| Manufacturer: XLR8 |
| Suggested Retail Price: $529 |
System Requirements:
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Specifications:
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The 466MHz ZIF gives you a lot of bang for your buck. This is especially true when you overclock it. And with the XLR8 ZIFs, you do not have to worry about heat problems, because of their copper chips.Set up:
If you have a G3, you don't have to worry about installing the software, although I do recommend it for backside cache speed purposes. Those of you who don't have G3's, need the software to use the card. Don't worry though, all that it installs is a control panel.
They don't call these chips Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) for nothing. After taking the heatsink off, which is arguably the hardest thing to do, drop in the processor, and replace the heatsink. Turn your machine on, and you'll be computing at blinding speeds.
Usage:I got this card with the intention of overclocking it. I never even saw my machine go 466 MHz, I went straight to 500 MHz. But, with the quality of XLR8 chips, I wasn't worried a bit. Since it has copper innards, it will not over heat, and in fact, XLR8 gives you instructions on how to overclock it right in the box.
Once I started using this chip, I knew, I could never look back. Everything was so much faster, it was unbelievable. Even things like disk speed, which I would never have thought would speed up from this upgrade, improved somewhat. I was definitely impressed.
A major reason (besides the MHz) that this chip is so fast, is because of the MVP (Multiple Variable Processing). This MVP is a "switch" technology that optimizes performance. Plus, the Smart Control software automatically adjusts the backside cache speed to the fastest, reliable speed.
One overlooked portion of G3 ZIFs, is the software. XLR8's Smart control software is very nice. Not only does it automatically set the backside cache speed, but it also let's you tweak the speed, and is very stable. I did not have any crashes due to this software, something I can't say for the other G3 upgrade software packages.
Finally, it's compatible with a very wide range of machines. From the newest G3s, to the beige G3s, to almost every PCI PowerMac. This is mainly because of XLR8's virtual firmware technology. The Virtual Firmware is a compatibility ROM software that resides in motherboard non-volatile RAM (PRAM). This means, that you won't have to install the software on every start-up disk you use, the ROM will always be available.
Problems:I did encounter some stability problems with the faster chip. But it wasn't related to heat, it was the backside cache causing the trouble. With this chip, I could not speed up the backside cache past it's rated speed without stability problems. Once I lowered the backside cache speed, the system was rock solid.
Conclusion:This ZIF brought a much needed speed increase to my G3. After about 10 minutes, it was installed, and pushing my machine to the limits. Other than the backside cache issue, this chip is rock solid, and will give you bragging rights for a long time to come.
| Pros | Cons |
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8/10 stars |
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