Accelerate Your Mac! - Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF Review

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Review: Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF CPU upgrade
Published: 7/6/2000

Benchmark Test Results

Intro | Benchmarks | Appl. Tests | Software Controls | Docs/Installation | Specs/Design | Summary

Benchmark Tests

Benchmark tests were run with MacBench 5.0 as it is the accepted Mac standard. I also included a test with RaveBench to see what benefit a faster CPU speed had with the Beige G3's onboard RagePro chip. Memory performance tests with Newer Tech's GaugePro are also included.
Throughout this review I used the convention of showing CPU and backside cache speeds (in MHz) in the format of CPU Speed/Cache speed; so 466/233 would mean a CPU speed of 466 MHz, a backside cache speed of 233 MHz. (The default Beige G3 bus speed of 66MHz was used.)

Remember that Macbench Graphics scores will vary depending on graphics mode and the installed video card. The 1000 normalized score in Macbench 5 is from an Apple Beige G3/300 with onboard ATI video running the 1152x870, millions colors, OS 8.1 and the OEM 4GB hard drive.
Since the review system was originally a Beige G3/300, but had more RAM, I've upgraded the hard drive, added a Toshiba 6X DVD drive and VR128 card, I decided to run my own 'baseline' test score to more accurately show the results after the ProG3 upgrade. The '100%' system score below is from the exact same Beige G3 except for the CPU module. That way you can compare the benefit in all the test areas from the faster CPU.
Remember the amount of free space, fragmentation, etc. can also affect disk scores. In most cases a CPU upgrade has little benefit on Macbench disk scores. Disk Cache settings in the Memory Control Panel does boost scores up to a point (about 6MB or so) - see the Disk Cache Study from last year for details.

MacBench 5.0 Tests:

MacBench 5.0 Performance

MacBench Test Results

Scores from Beige G3/233's and G3 CPU upgrades up to 550MHz are shown in past reviews like the RailGun G3/466 and PF G3/466 reviews.

GaugePro Results:

Note: The same system with the Apple G3/300/150/1MB cache reported 66.2MB/sec.

RaveBench Tests:

To those still using the onboard ATI video chip of the Beige G3, the RaveBench graph below may be of interest. It shows a QD3D Rave series of tests with the same onboard ATI video (RagePro/rev 2 Beige G3) with a 233MHz/512K CPU vs a 466MHz/1MB CPU. As you can see the onboard video chip is saturated and shows nowhere near a 2x gain.
Focused upgrades that address specific areas make the most sense. Start with RAM of course, and and then put your money where it will do the most good (for gamers a 3dfx card or Rage128 would be the best return on investment, improving speed and image quality for between $100 and $200).

Notice that doubling the CPU speed, cache speed and cache size resulted in only 7% to 54% gain in these tests, at least with the onboard RagePro chip.

RaveBench 1.11 Performance
Beige G3/466 vs Beige G3/233 Onboard Video
(From past review that used OS 8.1)

RaveBench 1.11 Performance
(VR128 vs onboard RagePro - same CPU speed)
RaveBench VR128 vs Onboard RagePro @466Mhz

I realize it's odd to see the lower mesh test scores with the PCI card. I can only assume that the OS version/Driver version may have been a factor.

For comparisons to other CPU upgrades and systems see my site list of CPU Upgrade Reviews & Related Articles.

The next page has comments and some results from real world applications. Or you may use the links below to jump to a specific page.

Index of Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF Review Pages
Intro | Benchmarks | Appl. Tests | Software Controls | Docs/Installation | Specs/Design | Summary

- or -
Back to www.XLR8YOURMAC.com

Copyright © Mike, 2000.

No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission.
All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.

Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.

The Source for Mac Performance News and Reviews
Review: Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF CPU upgrade Published: 7/6/2000
Benchmark Test Results
Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary
Benchmark Tests
Benchmark tests were run with MacBench 5.0 as it is the accepted Mac standard. I also included a test with RaveBench to see what benefit a faster CPU speed had with the Beige G3's onboard RagePro chip. Memory performance tests with Newer Tech's GaugePro are also included. Throughout this review I used the convention of showing CPU and backside cache speeds (in MHz) in the format of CPU Speed/Cache speed; so 466/233 would mean a CPU speed of 466 MHz, a backside cache speed of 233 MHz. (The default Beige G3 bus speed of 66MHz was used.) Remember that Macbench Graphics scores will vary depending on graphics mode and the installed video card. The 1000 normalized score in Macbench 5 is from an Apple Beige G3/300 with onboard ATI video running the 1152x870, millions colors, OS 8.1 and the OEM 4GB hard drive. Since the review system was originally a Beige G3/300, but had more RAM, I've upgraded the hard drive, added a Toshiba 6X DVD drive and VR128 card, I decided to run my own 'baseline' test score to more accurately show the results after the ProG3 upgrade. The '100%' system score below is from the exact same Beige G3 except for the CPU module. That way you can compare the benefit in all the test areas from the faster CPU. Remember the amount of free space, fragmentation, etc. can also affect disk scores. In most cases a CPU upgrade has little benefit on Macbench disk scores. Disk Cache settings in the Memory Control Panel does boost scores up to a point (about 6MB or so) - see the Disk Cache Study from last year for details. MacBench 5.0 Tests: MacBench 5.0 Performance Scores from Beige G3/233's and G3 CPU upgrades up to 550MHz are shown in past reviews like the RailGun G3/466 and PF G3/466 reviews. GaugePro Results: Note: The same system with the Apple G3/300/150/1MB cache reported 66.2MB/sec. RaveBench Tests: To those still using the onboard ATI video chip of the Beige G3, the RaveBench graph below may be of interest. It shows a QD3D Rave series of tests with the same onboard ATI video (RagePro/rev 2 Beige G3) with a 233MHz/512K CPU vs a 466MHz/1MB CPU. As you can see the onboard video chip is saturated and shows nowhere near a 2x gain. Focused upgrades that address specific areas make the most sense. Start with RAM of course, and and then put your money where it will do the most good (for gamers a 3dfx card or Rage128 would be the best return on investment, improving speed and image quality for between $100 and $200). Notice that doubling the CPU speed, cache speed and cache size resulted in only 7% to 54% gain in these tests, at least with the onboard RagePro chip. RaveBench 1.11 Performance Beige G3/466 vs Beige G3/233 Onboard Video (From past review that used OS 8.1) RaveBench 1.11 Performance (VR128 vs onboard RagePro - same CPU speed) I realize it's odd to see the lower mesh test scores with the PCI card. I can only assume that the OS version/Driver version may have been a factor.
For comparisons to other CPU upgrades and systems see my site list of CPU Upgrade Reviews & Related Articles.
The next page has comments and some results from real world applications. Or you may use the links below to jump to a specific page.

Index of Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF Review Pages Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary - or - Back to www.XLR8YOURMAC.com
Copyright © Mike, 2000. No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.