Several months ago XLR8 released a new v1.3 software control for their G3 cards. Included in v1.3 and later are several nice features such as automatic cache speed testing (which can be a bit optimistic as I'll explain later), 'Virtual Firmware' to address compatibility issues with older ROMs and an option to disable 'Speculative Processing' (often called code 'Branch Prediction')of the G3 which can cause problems with some applications like Retrospect backup software. I've seen cases where owners in their quest to determine the fastest CPU speed they can obtain forgot that raising the CPU speed also increases cache speed, in some cases to the point that the cache is run beyond it's reliable speed (leading to lockups).

From what I have seen in real world applications tests, backside cache speed is not a primary factor in performance so don't push the bleeding edge on cache speed as it can affect reliability.

Installing the Software:

The XLR8 software installer automatically places the cache control and extension in the system folder. After a reboot, it tests the backside cache automatically and reports what it suggests is the maximum reliable cache speed (but offering you the option to manually set the speed to another setting). Often this speed may not be reliable in my experience, as it reported cache speeds of up to 296MHz were OK on the review ZIF, which I found later to be too fast. Only the expensive (and rare now) IBM cache can run reliably near 300MHz speeds in my experience (Some reviews like the PF 466/311 ZIF and older cards like the XLR8 G3/266 show pictures of this cache if you're interested.). I manually set the cache to a 2:1 ratio (half the CPU speed), which ran perfectly at speeds of up to 225Mhz.

XLR8 Cache Control 1.3.2

(Genesis settings shown)

Advanced Settings:

Clicking on the Advanced tab will allow you to set the backside cache speed to manual (you select a speed) or automatic. There is also an option to enable or disable (default) Speculative Processing of the G3 CPU. As noted previously, it is recommended that you disable this for some software like Retrospect (which backed my Genesis drive flawlessly). I saw no other need to disable it otherwise, but as noted in some of the applications tests, sometimes it actually improved performance (i.e. Photoshop). Infini-D rendering times were increased a bit with it disabled however.

The 'Performance Tips' tab contains notes on faster cache speed settings. The 'Support' tab lists XLR8's contact information including toll-free tech support line and web site address (a nice feature).

Note: As I've mentioned many times in the past in the front page news, I don't believe the CPU junction temperatures are accurate (literally), especially with the new Copper CPUs (IBM 300Mhz and higher are all copper based now - get our exclusive PPC Checker to test yours).. As noted above the 8 degrees C reading cannot be accurate as that is below the ambient room temperature. Since the software just reads a register on the CPU unless a company does some tests and applies a 'calibration factor' to the reading the temperatures are of little use in my opinion.

Software controls were easy to install, use and contained options to enhance compatibility. My only wishes would be a option to disable the motherboard cache (that may be coming soon) although I did not need to do so during the test in any system but the PowerTower Pro 180. Overall I liked XLR8's cache control better than any I've personally used so far.

Deducting one point for the lack of a motherboard cache disable feature, I rated software controls a 9.

The next page describes the documentation and installation instructions supplied with the card. Or you may use the links below to jump to a specific page.