Processor Upgrade?

wired envisions

Hey:



I'm currently running a PowerMac G4 466Mhz with 640 mbs of RAM. I've had this computer for some time now and I feel that it's falling far behind to Apple's other systems out there. It pisses me off that Apple doesn't offer processor upgrades for their computers. I guess they do that so that people have to buy a whole new system every 3-4 years.



I have been looking into OWC Mercury processors. Their 800Mhz processor upgrade is priced reasonable in the 200 dollar range. I was just wondering if anyone has one of these upgrades and how they like them. I'm currently running OS X 10.2.6 and will soon move up to 10.3 when it comes out. I want to know if Panther will be compatible with these processor upgrades.



Looking to hear your thoughts!



Wired Envisions

http://www.wiredenvisions.com

airsluf

Kickaha and Amorph couldn't moderate themselves out of a paper bag. Abdicate responsibility and succumb to idiocy. Two years of letting a member make personal attacks against others, then stepping aside when someone won't put up with it. Not only that but go ahead and shut down my posting priviledges but not the one making the attacks. Not even the common decency to abide by their warning (afer three days of absorbing personal attacks with no mods in sight), just shut my posting down and then say it might happen later if a certian line is crossed. Bullshit flag is flying, I won't abide by lying and coddling of liars who go off-site, create accounts differing in a single letter from my handle with the express purpose to decieve and then claim here that I did it. Everyone be warned, kim kap sol is a lying, deceitful poster.



Now I guess they should have banned me rather than just shut off posting priviledges, because kickaha and Amorph definitely aren't going to like being called to task when they thought they had it all ignored *cough* *cough* I mean under control. Just a couple o' tools.



Don't worry, as soon as my work resetting my posts is done I'll disappear forever.

wired envisions

Hey Bro:



Don't give me a hard time on this stuff. Calm down and take a breath. I was just wondering if anyone is currently using a CPU that wasn't distributed by Apple and how is it working for them. Sorry if I got on your nerves...Don't reply if you don't like the topic.



Wired Envisions

709

Well, I kind of understand where AirSluf is coming from. After the last WWDC, AI got pretty much swamped with newbies and trolls, and we're still trying to sort out who's who, so I'd cut him a little slack.



Anyways, Apple has NEVER made any kind of upgrade promise. EVER. So don't get your panties in a bunch. Apple makes machines. Period. Not upgrades.

stoo

Quote:

No other major manufacturers make upgrades, why should Apple?

As in PC manufacturers in the general sense? That's because x86 CPUs are dirt cheap and readily available compared to PowerPCs.



Edit: My 6400 uses a Sonnet Tech G3 upgrade (400MHz G3/iMB L2 cache). Good upgrade for extending the life of the Mac by a few more years for $150, great tech support.

airsluf

Kickaha and Amorph couldn't moderate themselves out of a paper bag. Abdicate responsibility and succumb to idiocy. Two years of letting a member make personal attacks against others, then stepping aside when someone won't put up with it. Not only that but go ahead and shut down my posting priviledges but not the one making the attacks. Not even the common decency to abide by their warning (afer three days of absorbing personal attacks with no mods in sight), just shut my posting down and then say it might happen later if a certian line is crossed. Bullshit flag is flying, I won't abide by lying and coddling of liars who go off-site, create accounts differing in a single letter from my handle with the express purpose to decieve and then claim here that I did it. Everyone be warned, kim kap sol is a lying, deceitful poster.



Now I guess they should have banned me rather than just shut off posting priviledges, because kickaha and Amorph definitely aren't going to like being called to task when they thought they had it all ignored *cough* *cough* I mean under control. Just a couple o' tools.



Don't worry, as soon as my work resetting my posts is done I'll disappear forever.

blueflame

To answer your question, I have a Gigabit Ethernet (used to be a G4 400 MHz) which I upgraded to 1.4GHz with a giga-designs processor. The speed increase is tremendous to me, so fast that playing Baldur's Gate II is a bit problematic: EVERYBODY has boots of speed! The G4 is indeed compatible with Jaguar and OS 9 with no hiccups or problems.

The upgrade costs $599 now, and will most certainly add 3-5 years of use onto my already 3 year old computer, especially when my Dad and brother get it (they have a Bondi Blue iMac now). I get the new G5 when Rev. 2 comes out....



Blueflame

big mac

Quote:

Originally posted by 709

Anyways, Apple has NEVER made any kind of upgrade promise. EVER. So don't get your panties in a bunch. Apple makes machines. Period. Not upgrades.

That's not true at all. When I purchased my Quadra 650, machines of that era were marked as "Ready for PPC Upgrade." And I believe Apple even sold upgrade cards at one point.



OWC doesn't have the greatest reputation. If you buy from them, ensure that the product they're selling carries a guarantee of some kind.

chris v

Funny you should post about the OWC cards. I just yesterday finished sticking their 1.25 gig upgrade card in a Sawtooth 450.



I took all of fifteen minutes to swap the 2 chips out, and it's just about exactly 3 times faster than it used to be. does a few things just a hair faster than my Quicksilver dual gig, I'd say. Boots faster, and launches some apps faster.



This is just a general "feel" kind of statement though, as I didn't sit there with a stopwatch, but I can say that it runs RC5 at 12.75 Mkeys/sec, which is pretty durn fast.



I'm very happy with it, so far.



CV

drboar

I upgraded my LCII with a 32 MHz 68030 my 7200/90 to a 7600/200 the 7600/200 with a G3/350 but the G4/400 is still at 400. A general conclusion is that CPU upgrades is good if CPU performance is the main bottleneck. A stock G4/466 can be wiithout CDRW (or have a very slow one) and have the ATI 128 card. A 300-500 dollar CPU upgrade is good if that is the only thing you need. However if you feel like having a CDRW a bigger HD a faster graphical card then the price is 50% of the price of a new G5 1.6...



Do note that the G4/466 is the old G4 with a 4 stage pipeline while the faster ones has a 7 stage pipeline and is thus slower per clock cycle than the old one. So to get twise the CPU speed of the 466 you will need more than 932 MHz (2x466), perhaps 1.25 GHz. A 800 MHz CPU is really like a 600-640 MHz of the old G4. So if the 466 feels to slow it is quite possible that you pay more than 200 dollar for having a computer that is still to slow even if it is an improvement. The Giga Design 1.0 that has been tested at 1.2 for less than 400 dollar look like a decent deal.