Powerlogix looking into G5 upgrades for MDD's

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bookem

danno
According to AppleInsider, Powerlogix has been looking into the feasibility of an upgrade solution for MDD PowerMacs. Cool :)

http://www.appleinsider.com/news.php?id=267

PowerLogix may become the first third-party hardware developer to release a G5 upgrade for Apple's 'Mirror Drive Door' (MDD) Power Mac G4 models, anonymous sources told AppleInsider on Monday. According to the source, members of the company's research and development division have been analyzing the details of such an engineering effort.

Unlike traditional third-party upgrades, the PowerLogix G5 upgrade would most likely consist of a combined motherboard and microprocessor adaptation, sources said. If it were to deploy a stand-alone CPU upgrade card, PowerLogix would be forced to research the processes of binding the PowerPC G5 to an older 133MHz or 167MHz bus, only to be bottlenecked by its limitations.

PowerLogix confirmed that it is working on processor upgrades for the MDD, but noted that G5 upgrades would be preceded by other workings at the company. "I do know that G5 chips are still a way off, so I wouldn't assume our first upgrades for these machines would be G5's," said Mark Robinson, media spokesman at PowerLogix.

In the meantime, the company is wrapping up the development of a series of G4 upgrades for the MDD Power Macs, most of which will consist of dual processor format, Robinson said. The upgrades are expected to begin shipping sometime this Spring
 
MoBo & processor upgrades are just too expensive. You're better off selling the MDD and buying a 'real' G5. Or: Keep the G4 as a secondary machine (backups, server, more is more). (New MoBo also means new RAM etc.)
While there's the possibility that PowerLogix (and maybe others) 'look into' G5 upgrades that could be done this way, I don't see them sell many with a profit.
 
I just want a G5 in my Cube. Wishful thinking I know, but we all like to dream :) I have a real G5, anyway...... :p
 
I am a hater of upgrade cards. I've been burned twice by purchasing them. The price to performance ratio is terrible.

A G5 CPU in a G4 box would be a total waste given the crippled bus. The real bang for the G5 is that architecture, not so much the raw CPU power. For example, if you run a bunch of big apps like Photoshop, Final Cut and similar on a G4, even with lots of RAM the CPU gets bogged down/overloaded easily. On a G5, you can run a lot of stuff and still have tons of overhead on the CPU. All of those efficiencies will be lost in an upgrade.

For those looking to upgrade via card, I recommend a more efficient solution. Simply empty your wallet into the toilet and flush. Much faster and easier.
 
Upgrades aren't the greatest, but they're not necessarily like flushing money down the toliet.

Case in point, this Beige I'm running will be getting a g3 900 upgrade for about 270$ in the near future, when I get my Powerbook. Mainly just to give her some extra umph, but also because I have alot invested in this machine already and when I did the cost vs. value it was higher with the upgrade then buying a new DP g4. All she'll be used for anyways is surfing the net (very rarely) and running as a DB/File server.

I seriously doubt a g5 upgrade will be feasable, as there's just way too much difference in the G5 and G4 models.
 
Upgrade cards are the only way some people can afford to upgrade their computer. There may be some manufacturers who need to pay more attention to quality control, but Apple, the makers of the real G5, is also one of these.
 
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