FINAL poll: G4 dual upgrade

[disconap]

Ok, folks, it's down to the wire. The two upgrades I am looking at are both Powerforce G4 duals:

Dual 1gHz--$295
Dual 1.3gHz--$369

Basically, I am just weighing the two; the processor will replace a single 1.1 in my Sawtooth (see sig for specs). I'm just trying to figure out if the 300mHz bump is worth the extra $74; I stayed in the mid-range because, frankly, the high end processors are a waste in a 100mHz bus machine. So the question here is will there be much of an actual performance difference between the two in my Mac? Anyone have any light to shed on the subject? I'm making the purchase in about three weeks, so plenty of time to weigh in...

Also, anyone have any positive or negative experience with PowerLogix upgrades? I've used a Sonnet (great) and OWC (just so-so), but never a PL.

Thanks for the help!

 

[timswim78]

I'd say forget the upgrade and buy a used Mac Dual G4 on Craigslist or ebay. You can probably get some money for the Sawtooth and then upgrade to a used dual G4. You'll come out ahead, with more money in your pocket and a faster machine.

If you are really going to buy an upgrade, I'd say do the 1Ghz. I have a dual G4 1Ghz, and I am very happy with its performance.

 

[disconap]

Heh. I thought about that, but the biggest issue is the RAM. I have 2gigs in this machine, and it would cost me a bit to get a later model up to that (provided it's one that can even take that, some of them maxed at 1.5). I'll be selling the upgrade in there now, so I'll get a little money back (probably like $75-100, but still)...

 

[AppleIntelRock]

I’m not one to recommend putting that much money into a machine so old. You may be better of selling and upgrading. Maybe keep some ram.

 

[disconap]

I don't have the money to upgrade the whole machine, and the RAM isn't compatible with later G4s. I have enough to upgrade the processor, hence the thread.

(plus, I've been running this machine for almost 7 years and it's never let me down, and I like my set-up, I just need a little boost for Adobe apps and the like)

 

[dex22]

Where did you find these deals? I'm interested at that price.

 

[steamboat26]

Go for the 1.3, more is better
and dex22 i think that he probably found those deals on OWC (link to processors)

 

[disconap]

I did indeed!

I'm mostly just wondering if the 1.3 will really outperform the 1.0 enough to make the extra $74 worth it. I won't go higher than 1.3, since the L3 cache is a huge boon to the older systems...

 

[bousozoku]

I think PowerLogix are better than the others, but if you have a dead machine, you won't be able to use one with a 7447 or 7457 because they require a firmware upgrade.

Also, don't get stuck with a 7455/7455A over 1 GHz unless you're truly confident about your cooling. I think that anything from 1.2 GHz and up is a 7447 or 7457, right?

 

[disconap]

I am very confident about my cooling, my box is modded pretty well (I added ins and outs when I added the RAID). And no, the dual 1.3 are 7455s. The later, higher speed chips (up to 2gHz) are the 7447 and 7447a, but they are usually above 1.5 from my research, most of the lower are 7455 with the L3 cache. I haven't come across any 7457s.

 

[disconap]

Ended up with the dual 1.3. And ordered it two days before they dropped the price by $40, dammit! Ah, well, running stable and smooth, if a bit warm, and the performance can't be beat. Thanks for the advice, all!