I have a PowerMac 9500, and although it's a reiable workhorse (with a dual processor 200MHz 604e upgrade card) it is REALLY slow on the internet. I've got a cable modem, and although the speeds are all over the place (depending on time and day), even when I get fast speeds on the modem, my mac just slugs along. I know the built-in ethernet is 10base-T, so I bought a D-Link 10/100base-T PCI card, and after downloading the MAc install drivers from their website, put it in and installed it. But my poor old 9500 doesn't seem to be much faster, and according to my switch, isn't connecting at 100, but still at 10 speed...
So what gives? Do I need to update my Apple-supplied Ethernet drivers, or is ther a plug-in or control panel I'm forgetting about?
Thanks,
--Richard
Since most non-commercial (and many commercial) broadband hook ups won't use all of 100base and even 10baset ethernet its a software issue. I'd clear out the cache files, up the browser's RAM allocation and possibly set up a RAM disk for the temp files. You may want to consider other browsers as well.
I've tried Netscape and Explorer and they're both slow (Explorer is slower though). Funny thing is, there is also a very old and slow PC (I think a P2) hooked up (through what is admittedly a slow and klugey router--D-Link 604) and the PC is actually pretty acceptable for surfing...
I'll try the options you suggested though. Thanks.
What versions of IE and NS? I don't know about NS but IE 5 was a lot better than its earlier Mac versions.
How much RAM is in the 9500? Also, as was pointed out, 100 is way overkill for most broadband connections. A good cable ISP runs about 3Mbs. Your built-in ethernet is capable of about three times that speed.
You can't get more water out of the same faucet just by sticking on a bigger hose if your old one was bigger than the faucet anyway. I had to explain pretty much the same idea to my dad when he realized that his new 1.4GHz AMD box wasn't much faster over dial-up than his old 100MHz AMD K5-PR133.
No one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity. - Anton Szandor LaVey in 1988 (There is a certain irony in this quote... :p)