Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!burl!codas!usfvax2!pdn!alan
From: alan@pdn.UUCP (Alan Lovejoy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Mac ][ Hardware ? (Help Please)
Keywords: Alternatives
Message-ID: <1879@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 9 Dec 87 15:01:10 GMT
References: <10778@duke.cs.duke.edu>
Reply-To: alan@pdn.UUCP (0000-Alan Lovejoy)
Organization: Paradyne Corporation, Largo, Florida
Lines: 42

In article <10778@duke.cs.duke.edu> gleicher@duke.cs.duke.edu (Michael Gleicher) writes:
>1) Will a NEC Multisync monitor work with the standard MacII video board?
>   Are there any reasonably priced larger monitors ($500-$800, 15'' or 17''
>   B&W is OK if it is BIG).

Yes, with the appropriate cable (available from NEC).  There are some
reasonably priced B&W monitors; the large color ones will cost you
dearly, however.

>2) $1200 seems steep for a 40meg disk drive. Are there alternative solutions?

Yes.  See the December issue of Macworld, which lists the storage
capacity, price, price per megabyte, average access time, warranty
length, and other useful information on over 250 hard drives for the
Mac.  See the Jasmine InnerDrive 90 (90 MB, $1600, 16 millisecond avg
access time, 1yr warranty) as an example of one of the better deals (not
the only one!).  Price per MB averages around $30, but there are quite
a few drives which cost less than $20/MB.  The drive with the best $/MB
stores 155MB with 18.5 millisecond avg access time and a $/MB of about $12!

>3) Are there alternatives to the standard MacII video board?

Yes, but they're all more expensive and offer nothing except higher    
resolution (requiring more expensive monitors).  (Example: SuperMac Technology,
1024x768 pixel resolution, I believe the cost is about $1200 (?)).

>4) Can I install my own memory (I'd like to have 2meg at least)

Yes.

>6) How much software incompatibility am I going to face?

I assume you mean MacPlus-Mac II incompatibility?  Most programs that
do extensive graphics either won't work at all, or only work with
the Mac II in monochrome (1 pixel color) mode.  Fixed versions of
most of these programs are either just recently available, or are expected
early next year.  90% of MacPlus programs will run, at least in
monochrome mode.

Hope this helps.

--alan@pdn