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::Thursday, August 28, 2008::
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:: 74 ::
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::38.103.63.61::
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 RiscX NAVIGATION |
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 Share and view other Mac Mods - visit MacMod.com |
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| • AppleFritter.com • MacMod.com |
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Product Review: Other World Computing Mercury Extreme G4/1.467GHz processor upgrade card  (OWC Mercury Extreme G4 upgrade card has a unique looking gold-colored aluminum finned heatsink ) |
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Computer upgrade card screams new life into aging Macs
For work or play, OWC Mercury Extreme Mac G4 upgrade card gives near Mac G5 performance on a pauper’s wages
With new crops of software and their steep system requirements, especially computer games, I was looking for ways to give my aging, sluggish Mac computer some serious performance muscle.
Recent computer games alone are requiring significantly more CPU horsepower than ever before. For instance, "Command and Conquer: Generals' and "Unreal Tournament 2004' have minimum system requirements for a G4 processor running at 700MHz to 1GHz, much too much for my old 466MHz Mac.
I looked at Apple's new batch of Mac G5 systems, which are rated as wicked fast but had a case of serious sticker shock when I looked at their price tags of $2,000 to $3000.
Enter Other World Computing, "OWC," to save the day and breath new life into my aging Mac G4 without draining the kid's college fund. Other World Computing has been on the Mac upgrade scene since 1988. They have a new crop of Mac G4 processor upgrade cards named "Mercury Extreme' that can help older G4 Macs give entry level Mac G5s a run for their money.
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They have about a half-dozen upgrade cards ranging in speeds from 933MHz to 1.5GHz.
To get the most bang for my buck I opted to try their Mercury Extreme G4 upgrade card rated at 1.467GHz. The card cost around $480 dollars, roughly a little less than a quarter of what a new low-to middle-range G5 costs.
OWC likes to slash prices often, so check their Web site, www.macsales.com , for the latest pricing.
THE COMPUTER PATIENT
I have an "aging" 3- year-old G4 PowerMac graphite tower that runs at a paltry 466MHz. With the recent batch of new applications, newer operating systems and games, which all have steeper CPU requirements, I was looking at ways to give new life to my sluggish, aging Mac computer without forking over thousands of dollars for a brand new system and having to move all my old files and applications to a new computer.
I ordered the Mercury Extreme card with much anticipation and received it within a few days.
INSTALLATION
Installation of the Mercury Extreme card is a painless experience. No special software or drivers are needed. In fact, all your really need is a Phillips screwdriver and you're set to go.
If you have ever installed any computer components before, you should be comfortable installing this processor upgrade card. Even if this is your first computer upgrade, the simple steps and instructions provided are easy as pie.
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Then you will the use the Philips screwdriver to unhinge the heatsink on the existing processor card and carefully remove three screws, which fasten the card to the motherboard and CPU socket. The Mercury Extreme card includes it's own self-contained heatsink so you can put the old heatsink and processor card aside in your tech junk drawer.
Once the old processor card is off, you are ready to install the OWC Mercury Extreme processor upgrade card. You will need to remove the protective plastic socket cover from beneath the card and then carefully place the Mercury card on the motherboard CPU socket by lining up three screw holes and firmly pressing the card into the CPU socket. Once you are sure the card is firmly seated to the motherboard CPU socket, fasten the three screws, set the Mercury Extreme card jumpers to your desired gigahertz speed, close the case and plug the computer power cable back in.
PERFORMANCE/RESULTS
After I hit the power switch, I immediately noticed dramatic speed increases. My system booted up noticeably faster and finder windows and dock were silky smooth with no slow-downs or pauses, which I experienced before the upgrade.
Launching applications were almost twice as fast compared on average.
To get an overall feel of I used benchmarking software, Xbench 1.1.3, www.xbench.com, to compare the relative speeds of my old 466MHz processor, a new Mac G5 at 1.6GHz and the Mercury Extreme G4 processor upgrade card.
(Higher scores are faster/better)
• Mac G4 at 466MHz: scored 67.93
• Mac G5 at 1.6GHz: scored 140.12
• Mercury Extreme at 1.467GHz: scored 158.71 (faster than a G5?)
According to Xbench the Mercury Extreme performed more than twice as fast as my old stock 466MHz processor and 13 percent faster than a new 1.6GHz G5!
OK that sounds good and all but really, how fast is it? In real world user tests here is one good example of how much faster the Mercury Extreme G4 upgrade really is: I ripped a CD on my ‘ol 466MHz which took 11 minutes and 26 seconds. The Mercury Extreme upgrade squashed the same CD ripping time down to 4 minutes and 41 seconds, almost three-times as fast! Not only time to fasten your seatbelt but put on goggles and that racing helmet with the cool orange flame designs.
Every facet of my computing experience has been significantly accelerated. Even simple tasks such as loading web pages and deleting files are near a zero wait state now, sweet.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Being completely upfront the first Mercury Extreme card I received did not operate without a glitch unfortunately. When I clocked the card up to 1.467GHz my Mac would operate fast and fine with several basic applications like a web browser and e-mail client running. However, when I launched CPU intensive games such as “Medal of Honor” or “Unreal Tournament 2003” the system would lock-up after 4 to 5 minutes of play. When I clocked the Mercury Extreme down to 1.33GHz the system ran flawlessly no matter how much I strained the CPU.
Since OWC guarantees the Mercury Extreme processor upgrade to work at the top rated clock speed of 1.467GHz I contacted their technical support via e-mail with the problem and received a response within an hour by OWC tech guy Jamie, very nice. After trying two different configurations all with the same results I was informed to return the card because of a possible defect preventing the processor upgrade operating at the guaranteed rated speeds. I mailed the Mercury Extreme upgrade back to OWC and received a new one within 3-days, again very nice turn around time.
I installed the replacement Mercury Extreme card, which was tested and burned-in at OWC labs, and launched several CPU intensive games. Five minutes passed and no problems. Ten minutes passed and no kernel panics or any glitches. Before I knew it I had played over two-hours without any kernel panics or any noticeable abnormalities.
I then tried to force the OWC Mercury Extreme upgrade to its knees by launching dozens of applications. After running close to 40 applications for an hour I gave up trying to “break” the Mercury Extreme upgrade and reverted to simply enjoying my new found CPU speed gains and processing power.
I was thrilled with not only getting what I ordered but also receiving top-notch customer support. Typically the majority of other companies tech support leaves much to be desired, usually blaming your computer configuration or software and not their product as the root of the problem. Not the case with OWC, they stand behind their products and work with the customer to achieve 100 percent satisfaction.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If you are looking to gain significant performance speeds close to those of a G5 without breaking your bank and the hassle of moving all you data to a new machine then the Mercury Extreme G4 upgrade is a Mac G4 lifesaver. I can now run all the latest applications at near G5 speeds as well as the latest processor demanding games to boot.
OWC provides affordable upgrade solutions while backing up their product guarantees for complete customer satisfaction. I am totally thrilled with the Mercury Extreme G4 processor upgrade and would recommend it to anyone in a Nano-second.
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THE LAST WORD
I would like to thank Other World Computing for providing me with Mercury Extreme G4 processor upgrade and first class tech support. You can visit Other World Computing, OWC, online at: http://eshop.macsales.com.
Comments/Questions? E-mail Riscx
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