Benchmark tests were run in MacBench 5.0 and the latest DR/3 version of BYTEMARK (DR/3 returns higher integer scores than previous versions). Throughout this review I used the standard convention of showing CPU and Cache speeds (in Mhz) in the format of CPU Speed/Cache speed, so 266/177 would mean a CPU speed of 266 Mhz and a backside cache speed of 177 Mhz. The XLR8 G3/400 was left at the default settings of 400/200/50 (400MHz CPU speed, 200MHz backside cache speed). A 50MHz bus speed and 8X ratio is used on the XLR8 G3/400 to obtain the 400MHz CPU speed (bus speed * ratio = CPU speed).

MacBench 5.0 was run on both the systems used for the review - a 9600/350 and Genesis (based on a 9500 motherboard). BYTEMARK DR/3 tests were run only on the Genesis but comparison scores from a XLR8 266/177 G3 card at several speeds are show for reference. Remember that each card and system has some tolerance variation, so these speeds may not be attainable in every card or system. The specific CPU chip on each card and your motherboard components and RAM can affect maximum reliable speeds. The Genesis systems often contain a modified 9500 motherboard that has added cache termination for lower noise.

GDTS commented that the new XLR8 G3/400 card design had much cleaner (less noise) data bus signals that past G3 cards they had tested in the past. This could explain why the 50MHz bus was not a problem in either the 9600/350 or the Genesis. It was the first time I had seen a 50MHz bus G3 card run reliably in either system. The 512k soldered-in cache of the Genesis motherboard was not disabled during the tests (only Newer Tech's control panel allows disabling the motherboard cache via software).

There are several things the scores above show that need further explanation.

• Disk scores: The Genesis scores were much higher since it used a Seagate Wide Ultra SCSI 10,000 RPM Cheetah hard disk, Conley Softraid 2.1 driver connected to an ATTO PCI SCSI controller. The lower disk scores of the 9600 are due to the fact the IBM/Apple 4GB OEM disk fairly slow (as shown in my PCI SCSI vs Onboard SCSI article) and was also 80% full and fragmented. Neither disk was optimized which would have helped the disk scores I suspect. Norton Speed disk 4.0 listed the Cheetah drive fragmentation as 'moderate' for instance. (After optimizing with Speed Disk the Cheetah score was 1708.)

• Graphics Scores: The Ultimate Rez graphics card used in the Genesis scored better than the Thunder 3D in the 9600, partly due to the generally lower scores consistently seen in the Kansas motherboard based 9600s (300 and 350MHz systems). In most cases I've seen video cards score 20% or so less in the Kansas based systems than in other Macs due to the memory lower bandwith of the Kansas motherboards. This does not seem to be a significant factor in real world tests however.

Note: Macbench 4 scores cannot be compared to MacBench 5. Here are the MacBench 4.0 CPU and FPU scores recorded in the 9600 and Genesis:

MacBench 4.0 Scores

I ran the BYTEMARK DR/3 test on the XLR8 400 while installed in the Genesis. Scores from a previous XLR8 G3 266/177 CPU card review at speeds of 266/177, 300/300 and 322/214 are shown for comparison. All scores listed are from G3 cards with 1MB of backside cache. Scores are rounded off to two decimal places.

Since the XLR8 G3/400 card posted the best scores of any card I've tested at the time of this review (10/11/98), I rated Benchmark performance a 10.

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.