Pismo Upgrade: Powerlogix v. Newertech

Pismo Upgrade: Powerlogix v. Newertech

I haven't followed these two companies particularly closely, but I from what I've read (can't remember where), PowerLogix sounds more stable. I'm considering the same upgrade for my Pismo 500. I really like having the swappable bay! I'd love to have a G4 (>500 MHz? - is this possible given the 100 MHz bus?) and a superdrive option for my Pismo.

Has anyone done the upgrade yet? Too soon I suppose, but I'd love to hear about how it went. I'll be moving soon, so I'll probably wait until after the move.

 

Do some research on the companies, see what they have to offer before investing in the upgrade. Also, don't go with ones that require you to send your laptop to them. It should be 'user installable'.

As for a superdrive inside a laptop, no gonna happen. At least not in the foreseeable future. You could always get an external drive though, if you want to spend the ~$500.

 

Pismo Upgrade: Powerlogix v. Newertech

AlphaTech -

I thought the upgrades to G4s in the Pismo required the machines be sent to Apple because of some proprietary component (some chip?) in the machines. I don't really understand the issue, and would love to upgrade it myself so that I'm not out a computer for a week or more. I've done RAM and HD switches before without any difficulty. Is there a particular reason you wouldn't send to these companies, or is it just a general rule you go by?

Any info you could offer would be appreciated

 

Re: Pismo Upgrade: Powerlogix v. Newertech

The processor for the Pismo, and the previous models of G3 PowerBook, are on a daughter card that seats onto the logicboard. The companies that are taking the laptops for upgrade don't send them to Apple, they keep them and 'test' them before shipping them back. To me, that screams of inferior components in their upgrade.

You need to follow the ESD guidelines when touching things like processors... which is one of the reasons why most people are only allowed to do limited things to their systems without voiding the warranty.

Personally, if I still had a Pismo laptop, I would do all the work possible myself. That is, everything that doesn't require it going to Apple. Now that I have the ability to order up a good chunch of repair parts, I will not need to send the laptops to Apple for much.

 

PowerLogix upgrade

I emailed PowerLogix, and got back a response. They said that 550 MHz would be the forseeable top end of this G4 upgrade, apparently due to heat issues. It'll be 100 MHz bus, and can still handle 1gig of RAM. I don't know if the upgrade just to get Altivec would be worth it - I think it'll depend on one's needs. From reading other's comments here and on other boards, it sounds as though the 500 MHz G3 in the Pismo should handle OS X well into the future. You may or may not get everything out of Quartz/Jaguar when they come out. I think I'll wait and get a new apple notebook in order to get a G4 - I'd love to see the G4 in the ibook, though I doubt it'll come for a while yet.

If anyone does this upgrade, please post and let us know how it goes.