Accelerate Your Mac! - Formac Pro G3 450 ZIF Review

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

Review Summary and Final Comments

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

The Final Word

Since the price for the Formac ProG3 450 ZIF upgrade is as low or even lower than some OEM G3/450 ZIF upgrades (which requiire motherboard jumper changes), I consider the ProG3 a better buy. With the adjustable switches on the ZIF you don't have to mess with the motherboard jumper block (voiding any Apple warranty you have on your Mac). The only advantage to the OEM jumperless ZIFs would be for those wanting to use them with older Mac carrier (ZIF Socket) cards - since the OEM ZIFs will use the carrier card bus/cpu ratio settings.
The only question in my mind is if this Copper G3 CPU would pose the same problem in rev 1 Beige G3s that the OEM G3/450 Copper ZIFs have. I saw absolutely no problems with it running at 466/233 in my rev 2 Beige G3 however. TransIntl indicated they have had no problem reports from any Beige G3 owners to date. They are great people to deal with and I'm confident if you were to experience any problems they will take care of you.

Price/Performance: For the money, as of the date this review was posted the ProG3 looks to be one of the better values in G3/450 ZIF upgrades. At $275 (current price at TransIntl.com), I consider it a good value overall.
To see how other Beige G3 or B&W owners rated the Formac ProG3 - search the Rate Your CPU Upgrade database.
One note to owners of rev 1/rev A Beige G3s (ATI RageII chip on the motherboard) - there have been reports of problems with Copper OEM G3/450 CPUs in these systems (noted at the main site news and in the Rate Your CPU Upgrade database over the last 6 months). My Beige G3 is a rev 2 and I saw no problems with this retail copper G3, nor do I remember seeing any reports of problems with the ProG3 from other Beige G3 owners.
My only real complaint with this upgrade was the printed docs in the box. The updated PDF file at their web site is much better however and sufficient for installation. Considering the fact the ProG3 is one of the lowest cost G3/450 ZIFs currently available ($275) and a retail box/adjustable model, I rated this upgrade a very good value based on my experience. So far reader feedback on the ProG3/450 has also been good.

ProG3 450 ZIF Upgrade Overall Rating
Recommended
How Did Other Owners Rate the ProG3? As of 7/4/2000, there were 11 Formac entries from Beige G3 owners and 4 reports from B&W G3 owners in the Rate Your CPU Upgrade Database here. Some noted running speeds of 500/250 reliably, but remember your results may vary and overclocking is risky. One entry noted installing 5 of these upgrades in Beige G3s with no problems and many owners rated this upgrade a 9 or 10.

Availability/Pricing:

As of July 5th, 2000, the ProG3 450 ZIF sells for $275 from TransIntl.com. At the time of this review that price was the lowest cost G3/450 (466 in beige G3) upgrade I'm aware of.

The ProG3 ZIF upgrade comes with a 1 year limited warranty from Formac (see the PDF manual file for complete terms and conditions).

I hope this review has provided you with sufficient information of all aspects of the product, but if you have any further questions or comments you may contact me by email at: news@xlr8yourmac.com.
For reviews of other CPU cards at this site, see my CPU Cards page. The home page (www.xlr8yourmac.com) has links to reviews of Systems, SCSI, IDE, 0Firewire, Video cards (incl. 3Dfx), Game related articles and some of the most useful daily news on the net (updated 7 days a week). Thanks for stopping by!

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
Review Summary and Final Comments
Intro \| Benchmarks \| Appl. Tests \| Software Controls \| Docs/Installation \| Specs/Design \| Summary
The Final Word
Since the price for the Formac ProG3 450 ZIF upgrade is as low or even lower than some OEM G3/450 ZIF upgrades (which requiire motherboard jumper changes), I consider the ProG3 a better buy. With the adjustable switches on the ZIF you don't have to mess with the motherboard jumper block (voiding any Apple warranty you have on your Mac). The only advantage to the OEM jumperless ZIFs would be for those wanting to use them with older Mac carrier (ZIF Socket) cards - since the OEM ZIFs will use the carrier card bus/cpu ratio settings. The only question in my mind is if this Copper G3 CPU would pose the same problem in rev 1 Beige G3s that the OEM G3/450 Copper ZIFs have. I saw absolutely no problems with it running at 466/233 in my rev 2 Beige G3 however. TransIntl indicated they have had no problem reports from any Beige G3 owners to date. They are great people to deal with and I'm confident if you were to experience any problems they will take care of you. Price/Performance: For the money, as of the date this review was posted the ProG3 looks to be one of the better values in G3/450 ZIF upgrades. At $275 (current price at TransIntl.com), I consider it a good value overall. To see how other Beige G3 or B&W owners rated the Formac ProG3 - search the Rate Your CPU Upgrade database. One note to owners of rev 1/rev A Beige G3s (ATI RageII chip on the motherboard) - there have been reports of problems with Copper OEM G3/450 CPUs in these systems (noted at the main site news and in the Rate Your CPU Upgrade database over the last 6 months). My Beige G3 is a rev 2 and I saw no problems with this retail copper G3, nor do I remember seeing any reports of problems with the ProG3 from other Beige G3 owners. My only real complaint with this upgrade was the printed docs in the box. The updated PDF file at their web site is much better however and sufficient for installation. Considering the fact the ProG3 is one of the lowest cost G3/450 ZIFs currently available ($275) and a retail box/adjustable model, I rated this upgrade a very good value based on my experience. So far reader feedback on the ProG3/450 has also been good. ProG3 450 ZIF Upgrade Overall Rating How Did Other Owners Rate the ProG3? As of 7/4/2000, there were 11 Formac entries from Beige G3 owners and 4 reports from B&W G3 owners in the Rate Your CPU Upgrade Database here. Some noted running speeds of 500/250 reliably, but remember your results may vary and overclocking is risky. One entry noted installing 5 of these upgrades in Beige G3s with no problems and many owners rated this upgrade a 9 or 10.
Availability/Pricing: As of July 5th, 2000, the ProG3 450 ZIF sells for $275 from TransIntl.com. At the time of this review that price was the lowest cost G3/450 (466 in beige G3) upgrade I'm aware of. The ProG3 ZIF upgrade comes with a 1 year limited warranty from Formac (see the PDF manual file for complete terms and conditions).
I hope this review has provided you with sufficient information of all aspects of the product, but if you have any further questions or comments you may contact me by email at: news@xlr8yourmac.com. For reviews of other CPU cards at this site, see my CPU Cards page. The home page (www.xlr8yourmac.com) has links to reviews of Systems, SCSI, IDE, 0Firewire, Video cards (incl. 3Dfx), Game related articles and some of the most useful daily news on the net (updated 7 days a week). Thanks for stopping by!

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.