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Q
& A:
Power
Mac G4 Q & A:
Internal Expansion (1/2)
How many PCI slots are provided
with the Power Macintosh G4 series?
The PCI-based models (Yikes! motherboard design) have four PCI slots, one of which is occupied by either a ATI Rage 128 or Rage 128 Pro video card, the AGP-based models announced on July 19, 2000 (Sawtooth motherboard design) have three free PCI slots and a 2X AGP slot, which is occupied by one of the same video cards.
The AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models announced on January 9, 2001 and discontinued on July 18, 2001 have four PCI slots and a 4X AGP slot, which is occupied by either an ATI Rage 128 Pro or a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX video card.
The original "Quicksilver" Power Macintosh G4 models, introduced on July 18, 2001 and discontinued on January 28, 2002, are based on the same AGP-based logicboard as the previous series, and as such, have four PCI slots and a 4X AGP slot, which shipped populated by either a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX, a NVIDIA GeForce2 MX TwinView, or a NVIDIA GeForce3 (DDR RAM) video card. The second "Quicksilver" Power Macintosh G4 models, introduced on January 28, 2002 and discontinued on August 13, 2002, also are based on a similar AGP-based logicboard with four PCI slots and a 4X AGP slot, and shipped with either a pre-installed ATI Radeon 7500 or NVIDIA GeForce4 MX video card.
The first series of systems with "Mirrored Drive Doors", codenamed "Wind Tunnel" (introduced on August 13, 2002 and discontinued on January 28, 2003), are based on the AGP-based logicboard from the Xserve, and as such, have four PCI slots and a 4X AGP slot, which shipped with either a pre-installed NVIDIA GeForce4 MX or ATI Radeon 9000 Pro video card. The second series of "Mirrored Drive Doors" models, introduced on Janary 28, 2003 and discontinued on June 23, 2003, are based on the same logic board and shipped with the same video cards.
Are external PCI expansion chassis available? Color-compatible?
An external PCI expansion chassis is available from ProMax, and other companies as well. However, none are color-compatible with the Power Macintosh G4 series. Perhaps, if demand dictates, future PCI expansion chassis will be available in shades of graphite and silver as well as beige.
As AGP-based models shipped after January 9, 2001 added one additional PCI slot for a total of four, the need for such expansion chassis may be reduced. Are four PCI slots enough for your needs? Please share your thoughts with others in the forums.
Is the CPU on the Power Macintosh G4 upgradable? How is it mounted?
Officially, Apple does not specify that the processor on the Power Macintosh G4 series is upgradable, since Apple has no plans to offer upgrade cards for the machines. However, PCI-based Power Macintosh G4 models have the processor mounted on a ZIF, and AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models have the processor mounted on a daughtercard with a 300-pin connector.
To determine whether your Power Macintosh G4 is PCI-based or AGP-based please refer to the specifications for the particular model of interest, and to the Technical & Performance Q & A section of this Q & A.
Are third-party processor upgrade cards available?
Yes. As PCI-based Power Macintosh G4 models have the processor mounted on a ZIF, many upgrade cards have been designed to upgrade both the Power Macintosh G3 (Blue) and the PCI-based Power Macintosh G4 models. You can find a complete listing of these compatible upgrade cards in the Upgrade Cards section of EveryMac.com. In particular, the Upgrade Cards: By Compatible System: Power Macintosh G4 (PCI-Based) section may be of direct interest.
AGP-based Power Macintosh G4 models, however, have the processor mounted on a custom daughtercard with a 300-pin connector, rather than the industry-standard ZIF connection. Nevertheless, as this card does not contain the ROM, which would make upgrading more difficult, upgrade card manufacturers have produced custom-designed upgrade cards to accomodate the AGP-based models. To date, Sonnet and PowerLogix both make compatible upgrades, and as additional cards are released, you will be able to find a complete listing in the Upgrade Cards section of EveryMac.com, under Upgrade Cards: By Compatible System: Power Macintosh G4 (AGP-Based).
How can internal hard drive storage be expanded?
Power Macintosh G4 models released prior to August 13, 2002, provided that a single hard drive and an internal Zip drive are installed, have two internal 3.5" drive bays to accommodate up-to two additional hard drives. PCI-based Power Macintosh G4 models support the Ultra DMA/33 standard onboard, while AGP-based models released prior to August 13, 2002 support the Ultra DMA/66 standard onboard. Both Ultra DMA/33 and Ultra DMA/66 can support two hard drives, one master and one slave. The Power Macintosh G4 "MDD" models, introduced on August 13, 2002, "speedbumped" on January 28, 2003, and discontinued on June 23, 2003, have two external 5.25" drive bays, one of which is occupied by a pre-installed optical drive, and four internal 3.5" drive bays, one of which is occupied by a pre-installed hard drive. The Power Macintosh G4 "MDD" models have two ATA buses, one ATA/100 and one ATA/66. The hard drive is pre-installed on the ATA/100 bus and a ribbon cable is pre-installed to connect a second drive. The unoccupied ATA/66 bus can also support one or two hard drives.
All models in the Power Macintosh G4 series can support SCSI-based drives with third-party PCI cards. With a SCSI card installed, up-to three hard drives can be supported in models released prior to August 13, 2002 and four hard drives in models released after August 13, 2002.
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