Powerlogix vs. Sonnet CPU Upgrades

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Powerlogix G4 867MHz cache @ 250MHz $449



or



Sonnet G4 800 cache @ 400MHz $499



Anyone know which card offers the better bang for the dollar?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    All I know is that I love Sonnet's upgrades. They always work, in my experiences. Good solid stuff.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    The Sonnet cards should be available over the next week, and will definitely be easier to install than the Powerlogix cards because there is no firmware or software to mess with.



    As far as the Speed of the cards, I imagine the two you noted will be pretty much the same. One's faster processor will offset the other's faster cache speed and vice versa. I'm sure there will be a couple types of operations that one will be better at than the other because of the way the given application is written.



    If you're really unsure, the best thing to do is wait until Macworld or XLR8 comes out with some comparisons between the two (I'm sure Mike will have a good report for us within a couple weeks of the Sonnet cards arrival).
  • Reply 3 of 13
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Another thing I neglected to mention: the two 800MHz cards are the same price, until you consider that PL will buy back your old daughter card for $50 - $100 depending on what kind you have, so that would make the PL unit cheaper, the ST unit easier to install, and all else pretty much equal for now....
  • Reply 4 of 13
    The Sonnet is no faster to install. Both only take a few minutes. The PowerLogix has a cache download of less than a minute.



    I have the 1GB PowerLogic in a G4/450/AGP and it runs great now.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Well, I've heard that contecting the power cable for the PL upgrades is a white-knuckle process because the length of said cable is not long enough to connect it comfortably...



    As for the firmware thing, it was causing people problems early on but I guess they have it fixed. Point is, there is no software at all that goes with the Sonnet card AFAIK. One less thing to worry about , is all.



    I'm curious: why did you choose the 1GHz model over the 800MHz one? I have this nagging concern that on a 100MHz bus, you're really not get 1GHz of power because of potential bottlenecks....



    Would you say your machine is literally twice as fast as it was before in all respects - or most respects? Launching times? Time required to open / alter large image or music files? Games?
  • Reply 6 of 13
    I'v generaly had better luck with sonnet.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    Wait for the dual 800 for only $775 from PowerLogix. Single processor upgrades are a thing of the past.
  • Reply 8 of 13
    I'd go for a dual CPU upgrade if you can afford it. Otherwise, the Sonnets seem to get better reviews at the websites I've been to.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    Connecting the power supply for the Powerlogix is simple, plently of length.



    Didn't worry about the software. The PowerLogix site had posted the wrong file when it first came out. I emailed them and they emailed me the file and corrected their site.



    I got the 1GB because I figured it would be faster, and yes, the machine does seem twice as fast with the upgrade. Everything is fasteer, startup, launching, opening large files.



    Mainly went for the Powerlogix because Sonnets wasn't avaiable.



    I got the first shipment, 1MB Cache. When the card started shipping with 2MB of cache, I bitched to both Other World Computing, where I bought it, (they said they couldn't do anything), and to PowerLogix. PowerLogix told me to send the processor back to them and they would upgrade the Cacche to 2MB with no charge.



    The processor is back at Powerlogix now and the machine seems like it's crawling now that I got used to the new speed.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Multimedia, JYD: If you have a Uni-N3 Power Mac, you cannot upgrade to dual - ever. Apple basically made it impossible the way they set that mobo up I guess. It's single or nothing for people with 450 and 500MHz (or maybe 500 and 533 - I forget) AGP PowerMacs.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    erbiumerbium Posts: 354member
    Is the sonnet 800 card going to offer better performance than the 867 Powerlogix card because of it's faster cache?
  • Reply 12 of 13
    Actually, I believe it's Uni-N7 that's the threshold for dual processors in the AGP G4 PowerMacs. Check using Apple System Profiler in MacOS 9. I know I CAN use a dual processor chip in my 450Mhz G4 PowerMac, although I'm currently leaning to the 1Ghz Sonnet single CPU upgrade.



    Here's a link to check on dual processor capability in your PowerMac:



    <a href="http://www.powerlogix.com/support2/notices/pfdualg4100/"; target="_blank">http://www.powerlogix.com/support2/notices/pfdualg4100/</a>;



    [ 10-01-2002: Message edited by: Dave Marsh ]</p>
  • Reply 13 of 13
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    Dave,



    It might be anything between UNI-N 3 and UNI-N 7 because I have the former and am listed as not being eligible for the dual upgrades. I'm leaning towards the Sonnet 800MHz card due to $200 lower price than the 1GHz and what I would guess is only marginally slower performance.



    [ 10-02-2002: Message edited by: Moogs ]</p>
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