I've always wanted an old Mac, and I thought my iMac G3/Powerbook G4 12 could satisfy that need, but alas, I need something older. I have limited desk space (I even had to move my iMac G3 to the floor because I have no room for it), and as far as I know, the LC series is as small as it gets (compact macs are out of the question as I am not recapping an analog board). I've narrowed it down to either the LC 475/Performa 605, or the LC III, depending on which I can find on my local marketplaces and the RE-PC I live near (although their prices tend to be way too high). There are probably some other ones to consider that I haven't found yet, so I'm still considering my options. I could use some recommendations on models, information and things to look for about these, and other things, so please post some in the comments. I wish (or maybe there is and I didn't find it) a buyers guide for vintage macs in general (best I could find was the Mac84 series which I just finished watching). I would probably want to do some light gaming on this, and maybe even internet browsing through a blueSCSI I plan on getting.
Which LC/Performa to buy?
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I'm guessing you're in Seattle? There's someone in Spanaway selling a Performa/LC 475 on the 'bay.
Unforunately, Spanaway is too far for me.
How about a PowerBook?
They are a tad more failure prone than an LC to be fair. I'd be cautious.
If you don’t like the thought of replacing an analog board capacitor, you probably wouldn’t like dealing with a PowerBook and some of the issues that it has, especially if you buy one with screen troubles.
The LCIII is usually cheaper but the 475 is far faster. Alternately, buy a IIci. It’s not much larger and has a lot of expansion potential.
The LCIII is usually cheaper but the 475 is far faster. Alternately, buy a IIci. It’s not much larger and has a lot of expansion potential.
I have both an LCIII and a Quadra 605. The 605 is definitely more powerful, but it's still not enough to do some of the more demanding things. Like the next logic step after an LCIII is a PowerPC. Anything I do on a Quadra 605 is done better on a PowerPC, or not possible on an LCIII.
Any LC3 you buy will need capacitors replaced if they have not been done yet. Also make sure it has a hard drive as they are 50 pin SCSI and getting expensive to replace (also make sure the floppy drive works so you can install an OS 7.1 is nice). Getting ethernet is also a good idea if you are going to move files from your PPC machine to the LC.
Basically, any decent 030/040 that is local should work for you if want and old school Mac. A IIci/IIcx is also nice (same recap problem as the LC3) and they can be mounted sideways taking up less desk room then the LC3.
Basically, any decent 030/040 that is local should work for you if want and old school Mac. A IIci/IIcx is also nice (same recap problem as the LC3) and they can be mounted sideways taking up less desk room then the LC3.
Get whichever one you can 
I am biased towards the LC475 - it is objectively the superior machine - but the LC III is also a very solid 68k machine in its own right. Plus many upgrades you make to an LC III will carry straight over to an LC475 if you pick one up in the future. Both use 72pin RAM, and if you recap or better yet do the Meanwell replacement for the PSU that also works great in both. BlueSCSI or other hard drive replacement can be moved over, any LC PDS card you pick up should also work. I'm pretty sure stuff like a Noctua fan upgrade, VRAM, and even the speaker can be moved over if you need to!
IIcx/IIcis are neat machines but I personally can't find much to do with NuBus, and the PSU is a way bigger pain in the ass to fix up! They do run System 6.0.8 though which neither of the two LCs mentioned support.
You can also use AppleTalk via serial ports to move files but I just shuffle SD cards and hda images around - I only have room for one machine set up at a time.
I am biased towards the LC475 - it is objectively the superior machine - but the LC III is also a very solid 68k machine in its own right. Plus many upgrades you make to an LC III will carry straight over to an LC475 if you pick one up in the future. Both use 72pin RAM, and if you recap or better yet do the Meanwell replacement for the PSU that also works great in both. BlueSCSI or other hard drive replacement can be moved over, any LC PDS card you pick up should also work. I'm pretty sure stuff like a Noctua fan upgrade, VRAM, and even the speaker can be moved over if you need to!IIcx/IIcis are neat machines but I personally can't find much to do with NuBus, and the PSU is a way bigger pain in the ass to fix up! They do run System 6.0.8 though which neither of the two LCs mentioned support.
You can also use AppleTalk via serial ports to move files but I just shuffle SD cards and hda images around - I only have room for one machine set up at a time.
Or get an LCII for hard mode.
I have a Performa 637CD, and I have to agree, it feels like someone turned a 68030 up to 11
I considered those, but I feel like that would be far too much work. Screens, tiny broken parts, brittle plastic, batteries, etc.
Even the desktop systems require fussing to keep running: basically every system Apple made in the period being discussed will need capacitor work of some kind. The LC boxes in particular are notorious for issues with their power supplies and audio circuits. If you're not wanting to deal with that, spending the extra money on a recapped system (from someone reputable) might be prudent.
I can recap systems (although I'm not comfortable working around CRTs yet), although I may just get a restored system from someone (maybe RE-PC has them?) near me.
About the plastics, one of the great things with pizza box LCs is that cases and parts machines are not only easier to find than other Macs, but that the LC, II, III, and 475 all use the same footprints, with the main difference being the possible floppy drives. Luckily those are transparent to the machines' logic so you can swap them as well.
One caveat is that the original LC uses a different case base than the later models. This also has to do with its speaker/fan assembly, which connects via contact to the logic board rather than through a cable. Later LC models use an individually-cabled speaker and fan. Basically, any case bottom from the II on up will be interchangeable (just watch the floppy drive as Boctor said; if it is the newer-style case, it has a manual-inject drive versus an auto-inject on the earlier, pre-fall 1993 models).
Another thought if you go the IIci route: you not only gain the ability to run System 6, which the LCIII cannot do, you also gain the ability to run System 6 at blazing speeds. It also doesn't require any enablers under System 7.1 (the LC III, III+, and 475 all need it, as do all Performas numbered 450 or higher).
Speaking of which...those Performa models...here's a quick reference for what they equate to:
400, 405, 410, 430: LCII
450: LCIII (the original 25MHz version)
46x: LCIII+ (the 33MHz version)
47x: LC 475 (same board as Quadra 605, but the Q605 has the "feets" case as we call them around these parts).
Another thought if you go the IIci route: you not only gain the ability to run System 6, which the LCIII cannot do, you also gain the ability to run System 6 at blazing speeds. It also doesn't require any enablers under System 7.1 (the LC III, III+, and 475 all need it, as do all Performas numbered 450 or higher).
Speaking of which...those Performa models...here's a quick reference for what they equate to:
400, 405, 410, 430: LCII
450: LCIII (the original 25MHz version)
46x: LCIII+ (the 33MHz version)
47x: LC 475 (same board as Quadra 605, but the Q605 has the "feets" case as we call them around these parts).
Back during my adventurous days, I stuck a 68040/25 motherboard (with a cut down heatsink) into a LC3 just for fun.
A dual floppy LC 1 is also an interesting OS 6.07+ machine (68020/16, 10MB RAM, LC PDS for ethernet), SCSI for external HD. Cheaper than a compact, faster, and still limited to 640x480.
I love the old auto inject drives, except for the fact that I ran out of spares ages ago and replacements are pricey.
A dual floppy LC 1 is also an interesting OS 6.07+ machine (68020/16, 10MB RAM, LC PDS for ethernet), SCSI for external HD. Cheaper than a compact, faster, and still limited to 640x480.
I love the old auto inject drives, except for the fact that I ran out of spares ages ago and replacements are pricey.
And now I'm tempted to get another floppy drive, mod one of my lab LCs, and stick an external BlueSCSI on the back of it...too bad the case isn't big enough to do the dual floppy plus a hard drive/hard drive replacement hack like in an SE.
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