PowerForce G4 Series 133 Upgrade Includes:
- CPU module w/attached heatsink
- Fan w/2 screws (attaches to heatsink)
(Panaflo FBA08T12H, 80mm x 15mm)
Note: The QT movie/slideshow pictures show a Quicksilver G4 heatsink fan. My Digital Audio G4 has the plastic heatsink cover/fan mounting,
and therefore its not possible to remount the original cpu heatsink fan. (It's not needed anyway, verified by Powerlogix.)
Installation: A basic outline of the steps involved
for a Digital Audio G4 is:
- Shut down Mac, discharge your static electricity (touch metal
part of case), then unplug the AC power cord.
- Remove the 2 screws that secure the original CPU fan's
plastic housing/cover from the back of the case.
- Lift the plastic tabs on the heatsink cover/fan
assembly to allow removing it from the heatsink. (Dual G4/533 and Single G4/733 Digital Audio model had this heatsink cover/fan assembly - not the G4/466 model, nor the Quicksilvers.)
- Remove the 2 heatsink retaining clips, then the heatsink.
- Remove the 3 philips screws retaining the original CPU module and lift it off the motherboard connector.
- Remove the protective cover from the Powerlogix module's connector on the bottom of the board.
- Visually align the Powerlogix CPU module over the 3 mounting
screw holes and press down to seat the connector.
- Install the 3 screws to secure the module to the motherboard.
- Attach the Fan to the heatsink using the 2 screws provided (label side down for this Panaflo fan, but they may change fan brands in the future). Fan must be blowing DOWN on the heatsink for cooling
- Connect the wiring to a spare hard drive power connector. (Fan wiring and green wire from CPU module.)
The start to finish installation took about 10-15 minutes (not rushing). Here's a photo of the installed CPU upgrade:
PowerForce Series 133 Installed
The photo below shows the connections Fan and CPU module Power
(the supplied wiring connects to a spare hard drive power connector).
PowerForce Series 133 Fan/CPU Module Wiring
Noise and Temperature Tests:
Although I don't have access to calibrated lab instruments or a thermocouple, I did try to perform simple tests of heatsink temperatures and noise levels. (These are crude tests and I almost hesitated posting them because of that.)
Since the (borrowed) Radio Shack Digital Audio Meter's lowest reading possible was 50dB, with the meter in front of the Digital Audio system, noise levels were under the limits of the meter and therefore could not be measured. Until I can obtain a meter with wider range, all I can say is the Digital Audio system (before and after the upgrade) was noticeably
quieter than the MDD system. This won't come as any surprise to anyone that has owned a MDD system of course. It's not just the volume of noise, I think it's the frequency of the MDD's fans that (in comparison) have an almost
irrating effect on many people. The movie at
www.G4noise.com/fans/drswitch.mov is a perfect example of what I mean. (For more info on the MDD noise issue, see this previous article on fan replacements/links to movies/tests on
its noise, etc.)
I will say that the Digital Audio with the PL Dual 1GHz upgrade
was no louder (and maybe a bit quieter) than the stock system,
probably because the stock rear CPU fan was removed. Rearward
noise generation was less with the stock CPU fan removed (a lot less per the meter - more than 3dB less, which means volume was reduced in half in that area). From the front (working position), the difference was less noticeable however, but at least it wasn't louder than before.
Heatsink Temperatures:
I used a low-cost (cheap) IR Thermometer to check the heatsink temperatures
after the long Photoshop filter tests (63 filters run).
- Original Dual G4/533: 34C
- PL Dual 1GHz: 37C
- MDD Dual 1GHz: 40C
Of course the CPU's internal junction temperature would be higher
than the heatsink temperature and the above is just a FYI. As noted in
Motorola's own spec docs, the G4 does not provide accurate CPU temperatures (using software utilities), so I didn't bother using them. (they note a large variation/inaccuracy, and an engineer has also noted in the past that there can be wide variations from chip to chip, even on the same CPU module when both CPUs are being exercised - as much as 19C variation.)
System Compatibility:
The PowerForce G4 1GHz Series 133 is compatible with the following Mac models:
- Apple G4/AGP "Digital Audio"
- Apple G4/AGP "Quicksilver"
- Apple G4/AGP "Quicksilver 2002"
Powerlogix also has a Series 100 for the 100MHz bus Cube, G4/AGP Sawtooth and Gigabit Ethernet Tower models.
OS Requirements:
- OS 9.2.1 or OS 9.2.2
- OS X 10.1 or later
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