On Jun 5, 2009, at 7:40 AM, Ralph Green wrote: > > > Howdy, > > I think I have all the pieces lined up to try upgrading my G4 Gigbit > ethernet tower with a quicksilver CPU. It is my fastest current mac, so > I am still a little bit nervous about it. Particularly the part about > removing the pins for the IDE port for the DVD drive. I snip
> This leads me to a few questions. I have never swapped out the > motherboard on a G4 tower. I can search for instructions, but I'd > really like to hear from someone who has done this. > 2. Are there any things I may need to be aware of that are not likely > to be obvious or in the instructions? Are you also factoring in the speed hit that you will get running a QS Processor in a GigE? They will be running at 600 MHz on the Gig E's 100 MHz system bus. At that point, is it worth the effort to almost irreversibly modify the motherboard to get a 20% speed boost over finding a dual 500MHz that is a straight plug in? I see dual 450s on ebay right now for under $20 shipped. OWC has 1 for $37.50. And I am pretty sure you can get a better deal on the LEM Swap list. Also, there may be case mods needed to fit the QS heat sink. > 3. I'll then have to switch to probably a USB DVD drive. I don't use > the CD or DVD drive much at all. Probably reinstalling Tiger would be > the next task. Will that work with a USB DVD drive, or should I find > another Mac and run this one in firewire target disk mode? You can not boot from a usb dvd drive, so you will have to use firewire target disk mode. > I have several reasons for wanting to do the upgrade. The 400 MHz cpu > I have now is a wee bit too slow, and I think a dual 800 MHz will be > fine for what I do. I am on a tight budget. And, I want to help a > local school upgrade about 10 more of these if it works out OK. My vote is to find either a dual 500 from a Gig E, or try the swap list for someone that is selling a 800MHz or higher that will run at rated speed in your Mac. Personally, I don't think the surgery and contortions need to put a QS processor into a Gig for a 20% speed boost is worth it. A faster HD and/or video card will more than make up that 20%. Len --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed Low End Mac's G3-5 List, a group for those using G3, G4, and G5 desktop Macs - with a particular focus on Power Macs. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/g3-5-list?hl=en Low End Mac RSS feed at feed://lowendmac.com/feed.xml -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
