>UPDATED G4 UPGRADE THREAD<

[megahurt]

I have used the search function, and found some old topics about this, but they seem outdated maybe.

I have a G4/400 that I would like to ressurect as my Pro Tools LE machine, instead of my 1ghz PowerBook that I've been using.

Which cards/companies seem to have the best upgrades that work with Pro Tools, and have good prices?

any help?

[mindnoise]

Hi,


no the old threads still hold their place, not much inovation in the CPU upgrade market the last year.

Except the Sonnet 1.7 GHz which has no L3 cache, what a waste.

regs

[megahurt]

So... are the OWC upgrades still the best buy?

Just trying to get as much feedback on all of this before I buy.


Also, I wanted to max out the RAM in the machine. It currently has 768mb. One site (apple-history.com) says the machine can hold 2gb of ram, and crucial says 1.5.

Which is it?

[vicwind]

I Started with a DA 466, then moved to a Sonnet G4 800. I recently purchased a GigaDesigns dual 1.33 and i am now in mix heaven. this dual processor card has 2MB of L3 cache per chip. i have had no problems since installing a month ago and using it everyday for mixing and tracking in PT. Also, the unit's fan is fairly quiet and heat is not an issue at this point. i do not have anything to do with giga or their dealers, just highly recommend it for its excellence. i get 26 davec tracks now, and stability!!!
can't go wrong by checking out www.macgurus.com

[maccool]

For best advice about upgrading your G4 macgurus.com is the place. There is a wealth of expertise on the Tech Forums, and their support for their GigaDesigns Upgrade customers is unmatched.

You need to find out just which G4 400 you have. Does it have PCI graphics, or AGP? Not all early G4's can use the dual-processor upgrades. I think the PCI machines cannot, nor some of the AGP boxes, but if you go here there's a link to a utility which will tell you if yours can or not.

On PCI G4's you can install a maximum of 1GB of RAM. On AGP G4's you can install 2GB of RAM but, OS9 will only be able to use a maximum of 1.5GB of the 2GB installed, whereas OS X can use it all (check it out here). All RAM is not created equal, and a fast processor in OS X will for sure need top quality RAM, and I'd suggest MacGurus or Crucial.

I, like vicwind, got a DaveC score of 26 with a dual 1.33 Giga, also in a DA which has a 133MHz memory bus. The early G4's (PCI=Yikes, or AGP=Sawtooth) have a 100MHz bus, and I don't know quite how that would change things.

You asked about upgrades which work with ProTools LE; with the caveat that Digidesign don't support any upgrades (yet!), I never had a problem with my Dual 1.33 Giga, and they really are plug-and-play, it'll take 30 minutes from the time you shut down your 400 until you're up and running with a Giga. And no! I don't work for them! It's just a great product.

[jgehring]

I recently went from a MDD DP867 to a Giga DP 1.42 upgrade and it totally rules. I also did the 133 to 167 bus speed overclock as found on xlr8yourmac. Sessions that used to max out the CPU meter now sit at half or a little under, and it has been solid as a rock. Mix heaven indeed.

[Piers Gibbon]

yeah I have one of those early g4 400 AGP

I looked into it and haven't upgraded yet (I am a pro voiceover and don't need more than a couple of tracks for work so the cost wasn't worth it)

but aren't the g4's fans noisy!!

mine is outside the studio but I'd still like to quieten it - anyone know of any mods that will shut it up?