Guide to G4 Accelerators for Level 2 Cache Slot

Updated 2002.05.16

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Benchmark: G4 worth extra cost?, MacSpeedZone, 2/7. Real advantage comes only if you're using AltiVec enabled applications.
Bare Feats studies cache size, cache speed, and motherboard cache

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This page covers currently shipping G4 upgrades that fit in the cache socket of the Power Macintosh 4400, 5400, 5500, 6400, 6500, 7220; Performa 54xx, 6360, and 64xx; Twentieth Annivesary Mac; StarMax 3000, 4000; Power Computing PowerBase; Umax SuperMac C500, C600.

Each accelerator will provide several times the performance of processors installed in these older Macs. Be sure to read That extra 10% to help you decide which upgrade provides the best value for you.

The information is as accurate as I can find, but specifications and availability are subject to change; I suggest you check with the manufacturer to verify current models. Prices keep dropping, so these prices may be outdated. (Prices are in $US.)

In fact, models are added and discontinued so often, it's impossible to keep track of which models are current.

Accelerate Your Mac has user reports on various G3 upgrades, and Macworld did a big comparison article in the July issue.

Note that computers upgraded with these cards may not support Mac OS X. (Apple has emphatically stated it will run on all Macs designed with a G3 or G4 processor, but has never promised any support for upgraded models.)

Further, models with AV cards may require special adapters or versions of the card at additional cost.

Discontinued accelerators are listed for historical reasons.

Manufacturer	CPU Speed	Cache Size	Cache Speed	MacBench 5.0 rating*	Estimated Street Price	Estimated Value**
Phase 5 Maccelerate!7400TA discontinued	360 MHz	1 MB	180 MHz		$479

* Processor score from MacWeek or Macworld when possible, but many MacBench ratings are from manufacturers. End user results will vary based on a number of factors including bus speed and OS used.

** Estimated value is MacBench rating divided by price. Figure is based on estimated MacBench score for untested cards. Higher numbers represent more bang for the buck.

Reviews & Overviews

MacWeek and Macworld (use search to find reviews)
Mac Speed Zone
Accelerate Your Mac

This page created December 3, 1999 and updated occasionally.

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