Can anyone help evaluate these CPU upgrades?

vtgearhead · 2025-03-13T15:11:59+0000

Over years of swap meets and hamfests I've accumulated a pile of slotted processor upgrades for G3 era Macs. Unfortunately I do not have any system that uses this form factor and I don't know what their operational status might be. Is there anyone on this forum that lives in the US and might be willing to plug them into a system and let me know if they work? The units are:

(2) Sonnet Crescendo G4 400/1M with the cool lavender handles
(1) Sonnet Crescendo G3 400/1M (I think this plugs into the cache slot on some motherboards?)
(1) meta@box joeCARD G4-400 1MB
(1) Newer Technology MAXpowr G3 DT351C2 w/ handle
(1) Power Computing 210/60
(1) Power Computing 180/60
(1) Apple Computer 920-0849-A 180

Or, alternately, make me a reasonable offer for some / all of them?

Since their status is unknown, I'd really rather not go the eBay route. It's amazing how some people will read auctions posted as "Not working, parts only" and get po'ed when the item doesn't work.

Nycturne · 2025-03-13T15:27:54+0000

Oh man, been a while since I’ve seen a joeCARD.

vtgearhead said:
Over years of swap meets and hamfests I've accumulated a pile of slotted processor upgrades for G3 era Macs.

It looks like most of these are for the OldWorld PPC Macs that came with CPUs on the daughterboard (pre-G3 era). Others look like CPUs that would have come with a system. So you’d probably need someone with access to a couple different systems to test them all, depending on just how interchangeable the Power Computing CPU cards are with Apple. I couldn’t even find anything on the Apple CPU card that would tell me what CPU is on it to guess which system it was from.

vtgearhead said:
(1) Sonnet Crescendo G3 400/1M (I think this plugs into the cache slot on some motherboards?)

Is this the one for NuBus PowerMacs, perhaps?

vtgearhead · 2025-03-13T16:20:39+0000

The Sonnet G3 was in my long-defunct Motorola Starmax system. From memory, that was not a NuBus machine. The others all have the same card-edge connector, so I think if one fits in a motherboard then they all will. I do know that the Power Computing cards were intended as direct replacements for the Apple module. My poor brain has leaked over the years, but I have a vague recollection of owning a system in the mid/late 90s that took them. Whatever it was is long gone.

Nycturne · 2025-03-13T17:59:42+0000

vtgearhead said:
The Sonnet G3 was in my long-defunct Motorola Starmax system. From memory, that was not a NuBus machine.

Probably this then?

Sonnet Technologies Crescendo G3/L2 400/512k (1M) Specs: EveryMac.com

everymac.com

vtgearhead said:
The others all have the same card-edge connector, so I think if one fits in a motherboard then they all will. I do know that the Power Computing cards were intended as direct replacements for the Apple module. My poor brain has leaked over the years, but I have a vague recollection of owning a system in the mid/late 90s that took them. Whatever it was is long gone.

To my knowledge Power Computing never made upgrade cards, just clones. The 210 and 180 would have been 603e/604e CPUs meant for their systems and probably removed and sold when the system was parted out or upgraded with a G3/G4 card. But yeah, none of these CPU cards are New World ROM, but Old World ROM boards. In principle, they should all (but the G3/L2) fit in something like the 7300/7600/8500/8600/9500/9600 for testing. The G3/L2 would need one of the machines listed in the link above.

Since Apple and the clones used the same reference designs (was it CHRP-derived? I don’t remember) the CPU daughter cards are interchangeable for the most part I believe.

vtgearhead · 2025-03-13T19:48:36+0000

Thanks very much for bringing clarity to the situation! The really weird part is that I have no recollection of ever owning an Old World PPC mac. At least I know what platforms are required to check them out in realtime.