Accelerate Your Mac! - Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF Review

A Click shows your site support to my Sponsors

The Source for Mac Performance News and Reviews

Review: Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF CPU upgrade
Published: 7/6/2000

Hardware Features/Specifications/Compatibility

Intro | Benchmarks | Appl. Tests | Software Controls | Docs/Installation | Specs/Design | Summary

Hardware Features/Compatibility

The Formac ProG3 review sample contained an IBM 450MHz, 65C rated Copper based CPU and 1MB of Samsung (SEC) cache. I like the fact this low-cost upgrade is adjustable which eliminates the need to change the motherboard jumpers on Beige/AIO or B&W G3 Macs. I don't really care for the screw-on heatsink and as I mentioned on the install page of this review, I suggest you use the stock Apple G3 aluminum heatsink which I feel provides better cooling.

ProG3 Heatsink

ProG3 ZIF
Directly below the CPU are the 2 switches for speed adjustment

Speed Settings:

The ProG3 ZIF has 2 switches with 4 levers each (see photo above) that control the CPU speed. (CPU speed is controlled by setting a Bus to CPU ratio - i.e. for B&W G3s which have a 100MHz bus speed, a 4.5x ratio would be set to run the CPU at 450MHz). The ratio settings will vary depending on your bus speed. Beige G3 systems have a default bus speed of 66MHz for instance, so owners of those Macs would have to set the ZIF for a different setting than a B&W G3 owner with 100MHz bus. See the notes on the Installation page for more info on switch settings.
The manual PDF file has settings for Beige and B&W G3s, but if used in the CarrierZIF or other socketed CPU slot card for older Macs, you'll have to set different ratios depending on your bus speed. (The PDF manual includes a section near the end with example settings for the Formac Carrier card.) To run the ProG3 450 at rated CPU speeds, (450Mhz) or thereabouts - divide your Mac's bus speed (max reliable bus speed), by 450. Often you'll need to select a ratio that is close to this value due to the fact the Bus/CPU ratios are in increments of .5x (up to a maximum with this CPU of 8x).
Also remember this is an 8X Max Bus/CPU ratio G3 chip, so you'd need very high bus speeds to be able to run the ZIF at or near its rated speeds (ie - 55MHz bus speed, with 8x ratio would result in a 440MHz CPU speed - still below the CPU rating, but many Macs may not be able to run bus speeds this high).
Warning: Overclocking may void your system warranty and may not be reliable. Always back up your data before any major upgrade and exercise caution when experimenting with higher speeds. You assume all risk of overclocking.

As with any major upgrade, remember to backup your data before installation. Although problems may be rare, it's better to be safe than sorry and backups are a good habit regardless.

Along with the benefits of an adjustable CPU upgrade comes some responsibility. This upgrade allows setting CPU speeds to rates beyond the rating and capability of the CPU. I cannot recommend overclocking to others and you assume all risk from doing so. Formac warrants the ProG3 for 1 year according to the supplied manual, but I doubt they honor the warranty if the CPU is overclocked.

Compatibility: (repeated from the front page of the review)

The ProG3 ZIF is listed as compatible with the following Mac models:

Apple: Beige G3, Blue and White G3
(All-In-One Macs should also be compatible)
Older CPU Card Slot Macs only if you use the Formac Carrier card. (I did not test for compatibility with the XLR8 CarrierZIF or PowerLogix Zforce cards.) Note that one Rate Your CPU Update database entry recently noted problems with a Formac Carrier board and a PowerTower Pro. I do not know if that is common, but contact Formac if you have questions on older Mac/carrier board compatibility.

I verified that Retrospect 4.0 backups were error-free with this upgrade in my Beige G3.
For other Formac owner reports, see my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database. This database is a valuable tool to get a feel for a wide range of owner results with most every brand of upgrade on the market. Take some ratings with a grain of salt, especially on adjustable cards. Upon further investigation I often find problems were the result of too slow an L2 cache onboard, incorrect settings, improperly seated CPU, suspect RAM, etc.

The next page contains a summary and final comments on the product.

Index of Formac ProG3 450 ZIF Review Pages
Intro | Benchmarks | Appl. Tests | Software Controls | Docs/Installation | Specs/Design | Summary

- or -
Back to www.XLR8YOURMAC.com

Copyright © Mike, 2000.

No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission.
All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.
Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.

The Source for Mac Performance News and Reviews
Review: Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF CPU upgrade Published: 7/6/2000
Hardware Features/Specifications/Compatibility
Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary
Hardware Features/Compatibility
The Formac ProG3 review sample contained an IBM 450MHz, 65C rated Copper based CPU and 1MB of Samsung (SEC) cache. I like the fact this low-cost upgrade is adjustable which eliminates the need to change the motherboard jumpers on Beige/AIO or B&W G3 Macs. I don't really care for the screw-on heatsink and as I mentioned on the install page of this review, I suggest you use the stock Apple G3 aluminum heatsink which I feel provides better cooling. ProG3 Heatsink Directly below the CPU are the 2 switches for speed adjustment Speed Settings: The ProG3 ZIF has 2 switches with 4 levers each (see photo above) that control the CPU speed. (CPU speed is controlled by setting a Bus to CPU ratio - i.e. for B&W G3s which have a 100MHz bus speed, a 4.5x ratio would be set to run the CPU at 450MHz). The ratio settings will vary depending on your bus speed. Beige G3 systems have a default bus speed of 66MHz for instance, so owners of those Macs would have to set the ZIF for a different setting than a B&W G3 owner with 100MHz bus. See the notes on the Installation page for more info on switch settings. The manual PDF file has settings for Beige and B&W G3s, but if used in the CarrierZIF or other socketed CPU slot card for older Macs, you'll have to set different ratios depending on your bus speed. (The PDF manual includes a section near the end with example settings for the Formac Carrier card.) To run the ProG3 450 at rated CPU speeds, (450Mhz) or thereabouts - divide your Mac's bus speed (max reliable bus speed), by 450. Often you'll need to select a ratio that is close to this value due to the fact the Bus/CPU ratios are in increments of .5x (up to a maximum with this CPU of 8x). Also remember this is an 8X Max Bus/CPU ratio G3 chip, so you'd need very high bus speeds to be able to run the ZIF at or near its rated speeds (ie - 55MHz bus speed, with 8x ratio would result in a 440MHz CPU speed - still below the CPU rating, but many Macs may not be able to run bus speeds this high). Warning: Overclocking may void your system warranty and may not be reliable. Always back up your data before any major upgrade and exercise caution when experimenting with higher speeds. You assume all risk of overclocking. As with any major upgrade, remember to backup your data before installation. Although problems may be rare, it's better to be safe than sorry and backups are a good habit regardless. Along with the benefits of an adjustable CPU upgrade comes some responsibility. This upgrade allows setting CPU speeds to rates beyond the rating and capability of the CPU. I cannot recommend overclocking to others and you assume all risk from doing so. Formac warrants the ProG3 for 1 year according to the supplied manual, but I doubt they honor the warranty if the CPU is overclocked. Compatibility: (repeated from the front page of the review) The ProG3 ZIF is listed as compatible with the following Mac models: Apple: Beige G3, Blue and White G3 (All-In-One Macs should also be compatible) Older CPU Card Slot Macs only if you use the Formac Carrier card. (I did not test for compatibility with the XLR8 CarrierZIF or PowerLogix Zforce cards.) Note that one Rate Your CPU Update database entry recently noted problems with a Formac Carrier board and a PowerTower Pro. I do not know if that is common, but contact Formac if you have questions on older Mac/carrier board compatibility. I verified that Retrospect 4.0 backups were error-free with this upgrade in my Beige G3. For other Formac owner reports, see my Rate Your G3 Upgrade database. This database is a valuable tool to get a feel for a wide range of owner results with most every brand of upgrade on the market. Take some ratings with a grain of salt, especially on adjustable cards. Upon further investigation I often find problems were the result of too slow an L2 cache onboard, incorrect settings, improperly seated CPU, suspect RAM, etc.
The next page contains a summary and final comments on the product.

Index of Formac ProG3 450 ZIF Review Pages Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary - or - Back to www.XLR8YOURMAC.com
Copyright © Mike, 2000. No part of this sites content or images are to be reproduced or distributed in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Users of the web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.