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2004 ZIF CPU Upgrade Roundup: G3/750GX 1.1GHz vs G4/550MHz, G4/800MHz and G4/1GHz CPU Upgrades Performance Tests in Yikes G4/PCI System By Nathan W. Published: 7/6/2004

Details of the Powerlogix G3/800 ZIF Module

Intro | Benchmarks  | Apps Tests | Games Tests | Installation | Specs/Photos/Summary

Sonnet Encore/ZIF G4 PowerPC G4 7450 or 7455 at 800MHz or 1GHz 32KB on-chip L1 cache 256k on-chip L2 cache (at 1:1) 1MB L3 (not stated but assumed SDR) at 4:1 CPU chip speed to cache speed ratio. (L3 rated for 250MHz) 66MHz bus speed Three year warranty Powerlogix PowerForce G3 (750GX) ZIF PowerPC G4 750GX at 1.0GHz or 1.1GHz 32KB on-chip L1 cahce 1MB on-chip L2 cache (at 1:1) User adjustable speeds 100MHz bus speed Two year warranty G3 800MHz and 900MHz models (not reviewed this time) are 750FX with 32KB on-chip L1 and 512k on-chip L2 cache at 1:1. (There's a previous review of an early model PL G3/800 (750FX) ZIF vs G4s up to 600Mhz in a B&W G3 linked on the G3 reviews page, includes a page on the original version of the CPU Director software.) OWC MercuryZ600+ G4/500-600MHz Altivec Enhanced ZIF PowerPC G4 7410 at 500-600MHz 64k on-chip L1 cache 1MB external L2 cache at 4.5:1 (rated for 250MHz) 100MHz bus speed Two year warranty Left to right, top to bottom: Sonnet Encore/ZIF G4 800MHz, Apple G4 350MHz ZIF, OWC MercuryX600+ G4 500-600MHz, Powerlogix PowerForce G3 1.0/1.1GHz, Sonnet Encore/ZIF G4 1GHz. Yes, that is too much thermal paste. Conclusion/Notes: There is no best choice - each processor fulfils a different need. I recommend each processor for the following: Powerlogix G3 1GHz and 1.1GHz: The fastest. Very good overall performance and an excellent value. Feels like a brand new mac (or faster)- fluid UI. Sonnet G4 1GHz and 800MHz: Continue to live the iLife. (G4 CPU required for iDVD.) Raw computing power. Boosted by an increasing number of applications. Good overall performance. I recommend the 1GHz over the 800MHz if you can afford it. (Also nice looking - a pretty purple color for those who care about such things) OWC G4 500-600MHz: Very good deal. 100MHz bus + G4 is very beneficial in many situations. Boosted by an increasing number of applications. Can run all iLife apps. Overall good performance. I've found OWC, Sonnet's, and Powerlogix's support to be very good, with Sonnet getting top marks in my mind. I may or may not have time to do a shorter Beige G3 writeup. Expect a review if ATI happens to create a new PCI video card. Lastly, I'd like to thank a few notable individuals. First, Mike. The amount of work he puts into this wonderful site is superhuman. I couldn't have done this review without dozens of emails exchanged between us. You have no idea how much work goes into a simple review like this... days of non-stop work. Thanks to Apple, Sonnet, Powerlogix, and OWC for providing me with the hardware (the latter two did not even make me fill out a form). Thanks to Santaduck (http://www.macologist.org/) for help with UT, David Giessel (http://www.themacaddress.com/) for his vast and superior knowledge, and my family for moral support. For owner reports on CPU upgrades (any brand/mac model), search our Rate Your CPU Upgrade database. (Also includes Overclocking reports with OEM Apple modules) We at xlr8yourmac stress that owners of any upgrade should use it for several weeks at least before posting an entry in my database. If there are problems - double check the installation/settings and contact the vendor immediately if you need help. They often can provide a solution or identify the source of the problem.

Index of 2004 G3/G4 ZIF Review Pages Intro | Benchmarks  | Apps Tests | Game Tests | Installation | Specs/Photos/Summary - or - Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

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