Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!dartvax!eleazar.dartmouth.edu!merchant
From: merchant@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Peter Merchant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: To upgrade a Mac SE or not to upgrade, THAT is the question!
Message-ID: <12732@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU>
Date: 22 Mar 89 15:19:23 GMT
References: <1042@atux01.UUCP>
Sender: news@dartvax.Dartmouth.EDU
Reply-To: Peter.G.Merchant@dartmouth.edu (Peter Merchant)
Organization: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY
Lines: 28

In article <1042@atux01.UUCP> jlc@atux01.UUCP (J. Collymore) writes:
>Well, I've been reading a lot about the virtues of a MAC SE/30, and now
>the new IIcx.  If I were to spend $1700 on a new 68030 logic board, and another
>$700 on a SuperDrive to upgrade my SE, WOULD IT REALLY BE WORTH IT?  I mean,
>the way Apple is changing its hardware so frequently, will I just have wasted
>my money on things that I'll be able to get in the 1992 Macintosh for about
>the same price?

Excluding memory shortages :^), prices on computer equipment tend to drop as
time goes on, especially when you consider power vs. price.  If you wait two
years, you'll be able to buy an SE/30 for nothing.  But, of course, you'll
want the SE/40.

Here's what I do: I look at what I'm doing and I decide whether the time that
I save on having the more powerful computer is worth the money.  If I don't
find my current Macintosh to be "slow", I probably don't care.  On the other
hand, if I find my productivity being hindered by having to "wait around" for
my computer, than I probably will find it worthwhile.  (In the case of the
SuperDrive, if I find myself being hindered by having to convert MS-DOS/Apple
II disks to the Mac all the time, or find my floppy disks just don't store as
much as I'd like...)

You have to decide whether the cost/benefit is worth it to you.  If you ask me
to decide, I'll tell you that you should do it because I just love spending
other people's money--that's why I work for The Government!  :^)
---
"Should I do it?"                       Peter Merchant (merchant@eleazar.UUCP)
                                              (Peter.G.Merchant@dartmouth.EDU)