Powermac 9500 case is easy

[Quadraman]

Why does everyone always complain about the 9500 case? I just pulled the motherboard on mine and didn't take me longer than about three minutes with no bruised knuckles or pinched fingertips at all. I think you guys are confusing the 9500 with the 6400/6500 which definitely has the most onerous case design I have ever encountered.

 

[MacTCP]

Out off all the cases I've opened, the 4400 was the only terrible one. It really hurts me. I never opened the 6400/500, but it looks just as terrible. I don't see how the 9500 would be bad, even though I never opened one.

 

[Unknown_K]

The 9500 sucks when you want to get to the RAM and VRAM (asuming its exactly like my 8500 just taller).

The 6400 is easy to get into to put in different cards and RAM, other hardware is more of a pain.

 

[MultiFinder]

The 6400/6500 is a wonderful case if you want to do anything with the motherboard (RAM, L2 Cache, PCI Expansion) or if you want to change the Hard Disk/Floppy/CD-ROM drive. Beyond that, it's a byotch. I still can't figure out how to get to the PSU.

 

[Unknown_K]

I ripped my 6400 completely apart, worst case to do that yet for me.

 

[Kami]

You're kidding, right?

The 8500/9500 cases require a "bit" of extra work to get the motherboard out. All the PCI cards have to be taken out, all the connectors to the motherboard have to be disconnected, a screw taken out, the power button assembly needs to be carefully removed, then the logic board is slid to the front of the case. That seems like a lot of work to add RAM. Granted, after you've done this a few times, the disassembly process gets easier and faster.

However, all you need to do is look at the design of the 8600/9600 to see the improvement. Adding RAM? Drop the side door down. Finished.

 

[Danamania]

What all the others said. If you just want to get the 9500's motherboard out, it's no different to most other desktop machines - take the case off, take the cards out, disconnect the HDs and power connectors and all... And it's no worse than other machines in that way.

The big issue with it is if you want to add a couple of RAM sticks - you HAVE to take the motherboard out. For one of the most common acts inside a computer (apart from PCI cards I suspect), having to take PCI cards out, disconnect HDs, disconnect all the rear cables, disconnect the front panel wires, sound, floppy etc... is just a touch mad.

Dana

(I say HAVE to, despite having changed RAM myself by swinging the motherboard up out of the way, but I also dropped it like that - not the best thing for a long machine life!)

 

[MultiFinder]

I'll once again vote the drawbridge B&W G3 and G4 case design as one of the nicest to have come out of Apple

 

[LCGuy]

When my 8100 still worked i had it apart a bunch of times for various things, RAM upgrades, drive upgrades/insertations/removals/battery replacements/etc and it was always a snap to pull apart and put back together. It was a bit hairy my first time around way back in the day when i was at the Shop but after that first time its super-easy.

I can have ANY 8x0/x500 case stripped bare@$$ nekked in 5 minutes - GUARANTEED! Or your money back

 

[Kami]

I can strip an 8xx/8xxx/9xxx computer down to nothingness in less than 5 minutes, too. But I still hate the case design

The biggest issue in my mind is installing RAM. Lets just say as an example, you add RAM, reassemble and reboot and you get nothing. You have a bad stick of RAM... Now what do you do? Strip it down again. Fun

I still vote for the 8600/9600 cases as being better than the G3/G4 cases based on the availability of extra external 5.25 drive bays and the massive number of internal bays

 

[Unknown_K]

Yea I love my 8600 and Beige g3 MT (wish the MT had those 2 drive bays on the bottom like the 8600 does).

From what I recall the 8600/9600 is probably the only beige that will allow dual cdrom drives without hacking.

 

[Quadraman]

I can strip an 8xx/8xxx/9xxx computer down to nothingness in less than 5 minutes, too. But I still hate the case design
The biggest issue in my mind is installing RAM. Lets just say as an example, you add RAM, reassemble and reboot and you get nothing. You have a bad stick of RAM... Now what do you do? Strip it down again. Fun

I still vote for the 8600/9600 cases as being better than the G3/G4 cases based on the availability of extra external 5.25 drive bays and the massive number of internal bays

This is why I never completely reassemble a machine before testing it.

 

[LCGuy]

Exactly...otherwise you're just guaranteeing that something will fail.

Anyway, for the record, the LC630/Performa 6xxx case isn't that bad to work on either if you know what you're doing. Just make sure not to touch it in the wrong place...i did once, and lets just say that it was an electrifying experience!

 

[Quadraman]

Exactly...otherwise you're just guaranteeing that something will fail.
Anyway, for the record, the LC630/Performa 6xxx case isn't that bad to work on either if you know what you're doing. Just make sure not to touch it in the wrong place...i did once, and lets just say that it was an electrifying experience!

I don't have any problem with those, just that the faceplates are easily damaged if you don't know how to get them off ahead of time.

 

[LCGuy]

Yeah...if you know what you're doing they're pretty easy to get into. My problem was that one day i was working on my 630 and i brushed past the power supply with the machine plugged in! Needless to say, i was shocked, and by that i mean in a life-threatening way, and will never do that again.

 

[Kami]

This is why I never completely reassemble a machine before testing it.

With a 9500/8500 you run a pretty good chance of screwing something up if you don't at least put the board back in place.

Better safe than sorry esp. if it takes less than 5 minutes to take it apart

 

[LCGuy]

Why is it that with those machines, you can wreck the mobo by not putting it back in place? I've always wondered...maybe thats what killed my 8100

 

[bestobothworlds]

I've got a Graphite G4 tower. The case design rocks. Easy to get into, and everythings laid out all nice and neat for you inside the case door.

 

[Bolle]

This is why I never completely reassemble a machine before testing it.

With a 9500/8500 you run a pretty good chance of screwing something up if you don't at least put the board back in place.

Better safe than sorry esp. if it takes less than 5 minutes to take it apart

the 9500 mobo has no problem with running when its not placed inside the case. I had a 7300 and 8600 running outside the case and on both died the onboard video and there were problems with the speaker/sound hardware as well. I later noticed that this is caused because the board has to be grounded to work correctly. It is grounded to the enclosure of the psu over the metal shielding inside the case (dont take it out of there! - i did on my 7300/8600 casemod and had to ground the mobo to the housing of the PSU using a wire, otherwise the mac refused to work). the 9500 maybe has none of these problems cause it has no onboard video.

BTW: no problem to take it apart in 5 minutes. but have you ever tried to fit a 68pin HD+ adapter in the case without breaking your fingers?