Power Macintosh

Guide to G3 CPU Upgrades for G3 Power Macs

Updated 2003.05.11

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If you have a Power Mac G3, whether the original beige model or the blue & white one, moving to a faster CPU is as easy as removing the current one and inserting a new on in the zero insertion force (ZIF) socket.

Benchmark scores are MacBench 5 (note that these are roughly 7% lower than MacBench 4 scores). For comparison purposes, the beige Power Mac G3/300 has a CPU score of 1000, the new $1,600 blue & white G3/300 scores 926 (due to a smaller L2 cache), the G3/350 reaches 1145, and the top of the line G3/400 hits 1310.

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

The information is as accurate as I can find, but specifications and availability are subject to change; I suggest you check with the manufacturer to verify current models. Prices may be outdated. (Prices are in $US, and no price is listed for discontinued upgrades.) In fact, models are added and discontinued so often, it's impossible to keep track of which models are current.

NOTE: Not all upgrades are compatible with the Blue G3.

Discontinued accelerators are listed for historical reasons.


Manufacturer CPU
Speed
Cache
Size
Cache
Speed
MacBench
5.0 rating*
Estimated
Street Price

Estimated
Value**

metabox
joeCARD Z
adjustable bus
discontinued
500 MHz 1 MB 250 MHz
Newer Technology
MAXpowr G3
discontinued
500 MHz 1 MB 250 MHz
phase5
G3 Power Booster
discontinued
466 MHz 1 MB 233 MHz
450 MHz 1 MB 225 MHz
400 MHz 1 MB 200 MHz
PowerLogix
PowerForce ZIF
adjustable bus
updated 9/11/07
500 MHz 1 MB 250 MHz

1 GHz 1 MB 1 GHz $140

1.1 GHz 1 MB 1.1 GHz
Sonnet Technologies
Encore/ZIF
discontinued
500 MHz 1 MB 250 MHz
XLR8
MACh Speed G3z
adjustable bus
discontinued
500 MHz 1 MB 250 MHz
466 MHz 1 MB 233 MHz
450 MHz 1 MB 225 MHz
400 MHz 1 MB 200 MHz 1341

9.00

366 MHz 1 MB 183 MHz 1228
333 MHz 1 MB 167 MHz 1117

3.29

300 MHz 1 MB 200 MHz 1005

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

** Estimated value is MacBench rating divided by price. Higher numbers represent more bang for the buck.

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This page created May 19, 1999 and updated occasionally.

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