Sounds like the Quicksilver 2002 given it has Mac OS ROM 9.0.1, 40GB hard drive (the 32GB you saw is probably the left over space), it came in 800MHz version, 256MB was the base memory, Mac OS 9.2 was the standard OS and like many Macs of that era, it shares the Machine ID of 406. Oh and CDRW was the base option. So all things considered, that has to be a Quicksilver 2002.

*takes of sleuthing hat* :flower:

Avalon's advice is excellent, so I don't have much to add. But if it is a Quicksilver my main upgrades for the Mac would be (in order of priority):

1.) Memory. Get it to at least 512MB, or better still up to 1GB. If your son is studying graphics related stuff, the more memory the better.

2.) Mac OS X Tiger 10.4. Mac OS 9 is old. Period. To run the mnost recent software released in the past 3-4 years, Mac OS X is where it is at.

3.) Hard Disk. Consider sourcing a 7200RPM 3.5" hard drive, 120GB or there abouts should do the trick nicely, and to store all the graphics, you need a large fast hard drive.

As for PPC Vs. Intel, at 800MHz—we're more than likely talking about the PowerPC 7455 (G4) processor which is a great processor. Ok, we won't be charting a space shuttle launch in realtime with this thing, but for graphics work—it's going to be pretty decent, and run at low end Pentium 4 speed, or so as the PowerPC G4 is optimised for the kind of graphics/video work Macs are used in, and thus is somewhat more efficient than a P4 per clock cycle.

Of course without the extra RAM and faster hard drive, you will be choking it and it may feel sluggish without it. You can upgrade to a faster processor but it has to be economically justifiable.

Question is—how much is the asking price with the LCD?

Vicky