Richard wrote: > I just picked up a PowerCenter 150 for dirt cheap and it appears to have a > 150 mhz G3 processor. This has been verified by "System Profiler" under OS > 7.6 and 9.0, as well as by Sonnet's Metronome software.
Congratulations ! The PowerCenter is a great example of PowerComputing product. The PowerCenter 150 was derived from the Mac 7200 'Catalyst' motherboard, which PCC altered to allow use of removeable, upgradeable daughtercards in similar fashion as the 7300/7500/7600 (Nitro/TNT mobo) series Macs. Curiously, the removable daughtercards made by Apple for the Nitro/TNT motherboards won't work in the PowerCurve/PowerCenter units due absense of a drty line (whatever that was) which was present in PowerComputing units and all 3rd party CPU vendors. Almost all cpu's from all PCC units (exception being the fast-bus 180/210/240 mHz cpu's in the PowerTower and PowerCenterPro)will work in all Apple machines however, including the snappy 'Peltier' cooled 601/120mHz cpu in the original PowerCurve. PowerCenters prior to late model PowerCenter 150's and the PowerCenterPro had PowerCurve motherboards (which caused some consternation back in the day, similar to the gerfluffle caused when some Cadillac owners found that their engines had Oldsmobile rocker covers). The cpu speed is a product of the bus speed times a multiplier. The PowerCenters had a top-end bus speed of 60 mHz, whereas the Apple line prior to the G3's topped out at around 53 mHz. As well, different cpu's had limitations on the multiplier functions, and it was the CPU which set the bus speed. The 601's (Apple's 6100/7100/8100/9150/7200/7500 and PCC's Power 100/120 & PowerCurve 120) had a set bus speed of 30, 33 or 40 mHz. Hence, a 6100, running at 30 mHz bus speed (2x multiplier) became the 6100/60. Running as 33mHz bus speed with the same 2x multiplier created a 6100/66. I speculate that there is a daughtercard in there with controls which can set the bus speed and multiplier functions, and that they are not set properly. I have an XLR8 G3 card which came with switches, and in the absense of switching information, it was the very devil to find the combination which yielded the fastest stable setting. Cheers...Michael -- Power Computing is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> Power Computing list info: <http://lowendmac.com/power/list.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> List archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powercomputing%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
