.

According to LEM you can stick another logic board in there from a 73-5-600 or Beige G3. That would make it into a worthwhile computer.

 

[Quadraman]

Do what Bunsen says.

 

[pee-air]

To the trash heap it goes.

I'll keep the power supply as a spare for my 7300. I'll also keep the memory for whatever. Not that four 8MB DIMMs will ever see much use in the "afterlife".

The hard drive can replace the 400MB unit in the Quadra 700.

The Plastic part of the case has almost no yellowing whatsoever. The plastic on my 7300, by contrast, is yellower than Mountain Dew. So I think I'm going to be owning a 7300 with a 7200 plastic cover.

The rest will become the temporary fixture of the roadside.

 

[Quadraman]

It is possible to upgrade a 7200 to a G3, but it requires a hard to find Sonnet upgrade that fits into a PCI slot. It really isn't worth giving up a PCI slot for a G3. In order to keep the machine reasonably usable you would have to dedicate one other PCI slot to video, and then something like a Sonnet Tempo Trio in the last one and that's it. No more slots. Even a 7500/7600/7300 allows for one additional PCI slot that won't be taken up by your G3 upgrade.

 

[QuadSix50]

Man, it could at least have made a decent *nix computer. Ah well.

 

[MacMan]

I used to use a 7200/75 as an AppleTalk file server and it did a good job of it. Gave it away eventually though as I replaced it with a G3 tower.

It'd possibly make a good doorstep...

 

[The Macster]

Poor 7200 I thought we're about saving Macs here, that anyone who threw a Mac away was a Ballmer-worshipping Mac-killer? Why is the 7200 so universally hated though, when the 68ks (and even Nubus PowerMacs to some extent) seem to be much loved, despite being even older and slower than the 7200? I'm sure if I'd said I was going to throw my 6100 away for being too slow and horrible then I'd have been extremely unpopular!

 

[pee-air]

Man, it could at least have made a decent *nix computer. Ah well.

A decent *nix computer that did what? That's the question. My 7300 is running Debian Etch at the moment. It has all of my PPC *nix needs covered. What could I possibly hope to do with the 7200 and Linux or *BSD?

 

[QuadSix50]

Man, it could at least have made a decent *nix computer. Ah well.

A decent *nix computer that did what? That's the question. My 7300 is running Debian Etch at the moment. It has all of my PPC *nix needs covered. What could I possibly hope to do with the 7200 and Linux or *BSD?

Well, it's true that for YOU at the moment it has no use, but have you considered that someone might want to include it in his/her collection? Heck I once came close to purchasing one years ago because it had the everything I needed at the time and the price was great. Of course, then I got the Quadra I got as a gift and after marriage and children, well, lets say that I don't have much room for anything but what's on my signature. I even had to give away my Motorola StarMax 4000 because of space concerns.

Believe me, I would take it off your hands if I could and put it to use....anything to keep it from the scrap heap. :-/

 

[LCGuy]

I thought we're about saving Macs here, that anyone who threw a Mac away was a Ballmer-worshipping Mac-killer?

Hate me all you want...i've thrown a Mac away. About a month ago.

But it was my old dead 8100, and absolutely everything that could be used had been stripped off of it. By the time i was done with it, all that was left was just a frame, motherboard (which was dead, which is why i chucked it...had the mobo still been good, the Mac would still be in one piece and in use today) and metal cover.

Why is the 7200 so universally hated though, when the 68ks (and even Nubus PowerMacs to some extent) seem to be much loved, despite being even older and slower than the 7200?

Basically, its a bit like the Hyundai Getz...it was built to a price, and to avoid cannibalizing sales of more expensive machines. Back in the day, for not much more than what a 7200 would cost, you could've gotten a 7500, which has a processor mounted on a CPU daughtercard, and twice the RAM slots, and is basically a much better machine.

 

[The Macster]

Hate me all you want...i've thrown a Mac away. About a month ago.
But it was my old dead 8100, and absolutely everything that could be used had been stripped off of it. By the time i was done with it, all that was left was just a frame, motherboard (which was dead, which is why i chucked it...had the mobo still been good, the Mac would still be in one piece and in use today) and metal cover.

Oh, a dead Mac is one thing, I could probably chuck out a dead one. But an actual working one, I could never bring myself to throw away. I can understand why no-one wants the older PPCs now, given that G3s can be picked up for nothing and are amazing machines that make all the older ones look so slow and outdated, but I could still never throw one away! I don't use my 6100 now, it's too slow and the graphics on it are horrible on my new Apple displays, but I couldn't bin it considering that it does still work.

 

[QuadSix50]

Basically, its a bit like the Hyundai Getz...it was built to a price, and to avoid cannibalizing sales of more expensive machines. Back in the day, for not much more than what a 7200 would cost, you could've gotten a 7500, which has a processor mounted on a CPU daughtercard, and twice the RAM slots, and is basically a much better machine.

Well, then you could say the same thing about my old Motorola StarMax 4000. The CPU was soldered onto the motherboard. But it was still a very useful and very enjoyable Mac (even if it wasn't from Apple ). It ran great with OS 9.1 and Debian Sarge, and I took advantage as much as I could of those PCI slots. Personally, I would have done the same thing with a 7200, even if it was slower compared to the StarMax.

The only reason I parted with it was because I already purchased a much faster PowerPC Mac (the iMac G5). And that one is even less upgradeable than the StarMax or the 7200! I gave it to my father and when he asked me about getting rid of it, I told him to hold it for me because I didn't want to see it misused and abused. It wasn't easy giving up that clone....and I'm seriously considering taking it back in place of a one of the PCs in my sig.

 

[Quadraman]

Technically, all he's throwing away is the motherboard, which isn't worth much anyway even as a functioning board. Better to either replace the 7200 motherboard with one of the other 7x00 boards or a G3 board or to recycle whatever parts are salvageable into another Mac.

 

[MacMan]

I have actually had two 7200s in my possession on seperate occasions over the last few years. The first one I gave to my sister so she could use it for the internet and then ultimately she gave it to her father-in-law who had never used a computer before and wanted to learn. As far as I know he still has it and enjoys the simplicity of the machine (it was running OS 8.1). The second one I used for a while before giving to a friend who was developing an interest in older Macs and wanted one to play with.

The only machine I have ever thrown away was a Power Computing Power Tower Pro which I found minus the CPU card. After an unsuccessful hunt for a CPU I stripped it of all useful parts and threw away the rest. However the parts were used to upgrade other older machines.

Moral of this story: don't throw out a working machine. There will always be someone else in the world who will appreciate it.

 

[Mike Richardson]

My first 7200 I got at a garage sale with keyboard, mouse, and display for $10. I sold it only a few days later on LEM Swap! The guy had an old printer or something, I think it was an ImageWriter II, and he needed any old Mac that could use such a printer. The 7200 worked perfectly for that. I set it up with System 7.x and ImageWriter II driver.

My second 7200 is a PC Compatible model that I got with the huge-ass liberation a few days ago. I plan on keeping it all together since the PC card is really neat. I had a 6100 with the DOS card but I never got it to actually work. I could get it to boot but I never was able to install DOS or anything.

The point is, 7200s are capable machines, when you don't have the "G3/G4 upgrade" mentality in your head.

 

[Maccess]

Move the stuff on the 7300 to the 7200. then, you'll have a free 7300 that you can upgrade.

there are also plenty of Beige G3 boards around, that with minimal hacking, will fit into the 7200s case.