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Review date: 3/24/98 | |
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| Documentation | |
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The XLR8 card comes with a well illustrated 29 page manual with photos of the installation steps required to install the card in 73/75/7600, 85/8600, 95/9600, and a text only procedure for the UMax/PowerComputing machines. The manual also has sections on tools required, explanations of CPU and cache speeds, software installation and a step-by-step guide to troubleshooting. XLR8's toll-free tech support number is also listed in case you have questions or need assistance. A permanent (vs. the disposable one time use versions) adjustable anti-static wrist strap is also provided. The normal installation routine would be to power off the Mac, attach the wrist strap and connect it to the monitor out jack on the back of the Macintosh, remove the case cover, remove the existing CPU card, remove the L2 cache (esp. if installing in an Apple mac, but highly recommended for any G3 upgrade as 90% of G3 upgrade problems are due to L2 cache dimms), install the XLR8 card (making sure it's fully seated), press the CUDA (cpu reset) button on the motherboard (hold for 30 seconds) and then power up the Mac and install the software. As stated earlier, in this particular card/system combination, I had to remove the PowerTower Pro motherboard cache dimm to allow the new card to work. That may or may not be required in your system, but one other PowerTower Pro owner similar results, with improved stability and top speeds with the cache removed. The card has a removable bracket that allows it to be used in low profile systems like the PowerComputing machines (the bracket is left on for use in Apple Macs). Speed Settings: My first printing manual contained an error in the speed settings, but a addendum sheet contained a corrected table of possible CPU speeds and their switch settings. XLR8 has posted a complete list of settings on their web site as well. The CPU speed of the card is set by two small rotary hexadecimal (0-F) switches on the back of the card, mounted at a right angle so that they are accessible when the card is installed in the system. Note: The speeds documented here are for test purposes only and not a recommendation to others to overclock their card. XLR8 is said to honor the warrany regardless of the speeds run but verify that before you attempt settings over the rated CPU speed, Overclocking is risky and can result in loss of data or hardware failures.
Here is a photo of the card installed in the PowerTower Pro. Although it's a close fit with the PTP CPU bracket/fan assembly, I could still adjust the switches with the card installed in a PowerTower Pro.
Speed Adjustment Switches (PowerTower Pro installation shown) | |
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Documentation was complete and sufficient for installation and troubleshooting - I rated it a 8. | |
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The next page describes the hardware features and specifications of the card. Or you may use the links below to jump to a specific page. | |
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Intro | Benchmarks
| Appl. Tests | Software Controls
| Documentation | Specifications | Summary
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