Sonnet processors- Encore/MDX Duet processor upgrade card

Just wondering how Sonnet processors (specifically the Sonnet Encore/MDX Duet processor upgrade card for the G4 MDD macs) function with Logic Pro.
If anyone is using these particular cards in conjunciton with Logic Pro 7 on the lastest mac OS X, I'd really like to know how they perform? (these are specifically upgrade cards for the G4 MDD edition macs).
I'm looking to upgrade my 867 MgHz dual-pro. G4 MDD with one of these Sonnet cards.
Any feed back would be appreciated.
Thanks people.

thanks for your input,
I've checked out that site. It's where i originally read about the Sonnet line of upgrade cards .
Great site for tweaking and learning some good **** about your mac systems.
cheers.

Similar Messages

New Sonnet Encore /MDX G4 processor upgrade?

I looking at New Sonnet Encore /MDX G4 processor upgrade.
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/encoremdxduet.html
Do you think that would make my Power Mac G4 MDD (if I got Dual PowerPC G4 7447A CPUs running at 1.8 GHz) about as fast as my iMac G5 1.8 or my MacBook 1.83 ?

My Dual 1.25 is just as fast as the iMac G5 1.8 it replaced.
Your MacBook beats all of these machines, it is a Dual-Core processor, and it's a newer chip that beats any PPC except the Dual G5's.

Cheaper PowerPC upgrade cards ?

As a new PowerPC Mac is now a thing of the past, I wonder if upgrade processors won't become really cheap now. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but do any of you think that this could happen in the near future ?
G4/800 QS - G3/400 Pismo PB Mac OS X (10.3.9)

You might see a price drop on the secondhand market, as more users switch over to Intel-based Macs. At the retail level, it's doubtful you'll see any changes for a while. As an example, Sonnet still carries a 68030 upgrade card for the old (circa 1990-1992) LC's PDS slot. Those LCs are probably worth a few dollars now, yet Sonnet's list price for that upgrade card is still $99 w/o FPU and $129 w/FPU. No matter what degree of sentimental attachment one could have for an old LC, who could consider sinking that much $$ into it, only to get a slightly faster "slow Mac" for the investment. The upgrade card manufacturers know that their customers are trying to get more mileage out of their Macs, either because they can't afford a new computer or have a sentimental attachment to their old one. In either case, their pricing doesn't seem to reflect the notion that a particular series processor - like a G3 - is becoming somewhat dated hardware and should be marked down to move their inventory.

Should I upgrade the RAM, the Processor, and add an ATA/133 card?!

Hello!
I have a few more questions...
I only have 2 internal drives...
(one 300GB which is the main one that runs the applications and one 60Gb used as extra storage mainly for my video projects)
Do I need an ATA/133 PCI controller card for them?
will it really be worth it?
(meaning will it actually make a difference in speed or not?)
or do you only need one of those cards if you have 3 or 4 drives?
also,
would adding more RAM (up to the 2.0 GB limit)
(my comp is currently at 1.25 GB)
make a huge difference?
and the processor...
if i upgrade it to the 1.8 GHz
(it's currently at 867 MHz)
will it be a major improvement?
i guess I'm asking if i would benefit in upgrading
everything:
the RAM,
the processor,
and adding an ATA/133 PCI controller card
or would just upgrading/adding one or two of these be suffice?
I'm seriously looking into upgrading my comp but I want to know
what benefits me and what won't really make a difference
-Cristina-
p.s.
I know I posted this somewhere earlier,
but I'm just so anxious :/
I've been looking at so much information that my head feels like it's going to explode!

Hi-
You don't need a controller card.
If you keep your main drive(s) on the ATA/100 bus (rear carrier), and add (if you like) up to two drives to the ATA/66 (forward carrier) bus, for storage, archives, etc., you will have fine performance from all drives.
If you are going to add a drive, I would add a larger drive to the ATA/100 bus, and move the smaller (60gb) to the ATA/66 position, relegated to storage. Your graphics work (is it?) will then run well on the two drives on the ATA/100 bus.
In a G4, running with maximum RAM (2gb) is always a good performance move, and helps reduce the "spinning beachball", especially with large graphics files. As for "huge difference", not as such, but, RAM is one of the cheapest (especially now) performance buys that can be had, and more RAM is always better than less.
Upgrading to dual 1.8ghz processors would be a "Wow!" type of upgrade, compared to the current dual 867mhz processors. Be advised, that processor upgrades require that you be able to boot to OS 9 prior to installing the processor upgrade. This is to apply necessary "patches" to allow the system to use the new processors. If you don't still have a boot-able OS 9 installed on your machine, you will need to have that ability prior to a processor upgrade.
Another processor upgrade option, would be to change your processors to dual 1.25 or 1.42mhz processors from another MDD. The difference from a 11.25 dual processor, and the dual 1.8, is really between 10-15% increase in performance, with the 1.25mhz providing about 20-25% increase over the dual 867mhz processors. The main problem with this approach, is that there are some modifications that must be made, which aren't the average "do it yourself" type of work.
In the end, though, you may want to take the upgrade money, $600+, sell the MDD, $300+, and put the money on a new Mac. Don't get me wrong, I like upgrades, but it is as much to tinker, as it is to boost performance. And, at the end of the day, I don't need a new Mac. If you don't, either, you will be happy with the upgrades.

Dual 867 encore MDX G4 Duet Updgrade. Should I !!!!!!

i have a G4 Dual 867.if i upgrade the processor to sonnettechs new encore MDX G4 Duet dual 1.25, will that allow me to edit HDV material with final cut pro? In addition, if i upgrade to the fasted VGA card for PCI (motion rec) and install the dual 1.25 sonnettech processor, will I be able to edit HDV footage? Or is all of this a waste of time and I should just save for a G5 mac Pro ? if anyone out there has made this processor upgrade can you post the pros and cons ?

Hello! The short answer is that if you're seriously into video get a Mac Pro. The faster SATA drives, faster memory, faster system bus; in short the everything is faster in the Mac Pro. As I recall the specs you can put 16gb of ram into that powerhouse and coupled with duo core processing.....oh I can only wish! HEAVENTom

Sonnet Crescendo 7200 G3 upgrade card in a desktop G3 233?

I have an old G3 233 desktop model... Sonnet has a PCI G3 upgrade card (Crescendo 7200) that's supposedly only compatible with Power Mac 7200, 7215, 8200, and Workgroup Server 7250. Since the upgrade card is PCI based could I put it in my old G3 and it work? If so it would bump the speed from 233 to 500.
Any knowledge of this would be greatly appreciated.

If you haven't bought one, I wouldn't waste the time or money to try it. Sonnet had (3) different types of G3/G4 processor upgrade cards for Power Macs/Performas, that coexisted with the onboard processor. One was designed for the PDS slot and another for the L2 Cache slot. As you know, the PCI slot version was only intended for use in the 7200, 7215, WGS 7250, & 8200 models, because they didn't have a processor slot on the motherboard. Because of the difference in motherboard architecture and ROM programming, there would likely be a compatibility problem with attempting to use it in a beige G3/233, either with the original ZIF processor installed or removed from the socket. If someone gave you one to experiment with, you could always try it and hope that no damage was done. Most likely, the computer would either fail the Power-On Self-Test or freeze. Additionally, why waste a PCI slot for a processor upgrade, when you could install the correct type in the ZIF socket? Because they've been discontinued (due to a lack of demand), I'd check eBay for a used/pulled G4 ZIF processor, either by Sonnet or Newer Tech.

Can you upgrade PowerPC processor to an Intel Processor in iBook G4?

I was wondering whether you could upgrade the processor in an iBook G4 to an Intel processor as I need an Intel processor to sync my iPhone 4 to iTunes and update adobe flash player and I dont want to upgrade to a more newer MacBook as I do not have the money at the moment and if you could update the processor to an Intel processor where could I get it done?
I have an iBook G4
Running Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger)
12 inch
With a PowerPC processor

No such upgrades are possible.
On portable machines, generally the processor (which is the part that makes it PPC or Intel) is part of the logic board and these boards are very expensive. Even if they were available, the cost would be too high to justify and the rest of the hardware would be too old to keep up with the new board - so you'd be looking at a lot more money to get this machine up to spec (if it were an option).
Time to consider buying a new machine

Can I upgrade my OSX10.5.8 G5 processor to an intel processor?

Can I upgrade my OSX 10.5.8 G5 processor to a intel processor? I need to run turbo tax?

No. The two processors are so different that the motherboards aren't even the least bit similar.
Try TaxACTOnline.
Allan

Image Processor Pro and Picture Processor load eps files without rasterizing them

Hi. My name is Lucas. Im from Argentina, now living in Brazil. I have the problem that is in the title. Im new doing this stuff but reading a lot i discovered that both scripts open eps files and because they dont get reasterized, then saved files looks preety bad.
I know that there are some parameters to open eps, ex:
var epsOpenOptions = new EPSOpenOptions();
   epsOpenOptions.antiAlias = true;
   epsOpenOptions.mode = OpenDocumentMode.RGB;
   epsOpenOptions.resolution = 72;
   epsOpenOptions.constrainProportions = true;
I have to say that looking for a solution a found a script and modified to suit partially my needs. I said partially because i need the script to look folders and save output files with same structure. Here is the script that manage one folder at a time:
#target photoshop
// Asks user for input folder
var inputFolder = Folder.selectDialog("Select a folder to process");
// Asks user for output folder
var OutputFolder = Folder.selectDialog("Select a folder to save your Tiffs");
if ( inputFolder != null && OutputFolder != null ) {
   // Makes list of all files located in that folder
   var fileList = inputFolder.getFiles( "*.eps" );
   // Create a EPS option object [height & width are doc size]
   var epsOpenOptions = new EPSOpenOptions();
   epsOpenOptions.antiAlias = true;
   epsOpenOptions.mode = OpenDocumentMode.RGB;
   epsOpenOptions.resolution = 72;
   epsOpenOptions.constrainProportions = true;
   // Open each file in turn
   for (var i = 0; i < fileList.length; i++) {
      // open the file
      app.open( fileList[i], epsOpenOptions );
      var baseName = activeDocument.name.slice( 0,-4 );
      // put your code to 'save as' the file here
      var saveFile = new File ( OutputFolder + "/" + baseName + ".jpg" );
   SaveForWeb(saveFile,60); // set quality to suit
function SaveForWeb(saveFile,jpegQuality) {
var sfwOptions = new ExportOptionsSaveForWeb();
sfwOptions.format = SaveDocumentType.JPEG;
sfwOptions.includeProfile = false;
sfwOptions.interlaced = 0;
sfwOptions.optimized = true;
sfwOptions.quality = jpegQuality;
activeDocument.exportDocument(saveFile, ExportType.SAVEFORWEB, sfwOptions);
activeDocument.close( SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES );
So, if you know some way modify image processor pro or picture processor i will be very pleased.
Because i will only use the script to manage eps files and save them as jpg (save for web) i dont need an special button to activate that option. Keep it simple. Thanx!!

You can tweak ImageProcessorPro.jsx by make the following edit.
Search for code that looks like this:
ImageProcessor.prototype.openDocument = function(file) {
var self = this;
var settings = self.settings;
var mode = DialogModes.NO;
var ext = file.strf("%e").toLowerCase();
var isRaw = ImageProcessor.CAMERA_RAW_FILES.contains(ext);
if (isRaw) {
and insert this code right after it:
if (ext == "eps") {
    var epsOpenOptions = new EPSOpenOptions();
    epsOpenOptions.antiAlias = true;
    epsOpenOptions.mode = OpenDocumentMode.RGB;
    epsOpenOptions.resolution = 72;
    epsOpenOptions.constrainProportions = true;
    try {
      var doc = app.open(file, epsOpenOptions);
    } catch (e) {
      Error.runtimeError(9002, ZStrings.UnableToOpenErr);
    return doc;
I haven't tested this at all but it looks good from here.

Upgrade card for Core Duo iMac to benefit from Airport Extreme

I just bought Airport Extreme for "n" speeds. I didn't realize it required Core 2 Duo for the fastest speeds. Does anyone know of an upgrade card I could install to my Core Duo iMac? Thanks.
iMac Core Duo, iMac Core 2 Duo, MacBook Core 2 Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)

There is an article floating around the web of
removing the 2 antennae extreme card from a Mac Pro
and installing it in a MacBook to get 802.11n
connectability, but the connection isn't reported to
be any better or faster.
Also, everything on the network must be 802.11n to
get the n speeds. A mixed network is slower.
I just took the Airport Extreme 802.11n module out of my Mac Pro and installed in my CoreDuo MacBook Pro. After applying the enabler patch off the CD, my network connection speeds report as 270mb connecting to a wide-band N-only Airport Extreme Base Station.
Performance boost on initial file transfer speeds are significant. A 203mb test file took 6+ minutes on my G-only network. The same file, on the N-only network took 49 seconds.
I would call that both better and faster.
Of course for those looking to use it on the mixed B/G/N networks to surf the web aren't going to notice any difference. I think a lot of people forget that regardless of their wireless network speed, even on the fastest of home broadband connections they're not going to be getting more than 8mbs coming into the WAN side of the network if they're on fiber cable. A DSL connection might get 2mbs. The internet itself for most will be a significant bottleneck for most users.
If you're doing a lot of transfers of large files on your internal LAN, the performance is worth the $49 part.
What's really bizarre is that Apple chose to put 100mbs wired ethernet ports on the Airport Extreme Base Station, which means when I hook a USB drive to it, I should actually get faster transfers wirelessly than wired. How bizarre is that?

Determine processor ids for virtual processors on the same phys. processor

Hi!
Is there an API to determine the processor ids of all virtual processors that belong to a physical processor (for example the cpu ids for all cores that are on one socket in a multi-core architecture)?
I'm looking for a solution especially for UltraSPARC and SPARC64 CPUs.
There is the command "psrinfo" which, when called with the arguments "-p -v" procuces an output like:
The UltraSPARC-IV+ physical processor has 2 virtual processors (0, 16)
The UltraSPARC-IV+ physical processor has 2 virtual processors (1, 17)
The UltraSPARC-IV+ physical processor has 2 virtual processors (2, 18)
The UltraSPARC-IV+ physical processor has 2 virtual processors (3, 19)
On this systems, processor ids 0 and 16 belong to the same socket, as well as 1 and 17 and so on. On larger systems (e.g. a SunFire6900), processor ids 0 and 512 are the ids of the two cores on the same socket, 1 and 513 and so on.
Is there any API that allows to determine this information, which virtual processor ids are ids for processors on the same physical processors?
Thanks,
Nick.

On recent versions of the OS, that information is exposed through 'kstat'. Look at the 'cpu_info' stuff. Each VP should have a 'core_id' as well. If two CPUs have the same core_id, then they're multi-threading cores exposed as multiple processors.
Then I think (but not as sure) that 'chip_id' is similar, but refers to packaging assembly and is similar to the information you're seeing on psrinfo.
Darren

Problem with Sonnet Encore/MDX G4 Duet CPU install

Hi all vintage MAC'ers
I have had my G4 MDD since new. years ago I bought the Sonnet 1.8 upgrade but never put it in because my MDD died and I am just now got around to fixing and upgrading everything. It is up an running on 10.5.8 with 2 HDD (500) & (300) and 2MB ram. Following the instructions, I am trying to update the firmware before installing the CPU. when I click on the firmware update icon, after 10 seconds it gives me a FATAL ERROR-cannot connect to ROM notice. I have ROM version of 4.4.8f2 which the manual indicates is OK and I am in the programer mode.
Thanks all for any help, I have 4 Macs including a new iMac but I miss my OS9 apps

Thanks for the info Allen. I already have reformatted the 2nd drive to a 175 GB Partition, on Format OS Ext (journaled). the partition shows OS9 drivers installed. I have all the original disks including an OS9 (White background with gold 9, Sherlock 2). However I cannot boot from that disc to install? I have the MDD with dual 125 running now until I install the Sonnet. I got the Sonnet drivers installed finally. What am I missing? when I rebuilt the machine because it would not start, I replaced the Mother board from eBay. that ended not being my problem, but it was the Power Supply, so I assume my original MB is still good. I never changed it back out when the Power Supply solved my problem. The board is a different color then the original? can that be my problem?
Thanks for any advice, Gary

Sonnet MDX 1.8 Upgrade

Has anyone done this processor upgrade. I have a single 1.25 MDD 2003 and was wondering about this. I would get a dual 1.42 but can't find one to buy so if anyone can point me in the right direction. How much speed increase can I expect espically for video rendering??

Hi
I managed to get an original Apple processor card from the clearance/specials section of OWC's website, although they seem few and far between:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/bargains/
Unfortunately I expect most are available as the result of trade-ins as people upgrade their processors, but because there are so few cost effective third party processor upgrades available for the MDD and FW800 G4s (especially the dual 1.25GHz and 1.42GHz models), they rarely ever appear. Even if they do, they're likely to be a similar cost to a third party upgrade, despite being four or five years old and only coming with a limited warranty (I think mine was 90 days).
GigaDesigns are one of the few companies currently offering a dual 7455 based upgrade, similar to the Apple originals with the full 2MB level 3 cache (I expect yours may have 1MB):
http://www.gigadesigns.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=19

I have an early 2008 Macbook-- which components (hard drive/processor/ram?) could I upgrade myself?

And does anyone know models of especially hard drives or processors that would be compatible? Thanks!

You can upgrade both the RAM and the hard drive yourself. Both are very easy to do. These are good online stores for Mac compatible RAM. The model 4,1 (Early 2008) can use 6gb of 200 pin 667mhz PC2-5300 RAM
OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/MacBook/DDR2/ - They offer Mac tested RAM at very good prices.
Crucial Memory http://www.crucial.com/ - good place to buy RAM from all over the world. They also have an excellent memory selector that allows you to choose memory based on your computer's model
Data Memory Systems http://www.datamemorysystems.com/apple-memory.asp - another good, cheap place to buying RAM if you live in the U.S.
Here are instructions on replacing RAM in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://homeoffice.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=44404
If you don’t have the tools to open up the MacBook OWC has a set for $5
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TOOLKITMHD/
For a new hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC for regular hard drives and SSDs http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here are instructions on replacing the hard drive in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
To transfer your current hard drive I like the free application Carbon Copy Cloner. It makes a bootable copy of everything on your hard drive http://www.bombich.com/index.html You'll need a cheap SATA external hard drive case. Put the new drive in the case then format and partition the new drive and clone your old drive to the new one. Check that it's set up right by booting up from the external drive. Then replace your old hard drive with the new one and put your old one in the external case.
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure/dp/B002JQNXZC/r ef=pd_cp_pc_0

AMD Processor to a Intel Proceesor upgrade DV6225us laptop w/ a 443775-001 mobo

My client's HP Pavilion dv6225us I was working on for a GPU issue has a Amd 64 AthlonX2 Cpu in it & he want's to know if I can upgrade it to a Intel dual core processor.
It has a 443775-001 motherboard installed that came with a AMD processor & single NVidia GPU chip.
He's trying to load some GM testing software on it for testing GM vehicle's & it's rejectiing it & causing error messages cause of the AMD processor not being capatible with the software.
He doesn't want to go out & purchase a new laptop if this can be performed instead.
Contacted AMD & Intel support but still waiting word back from them.
Thank's!
Any input would be helpful!
Brent
HP Pavilion D2346C Seagate 500 gig 7200 rpm 4 gb FoxConn socket 775
Compaq Presario laptop CQ57 Windows 7 64 bit 4 gb's ram
Compaq Presario F700US Windows Vista 64 bit 2gb ram.
Being old is no fun at all!
Home based computer repair business PCTech Inc.

Hi, Brent:
The entire motherboard would have to be replaced in order to install an Intel processor.
More cost effective and easeir to purchase a used or new notebook with the Intel hardware the customer wants.
Paul

Sonnet processors- Encore/MDX Duet processor upgrade card

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