Power Macintosh
Guide to G4 CPU Upgrades for G3 and G4 PCI Power Macs
Updated 2007.11.06
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The G4 goes two steps beyond the popular G3, adding the Velocity
Engine (formerly AltiVec) and support for a 2 MB level 2
cache.
If you have a Power Mac G3, whether the original
beige model or the blue & white one,
moving to a faster CPU is as easy as removing the current one and
inserting a new one in the zero insertion force (ZIF) socket. The same
goes for the "Yikes!" version of the Power Mac
G4, which has the same 100 MHz system bus as the blue & white
G3. (For faster G4s, see our Guide to Upgrades for
Power Mac G4.)
The information is as accurate as I can find, but specifications and
availability are subject to change; I suggest you check with the
manufacturer to verify current models. Prices keep dropping, so these
prices may be outdated. (Prices are in $US.) In fact, models are added
and discontinued so often, it's impossible to keep track of which
models are current.
NOTE: Not all upgrades are compatible with the Blue
& White G3.
Discontinued accelerators are listed for historical reasons.
| Manufacturer |
CPU
Speed |
Cache
Size |
Cache
Speed |
Estimated
Street Price |
metabox
joeCARD Z
adjustable bus
discontinued |
500 MHz |
2 MB |
250 MHz |
disc |
| 500 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
disc |
| 450 MHz |
2 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
| 450 MHz |
1 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
| 400 MHz |
1 MB |
200 MHz |
disc |
Newer Technology
MAXpowr G4
discontinued |
533 MHz |
1 MB |
266 MHz |
disc |
| 500 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
disc |
| 450 MHz |
1 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
| 400 MHz |
1 MB |
200 MHz |
disc |
OWC
Mercury
discontinued |
450-500 MHz |
1 MB |
213-250 MHz |
disc |
| 500-600 MHz |
1 MB |
213-250 MHz |
disc |
Phase 5
G4 Power Booster
discontinued |
450-466 MHz |
1 MB |
180/186 MHz |
disc |
| 400 MHz |
1 MB |
200 MHz |
disc |
| 350-366 MHz |
1 MB |
175/183 MHz |
disc |
PowerLogix
PowerForce G4 ZIF |
550 MHz |
1 MB |
220 MHz |
disc |
| 450 MHz |
1 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
| 450 MHz |
1 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
| 400 MHz |
1 MB |
200 MHz |
disc |
| 1.0 GHz |
1 MB L2 |
|
disc |
| 1.1 GHz |
1 MB L2 |
|
disc |
Sonnet
Encore/ZIF
updated 11/6/07 |
1 GHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
$299 |
| 800 MHz |
1 MB |
228 MHz |
disc |
| 700 MHz |
1 MB |
233 MHz |
disc |
| 500 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
$149 |
| 400 MHz |
1 MB |
200 MHz |
disc |
XLR8
MACh Speed G4 ZIF
updated 11/6/07 |
600 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
$199 |
| 550 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
$199 |
| 500 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
$179 |
| 466 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
$139 |
XLR8
MACh Speed G4 ZIF MPe
discontinued |
500 MHz |
1 MB |
250 MHz |
disc |
| 450 MHz |
1 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
| 400 MHz |
1 MB |
200 MHz |
disc |
| 350 MHz |
1 MB |
225 MHz |
disc |
Reviews & Overviews
- First Look: XLR8's G4 400 MHz ZIF
upgrade, Accelerate Your Mac! Beta drivers show improved floating
point performance and better memory bandwidth.
