Back in 2010 I bought a new computer. It was an Acer Aspire, 64-Bit, 3GB RAM, 320GB HD, 3Ghz AMD dual-core processor. Today, I bought another computer. It's not new this time. It's also used. In fact it's about 15 years old. It's a Power Macintosh G3, with 448MB RAM and a 8GB hard-drive, a 300mhz Power PC G3 processor and OS 9.0.9. I already have an old Performa 630 with considerably lower specs, so as far as MAC computers go this is an upgrade for me! It's also easily moddable, through a removable panel on one side, and there seems to be plenty of space for upgrades. The Performa 630 is not really moddable at all. I don't think it's meant to be opened, ever, it's the kind of computer that sits below the screen and there doesn't seem to be any easy way of opening the case. There are a lot of bolts involved. It's a very stable construction. The Power Macintosh G3 is much larger in size, at least twice as large, but as said before there's a lot of room for expansion. They both weigh about the same, despite dimensional differences. How much? I'm not sure exactly, but at least 10-12 kg. Carrying it home was good exercise. :)
A few improvements I noticed immediately between OS7 and OS9 are the many customizable aspects. In OS7 getting to the system settings could be a pain, but here everything important is available through the main dropdown or the bottom bar. The available colors (from 256 to 'millions') is a big improvement, as is the resolution (it's now up to 1024x768, in difference to either 800x600 or 640x400 on the old one) and plenty of other upgraded specs. Here's a very basic comparison between the Performa 630 and the Power Mac G3:
RAM - 8MB - 448MB
Processor - 33mhz - 300mhz
Space - 250MB - 8GB
The difference is sizable. :) In other words, I'll be able to play all the games that ran slowly on my old MAC at full speed. I'll also be able to play a few games I couldn't run at all. Maybe I'll even be able to download some newer older abandonware as well, the possibilities are staggering! What, playing 15 year old games doesn't seem like fun? It's amazing how creative game developers were back then. Without the same demands on graphics and performance, they could let their creativity roam freely. Many classic games came to life at this time, and many other games you've probably never heard of sprang up from an endless creative abyss to soon be forgotten as the years passed. Many old games didn't get the recognition they deserved. Have you ever played Task Maker? Mortal Pongbat? Space Gypsie? Bolo? Spectre Supreme? Barrack? There's a lot of forgotten entertainment, and I pride myself in having some of it conserved. ;)
Another thing they had in games back then that they don't do know is multiplayer support on the same console. IOW, two people playing on the same computer, taking turns or using separate sides of the keyboard. Why don't they have that anymore? People are getting way too distanced just playing over Internet. Hmm. So anyway, twas a great buy. Here's to another 15 years of gaming as it should be!
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