Hosting and bandwidth provided by MacHost.
Q
& A:
Power
Mac G3 Q & A:
Internal Expansion
How many PCI slots are provided
with the Power Macintosh G3 series?
The original Power Macintosh G3 series has three PCI slots on a single 33 MHz PCI bus which accommodate up-to three 33 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit PCI cards. Video is onboard.
The Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series has four PCI slots on two PCI buses. One PCI slot is on a 66 MHz PCI bus which is pre-installed with a 66 MHz 32-bit, 16 MB ATI 3D Rage 128 GL video card. The other three PCI slots are on a 33 MHz PCI bus which accommodate up-to three 33 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit PCI cards. For detailed information about the PCI slots in the Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 please refer to Knowledge Base Document #58206.
Are external PCI expansion chassis available? Color-compatible?
An external PCI expansion chassis is available from ProMax, and other companies as well. However, none are color-compatible with the new Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series. If demand dictates, perhaps future PCI expansion chassis will be available in other colors.
If you have any additional information on current or future PCI expansion systems, please share.
Is the CPU on the Power Macintosh G3 upgradable? How is it mounted?
Officially, Apple does not specify that the processor on either the original or the Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series is upgradable, since Apple has no plans to offer upgrade cards for the machines. However, both systems were designed to be easily upgradable via a ZIF socket.
Are third-party processor upgrade cards available?
Yes. Processor upgrade cards are available for both series of the Power Macintosh G3 from PowerLogix, Sonnet, and XLR8, among others.
For additional information on upgrade cards, be sure to check out the Upgrade Card section of EveryMac.com. In particular, the Upgrade Cards: By Compatible System: Power Macintosh G3 (Blue) section might be of the most interest.
How can internal hard drive storage be expanded?
The original Power Macintosh G3, provided that both a hard drive and an internal Zip drive is installed, has one external 5.25" drive bay that can be used to accommodate an additional hard drive, Jaz drive, CD-R drive, or other storage device.
The Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series, provided that a single hard drive and an internal Zip drive is installed, has two internal 5.25" drive bays to accommodate two additional hard drives. Apple advertised the maximum capacity as "over 100 GB" using three 36 GB drives, and the system will accomodate additional storage capacity using larger drives. For detailed information on storage options and compatibility, refer to Tech Info Document #58194.
How much RAM can the Power Macintosh G3 support? What type?
The first revision of the original Power Macintosh G3 series, introduced November 10, 1997, and both of the "all-in-one" Power Macintosh G3 models support up-to 384 MB of RAM using three 128 MB 10ns 168-pin SDRAM DIMMs. All models in the original Power Macintosh G3 series shipped after May 1, 1998, support up-to 768 MB of RAM using three 256 MB 10ns 168-pin SDRAM DIMMs.
The Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series supports up-to 1024 MB (1.0 GB) of RAM using four 256 MB 8ns 168-pin, 64-bit-wide, unbuffered PC100 SDRAM (3.3v) DIMMs. Memory from the original Power Macintosh G3 series and older Power Macintosh systems is not compatible.
Does the Power Macintosh G3 support DVD? Can it be added?
Yes, both the original and the Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series support DVD provided that they are equipped with a DVD drive and the proper MPEG decoder card. A DVD-ROM drive was a custom option for the original Power Macintosh G3 and is standard in one configuration of the Power Macintosh G3/350 (Blue) and G3/400 (Blue) and a build-to-order option for the remainder of the Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series.
Color-matching is not an issue with the DVD drives for the Blue and White Power Macintosh G3 series, because a small door covers the drive. Even on pre-installed versions, upon pressing a small button on the door, the door folds down, and a standard "platinum" tray emerges.
Have questions about DVD? Talk about DVD with other members in the forums.
Power Mac G3 Main | Power Mac G3 Q & A (Main) | Next Q & A Section
Home: Q & A: Apple: Power Mac G3 Q & A: Internal Expansion
EveryMac.com is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind whatsoever. EveryMac.com, and the author thereof, shall not be held responsible or liable, under any circumstances, for any damages resulting from the use or inability to use the information within. For complete disclaimer and copyright information please read and understand the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy before using EveryMac.com. Use of any content or images without expressed permission is not allowed, although links to any page are welcomed and appreciated.