No High-Speed Mac Processor Upgrades on the Way

[madamimadam]

This article taken from www.newsfactor.com explains why there are no new 3rd party processor upgrades availiable.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nf/20020227/tc_nf/16538

[stoid]

That's Okay I guess, those speed cards aren't all that effective anyway, because there's always some bottleneck holding things back.

[GeeYouEye]

That's really too bad. I've wanted to upgrade my g4 400. But's its not worth it if it never gets above dual 500.

[MacAztec]

That sucks for my brother. He is talking about upgrading his G4 466 to a dual 800 when the card comes out!

[Hemingray]

Originally posted by GeeYouEye
That's really too bad. I've wanted to upgrade my g4 400. But's its not worth it if it never gets above dual 500.

Dude, when the G5's hit the market, go for it and don't look back. You won't miss your G4 400 at all. (I'm in the same boat.)

[teabgs]

Why is everyone complaining about their G4 400? I wish I had a G4...or a G3 for that matter. everyone is so caught up in the G4 400 being out of date while I'm stuck with my 603e. Man, I'm waitingfor somethign bigger and better cause I just want a faster bus. Thats all I ask, then I buy. its taken me a while to save the money for a new computer and I want something new and fast. I know its around the corner.

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by teabgs
Why is everyone complaining about their G4 400? I wish I had a G4...or a G3 for that matter. everyone is so caught up in the G4 400 being out of date while I'm stuck with my 603e. Man, I'm waitingfor somethign bigger and better cause I just want a faster bus. Thats all I ask, then I buy. its taken me a while to save the money for a new computer and I want something new and fast. I know its around the corner.

It is really all relative to what you do with your machine. I REALLY need something faster for VPC.

[teabgs]

I need my new machine for FCP, Photoshop, and MAYA mostly. SO I do actually need the speed and all...

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by teabgs
I need my new machine for FCP, Photoshop, and MAYA mostly. SO I do actually need the speed and all...

Jesus, I would die if I had to use those products on a G3 or less.... as it is I get pissed off with speed using Photoshop sometimes, VPC ALL the time even with 896MB RAM and Bryce ALL the time.... esp. if I want to do a long animation.

[Nipsy]

Originally posted by madamimadamtimallen


It is really all relative to what you do with your machine. I REALLY need something faster for VPC.

Since you can get a PC & a KVM for about the caost of an upgrade card, why don't you get a PC & a KVM?

[madamimadam]

Originally posted by Nipsy


Since you can get a PC & a KVM for about the caost of an upgrade card, why don't you get a PC & a KVM?

Well, I am not actually into upgrade cards thought I can see how you would have thought that was what I was getting at. I am gonna hang out for machines that get talked about on well over 1/3 of threads here now (DDR and such) and then I will buy a new Mac which will DEFINATELY be fast enough for me..... at least until the apps I use get too powerful again

[teabgs]

The reason I don't upgrade or buy a PC...well, PC is obvious and the upgrade is because I can use the computers at work most of the time when I want to even if I'm not currently on the clock. So I use Maya on the SGI's and FCP on the G4's and don't use my computer for much more then writing, internet, and light photoshop work. I do some audio work on it, but I can't run great audio software on it.

I'm ready to buy a new Mac and if they just update the bus on the dual1GHZ that'd be great for me. It was the only thing holding me back on that purchase.

[Xapplimatic]

I agree.. the current bus totally sucks.. Have any of you ever noticed the atrociously poor performance transfering files between two Macs over FireWire (target disk mode on one of them)? It's like <2 MB per second.. This is absolutely abominable and unforgivable.. Sure, FireWire is like 400 Mb/s, but we aren't even seeing close to a tenth that speed utilized.. what gives? Is this truly because of the bus being so slow? There won't be any point to having FireWire B when the bus can't even keep up with FireWire A! I don't even think that 266 would be adequate..

Then again, we've heard about 400 MHz or higher on the new bus with HyperTransport on the G5s.. MacWorld Tokyo? We can always hope! Steve.. pull another rabbit out of the hat!! Please! I don't blame Apple for this, it is Motorola's fault for making the G4s with a maximum bus speed of 133 MHz.. The G5 had better be a major correction in this area!

[mcrain]

Ok, I hear y'all talking about how your g-whatever isn't fast enough for what you do, and how you're waiting for the next big speed bump.

Well, here I am with my Windows 98, Compaq running at about 400 or 500 MHz, and I'm also waiting for the newest fastest mac so that when I jump ship from the PC world, I can have a really good Mac.

The only difference between all you people wanting speed and me is, that I will probably never do any significant photo editing or video production. I'm an attorney, and the most I'll use my mac for is probably listening to music, storing digital photos, email, word processing, and maybe a few other things. But, damnit, I need more speed than the current G4's are offering!

Perspective is a funny thing.

[eric_n_dfw]

Originally posted by mcrain
...The only difference between all you people wanting speed and me is, that I will probably never do any significant photo editing or video production. I'm an attorney, and the most I'll use my mac for is probably listening to music, storing digital photos, email, word processing, and maybe a few other things. But, damnit, I need more speed than the current G4's are offering!

Why?

The only thing my G4/400 upgraded Blue & White needs more speed for is Final Cut Pro. (And it really doesn't NEED more speed, FCP 2 runs great, but I want FCP 3 so I don't have to reboot into OS 9 all the time. The RT stuff would be cool to have too)

But for everything else I do, which includes Java/JSP development, iTunes, WWW, Quicken, iPhoto, Photoshop (in classic) it is just fine.

A faster bus will not be that noticable for the things you've listed. A used G4/400 running OS X would give you the same or better (but more stable) user experience as your current 500 Mhz on Win98. I use a Dell 700Mhz laptop with Win2K at work and my G4/400 runs circles arround it. (Disclaimer: the laptop has only 256MB RAM and my mac has 768MB)

[eric_n_dfw]

...addendum to my last post:

I do have to say that Quicken 2002 is a dog on my G4/400 under OS X. I don't know why either, except that it must be coded badly. As a developer, my hypothesis is that it is a very old code-base that has been band-aid'ed over and over and is in dire need of some serious optimization or, even better, a re-write.

[mcrain]

Eric, buddy, you have to ask why?

If I'm going to buy a new computer, I am going to over purchase. I'm a tech-o-holic. A junkie. I dont' want a used old slow mac that half the people on these boards will offload, I want a new machine.

It's sort of like why I'll buy a porsche before a VW, or why I have an HD instead of a scooter.

[eric_n_dfw]

Hehe - I hear ya.

My buddy just got a new top-o-the-line PowerBook and an iPod and I've got envy inch going real strong now too.

I'll probably be picking up a new tower this summer, but I don't NEED the speed either. I think we both suffer from whay my wife ofter refers to: a missunderstanding of the difference between NEED and WANT. ;)

[mcrain]

Oh I don't misunderstand the difference between need and want, I just don't care. I want something, therefore I need it. Muhaaahaaaa!

[elgruga]

I want more processing power so that OS X doesnt crawl around like a depressed housewife on Valium.

Give me a G5 and send her to the Betty Ford Clinic.

Soon.

[rickag]

http://www.megamacs.com/v1/?cat=20003&action=view&pid=1088818

There is a 733 MHz upgrade available for 466, 533, 667, 733 motherboards

Hack away:)

[mstur]

Originally posted by Hemingray


Dude, when the G5's hit the market, go for it and don't look back. You won't miss your G4 400 at all. (I'm in the same boat.)

Correct. And in the meantime: get enough RAM, get a faster, 7200 rpm HDD and maybe an UltraATA 66 controller, if you have a beige or Tupperware G3 ;-)

Also a nice and fast ATI RADEON or NVidia Gforce Videocard will make you Mac much faster !!!

[kaltsasa]

I do a lot of video, and My G4 533 does damn good on them, but I wouldn't mind a Dual 800 Upgrade, Final Cut Pro 3 would really chew up rendering times then.....I also do a lot of 3d work too so the speed is a big issue for me. I do a lot of low budget stuff for local film fests and classes and stuff, and i focus a lot on spfx so a tasty upgrade for my G4 would be nice......Since its got a 133 buss and all that its not worth it for me to buy a new machine, unless i see some 200-400 mhz busses and DDR I'll stick with this and hope a nice upgrade comes along

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by mcrain
Eric, buddy, you have to ask why?

If I'm going to buy a new computer, I am going to over purchase. I'm a tech-o-holic. A junkie. I dont' want a used old slow mac that half the people on these boards will offload, I want a new machine.

It's sort of like why I'll buy a porsche before a VW, or why I have an HD instead of a scooter.

i had to become a techie and make money as a techie to justify being a technoholic like i have become...to me, it is kind of like a game...i want machines, software, cs education, a library, and somehow, by the grace of god, make enough money to pay for it all

...hey that kind of sounds like a drug dealer who makes just enough to pay for the yacht, sportscar, and his free drugs, but in the end gets caught by the feds

the feds in this case is MY WIFE...busted again:D

[jefhatfield]

but honey, i really needed that software...i could use it for...umm?

anyone who buys a HD before a scooter will buy the adobe graphic design collection to make a christmas card...thanks to people like you and me, the economy is still running (somewhat)

[7500G4]

I think processor upgrades are great. I run a NewerTech G4 in my 7500 and if it weren't for processor upgrades I'd still be in 604 land. Supporting a family on my budget I can't simply plop down $1500 + in order to purchase a new Mac. I have to save. So even though I have the limitations of an older Mac (bus & memory speeds, etc.), I still have a G4 processor and a G4 is still a G4. I am still able to run Altivec applications as well as OS X. All for under $400 (for the base machine and memory). This wouldn't have been possible without the Sonnets, Newer Techs (I know they're defunct), Powerlogix, xlr8s, etc. I could've just used the $400 and built a 1 GHZ + PC, but then it would've been a PC (nothing more needs to be said there). Anyway, I too am waiting the arrival of the G5's. If I'm going to save and spend that much money for a new machine, you'd better bet it'll be the newest technology ie: G5. If I bought a new G4 now, I'd be kicking myself later for not holding out for the G5, when it'll probably be introduced at around the same cost of a "Quicksilver" right now. Meanwhile, I'll start saving and plug along with my trusty old G4 powered 7500 while I wait.

[kiwi_the_iwik]

I've been salivating for quite a while over that Sonnet Duet MP 500MHz upgrade for my Cube (yes - it WILL FIT!). But there are a few mitigating circumstances preventing me from taking the plunge and buying one:

1. I have NO money left after buying my Mac;
2. I have an angry wife (see 1);
3. I have just paid for an extra 2 years on my Applecare Warranty, which will be voided if I so much as BREATHE LIGHTLY on the ZIF card;
4. Have you seen the PRICE of these things? You might as well just go out and buy a NEW Mac!

Anyway - the price of these cards are bound to come down in a few years, at which time I'll be more than happy to play Frankenstein to the Cube, and put in the then readily available slot-loading DVD-RW/CD-RW drive, paired along with the 22" LCD Display I had my eye on at the local 2nd-hand Computer Exchange, before RIPPING the heart out of the core, replacing it with the Dual-Processor 500MHz and fan configuration...

Oh - excuse the rant. Sometimes I just get carried away. Ahem!

...Your time will come, my little box-like friend...

[evildead]

thats too bad... I have several friends that really want to upgrade their Pwoerbooks but there is no upgade available... :(

[jefhatfield]

Originally posted by Hemingray


Dude, when the G5's hit the market, go for it and don't look back. You won't miss your G4 400 at all. (I'm in the same boat.)

true true true true true:D

[mstur]

Originally posted by 7500G4
I think processor upgrades are great. I run a NewerTech G4 in my 7500 and if it weren't for processor upgrades I'd still be in 604 land.

You are right. I also own several upgraded 7300, 7500, 7600 and 8500...

OTOH upgrading a Tupperware G3 or a G4 is less important. Even if a G5 upgrade would be avaibable, the slower system bus and RAM as well as the slow video cards would make the speed gain of the G5 less visible (if you really need it).

There is simply now enough computing power in a 1999-2001 G3/G4, especially with fast HDD and Nvidia video, so that any NEW Mac really would have to be in another category, a new generation :-)

I also stopped upgrading since new Macs have become less expensive. It is much better to rotate the old Mac to a lesser position or to sell it than to upgrade.

[Kethoticus]

Folks, let go of the fantasy world. There will be no G5s for a long time. Start looking for them sometime next year. That is this humble correspondent's personal opinion.

[jefhatfield]

kehoticus,

unfortunately, you are right i think...g5 is going to be a 2003 thing

every apple release has come a little on the late side and macrumors has always had the goods on what it might have been months before the actual product

2003 will be here before we know it