Accelerate Your Mac! - Review of the XLR8 MAChCarrier G4/450 CPU upgrade

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Review: XLR8's MAChCarrier^TM G4/450
Hardware/Software Installation Guide (B&W G3)
By Mike Breeden
Published: 4/7/2000

Hardware Features/Specifications/Compatibility

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

G4/400Z Technical Details

MAChCarrier G4 450

Hardware Details:

CarrierZIF base card design
XLR8 ZIF module with Motorola 450MHz G4 CPU (stepping 2.9 on this sample)
1MB Backside L2 Cache (Sync. Pipeline Burst SRAM)
Samsung KM736V799T-44 (4.4ns cycle time) x 2
(225MHz rated)
See Samsung PDF Spec Sheet for details.

Speed Settings:
Although the MAChCarrier comes already set to the proper speeds, the base CarrierZIF card design has a switch that allows bus speeds settings from 40MHz to 66MHz and Bus/CPU ratios of up to 10X. (Current G4s do not support 10X ratios, only certain G3s. Most G3 CPUs have a max 8x ratio).

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. I highly recommend you leave the card set to its as-shipped configuration.

Overclocking is not recommended as it may void the warranty and may not be reliable. Speed is nothing without reliability and you risk your data and your hardware when overclocking any hardware. 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. For more on the risks of overclocking, see my FAQ's Overclocking Risks topic area.

System Compatibility:

The MAChCarrier G4 is listed as compatible with the following Macs:

PowerMac 7300-9600
Umax J700 and S900
PowerTower Pro and PowerWave
Genesis MP 720 and Millennium

Umax E100 Card Compatibility Note: Owners of the Umax E100 Combo Network/SCSI card should be aware that most G3/G4 CPU cards will not work properly with the E100. (Reportedly the 'Virtual Firmware' patch conflicts with E100 networking info stored in the Novram.) PowerLogix has a beta E100 enabler which reportedly solves this problem (some say even when used with other brands of CPU upgrades) but will not work with XLR8's software/Machcarrier card according to a reader report. I'm not sure if he tried using Powerlogix G3/G4 cache profiler with the E100 enabler, but he reported not being able to boot after installing the E100 enabler with the XLR8 control software. (He had to remove the motherboard battery for 15 minutes and zap the PRAM at boot. You'd also have to hold down the shift key to boot without extensions or boot from CDrom so that the E100 enabler could be disabled. With a G4 CPU card, you'd need to boot from the emergency disk after clearing the NOVRAM.) I suspect the two companies 'virtual firmware' is conflicting but have not tested to see if using the Powerlogix Cache Profiler with the E100 enabler work would. (Powerlogix's cache control software works with most every G3/G4 CPU card, and even on most Apple G3/G4 systems.)
It has also been reported that OS 9 does not work with the E100 card and that the Powerlogix enabler may also address this issue.

My S900 did not have the E100 card option, so I was not able to verify this issue or test the Powerlogix enabler.

Due to demands on my time recently and family illness, I was not able to test the ZIF module completely in the Beige G3 and B&W G3. Initial tests in the Beige G3 (rev 2) worked, but during a long rendering test the system froze (perhaps thermal related, but that's just a guess). (My Beige G3 has the Raytheon VRM, not a Royal.) I used the stock Beige G3 heatsink since it had longer fins, but perhaps the XLR8 heatsink (thicker, but shorter fins) would have fared better, or a fan cooled heatsink.
Just before sending the card back to XLR8, I ran a quick test to see if it would run at 500MHz in the B&W G3. Although it booted at 500MHz, applications would freeze. Perhaps with a voltage boost 500MHz may have been possible, but I don't think XLR8 would have appreciated me modifying their sample. =:^)

Summary: The CarrierZIF card hardware design that is the basis of this upgrade card has proven reliable in use and offers the advantages of a ZIF socket for future upgrades (or use of Apple OEM ZIF modules).

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

Index of XLR8 MAChCarrier G4 450MHz Review
Intro | Benchmarks | Appl. Tests | Software Controls | Installation | Specs/Design | Summary

- or -
Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM

Copyright © 2000.
All Rights Reserved.
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 G4/450 Hardware/Software Installation Guide (B&W G3) By Mike Breeden Published: 4/7/2000
Hardware Features/Specifications/Compatibility
Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary
G4/400Z Technical Details
Hardware Details: CarrierZIF base card design XLR8 ZIF module with Motorola 450MHz G4 CPU (stepping 2.9 on this sample) 1MB Backside L2 Cache (Sync. Pipeline Burst SRAM) Samsung KM736V799T-44 (4.4ns cycle time) x 2 (225MHz rated) See Samsung PDF Spec Sheet for details. Speed Settings: Although the MAChCarrier comes already set to the proper speeds, the base CarrierZIF card design has a switch that allows bus speeds settings from 40MHz to 66MHz and Bus/CPU ratios of up to 10X. (Current G4s do not support 10X ratios, only certain G3s. Most G3 CPUs have a max 8x ratio). 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. I highly recommend you leave the card set to its as-shipped configuration. Overclocking is not recommended as it may void the warranty and may not be reliable. Speed is nothing without reliability and you risk your data and your hardware when overclocking any hardware. 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. For more on the risks of overclocking, see my FAQ's Overclocking Risks topic area. System Compatibility: The MAChCarrier G4 is listed as compatible with the following Macs: PowerMac 7300-9600 Umax J700 and S900 PowerTower Pro and PowerWave Genesis MP 720 and Millennium Umax E100 Card Compatibility Note: Owners of the Umax E100 Combo Network/SCSI card should be aware that most G3/G4 CPU cards will not work properly with the E100. (Reportedly the 'Virtual Firmware' patch conflicts with E100 networking info stored in the Novram.) PowerLogix has a beta E100 enabler which reportedly solves this problem (some say even when used with other brands of CPU upgrades) but will not work with XLR8's software/Machcarrier card according to a reader report. I'm not sure if he tried using Powerlogix G3/G4 cache profiler with the E100 enabler, but he reported not being able to boot after installing the E100 enabler with the XLR8 control software. (He had to remove the motherboard battery for 15 minutes and zap the PRAM at boot. You'd also have to hold down the shift key to boot without extensions or boot from CDrom so that the E100 enabler could be disabled. With a G4 CPU card, you'd need to boot from the emergency disk after clearing the NOVRAM.) I suspect the two companies 'virtual firmware' is conflicting but have not tested to see if using the Powerlogix Cache Profiler with the E100 enabler work would. (Powerlogix's cache control software works with most every G3/G4 CPU card, and even on most Apple G3/G4 systems.) It has also been reported that OS 9 does not work with the E100 card and that the Powerlogix enabler may also address this issue. My S900 did not have the E100 card option, so I was not able to verify this issue or test the Powerlogix enabler. Due to demands on my time recently and family illness, I was not able to test the ZIF module completely in the Beige G3 and B&W G3. Initial tests in the Beige G3 (rev 2) worked, but during a long rendering test the system froze (perhaps thermal related, but that's just a guess). (My Beige G3 has the Raytheon VRM, not a Royal.) I used the stock Beige G3 heatsink since it had longer fins, but perhaps the XLR8 heatsink (thicker, but shorter fins) would have fared better, or a fan cooled heatsink. Just before sending the card back to XLR8, I ran a quick test to see if it would run at 500MHz in the B&W G3. Although it booted at 500MHz, applications would freeze. Perhaps with a voltage boost 500MHz may have been possible, but I don't think XLR8 would have appreciated me modifying their sample. =:^)
Summary: The CarrierZIF card hardware design that is the basis of this upgrade card has proven reliable in use and offers the advantages of a ZIF socket for future upgrades (or use of Apple OEM ZIF modules).
The next page contains a summary and final comments on the product.

Index of XLR8 MAChCarrier G4 450MHz Review Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary - or - Back to WWW.XLR8YOURMAC.COM
Copyright © 2000. All Rights Reserved. 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.