Guide to G3 Daughter Cards

Got a Power Mac or compatible? Join the Power Macs email list.

Effective 12/31/98, this page is no longer being updated. Please see the new Guide to G3 Daughter Cards that uses MacBench 5 ratings. On average, MacBench 5 processor scores are 5-10% lower than MacBench 4 scores, since they are benchmarked to a different baseline computer.

• Accelerate Your Mac has user reports on various G3 upgrades, and Macworld did a big comparison article in the July issue.

Note that computers upgraded with these cards may not support Mac OS X when it ships in 1999. (Apple has emphatically stated it will run on all Macs designed with a G3 processor, but has never promised any support for G3-upgraded models.)

Be sure to read That extra 10% to help you decide which upgrade provides the best value for you.

Manufacturer

CPU Speed

Cache Size

Cache Speed

MacBench 4.0 rating*

Estimated Street Price

Estimated Value**

MacTell G3 PowerJolt	400 MHz	512 KB	200 MHz		$999
	366 MHz	512 KB	183 MHz		$959
	333 MHz	512 KB	167 MHz		$899
	300 MHz	512 KB	150 MHz		$649
	275 MHz	512 KB	183 MHz		$499
	250 MHz	512 KB	125 MHz		$399
	233 MHz	512 KB	117 MHz		$389

Newer Technology MAXpowr G3	400 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz	1417	$1,649	0.86
	366 MHz	1 MB	183 MHz	1286	$1,349	0.95
	333 MHz	1 MB	166 MHz	1179	$1,049	1.12
	300 MHz	1 MB	150 MHz	1060	$749	1.42
	300 MHz	512 KB	150 MHz	975	$599	1.63
	266 MHz	512 KB	133 MHz	875	$499	1.75
	250 MHz	512 KB	125 MHz	800	$449	1.78

PowerLogix PowerForce G3 adjustable bus	400 MHz	1 MB	266 MHz		$1,599
	366 MHz	1 MB	244 MHz		$1,399
	333 MHz	1 MB	222 MHz		$1,099
	300 MHz	1 MB	300 MHz	1161
	300 MHz	1 MB	150 MHz
	275 MHz	1 MB	275 MHz	1074
	275 MHz	1 MB	183 MHz	1002		0.77
	266 MHz	1 MB	177 MHz
	250 MHz	1 MB	250 MHz	962		0.96
	250 MHz	1 MB	125 MHz	805
	233 MHz	512 KB	116 MHz
	220 MHz	512 KB	110 MHz	694	$399	1.74

Sonnet Technologies Crescendo G3	360 MHz	1 MB	240 MHz	1300	$1,999	0.65
	333 MHz	1 MB	166 MHz	1150	$1,299	0.89
	300 MHz	1 MB	150 MHz	1020	$800	1.28
	266 MHz	1 MB	133 MHz	927	$600	1.55
	233 MHz	512K	117 MHz	736	$400	1.84

TechWorks PowerCPU G3

300 MHz

1 MB

150 MHz

1105

$1,380

0.80

Vimage Vpower G3	300 MHz	1 MB	150 MHz	1045	$798	1.31
	300 MHz	512 KB	150 MHz		$598
	266 MHz	1 MB	133 MHz	939
	233 MHz	512 KB	117 MHz	757	$389	1.95

XLR8 MACh Speed G3 adjustable bus	400 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz	1399	$1,899	0.74
	366 MHz	1 MB	183 MHz		$1,499
	333 MHz	1 MB	166 MHz	1154	$1,299	0.89
	300 MHz	1 MB	200 MHz	1087	$1,249	0.87
	300 MHz	512MB	120 MHz		$899
	266 MHz	1 MB	133 MHz	972	$729	1.33
	233 MHz	512 KB	117 MHz	770	$629	1.22
	220 MHz	512 KB	110 MHz		$529

* Processor score from MacWeek or Macworld when possible, but many MacBench ratings are from manufacturers. End user results will vary based on a number of factors including bus speed and OS used.

** Estimated value is MacBench rating divided by price. Figure is based on estimated MacBench score for untested cards. Higher numbers represent more bang for the buck.

About LEM | Support | Usage | Privacy | Contacts

Entire Low End Mac website copyright ©1997-2008 by Cobweb Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Advice presented in good faith, but what works for one may not work for all. Please report errors to .
  LINKS: We allow and encourage links to any public page as long as the linked page does not appear within a frame that prevents bookmarking it.
  Access our RSS news feed at http://lowendmac.com/feed.xml.
  Email may be published at our discretion; email addresses will not be published without permission, and we will encrypt them in hopes of avoiding spammers. If you prefer your message not be published, mark it "not for publication." Letters may be edited for length, context, and to match house style.
  PRIVACY: We don't collect personal information unless you explicitly provide it. For more details, see our Terms of Use.
  Low End Mac is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, iBook, iMac, eMac, iPod, PowerBook, MacBook, Mac Pro, Apple TV, and AirPort are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks and are hereby acknowledged.

Have a question?
Ask an expert!

Navigation

Used Mac Dealers
Apple History
Best Used Macs
Video Cards
Email Lists
InfoMac's Low
End Mac Forum

Favorite Sites

MacSurfer
MacMinute
MacInTouch
MyAppleMenu
InfoMac
Macs Only!
The Mac Observer
Accelerate Your Mac
RetroMacCast
PB Central
MacWindows
The Vintage Mac
   Museum
DealMac
DealsOnTheWeb
Mac2Sell
ramseeker
Mac Driver Museum
JAG's House
System 6 Heaven
System 7 Today
the pickle's Low-End
   Mac FAQ
Abandonware
   Petition
Mac vs. PC Info

Affiliates

The Apple Store
Mac Connection
MacMall
TechRestore
MacResQ
ExperCom
Crucial Memory
batteries.com

Advertise

All of our advertising is handled by BackBeat Media. For price quotes and advertising information, please contact at BackBeat Media (646-546-5194). This number is for advertising only.

Problems viewing this page with Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6? It works fine in other browsers, including IE 7. We recommend Firefox for those using Windows, as it is standards based and more secure than IE 6 (and earlier). More LEM visitors use Firefox than any other browser.