If price is taken out of the equation, what computer would you prefer for playing classic Mac games? This particular SE Superdrive has 4 MB of RAM and a 30MB hard drive, while the Classic II has at least 2 MB of RAM and at least a 40 MB hard drive.
Does the Classic II's 16 MHz processor win out over the SE Superdrive's 8 MHz processor? The expandability potential of the SE is attractive. Would love to hear everyone's thoughts!
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2013, June 1 - 7:25pm
#1
Better Gaming Machine: SE Superdrive or Classic II?
Comments
2013, June 1 - 9:57pm
#2
Neither. Get an SE/30. It's faster than them both and offers great expandibilty.
2013, June 1 - 11:08pm
#3
Of the two; The Classic II, (a) it uses faster RAM which can be expanded to 10 MB. (b) It has a 68030 CPU.
2013, June 2 - 5:31pm
#4
thanks for the input, guys!
2013, June 3 - 1:25am
#5
YW. Also of note, there were 2 main SE models produced, the SE, which may or may not have had an internal hard drive, it would have had at least 1 800k floppy drive. The SE FDHD came next, it usually had an internal hard drive & came with a then new 1.4MB floppy drive. The sometimes labeled SE Superdrive, which is a re-badged SE FDHD (no difference in spec). "SuperDrive" in the SE name refers to the 1.4MB floppy drive, which became the standard in all Macs after the SE, until the 1st iMac & B/W G3 tower.
When needing quick Mac specs, one place I tend to go to 1st is everymac. Here's quick specs on the SE FDHD (Superdrive) & the Classic II.
2013, June 3 - 5:01am
#6
Had both
Kept the SE (still have it)
Wish I'd kept the Classic II instead.
But like others say, if you can get your hands on an SE/30 or Colour Classic, get them instead.
2013, June 3 - 10:58pm
#7
Thanks a bunch. I've read that the Color Classic is awful for games, as the resolution is awkward. I was originally looking into a color classic, but finding out that bit of info turned me away from that machine.
2013, June 4 - 2:36am
#8
I would go for either the Classic 2 or SE/30. The SE/30 can be pricey, but look around. The Low-End-Mac swap list is full of good deals.
2013, June 4 - 4:16am
#9
I must agree that the SE/30 is the premium B&W Mac, for just about anything. With the ability to add a colour monitor at any time ( takes a bit longer these days 
), it is a retro gaming powerhouse. There is software to slow it down if necessary, also disable caching, and even (I believe) run in 24bit mode (for some REAL old games, like ARKANOID.
2013, June 4 - 5:00pm
#10
thanks for the input, guys. i wound up purchasing another Classic II over the weekend and returned the faulty Classic II. i also came across an opportunity for an SE/30 for a great deal through Craigslist, so might pick one of those up, too.
Question about SCSI external Zip Drives and connections...Why are 25-pin SCSI to USB adapters so expensive?! I'm talking between $150 and $200...seems a bit excessive...anybody have one lying around?
The goal here is to be able to use the drive on both my Macbook Pro and also on the Classic II/SE 30. The only way I know how to access the drive on my Macbook Pro would be by making the drive USB accessible...Maybe would be cheaper to buy a separate USB zip drive? Not sure...
2013, June 4 - 10:57pm
#11
Somehow, I think it would be less expensive (on eBay) to purchase separately a SCSI Zip drive and a USB Zip drive, than the adapter solution. The SCSI Zip drive is more likely to work on the Classic II, with less hassle. And as long as they both use the same capacity disks, the disks are interchangeable.
But the MacBook Pro, is it able to read/write to HFS media (as opposed to HFS+)? Or do the zip disks need to be formatted FAT32 for compatibility? HFS+ is not an option on the compact Classic Mac.
2013, June 5 - 4:12am
#12
Cool, thanks. I got MacFuse and FuseHFS up and running recently on my MacBook Pro, so I am able to read/write to HFS without difficulty. Good question, though!