This article contains frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White), with answers to those questions.

Questions answered in this article:

1. What type of memory does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) use? Is the memory the same as in other Power Macintosh G3 systems?
2. What is the maximum amount of memory that can be installed in the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)?
3. What is FireWire?
4. What is USB? Is it the same technology used in iMac?
5. What graphics accelerator does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) use? Can you tell me more about the 66-MHz PCI slot? Are the other three slots standard PCI slots?
6. Does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) have a floppy disk drive or serial port?
7. What kinds of hard disk drives does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) support? How many devices does it support? How do I connect my older I/O devices?
8. Does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) come with a modem?
9. What version of the Mac OS does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) include?
10. Is it possible to start up from a FireWire hard drive?

Question 1: What type of memory does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) use? Is the memory the same as in other Power Macintosh G3 systems?

Answer : The Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) requires PC100-compliant SDRAM. The memory must be 3.3-volt, unbuffered, 168-pin. If an SDRAM DIMM is sold or marketed as "PC100," this helps ensure that it functions correctly and optimally in your system. Please check with the manufacturer before purchasing. Memory from prior Power Macintosh (EDO or FPM RAM) computers cannot be used in this system.

Question 2 : What is the maximum amount of memory that can be installed in the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White)?

Answer : The Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) has four DIMM slots that can accommodate up to 256MB DIMMs each, for a total of 1,024MB (1 gigabyte) of memory. When using 256MB DIMMs, use 128Mbit-device technology, not 64Mbit or 256Mbit. The 256MB DIMMs are available from the Apple Store.

Question 3 : What is FireWire?

Answer : FireWire, also known as IEEE 1394, is an industry-standard, high-speed input/output (I/O) technology that can support multimedia and high-bandwidth devices like printers, digital cameras, and FireWire hard disk drives. Apple has even included 15 watts of bus power that will spawn a whole new class of easy-to-use self powered devices such as hard drives and cameras. FireWire is perfect for digital-video editing. The two FireWire ports on the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) system support transfer speeds of up to 400 megabits-per-second (Mbps). FireWire lets you plug in and unplug devices without restarting the system. There are no device ID numbers to track, and the cables are long (14 feet) and easy to snap in. FireWire supports up to 63 devices. Information about FireWire technology can be found at: http://www.apple.com/firewire .

Question 4 : What is USB? Is it the same technology used in iMac?

Answer : The USB (Universal Serial Bus) implementation in the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) is the same as iMac. USB is a standard for attaching peripheral devices to a personal computer, delivering higher performance (up to 12 megabits-per-second) than previous serial port connection methods. USB is used to connect devices such as keyboards, mice, trackballs, modems, printers, scanners, and joysticks. You can plug in and unplug USB devices without restarting the system. Maximum cable length is 5 meters. Up to 127 USB devices can be attached to the computer simultaneously.The Power Macintosh G3 system ships with two USB ports. Apple also provides a USB keyboard and USB mouse with each system. The Apple USB Keyboard includes a built-in, bus-powered hub with two additional USB ports. The Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) also includes an Apple keyboard extender cable that increases the length of the Apple USB Keyboard cable and gives you the option to place the system either on the desktop or on the floor. Information about USB technology can be found at: http://www.apple.com/usb .

Question 5 : What graphics accelerator does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) use? Can you tell me more about the 66-MHz PCI slot? Are the other three slots standard PCI slots?

Answer : All Power Macintosh systems come standard with the latest graphics accelerator chip from ATi, the RAGE 128. It includes 16MB of SDRAM graphics memory that provide extraordinary multitexturing valued by games developers. This speedy graphics card provides stellar 2D performance to support large displays and great 3D performance for professional 3D applications and games. The RAGE 128 card has an industry-standard VGA video connector. For customers who want to connect the Power Macintosh to older Macintosh-type (DB-15 pin) connectors, Apple supplies a VGA-to-Macintosh connector in the accessory kit. The three 33-MHz, 64-bit PCI slots are PCI 2.1-compliant slots and can also accommodate 33-MHz, 32-bit cards. You can add many different types of cards, including graphics, networking, or cards that support storage devices.

Question 6 : Does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) have a floppy disk drive or serial port?

Answer : Like iMac, this system does not have a floppy disk drive. If you need to use a floppy disk drive, there are several third-party solutions available on the market. If you need to support serial devices, you can purchase third-party adapters or PCI cards. There is no serial port in the system. If you need to support ADB or SCSI devices, you can use third-party dongles, adapters, PCI cards, or external connection boxes. Apple is aggressively embracing I/O technologies such as FireWire and USB that allow you to attach devices directly to the system. There are several other options for getting infor mation in or out of the system, including Internet access, optional internal Zip drives, LAN, and other mass-storage devices.

Question 7 : What kinds of hard disk drives does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) support? How many devices does it support? How do I connect my older I/O devices?

Answer : The Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) system comes with an Ultra ATA hard disk drive or Ultra2 Low Voltage Differential (LVD) SCSI hard disk drive. Ultra2 SCSI is the next generation of SCSI. The Ultra2 LVD option includes a SCSI hard disk and a SCSI PCI card in one of the PCI slots. It doubles the data burst rate, up to 80 megabytes-per-second, providing greater system throughput. The maximum cable length is 12 meters, increasing flexibility in adding external storage devices. Ultra2 LVD SCSI supports up to 15 SCSI drive IDs. Customers who want to attach standard, Fast, or Fast Wide SCSI devices to the system along with Ultra2 LVD can add a PCI card offered by third-party vendors, but in that configuration the bus speed is slower.

Question 8 : Does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) come with a modem?

Answer : The new Power Macintosh G3 comes standard with a built-in slot to accommodate a 56K modem that supports both the K56flex and V.90 standards. The modem is available as a build-to-order option through the Apple Store. Customers can also purchase external modems from third-party vendors.

Question 9 : What version of the Mac OS does the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue and White) include?

Answer : The Power Macintosh G3 series ships with Mac OS 9.0. This version has lots of great new features and functionality. One of the highlights is Sherlock, your own private search detective. Sherlock is a powerful technology that lets you easily and quickly find information on local hard disk drives and the Internet.

Question 10 : Is it possible to start up from a FireWire hard drive?

Answer : No, the boot ROM cannot currently support starting up from FireWire-based storage devices.