(mail dated Jan. 6th)
" Mike, Just wanted to pass along some benchmarks that I completed of my new Giga Designs Dual 1.33GHz (in a Digital Audio). It's an Excel file and uses nearly all of the same benchmarks that you use on the site. One column lists the Apple 933MHz Single that I had in there, the middle is the Giga module, and the right column lists the percentage of performance increase or decrease (negative numbers).
Two notes:
- First this is a rough pass that I will be basing a write up on so there may be calculation and spelling errors at this time.
(Original spreadsheet performance percentage calculations have been corrected.)
- Second, as with all benchmark sets, this is more of a "before and after" comparison rather than a my machine to others. For instance, I ended up using Photoshop CS for the PS7Bench action set and the times reported are not inline with what should have been seen on this processor if I was using Photoshop 7.
http://time.koetterkim.com/xlr8/egpoulin_giga_dual_benches.xls
Feel free to make comments or mail me with questions.
Thanks!
~~~Eric Poulin~~~ "

" ...The RADEON 9800 PRO Mac Special Edition has a leading edge 256 MB of ultra fast DDR memory, with 680 MHZ data rate and a core engine speed of 380 MHZ. To facilitate a trouble free upgrade, this new graphics card is supported by drivers included within Macintosh OS X and enables a direct connection with Apple branded displays through dual output ADC and DVI connectors.

ÏNow Macintosh game enthusiasts and digital content professionals whoÌve been clamoring for a RADEON 9800 based upgrade card that offers direct ADC support and 256 MB of memory will be satisfied,Ó said Stan Ossias, Product Marketing Manager, Apple Products, ATI Technologies. ÏATIÌs new 256MB RADEON 9800 PRO Mac Special Edition delivers the stunningly fast, high end graphics that fully maximize the powerful capabilities of the Power Mac G5.Ó

ATI is previewing this new technology at Booth 1017 at MacWorld San Francisco from January 6-9, 2004. The RADEON 9800 PRO Mac Special Edition will be available from ATI and its retail partners beginning at the end of January for a MSRP of $469."

As mentioned previously, the "Special Edition" 9800 Pro requires a G5 (8X AGP pro slot). (Current BTO/OEM Mac 9800 Pros are 128MB, with the OEM card being 8x AGP/G5 only with ADC+DVI and the 4x AGP Retail 9800 Pro (128MB) having DVI+VGA and requiring an power supply connection - see this comparison page for my previous tests/comparisons of those two models.)

• Final Cut Express 2.0: "3 Way Color Corrector" Feature Not Included
• Final Cut Express 2.0: Minimum Allowable Free Space on Scratch Disks Value
• Final Cut Express 2.0: Tip - Always Install on Startup Disk
• Soundtrack 1.2: Video File Display Disappears
• Soundtrack: Stops Responding If You Change the Sample Rate of a Large File to 96 kHz
• iPod mini: Frequently Asked Questions
• Xserve RAID Admin Tools 1.2 (DE, EN, FR, JA)

"Keyspan introduces revolutionary USB Server for PCs and Macs
Las Vegas, NV--January 8, 2004-- (CES/ShowStoppers) Keyspan, America’s #1 brand of USB connectivity products*, announces its revolutionary USB Server that connects USB devices to a Mac or PC via a wired or wireless Ethernet-based LAN. The USB Server will ship in late Q1 2004 with an MSRP of $129.
Much like a USB print server, the USB Server enables attached USB devices to be used and shared by client PCs on a LAN. In addition to printers, the USB Server supports other USB devices such as hard drives, scanners, and more. The USB Device Server provides 4 ports for connecting to USB devices at Full Speed USB (1.1.) (12 Mbps). It connects to 10/100 Ethernet networks via an RJ45 connector and supports static IP, DHCP, and Apple's Rendezvous address assignment. Client PCs must be running Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Mac OS X 10.2.8 or higher."

(Apple's Airport Extreme base includes one USB port for sharing devices over the network. )

• Giga Designs G4/1.25GHz in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Other World Computing G4/1.25GHz in G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Sonnet G4/1.2GHz in G4 Cube (rated 10)
• Sonnet G3/450 in 7300/200 (rated 8)
  (My reviews of G4 and G3 upgrades w/apps/game tests, install info, etc. are linked here. OC/CPU module articles are on the Systems page.)

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

CDRW Drives
• IDE Liteon LTR-52327S (52x32x52x) in Beige G3 (OS 9.2)
  (incomplete report - no comments on booting from CD, burn support, etc.)
• USB Que 24x10x40x (didn't note actual mechanism brand/model) used w/Powerbook G4 (OS X 10.3) (report notes problems w/Macally USB 2.0 PCcard after 10.3.2 update - was ok in 10.2.8)
  
  DVD+R/RW + DVD-R/RW Drives:
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in iMac G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (noted ASP reporting no burn support - normally supported in 10.2.8 and later) (iMac G4 take-apart here)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in (Yikes model) G4 no AGP (OS X)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in G4/AGP (OS X 10.3)
  (Illustrated CD drive install guide here covers G4 towers up to the Digital Audio Model, Beige G3 MT and B&W G3 Macs)
  
  Hard Drive:
• IDE Hitachi 160GB in iMac G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (iMac G4 take-apart here)
• IDE Hitachi Tavelstar 7K60 60GB in Powerbook G4 (OS X 10.3)
  (Review of this drive in a FW case is here.
  PowerBook G4 Ti 15in. LCD illustrated Hard Drive install guide here
  Alum. PB G4 15in take-apart guide here.
  Powerbook G4 12in LCD illustrated Hard Drive install guide here)
• IDE Maxtor Diamondmax16 80GB in iMac slot-loading (OS X 10.3)
• IDE Seagate ST380013A 80GB in iMac slot-loading (OS X 10.3)

You can find full owner reports (latest shown first) by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches). For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. (If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.)
(Incomplete entries are deleted. Do not post questions in the database, it's for drive reports not questions on what drive to buy - for that try searching the database for reports from owners of your mac model on the drive type/brand/interface, etc. you're interested in.)