Introduction
I'm writing this article more for historical purposes than anything else since these cards are rare and Newer Tech is now closed. This is not a full review as I've done with other cards, but simply a look at the card's features, etc.. I wasn't able to get a review card when they were being sold, and the carrier model card was not widely available a year or two back when they first appeared. Thanks to a reader post in the forums here I was able to buy one for a very low cost ($39 plus tax and shipping - see the availability section below for details).

What's Included:

• Carrier ZIF Socketed Card (but no heatsink)
• Printed Manual
• Driver/Software CD (dated 7/99)
• Floppy Disk (dated 8/99)
• Disposable anti-static wrist strap
• Warranty registration card (of no use now)

The documentation included a well-illustrated printed manual with installation guides (although written for their non-ZIF socketed cards) and a loose sheet about re-using Apple G3 ZIF modules with switch and jumper settings for both Newer Tech G3 ZIFs and Apple ZIFs. The back of this sheet had settings up to 50MHz bus speeds and 8x ratio (CPU speed of 400MHz). No mention was made of G4 CPU ZIFs, or of a 10x ratio setting for the card. I have an XLR8 G3/500 ZIF however with jumpers on the ZIF for setting the 10x ratio - using the 50MHz bus speed settings worked with that ZIF to allow 500MHz CPU speeds. (The XLR8 ZIF's jumper settings allowed the 10x ratio, ignoring any carrier card bus/cpu ratio settings.) No bus speed settings are documented above 50MHz however.

The box included both a floppy disk (dated 8/99) with v1.3.9 of their MaxPowr Control and a CD (dated 7/99). Later versions were on their web site at www.newertech.com (but it's unknown if that web site will stay online in the future).

Card Features/Design:
The image below is larger than I'd like for a web page (90K) but I wanted as clear a photo as possible and to identify some of the features of the card. The ZIF socket is obvious, but note the use of a Beige G3 VRM (Voltage Regulator Module) which I found interesting. It's removable should it fail and need replacing, although only an Apple dealer or perhaps some parts dealers on the web would have access to parts like this. I saw no reworks on the card (no jumpers, cut traces, or tacked on components indicating a design change or mod after the pwb artwork was made).

The photo above shows the removable metal support bracket that is used for Apple 73-9600s but removed for most clones or low-profile cases. Two screws attach the bracket to the circuit board.

I immediately recognized the Xlinx programmable chip that is part of Newer's patented Speculative Access fix for pre-G3 Macs. (Only 8600/250, 8600/300, 9600/300 and 9600/350's have "G3 clean" ROMs. These are called "Mach5" or "Kansas" systems and the Newer Carrier card Switch SW1 (left switch in the above photos) should have its 1 and 4 switches ON for use in these systems.)

The back side of the card has a single jumper that is placed in one of two positions depending on the CPU module/speed installed. The jumpers settings info shows the position of this jumper, which is usually left at the default (as shipped) position, but had to be moved for my G3/400 (50mhz bus speed, 8x ratio) module.

The photo below shows the card with a ZIF CPU module installed. I used a $10 Pentium CPU fan/heatsink combo since the card did not come with a heatsink.

Compatibility:

ZIF CPU Module Compatibility:
Newer Tech's docs list only Apple OEM (Original Equipment) G3 ZIFs and Newer Tech G3 ZIFs, although I have also tested an XLR8 G3/500 ZIF (w/jumpers on the ZIF) without any problems. Based on a reader report, the card also works with XLR8 G4/400 ZIF modules (see below). I'd guess it would work with a Newer Tech G4 ZIF module also, but I don't have one to try. (The MaxPowr G4/400 ZIF I reviewed last year was a loaner, as most are.) Sonnet's ZIFs may not work, at least at their rated speeds since they use a jumperless "Bus sensing" design that looks for a 66mhz (Beige G3) or 100Mhz (B&W G3) bus speed. (That may have changed by the time you read this - check with sonnet before buying one for this card if in doubt. OWC has mentioned they might be changing this design to allow using their ZIFs in Carrier cards like the XLR8 CarrierZIF and ZForce.) (See the CPU Upgrades page, G3 and G4 reviews/articles pages for G3 and G4 reviews using the CarrierZIF/MAChCarrier cards).

If you've used a G4 ZIF or Metabox, Sonnet or other brand of ZIF (besides Apple), please let me know.

Newer Tech G4/400 ZIF Settings: This CPU upgrades database entry was from a XLR8 CarrierZIF card owner using a Newer Tech G4/400 ZIF (not a newer tech) but I though the info on the Newer Tech G4 ZIF ratio settings might be of use to owners if the ZIF is compatible with their carrier card. (I've written to ask Andrew what the 8x ratio settings were - as I'm not sure the FAQ's CPU upgrade section, Newer Tech ZIF switch settings posted previously are accurate for their G4 ZIF models.)

" Reviewer's Name: Andrew L.
Date Submitted: 5/18/2001
Rating (1 to 10): 9
Manufacturer: Newer Tech G4
Rated Speed (CPU/Cache MHz): G4 400/200 Newer Tech ZIF
Max Speed (CPU/Cache MHz): 431/215.5
Cache Size: 1MB
Mac Type: 8600/300 mach5
Comments:
Running a MaxpowerG4 ZIF socketed to an XLR8 carrier card. Control software is Mach Speed Control 2.0.2.

Can only run at 431Mhz reliably with write-through enabled (a 15% speed hit). Can run at 408Mhz reliably with write through disabled. Possibly faster as I was running an Apple G3/400 ZIF previously at a 54Mhz bus speed (432/216) with speculatve enabled.

Running at a 8:1 ratio. Achieved 9X multiplier with the NewerZIF by turning all switches on the card to "off" and 9,10,11,12 on the carrier to "off". Booted fine at 405/202.5 at first. Tried bumping the speed up and I couldn't get video to boot at 9:1 after that no matter what speed I chose. Returning to 8:1 solved the problem. At too high a speed the video refused to load during boot. The 9X multiplier seemed particlarily sensitive to this. As speed increases video performance decreases in my tests. (I am running a Nexus128 video card)

I did not have to de-interleave my RAM (576MB) to acheive rated speed & good perfomance from the G4. I am happy with the chip and very happy with thecarrier card."

Note with this 9x ratio settings to run the G4/400 ZIF at its rated speeds you'd set the bus speed switches on the Carrier card to 44.4 MHz. I don't know if the Newer Tech Carrier card is G4 ZIF compatible - but I think there have been some past reports in the CPU Upgrades database from owners using G4 ZIF modules with the card. Regardless the ZIF settings may come in handy. I'll post the 8x settings here as soon as Andrew replies. (The FAQ previous Newer Tech G3 ZIF settings for 8x ratio were 8.0X: on-on-off-off, but not sure that info from the G3 ZIFs is accurate for their G4 models.)

Newer Tech G3/500 ZIF 10x Ratio Settings: I spotted this in the forums here. A Newer Tech Carrier card owner with Newer Tech G3/500 ZIF finally found the 10x ratio settings for the ZIF module (unlike XLR8, Newer Tech did not document high ratio settings with many of their ZIFs, which are needed for the lower bus speed Macs)

" Here are the setting for the Carrier and [Newer Tech G3/500] ZIF.

SW2: All OFF, SW1: ON, ON, OFF, OFF
ZIF: (CPU) OFF, ON, ON, OFF
Carrier Card Jumper in the "UP' Position

The Card is now running at 500 Mhz. My thanks to Neal and W.Raitt Howard for helping put this problem to bed.

Ralph Light"

FYI: I'm not sure it would work with the Newer carrier card, but a recent CPU Upgrades Database entry from a Powerlogix Zforce card owner noted the $299 (OWC price) Newer Tech G4/400 ZIF settings for 9:1 ratio are switches 1-4 OFF.

Newer Tech's Compatible Systems Listing:

• Apple PowerMac 7300, 7500, 7600, 8500, 8600, 9500, 9600
  (special setting for Mach5 8600/9600s)
  
  
• UMax S900 and J700
  
  
• Power Computing PowerTower Pro, PowerTower, PowerCurve, PowerWave, PowerCenter and PowerCenter Pro. (PowerBase not listed as compatible)

The Genesis (9500 based) and Millennium (Genesis variant) were not listed although I suspect they may be compatible. I plan to test this when I can.

Systems I Tested So Far:

Readers have repored in the database here they've used the Newer Carrier card in systems such as the 7300, 7500, 7600, 8600, 9500, 9600/350, Umax S900, PowerCenter, PowerTower, PowerTower Pro and PowerWave. I've only had the card for a day or so but did run a few quick tests in the following machines:

• 9600/350
  
  
• PowerTower Pro w/Apple G3/350 ZIF running at 400Mhz/50Mhz bus speed) and XLR8 G3/500 ZIF (50Mhz bus speed, 10x ratio set on the ZIF). Both tested with interleaved RAM. One reader in the database noted using the card in a PowerTower Pro 250 which has a revised motherboard that was a problem for the first revision CarrierZIFs, so it's good to hear this card is compatible with that model also.
  (Note: for some reason I have not been able to get his PTP system to boot from an OS 8.5 or OS 9 HD or CD, regardless of CPU card brand, type, etc. - it just hangs at the happy Mac icon when trying to boot, even with extensions disabled. The OS 8.1 disk boots fine.)
  
  
• PowerCenter Pro with the same ZIF modules and speed settings.

As of 1/21/2001, there are 17 reports from Newer Carrier card owners in the Rate Your CPU Upgrade Database out of the thousands of entries there. Searching for just "Newer Tech CC ZIF Socket card" (leaving mac model blank) will show all these reports. Almost all indicate they bought the card with a Newer Tech G3/333 ZIF module, but there was one interesting report from a 9600/350 owner who noted he was running the card with an XLR8 G4/400 ZIF module.

I noted that XLR8's Cache control/extension worked with the card, enabling the cache and properly recognizing the bus/cpu/cache speed. Of coursethe Newer Tech software is preferred. I mention the XLR8 software only as a FYI in case later OS versions would not be compatible with Newer's latest software version, which is not likely to ever be updated.

Summary: