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Ipyro24

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2003
34
0
home
Hi,
I want to upgrade my powermac g4 (i think sawtooth how do i figure that out i don't kno) with a faster processor, 400mhz just isn't cutting it. I was wondering what options do i have for upgrading it? like would a processor out of a g4 quicksilver work in the (sawtooth??)... could anyone give me a link to a site that might have info on this or could anyone be kind enough to help me out? what im trying to find out is what processors will go in the g4 (sawtooth??) and any compatiblity issues. well thankyou for your time.

thanks,
pyro
 

Blue Velvet

Moderator emeritus
Jul 4, 2004
21,929
265
At one stage I was considering the same for my old machine.

But when I found out the (UK) cost of the boards, and heard of the imminent release of the G5s, I figured 'why throw good money after bad' and just ended up using that money as a sizable deposit on a new machine.

I'm not the greatest Mac Mind (TM) here, but when you throw in the extra cost of a new video card (if ness.) & the processor without even considering ram, firewire, usb cards and optical drives etc. it seems to become a short to medium-term fix.

We were looking at dropping G4 processors into our G3's at work but considering their RAM limits, lack of firewire etc., it just seemed more prudent to lay out a little bit more and get something that might last a little longer...

... mind you, these plans were based on UK prices.

There are others here who will say ' go for it'!

Anyway, here's a place to start.

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/pricelist.html#duet
 

seamuskrat

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2003
898
19
New Jersey USA
Due to bus speeds, and other factors, you cannot take a processor out of one and put it in another, unless they are the same generational machine. In your case, you could add a Sawtooth 500 but nothing more. Now that is part for part from Apple.
You Can add an assortment of other upgrades. Gigadesigns, Sonnet and Daystar all offer great G4 upgrades for older Macs.

Go to http://www.macsales.com choose your model (They have help on this, but from what you aid, you have a single processor capable Sawtooth model) and the web site will list all available processor upgrades. Giga allows overclocking and are slightly less pricey. Sonnet uses a slightly different version of the G4, so read up on what works best for you.
 

Ipyro24

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2003
34
0
home
i was wondering if a processor froma a quicksilver powermac g4 would posibly work. they sell them relitivly cheep on ebay so i was wondering if a 733 or something would work in my older powermac g4 sawtooth (i think)

thanks again
pyro
 

Ipyro24

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 14, 2003
34
0
home
oh ic thanks
is there any preformance problems with a upgrade processor like locking up and the like
 

seamuskrat

macrumors 6502a
Feb 17, 2003
898
19
New Jersey USA
Not really. I am sure there are some horror stories, but the OWC brand, Gigadesigns, and Sonnet are all reliable and have good support. I have three such upgrades in older Macs and I have yet to encounter any issues.

Ipyro24 said:
oh ic thanks
is there any preformance problems with a upgrade processor like locking up and the like
 

Horrortaxi

macrumors 68020
Jul 6, 2003
2,240
0
Los Angeles
What do you need the computer to do?

For the money the processor upgrades are seldom worthwhile. There are exceptions, but if your needs are that far past the abilities of the computer then you're better off getting another computer.
 
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