Apple 333MHz iMac & Connectix Virtual PC

Since we asked for the Macs for our group test Apple has swapped the 266MHz G3 processor inside the iMac for a faster 333MHz version.

Unfortunately, this hike in clock speed isn't matched by an upgrade for any of the rest of the specification.

It still comes with just 32Mb of RAM, though a 64Mb model is expected soon, and the 6Gb hard drive and 6Mb Rage Pro Turbo onboard graphic controller are retained. On the plus side the price also stays the same, so you are getting that extra bit of performance for your money.

We ran the same tests as we used for the group test and the faster chip does offer improved performance. The 333MHz iMac's score has risen from 23.74fps (frames per second) to 26.19fps in the Dark Vengeance test and it managed 12.67fps in the Quick Time test - 2.34fps more than the 266MHz model.

It also scored better in the Photoshop test, completing the Action in 210.63 seconds, almost a minute faster than its predecessor. Its time for the Word Find and Replace test is still far from speedy, but the faster chip helped it to complete the task in 139.30 seconds.

Since the Macs in the group test struggled with the Word Find and Replace test, we decided to run the same type of test using AppleWorks 5, which works on both PCs and Macs so we can compare the results for both platforms.

The 333MHz iMac completed the AppleWorks Find and Replace test in 73.47 seconds. It also beat a 333MHz Cyrix-based PC with 32Mb of RAM, which took 127.95 seconds to finish the test, even though the PC beat the iMac by 61.14 seconds in the Word Find and Replace test. So if you do opt for a Macintosh, steer clear of Microsoft Word.

Many users attracted to the Mac for its looks and functionality, are put off by the fact that they cannot run the wide variety of PC applications available on this platform. One solution to this problem is to use emulator software to allow you to run PC software on your Mac.

One of the best known emulators is Connectix's Virtual PC, so we decided to try out the latest version, 2.1.3, on our iMac. To be fair you won't get the best performance from an emulator on an entry-level system like the iMac - Virtual PC won't even run with the 32Mb of RAM it comes with as standard. But as many iMac users would like access to PC software we added an extra 64Mb of RAM to the iMac and gave Virtual PC a whirl.

Virtual PC runs alongside the Mac OS, so you can twin this up with Windows 98, which comes bundled with it. You use Virtual PC preferences to assign keyboard shortcuts for common PC functions, such as the right-mouse click, but for a hardened PC user this takes some getting used to.

We found that we could run all the common office applications perfectly well under Virtual PC.

Games are another matter of course and since it doesn't support Direct 3D, 3D gaming under emulation is out. But we had no trouble running the non-3D RollerCoaster Tycoon.

To get an idea of how performance is affected by working under emulation we ran our four PC tests on the iMac running Virtual PC. Thanks to the poor graphics support its Dark Vengeance score fell to just 2.65fps and QuickTime to 0.89fps. It was also significantly slower in the other tests taking over 400 seconds to complete each one.

Virtual PC is a perfect solution for those times when you absolutely have to run a PC program on a Mac, but you do take a serious performance hit and even on the fastest 333MHz iMac you will have to add extra RAM just to run it.

SPECIFICATIONS

Apple iMac: 333MHz G3 processor

512Kb Level 2 backside cache

32Mb of RAM

6Mb Rage Pro Turbo on-board graphics controller

6Gb IDE hard drive

24x CD-ROM

56Kbits/s modem

15in built-in monitor

Mac OS 8.5

Virtual PC 2.1.3: Allows you to run Windows and PC software on a Mac

Comes with a copy of Windows 98

DirectX enhancements let you run latest Windows games

Supports Voodoo 2 3D graphics cards

PC serial device support

iMac: £915( inc VAT)

Virtual PC: £140.99 (inc VAT)

Apple: 0800 783 4846

www.uk.euro.apple.com/iMac/default.html

Computers Unlimited: 0181 358 5857

www.unlimited.com

Minimum requirements: G3 processor, Mac OS 8.0, 280Mb of hard disk space, 48Mb of RAM, CD-ROM drive.

Apple 333MHz iMac

Features **

Ease of use *****

Performance ***

Value for money ****

Overall****

Connectix Virtual PC 2.1.3

Features ****

Ease of use *****

Performance ***

Value for money **

Overall ***.

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