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Review: XLR8's MAChCarrier^TM 450 CPU Card
CarrierZIF w/10X G3 CPU ZIF module
Published: 8/31/99

Hardware Features/Specifications/Compatibility

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

Hardware Features/Compatibility

The XLR8 CarrierZIF is unique in that it can be upgraded with many different ZIF CPU modules. The base card has a ZIF socket just like Apple's AIO, Beige and Blue & White G3 motherboards, which means upgrading to a faster CPU later is a snap. See my Setup Guide to the CarrierZIF for details on replacing modules.
With a ZIF socketed design, your initial card investment is protected far more than a standard CPU slot card which can't have the CPU replaced. My CarrierZIF First Look article goes into more detail on the benefits so I won't repeat them here. Suffice it to say if you're in the market for a CPU slot G3 upgrade card with a future (including G4 CPU compatibility), the CarrierZIF is worth serious consideration.

Although PowerLogix and Newer Technology have also announced ZIF based cards, as I'm writing this article neither are available. That leaves the CarrierZIF as the only card of its kind at the moment and given the results I've seen, the competition has a tough act to follow.

MAChCarrier card details

After determining settings that were reliable with my Macs (I did not try to push the razor's edge), you couldn't ask for better reliability than I saw during extensive testing over two weeks. I fully exercised the card in applications tests, large program CDrom installs, copies to/from the drives and a full Retrospect backup.

The MAChCarrier 450 comes as a preassembled unit combining the base CarrierZIF card and an XLR8 10X G3 CPU module ready to install. The card's speed switch is set for a 45MHz bus speed and 10X bus/CPU ratio (45 x 10 = 450MHz CPU speed). The CPU is in fact an IBM G3 CPU rated at 466MHz, at least in this sample. The ZIF module also has 1MB of backside cache. The 10X ZIF module had jumpers to set the Bus/CPU ratio, so switches 9-12 on the CarrierZIF are ignored (they control the Bus/CPU ratio for ZIFs that are jumperless - for example Apple OEM ZIFs and many other OEM models) . XLR8 responded to my complaint that the jumpers were hard to remove by saying that future models would have extended 'tails' which would allow them to be removed and replaced easier.

Speed Settings:

If you just want to run the card at the default settings you can skip this section. For those that want to experiment, the CarrierZIF design allows Bus speeds of 40 to 60MHz (documented) via XLR8's MVP (Multiple Variable Processing) switch. You can see the red switch in the photos above. It sits on the front edge just to the left of the ZIF socket. The manual has a table of settings for bus speeds and CPU speeds. There are also undocumented/unsupported switch settings for higher than 60MHz bus speeds but they will be of no use to 99.999999999999999% of Mac owners.

Important Note: Along with the benefits of a wide range of adjustments comes some responsibility. This card allows setting bus/CPU speeds to rates beyond the rating of the CPU and possibly your system's capability. You need to consider the installed ZIF module's rating and the limits of your particular Mac (don't start out with high settings that have not been proven reliable in your system/CPU module combination).

Overclocking may void the warranty and may not be reliable. Check with XLR8 on their current warranty policy if you plan on overclocking the card and are worried about warranty support. No company can guarantee overclocked speeds or what bus speed will be possible in your system.

Note: Read my Illustrated CarrierZIF Setup Guide for more info on the base card features, speed settings, and important notes on ZIF compatibility.

Compatibility:

The CarrierZIF is listed as compatible with the following Mac models [updated 6/16/99]:

Apple: 7300, 7500, 7600, 8500, 8600, 9500, 9600
DayStar Genesis MP 720 or later, Millennium
UMAX S900 & J700.
Power Computing PowerWave, PowerTower Pro, PowerCenter, PowerCenter Pro, PowerTower
Note: The early CarrierZIF cards were PowerBase compatible (based on a review at MacsOnly and owner reports in my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database) - however the latest CarrierZIF/MAChCarriers are said to NOT be PowerBase compatible.

I've tested with a PowerCenter Pro (fully tested - but disable 7200 Graphics Accel. extension as noted in the FAQ and PF G3/Powercurve tips pages) and PowerTower Pro 180 (initial boot/checkout tests at 50MHz bus) here successfully, but as noted previously I suggest PowerTower Pro owners contact XLR8 to ensure their motherboard models are compatible. Also check my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database for XLR8 CarrierZIF owner reports (selectable by Mac models)

Retrospect Compatibility:

I also verified that Retrospect 4.0 backups were error-free. With 'Speculative Processing' disabled a complete backup of a 1.2GB boot volume in the Genesis completed without errors (including verification). The XLR8 control panel default setting for 'Speculative Processing' (often called 'Branch Prediction') is disabled. Dantz (makers of Retrospect) Tech Note 414 reports there is a problem with all pre-Apple G3 systems onboard Ethernet unless you are running the Ethernet extensions from OS 8.6. They also recommend disabling Speculative Processing if you are doing backups or large file copies over a network as a precaution. on the applications performance page you'll see in some cases that setting actually increased performance. Retrospect was the only application I saw that required it, but there could be others that I've not used. I have not tested Adaptec wide SCSI card compatibility but XLR8 has a Tech Note on how to use their software with these cards. The tests in the PowerCenter Pro using the OEM 2930B showed no problems.

More information on compatibility issues with other G3 CPU upgrades, see the comments on my CarrierZIF First Look page, the CPU Upgrades area of my FAQ and CPU Reviews page.

System Compatibility/Stability Tests:

Here is a summary of my tests to date with two models of XLR8 CarrierZIF design cards in four different Mac systems, each chosen for a particular reason:

PowerCenter Pro - a good test of maximum bus speed since it was designed for 60MHz 604E bus speeds. The CarrierZIF ran 60MHz bus speeds with no problems in my system. I had previously removed the L2 Cache dimm when running another brand of CPU card. The PowerCenter Pro used the 2MB onboard video (ATI Mach64) and had 80MB of RAM, running OS 8.1.
Genesis - This 9500 motherboard (w/512K soldered-in cache) based system has always been picky about cards it likes especially at bus speeds over 45MHz. Only XLR8's 400Mhz card ran at 50MHz bus speeds in this system (see review). The CarrierZIF ran 55MHz bus speeds fine in this machine, which really amazed me. The Genesis system is loaded with dual ATTO SCSI cards (slots 1 and 4), Rage128 Orion (slot 2), FUSE capture card (slot 5), boot UW Cheetah disk and 4-drive RAID 0 array. Tests were run using OS 8.1.
9600/350 (aka Kansas/Mach 5 design) - a sore point for many CPU Cards due to CPU voltage differences. The CarrierZIF with XLR8 G3/400ZIF module ran 55MHz bus speeds rock solid with 320MB Interleaved RAM and 60MHz bus speeds with RAM not interleaved. The 9600/350 system has a Radius Thunder3D graphics card, Game Wizard Voodoo2, Jackhammer PCI SCSI card and TurboMax IDE card. Tests were run using OS 8.1.
PowerTower Pro 180 - after receiving notes on a possible PTP issue (failure to boot from PTP250 owners), I did a quick check with in my PTP 180. With a 50MHz bus speed and interleaved RAM I had to remove the L2 cache dimm but otherwise it ran OK. It would not boot at 55MHz bus (no cache/RAM still interleaved). In this system I also had to remove the L2 cache for other reviews last year (with 45Mhz or less bus speed G3 cards). I've not tried deinterleaving RAM to see if that would allow faster bus speeds in this system. XLR8 has revised the card design since my first review to address the PowerTower Pro 250 logic board design but I still suggest you contact them to verify your particular PTP logic board is compatible.

Overall, the CarrierZIF design has been one of the best CPU slot cards I've ever tested. I can say without a doubt I consider it at the top of the heap of CPU slot cards I've seen to date. For other CarrierZIF owner reports, see my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database. As with all CPU upgrades, often times on inquiry I find out there may have been a L2 cache, RAM, speed settings (Bus or CPU speed too high), reversed heatsink clip (see my Setup Guide) or other reason for problems reported, but the database is still a valuable tool.

I stress that owners of any card should use it for several weeks at least before posting an entry and always remember to read the manual completely before installation. If there are problems - contact the card vendor immediately, they often can provide a solution or identify the source of the problem.

Test Systems Hardware Summary

Daystar Genesis (9500 Mb based):
512MB RAM (matched pairs of 64MB FPM Dimms)
Seagate Cheetah UW SCSI 4.5 GB HD (ST34501W)
ATTO PCI SCSI card (2 cards installed to drive boot Cheetah and a 4 HD raid stripe set)
ATI Rage128 Orion (driver v4.01)
Aurora Fuse Video Capture card (drivers disabled during tests)
OS 8.1, 4MB Disk Cache, VM off, QT 3.0, QD3D 1.5.6 [No Libmoto]
PowerComputing PowerCenter Pro:
160MB RAM
Stock 2GB IBM narrow UltraSCSI drive
OEM Adaptec 2930 PCI SCSI Card
3Dfx Voodoo3 (beta2 ROM/drivers)
OS 8.1, 4MB Disk Cache, VM off, QT 3.0, QD3D 1.5.6, [No Libmoto]

See my previous CarrierZIF review for tests in an 9600/350. There are also many other Mac model owner reports on the CarrierZIF in my searchable Rate Your G3 Upgrade database.

Summary: The hardware design has proven reliable in use, able to run higher bus speeds that any previous card I've tested and very fast. With stable operation at up to 60MHz bus speeds in some test machines, a unique ZIF socket to allow for future upgrades (a first), the CarrierZIF design is currently the one to beat.

The next page contains a summary and final comments on the product.

Index of XLR8 MAChCarrier450 Review Pages
Intro | Benchmarks | Appl. Tests | Software Controls | Docs/Installation | Specs/Design | Summary

- or -
Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

Copyright © Mike, 1999.

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: XLR8's MAChCarrier^TM 450 CPU Card CarrierZIF w/10X G3 CPU ZIF module Published: 8/31/99
Hardware Features/Specifications/Compatibility
Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary
Hardware Features/Compatibility
The XLR8 CarrierZIF is unique in that it can be upgraded with many different ZIF CPU modules. The base card has a ZIF socket just like Apple's AIO, Beige and Blue & White G3 motherboards, which means upgrading to a faster CPU later is a snap. See my Setup Guide to the CarrierZIF for details on replacing modules. With a ZIF socketed design, your initial card investment is protected far more than a standard CPU slot card which can't have the CPU replaced. My CarrierZIF First Look article goes into more detail on the benefits so I won't repeat them here. Suffice it to say if you're in the market for a CPU slot G3 upgrade card with a future (including G4 CPU compatibility), the CarrierZIF is worth serious consideration. Although PowerLogix and Newer Technology have also announced ZIF based cards, as I'm writing this article neither are available. That leaves the CarrierZIF as the only card of its kind at the moment and given the results I've seen, the competition has a tough act to follow. After determining settings that were reliable with my Macs (I did not try to push the razor's edge), you couldn't ask for better reliability than I saw during extensive testing over two weeks. I fully exercised the card in applications tests, large program CDrom installs, copies to/from the drives and a full Retrospect backup. The MAChCarrier 450 comes as a preassembled unit combining the base CarrierZIF card and an XLR8 10X G3 CPU module ready to install. The card's speed switch is set for a 45MHz bus speed and 10X bus/CPU ratio (45 x 10 = 450MHz CPU speed). The CPU is in fact an IBM G3 CPU rated at 466MHz, at least in this sample. The ZIF module also has 1MB of backside cache. The 10X ZIF module had jumpers to set the Bus/CPU ratio, so switches 9-12 on the CarrierZIF are ignored (they control the Bus/CPU ratio for ZIFs that are jumperless - for example Apple OEM ZIFs and many other OEM models) . XLR8 responded to my complaint that the jumpers were hard to remove by saying that future models would have extended 'tails' which would allow them to be removed and replaced easier. Speed Settings: If you just want to run the card at the default settings you can skip this section. For those that want to experiment, the CarrierZIF design allows Bus speeds of 40 to 60MHz (documented) via XLR8's MVP (Multiple Variable Processing) switch. You can see the red switch in the photos above. It sits on the front edge just to the left of the ZIF socket. The manual has a table of settings for bus speeds and CPU speeds. There are also undocumented/unsupported switch settings for higher than 60MHz bus speeds but they will be of no use to 99.999999999999999% of Mac owners. Important Note: Along with the benefits of a wide range of adjustments comes some responsibility. This card allows setting bus/CPU speeds to rates beyond the rating of the CPU and possibly your system's capability. You need to consider the installed ZIF module's rating and the limits of your particular Mac (don't start out with high settings that have not been proven reliable in your system/CPU module combination). Overclocking may void the warranty and may not be reliable. Check with XLR8 on their current warranty policy if you plan on overclocking the card and are worried about warranty support. No company can guarantee overclocked speeds or what bus speed will be possible in your system. Note: Read my Illustrated CarrierZIF Setup Guide for more info on the base card features, speed settings, and important notes on ZIF compatibility. Compatibility: The CarrierZIF is listed as compatible with the following Mac models [updated 6/16/99]: Apple: 7300, 7500, 7600, 8500, 8600, 9500, 9600 DayStar Genesis MP 720 or later, Millennium UMAX S900 & J700. Power Computing PowerWave, PowerTower Pro, PowerCenter, PowerCenter Pro, PowerTower Note: The early CarrierZIF cards were PowerBase compatible (based on a review at MacsOnly and owner reports in my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database) - however the latest CarrierZIF/MAChCarriers are said to NOT be PowerBase compatible. I've tested with a PowerCenter Pro (fully tested - but disable 7200 Graphics Accel. extension as noted in the FAQ and PF G3/Powercurve tips pages) and PowerTower Pro 180 (initial boot/checkout tests at 50MHz bus) here successfully, but as noted previously I suggest PowerTower Pro owners contact XLR8 to ensure their motherboard models are compatible. Also check my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database for XLR8 CarrierZIF owner reports (selectable by Mac models) Retrospect Compatibility: I also verified that Retrospect 4.0 backups were error-free. With 'Speculative Processing' disabled a complete backup of a 1.2GB boot volume in the Genesis completed without errors (including verification). The XLR8 control panel default setting for 'Speculative Processing' (often called 'Branch Prediction') is disabled. Dantz (makers of Retrospect) Tech Note 414 reports there is a problem with all pre-Apple G3 systems onboard Ethernet unless you are running the Ethernet extensions from OS 8.6. They also recommend disabling Speculative Processing if you are doing backups or large file copies over a network as a precaution. on the applications performance page you'll see in some cases that setting actually increased performance. Retrospect was the only application I saw that required it, but there could be others that I've not used. I have not tested Adaptec wide SCSI card compatibility but XLR8 has a Tech Note on how to use their software with these cards. The tests in the PowerCenter Pro using the OEM 2930B showed no problems. More information on compatibility issues with other G3 CPU upgrades, see the comments on my CarrierZIF First Look page, the CPU Upgrades area of my FAQ and CPU Reviews page. System Compatibility/Stability Tests: Here is a summary of my tests to date with two models of XLR8 CarrierZIF design cards in four different Mac systems, each chosen for a particular reason: PowerCenter Pro - a good test of maximum bus speed since it was designed for 60MHz 604E bus speeds. The CarrierZIF ran 60MHz bus speeds with no problems in my system. I had previously removed the L2 Cache dimm when running another brand of CPU card. The PowerCenter Pro used the 2MB onboard video (ATI Mach64) and had 80MB of RAM, running OS 8.1. Genesis - This 9500 motherboard (w/512K soldered-in cache) based system has always been picky about cards it likes especially at bus speeds over 45MHz. Only XLR8's 400Mhz card ran at 50MHz bus speeds in this system (see review). The CarrierZIF ran 55MHz bus speeds fine in this machine, which really amazed me. The Genesis system is loaded with dual ATTO SCSI cards (slots 1 and 4), Rage128 Orion (slot 2), FUSE capture card (slot 5), boot UW Cheetah disk and 4-drive RAID 0 array. Tests were run using OS 8.1. 9600/350 (aka Kansas/Mach 5 design) - a sore point for many CPU Cards due to CPU voltage differences. The CarrierZIF with XLR8 G3/400ZIF module ran 55MHz bus speeds rock solid with 320MB Interleaved RAM and 60MHz bus speeds with RAM not interleaved. The 9600/350 system has a Radius Thunder3D graphics card, Game Wizard Voodoo2, Jackhammer PCI SCSI card and TurboMax IDE card. Tests were run using OS 8.1. PowerTower Pro 180 - after receiving notes on a possible PTP issue (failure to boot from PTP250 owners), I did a quick check with in my PTP 180. With a 50MHz bus speed and interleaved RAM I had to remove the L2 cache dimm but otherwise it ran OK. It would not boot at 55MHz bus (no cache/RAM still interleaved). In this system I also had to remove the L2 cache for other reviews last year (with 45Mhz or less bus speed G3 cards). I've not tried deinterleaving RAM to see if that would allow faster bus speeds in this system. XLR8 has revised the card design since my first review to address the PowerTower Pro 250 logic board design but I still suggest you contact them to verify your particular PTP logic board is compatible. Overall, the CarrierZIF design has been one of the best CPU slot cards I've ever tested. I can say without a doubt I consider it at the top of the heap of CPU slot cards I've seen to date. For other CarrierZIF owner reports, see my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database. As with all CPU upgrades, often times on inquiry I find out there may have been a L2 cache, RAM, speed settings (Bus or CPU speed too high), reversed heatsink clip (see my Setup Guide) or other reason for problems reported, but the database is still a valuable tool. I stress that owners of any card should use it for several weeks at least before posting an entry and always remember to read the manual completely before installation. If there are problems - contact the card vendor immediately, they often can provide a solution or identify the source of the problem. Test Systems Hardware Summary Daystar Genesis (9500 Mb based): 512MB RAM (matched pairs of 64MB FPM Dimms) Seagate Cheetah UW SCSI 4.5 GB HD (ST34501W) ATTO PCI SCSI card (2 cards installed to drive boot Cheetah and a 4 HD raid stripe set) ATI Rage128 Orion (driver v4.01) Aurora Fuse Video Capture card (drivers disabled during tests) OS 8.1, 4MB Disk Cache, VM off, QT 3.0, QD3D 1.5.6 [No Libmoto] PowerComputing PowerCenter Pro: 160MB RAM Stock 2GB IBM narrow UltraSCSI drive OEM Adaptec 2930 PCI SCSI Card 3Dfx Voodoo3 (beta2 ROM/drivers) OS 8.1, 4MB Disk Cache, VM off, QT 3.0, QD3D 1.5.6, [No Libmoto] See my previous CarrierZIF review for tests in an 9600/350. There are also many other Mac model owner reports on the CarrierZIF in my searchable Rate Your G3 Upgrade database.
Summary: The hardware design has proven reliable in use, able to run higher bus speeds that any previous card I've tested and very fast. With stable operation at up to 60MHz bus speeds in some test machines, a unique ZIF socket to allow for future upgrades (a first), the CarrierZIF design is currently the one to beat.
The next page contains a summary and final comments on the product.

Index of XLR8 MAChCarrier450 Review Pages Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary - or - Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM
Copyright © Mike, 1999. 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.