Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

dual processors in a single processor mac?

O

orangejedi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 12, 2008
23
0
Hey can anyone lend their expertise on this-?
I have a powermac g4 AGP (single 450mhz processor). will this computer support dual processors, such as a dual 500mhz? If so, which processors from which computer model(s) can i use? like can i put a dual 500 from a Gigabit Ethernet mac in the AGP mac? please help :eek:
thanks

oh (heh heh) and is there such thing as 512mb PC100 ram?
 
disconap

disconap

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2005
1,810
3
Portland, OR
I second the dual 1.3. With the 100mHz bus, the L3 helps more than added speed (I road tested a dual 1.8 before I bought the 1.3; snappier but a lot more beach balling)...
 
disconap

disconap

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2005
1,810
3
Portland, OR
orangejedi said:
Hey can anyone lend their expertise on this-?
I have a powermac g4 AGP (single 450mhz processor). will this computer support dual processors, such as a dual 500mhz? If so, which processors from which computer model(s) can i use? like can i put a dual 500 from a Gigabit Ethernet mac in the AGP mac? please help :eek:
thanks
Click to expand...

Oh, and--yes, it MAY support dual processors. There is an utility at MacSales that will test your computer and tell you whether or not it can support duals.

EDIT: there USED to be an utility. Now there's just a pdf with instructions:

http://www.sonnettech.com/publicfiles/pdfs/pdf_onlinedocs/english/mac/encore_st_duet_2g_add.pdf

oh (heh heh) and is there such thing as 512mb PC100 ram?
Click to expand...

I believe so, but your machine supports PC133 RAM anyway (it just runs at 100 once installed), so feel free to max it out to 2gb. :)
 
FF_productions

FF_productions

macrumors 68030
Apr 16, 2005
2,822
0
Mt. Prospect, Illinois
Not trying to turn you away, but with the amount of money you'd have to invest, your machine will still get smoked by any G5 and of course ANY Intel Mac.

If I had the $, I wouldn't care, but if $ is tight, I'd spend it on the faster machine.
 
CanadaRAM

CanadaRAM

macrumors G5
Oct 11, 2004
12,417
6
On the Left Coast - Victoria BC Canada
like can i put a dual 500 from a Gigabit Ethernet mac
Click to expand...

orangejedi: to answer the original question - no, you can't just transplant a dual processor out of another PowerMac G4, you have to buy a purpose-built upgrade from Sonnet or Powerlogix.

The Gigabit Ethernet dual processor machines use the 'Mystic' motherboard (AGP 4x). Your 450 MHz machine probably has the 'Sawtooth' motherboard (AGP 2x). AFAIK the only machine that could take a dual processor module out of a Gigabit Ethernet DP machine was the 400 MHz single processor with the Mystic motherboard.

The cost of the upgrade (coupled with the fact that the overall performance is still hampered by the slow system bus, memory bus, ATA bus and graphics) is why it is prudent to advise the poster that the money may be better spent on a newer machine, disconap.


More information on upgrading older Macs is available at http://www.xlr8yourmac.com and http://www.lowendmac.com
 
KingYaba

KingYaba

macrumors 68040
Aug 7, 2005
3,414
12
Up the irons
I have been weary of G4 processor upgrades. With all that power runnin' through the tubes, a 133mhz front side bus is quite the bottleneck. I would recommend something in the area of dual 1.0 - 1.4 ghz (say you have the correct machine) anything more seems like a waste of money that could be used towards a better G5.
 
disconap

disconap

macrumors 68000
Oct 29, 2005
1,810
3
Portland, OR
Look at it like this:

"Hey, how do you make bread?"

"You should buy cookies."

All I'm saying, really not intending to start a fight or anything, just saying that the OP asked something specific and your advice had nothing to do with his/her question.

EDIT: as for a MacMini, there are myriad reasons not to upgrade to one (storage capacity for a start, that's been the primary reason I've never considered one)...
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
disconap said:
Look at it like this:

"Hey, how do you make bread?"

"You should buy cookies."

All I'm saying, really not intending to start a fight or anything, just saying that the OP asked something specific and your advice had nothing to do with his/her question.
Click to expand...

In general, when questions are posted here, people try to help in the best possible way. Answering the question may not be the best possible way to help and in this case most likely isn't. It's called "stepping back and looking at the bigger picture".
 
iShater

iShater

macrumors 604
Aug 13, 2002
7,026
470
Chicagoland
Lord Zedd said:
The only one that does not help at all is your post. Suggesting a MacMini is very smart, upgrading a G4 has very low value for the power gained.
Click to expand...

Cromulent said:
Because upgrading a G4 is a waste of money. The real question is why did you bother?
Click to expand...

disconap said:
Why did either of you bother? The thread asks a specific question, you're not helping at all.
Click to expand...

Can't we all get along? :p

The MacMini might be a good recommendation for someone who is asking just about a faster computer, but you guys are forgetting that there are certain products and probably applications that people use and have to keep the old applications. Think any expansion cards, etc.

So you are all right, all three posts were a waste, and all there posts were useful. :)
 
O

orangejedi

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 12, 2008
23
0
tough crowd! ;)

Wow - it seems i've created quite the heated debate! :)

for all those wondering, i have definately considered the mac mini, but there were of course a few things that made me think twice - i can still get a g4 upgrade for less than a new mini, and my current g4 has 320 gb of well-used hard drive space, more than any mac mini, so that would mean an external hard drive at the least, which means more $$, and that's an issue cuz i'm 15 and don't have steady income yet and i blew all my cash on the instinct on which i'm typing this post :) (totally worth it though) ,and i would never feel right spending my money on a low-end mini instead of an amazing new iMac. so basically i wanted to know the mechanics of processor upgrades so i wouldn't buy a processor that would blow up my computer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom