What is your favourite compact mac? (B/W ones)

[funkytoad]

Where be the Classic II? That's mine, and it's not there

It's the last one on the list

i would have sworn i put there the classic II (i actually have one also!). I guess i forgot, sorry!

Added

Wasn't always there

Anyway, I vote the Classic II. Sure, it wasn't as expandable as the SE/30, but it was the only other B&W to have something other than an 8MHz 68000 and retailed for far cheaper than the SE/30. Besides, it's cute as the dickens

heh sorry...

 

[II2II]

I have to say the 128K. Not only was it the first compact, but it also the toughest for me to find for my collection! It's also the only compact model I have bothered to restore to functioning status - I acquired a couple of non-working ones in my quest for a collectable example. :b&w:

A chap from Vulcan got my functional original Mac (not even badged as a 128k) when I moved to Ontario. [}] ]'>

 

[stevep]

I have to say the 128K. Not only was it the first compact, but it also the toughest for me to find for my collection! It's also the only compact model I have bothered to restore to functioning status - I acquired a couple of non-working ones in my quest for a collectable example. :b&w:

A chap from Vulcan got my functional original Mac (not even badged as a 128k) when I moved to Ontario. [}] ]'>

I have been to Vulcan! None of my 128K's are badged as that - all are the early ones that just said Macintosh. Did you live in Vulcan?

 

[equill]

http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44&highlight=classic

http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=334&highlight=classic

http://68kmla.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=78&highlight=compact

de

 

[II2II]

I have been to Vulcan! None of my 128K's are badged as that - all are the early ones that just said Macintosh. Did you live in Vulcan?

Nah. I've never been to Vulcan. Well, as far as I can remember (I used to go on a lot of hotshots with dad). The chap went up to Calgary to pick it up, which is where I'm from.

 

[Unknown_K]

SE FDHD, have to love a 68000 with dual superdrive floppies built in , 4MB RAM, and built in SCSI for external HDs.

Anything older and you have too many hardware limitations (finding a 2nd external drive to be usefull is a pain, no SCSI sucks, 1MB RAM or less is too limiting), anything newer and you might as well go with a color compact.

 

[II2II]

The Plus is still a fine machine.

And there are very few colour compacts. Just the Colour Classic and Colour Classic II. Neither supports System 6. The Colour Classic needs a mainboard swap just to go faster than an SE/30 and support as much RAM.

 

[Quadraman]

The Plus is still a nice machine, but the SE line was really the high water mark for the black and whites. It was available in the most configurations, was still relevant in it's day, and wasn't crippled by Apple. The 8mhz 68000 in the Classic was getting long in the tooth when it was released and the lack of memory in the Classic II was inexcusable. Faster CPU's and more RAM would have been more appropriate at the time. How much could it have added to the cost to use a 16 mhz 68000 and add a few more RAM slots?

 

[CaryMG]

I think I'll hafta go with the Macintosh SE/30.

:b&w:

 

[JDW]

You gentlemen should have cast your votes over at MacWorld while you had the chance:

http://www.macworld.com/article/61446/2007/12/best_mac.html

Due to the lack of votes by the classic Mac community, the IIci won out over the SE/30. But just barely. I read most of the posts in the forum they used to make the decision. And honestly, it looked to me like the SE/30 really won the title. And yes, I of course case my vote for the SE/30.

 

[porter]

the IIci won out over the SE/30.

It is 32bit clean.

 

[JDW]

32-bit clean with the stock ROM and... ? The drum is rolling...

I highly doubt "32-bit clean" was the reason for most of the posters in that MW forum from selecting the IIci. Indeed, I read all their posts and no one mentioned that part as to why they liked the IIci over the SE/30. If anything, it would have to be "color as standard equipment" which was an option on the SE/30. Even so, the SE/30 wins in my book because is basically a IIci but with everything you need in one neat, small-form-factor enclosure. The IIci is smaller than other Mac II's but it still needs a separate montor, even the smallest of which is larger than that of the SE/30.

But I didn't really care for the premise of the MW forum contest too much. Most people picked modern Macs because they are too young to know about the classic models. This is not a strike against youth. It's just a fact. In order to case proper judgment on "the best Mac EVER" one must have had some contact with all Macs, from the very first Mac 128k. In my case, I did/do have that experience, as I have experience even with the newest Intel machines. Out of all of them, I like the SE/30 for what it stands for. It's very small, but powerful (in its day), very upgradable and cut looking too. I can't help but like it! (And to make it 32-bit clean, I can just throw in a IIfx or IIsi ROM.)

 

[equill]

... Due to the lack of votes by the classic Mac community, the IIci won out over the SE/30. But just barely...

Without having seen the thread, I have to record that I should have found it a difficult choice. Nonetheless, as long as it was not restricted to Compact AIOs, I should also have plumped for the IIci. I can't readily see my SE/30s becoming 3-slot NuBus machines at 50MHz with Portrait Displays as my IIcis are.

IIci in æternam vive!

de

 

[Quadraman]

You gentlemen should have cast your votes over at MacWorld while you had the chance:
http://www.macworld.com/article/61446/2007/12/best_mac.html

Due to the lack of votes by the classic Mac community, the IIci won out over the SE/30. But just barely. I read most of the posts in the forum they used to make the decision. And honestly, it looked to me like the SE/30 really won the title. And yes, I of course case my vote for the SE/30.

If I had known about this, I would have voted for the Quadra/Centris 650. Not only is it more powerful than the IIci, but the case is sturdy enough to hold a big monitor on top. A lot of people knock the metal case as being too PC like, but you can't argue with it's strength. I don't think a IIci would hold up well under the weight of a 17"+ monitor.

 

[equill]

I once saw (but didn't file the link) a tabulation (by Apple) of the load-bearing capacity of its non-AIO Macs. It is reassuringly large, and I have no trouble in believing that a IIci could bear a 17-in display (~49lb). Mine certainly make light of their Portrait Displays (35lb).

My Beige G3 DTs and 7300/7500/7600s happily support a MS 17-in display.

From http://www.info.apple.com/support/applespec.legacy/index.html

de

 

[JDW]

I once owned a Quadra 650 myself. And actually, it was a IIvx prior to my paying US$1,000 to upgrade to a Q650 logic board. I loved that machine so much I brought it to Japan when I moved here in 1994. I ultimately sold it in 1997 for US$1,200 to my company, as they wanted a reliable fax server that would run faithfully 24/7 -- which it still does today.

Nevertheless, I would still say the nod should go to the IIci because it's pretty much the same "concept" of desktop, but in a smaller form factor. And while I am American by birth, I've come to admire the Japanese appreciation for the smaller, more compact things of live. Give me a lot of power in a small attractive case, I say! That's why I like the SE/30 so much. It's the smallest of the Mac line, and the most upgradeable too -- even if it can't run OS X or other "modern" software apps.

 

[Quadraman]

I once owned a Quadra 650 myself. And actually, it was a IIvx prior to my paying US$1,000 to upgrade to a Q650 logic board. I loved that machine so much I brought it to Japan when I moved here in 1994. I ultimately sold it in 1997 for US$1,200 to my company, as they wanted a reliable fax server that would run faithfully 24/7 -- which it still does today.
Nevertheless, I would still say the nod should go to the IIci because it's pretty much the same "concept" of desktop, but in a smaller form factor. And while I am American by birth, I've come to admire the Japanese appreciation for the smaller, more compact things of live. Give me a lot of power in a small attractive case, I say! That's why I like the SE/30 so much. It's the smallest of the Mac line, and the most upgradeable too -- even if it can't run OS X or other "modern" software apps.

You should see some of the incredible things they do with Color Classics over there. I also saw one place in Japan online that was selling IIci's with beige G3 motherboards inside.