Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2005 22:29:11 +0100
From: steve <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hi Is it remotely possible to put a 233MHz chip from a 9600 into a 7500?
The label on the cpu says 9600 only but I can't help but wonder if it's
possible.
This is why it is good to have a FAQ. This question comes up two or
three times a year at least and there is always a flurry of confusion
in response. It is a good question because there are some very
confusing factors at work.
I really should save the answer to my NotePad or something so I can
just paste it in....
Anyway, the short answer is that any Apple PPC604[e] up to and
including 233 MHz should work in your 7500. Any Apple PPC604e at 250
MHz or higher will not work in any machine except the 8600/9600
Enhanced, which are often called Kansas or Mach V machines.
Note that those are the rules for Apple processor cards. Umax and
Power Computing both made 250 MHz PPC604e cards which will work in a
non-Kansas machine. But there is also a 240 MHz PPC604e card from
Power Computing which will not work in Apple machines because it has
a bus speed setting of 60 MHz (the CPU cards from the last
PowerCenter Pros). An exception to the exception is that some Apple
machines, mainly 9500 or 9600s, might support a 60 MHz bus if you're
lucky, so in a few cases the 240 MHz Power Computing card could work
in an Apple machine.
Why is this so confusing? Because: All the Apple CPU cards were
compatible (except for occasional bus speed issues) until the Kansas
machines came out. The Kansas machines used a CPU card which plugs
into the same physical connector but which has a few electrical
differences such that they won't work in other machines.
So we have full compatibility until Apple came out with a few jokers
which aren't. The trick is identying those incompatible cards.
Identification is further complicated by the following:
***There are two different models from Apple named 8600.***
***There are two different models from Apple named 9600.***
The original 8600 and 9600 were just like earlier (7500, 8500, 9500)
machines in terms of CPU card compatibility. They have much nicer
cases than the 8500 and 9500, power supplies with a different
connector, and a slightly updated ROM ($77D.34F2 , or is it
$77D.34F1, instead of $77D.28F2).
Then Apple came out with new machines. The official name of the new
machines were "8600 Enhanced" and "9600 Enhanced". These new
machines have the same cases and power supplies as the original
8600/9600, a slightly different motherboard (no cache, CPU slot wired
a little differently, updated ROM $77D.34F5, and the exact same
chipset), and use the Mach V CPU cards. The Mach V CPU cards are the
ones which are incompatible with other x500/x600 machines. They
shipped in these machines which are also called 8600 and 9600. See
where the confusion comes in?
Fortunately, there was no overlap in speed. An Apple PPC604e card at
250 MHz or higher is a Mach V card and is only compatible with the
8600/9600 Enhanced machines. An Apple PPC604e or PPC604 card at or
below 233 MHz is built on the original design and is compatible with
x500 and x600 (non-Kansas) machines.
So it really isn't too difficult to keep the Apple cards straight.
Just watch the CPU speed and remember that there were two *different*
computers with the 8600 name and two *different* computers with the
9600 name.
Now if you want to see CPU complication, try to keep track of what
works in a Catalyst based Power Computing machine. Hint, the Apple
cards don't, but again, they use the same connector.
There are two ways to figure out whether one has an original
8600/9600 vs. the Enhanced version (assuming you don't know which CPU
card shipped with it). The first is to look at the motherboard. The
8600 Enhanced lacks the L2 cache slot. On the 9600 Enhanced the
soldered down L2 cache is not installed, so there are empty spots for
square chips in front of the PCI slots. The second method is to look
in Apple System Profiler. Go to "Production Information" and look
at "ROM Revision" under that heading. The Enhanced models have a
$77D.34F5 ROM revision. The earlier, non-Enhanced models ahve a
$77D.34F2 (or maybe .34F1, my memory is hazy) ROM revision.
Jeff Walther
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