Apple IIgs hardware questions (long, detailed, but worth it - I'm a convert!)

["Rodney Hester" <rod3@mindspring.com>]

(BTW, damn you all - I was *never* interested in Apple equipment when it was
"hot", but now that I've experienced KEGS, I've determined that the Apple
IIgs was quite possibly the finest "classic" home computere ever made,
easily besting my beloved Commodore 128D.  That having been said...  :)

I'm interested in purchasing an Apple IIgs system, and the prices on eBay
seem somewhat reasonable.  However, I'm a bit confused about a few things:

- I understand that ROM 01 is much more compatible with many games than ROM
03.  Fair.  This leaves me with two choices - buy a ROM 01 machine, or buy a
ROM 03 machine and find/beg/borrow a ROM 01 chip and replace it (is this
possible?).  I'd prefer the latter, since the ROM 03 machine comes with more
base RAM and a few other enhancements.

- Can both the ROM 01 and ROM 03 machines be expanded to the full 8MB of
possible RAM?  If so, can it be added directly to the logic board, or does
it require some sort of memory card?  If a memory card is needed, can the
same one be used in either machine, and were there multiple models?
(Particularly, did Apple make one, or was this strictly a 3rd-party thing?)
Are memory expander cards expensive as hell?

- Many systems I've seen come with one 3.5" and two 5.25" drives - would
there be benefit to having a second 3.5" drive as well?

- Did the Apple monitor "intended" for the GS only come in 12" varieties?

- What are my options as far as a hard drive?  Is it possible to get one
mounted internally (ie a "hardcard")?  If not, do most external HDs for the
GS come in a case?  What is required?  (I might prefer a Chinook CT100
SmartPort drive just for "originality", but if they are woefully
expensive/hard to find/slow, I'm open to SCSI...so what SCSI cards are
available?  Is the Apple High Speed SCSI controller readily available?  Are
these controllers SCSI-1 or SCSI-2?)

- Accelerators - I want one.  If I've read correctly, there are basically
only two to choose from, the TransWarp and the Zip, both of which seem about
the same performance-wise.  Anyone have details on this, and what is their
street value today?  Are they readily available?

- If I don't have a Mac, what are my options as far as getting PC-side disk
images to the GS?

- Are third-party video cards like SecondSight really that big a deal?  If
so, why?  What software supports them?

- Ditto with third-party sound cards like Doctor Design - why would you want
one with an Ensoniq under the hood?  Would they not also require special
software?

- If I wanted to plunk my ROM 03-logic-board-based system into a Woz Limited
Edition case, would it work?  Does anyone ever sell bare Woz cases?

Ideally, my IIgs system would be configured as follows (pardon my ignorance
or mistakes, please):

Apple IIgs CPU (Woz LE case and ROM 03 logic board with ROM 01 ROMs
installed)
2 Apple 3.5" floppy drives (styled for GS)
2 Apple 5.25" floppy drives (styled for GS)
Apple color RGB monitor (styled for GS?)
Apple ADB keyboard/mouse (came with the GS)
Apple ImageWriter II printer (styled for GS?)
Apple (?) fully-populated memory card (to give the system full 8MB RAM)
Hard drive, see above
Accelerator, see above

Much appreciation for any light anyone can shed, here - I've learned all
this in a weekend.  =)

Rodney