Guide to G3 Upgrades for NuBus Power Macs

Updated 2002.06.03

Got a Power Mac or compatible? Join the Power Macs email list.

• Bare Feats studies cache size, cache speed, and motherboard cache

This page covers currently shipping G3 upgrades for the Power Macintosh 6100, 7100, and 8100.

Each accelerator will provide several times the performance of the 60-110 MHz 601 processor installed in these older Macs. Be sure to read That extra 10% to help you decide which upgrade provides the best value for you.

IBM, Motorola, and Apple have done a phenomenal job in creating the Power PC 750 CPU (aka G3) and computers to use it. An entire industry has sprung up selling G3 cards to owners of second generation Power Macs with processor cards.

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 Prices keep dropping, so these prices may be outdated.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 processor, but has never promised any support for G3-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**

Newer Technology MAXpowr G3 7100/8100	300 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz		disc.
6100 only	330 MHz	1 MB	220 MHz		disc.

Sonnet Technologies Crescendo/Nubus updated 6/3/02	477-500 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz		$250
	400 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz		disc.
	390-400 MHz	1 MB	160 MHz		$200
	300 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz		disc.
	240-266 MHz	1 MB	120-133 MHz		disc.
	250 MHz	512 KB	150 MHz		disc.

* 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

• Is it worth putting a G3 in an older Mac?, Adam Robert Guha, Apple Archive, 11/3/00. As always, it depends, but sometimes a used Power Mac G3 is the better value.
• MacWeek and Macworld (use search to find reviews)
• Mac Speed Zone
• Accelerate Your Mac

This page created March 3, 1999 and updated occasionally.

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