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How do you identify Dual-CPU PowerMac G4's from Single-CPU models?

LOLZpersonok

LOLZpersonok

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 10, 2012
724
18
Calgary, Canada
I want to get one as a secondary computer, but I want to be sure mine can accommodate and utilize two physical CPU's for added performance.

How do I tell if it has Dual-CPU capabilities, and if it does, what is the most powerful CPU's I can install in each socket? I'd need to know what brand and where I can purchase them too.
 
LOLZpersonok said:
I want to get one as a secondary computer, but I want to be sure mine can accommodate and utilize two physical CPU's for added performance.

How do I tell if it has Dual-CPU capabilities, and if it does, what is the most powerful CPU's I can install in each socket? I'd need to know what brand and where I can purchase them too.
Click to expand...

the most powerful G4s are indeed the Mirror Drive Doors (MDD) G4s that last models came with Dual 1.42GHz (i think dual someone correct me if wrong) that is a total of 2.84GHz of processing power all MDD models support Dual CPUs so it dont make much of a difference if u buy it with a Single or Dual CPU as u can upgrade them later however i cant find any above 1.25GHz. The Brand would be from Apple best place to look is eBay theres a few on sale (Processors) now also plenly of MDD Macs as well.
 
Any G4 that is a Gigabit Ethernet or newer model can support a dual core G4. This includes the G4 Cube. Some Sawtooth models can support dual core G4's, but you'll have to run a program on them to check their board revision first. Nothing older than a Sawtooth can support dual G4's.

The fastest G4 upgrade would be the dual 1.8Ghz 7448 G4. I think both Sonnet and PowerLogix made one. But they are very rare and go for about $600, used.
 
Intell said:
Any G4 that is a Gigabit Ethernet or newer model can support a dual core G4. This includes the G4 Cube. Some Sawtooth models can support dual core G4's, but you'll have to run a program on them to check their board revision first. Nothing older than a Sawtooth can support dual G4's.

The fastest G4 upgrade would be the dual 1.8Ghz 7448 G4. I think both Sonnet and PowerLogix made one. But they are very rare and go for about $600, used.
Click to expand...

the Cube huh? ive never seen a CPU upgrade for a cube nor ever heard of one although i never cared to look into it either.
 
LeoTheLion89 said:
the Cube huh? ive never seen a CPU upgrade for a cube nor ever heard of one although i never cared to look into it either.
Click to expand...

Yep. They upgrade well. I've got a 1.5Ghz in mine and it's made a big difference over the 450Mhz stock G4. Electronically, Cube's are just like Gigabit Ethernet PowerMacs.
 
LeoTheLion89 said:
the most powerful G4s are indeed the Mirror Drive Doors (MDD) G4s that last models came with Dual 1.42GHz (i think dual someone correct me if wrong) that is a total of 2.84GHz of processing power all MDD models support Dual CPUs so it dont make much of a difference if u buy it with a Single or Dual CPU as u can upgrade them later however i cant find any above 1.25GHz. The Brand would be from Apple best place to look is eBay theres a few on sale (Processors) now also plenly of MDD Macs as well.
Click to expand...

Cool, Thanks for the response. If you hadn't responded with this information, I'd probably skip out on the $65 one I found, which I now realize is a MDD model. I'd better buy it quick!
 
LeoTheLion89 said:
the most powerful G4s are indeed the Mirror Drive Doors (MDD) G4s that last models came with Dual 1.42GHz (i think dual someone correct me if wrong) that is a total of 2.84GHz of processing power all MDD models support Dual CPUs so it dont make much of a difference if u buy it with a Single or Dual CPU as u can upgrade them later however i cant find any above 1.25GHz. The Brand would be from Apple best place to look is eBay theres a few on sale (Processors) now also plenly of MDD Macs as well.
Click to expand...

No. That is not how it works. The dual processors are not like dual-core machines. I have a DP 800Mhz QS and it certainly doesn't run at "1.6Ghz". Only really applications that utilize any sort of dual-processor programming are able to access both. They don't work in tandem.
 
Daedalus256 said:
No. That is not how it works. The dual processors are not like dual-core machines. I have a DP 800Mhz QS and it certainly doesn't run at "1.6Ghz". Only really applications that utilize any sort of dual-processor programming are able to access both. They don't work in tandem.
Click to expand...

Precisely.

Now, in a multithreaded OS, like Mac OS X, you do see performance gains from dual processors, but as a rule it's more like 70-75% of the combined clockspeed. Of course, that doesn't apply to single threaded apps, only to overall performance.
 
Intell said:
The fastest G4 upgrade would be the dual 1.8Ghz 7448 G4. I think both Sonnet and PowerLogix made one. But they are very rare and go for about $600, used.
Click to expand...

At that price I'd rather look out for a used QuickSilver (or older) with such a card allready installed.

Got mine (with 2x1.8GHz Sonnet) for 150Euro and the same guy also had one with a 1x1.8GHz on sale (funny that auction ended 15Euro higher). At the same time there was a 1.8GHz Cube wich ended at somewhere around 190Euro.

One should also remember that in everyday use 1x1.8GHz might actually be faster than 2x1GHz.
 
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