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WizOSX · Mar 6, 2004, 04:09 PM

I have a 233 Rev. A Beige G3 desktop. Am considering buying a B&W 400mhz. What I'd like to do is buy a new G4 processor upgrade for the B&W and move the 400mhz CPU to the Beige G3. Are there any potential problems with doing this?

Coldwater · Mar 6, 2004, 11:52 PM

WizOSX

Shouldn't be a problem. You can visit

http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/cpureview.lasso

put in Beige G3 for mac model and Apple for card manufacturer

Should get you the info to help with your upgrade.

olePigeon · Mar 7, 2004, 01:20 AM

STOP!

Rev A Beige G3 can't go above 300MHz. You need a Rev B or newer.

Coldwater · Mar 7, 2004, 02:15 PM

Since I'm not one to say that it will or won't work without actually doing it, this week I'll get a Rev A Beige I have access to and put in a B&W 350 processor I have laying around. I think it's in my old S900. Since "STOP" really doesn't tell me swat why it isn't suppose to work, and as there are numerous post at XLR8 saying that it is possible, I figure, give it a try. Other then the fact the the B and C boards were able to support slave drives, I've been hard pressed to find reasons for the upgrade not to work. As for something working automatically... I never assume that there will not be problems as it is apparent that even new models introduced by Apple thru the years has had their glitches. And that moving the cpu from one architecture to another, making sure the jumper settings are correct, heat sink postioned..etc..it still may not work. And WizOSX even if you can't get it to work, you could always sell the cpu on ebay, and overclock your beige to 300, and still get the upgrade.

WizOSX · Mar 9, 2004, 10:18 PM

Thanks, all, for the help and suggestions. From what I read, the 400mhz chip would have worked just fine with the right choice of jumper settings. I did not, however, win the ebay auction for the B&W 400mhz. But xlr8yourmac made overclocking the G3 seem so simple, I decided to give it a try. Incredibly easy! News to me but, I suppose, old news to anyone who has had a G3 for a while. 333mhz would not boot but 300mhz works beautifully! Wow, a free upgrade!

Anyway, since I bought the G3 two weeks ago on ebay for $31 (no shipping cause I was able to pick it up), this is an incredibly cheap OSX Mac. I flashed a PC Radeon 7000 ($60--new, real ATI) and put in a 256mb DIMM ($67) to add to the 64mb that was in the machine. So, for $158 I got a really nice Mac. It really doesn't seem much slower than my 700mhz iBook!

jcadam · Mar 10, 2004, 01:01 AM

Originally posted by olePigeon:
STOP!

Rev A Beige G3 can't go above 300MHz. You need a Rev B or newer.

I had my Rev A Beige G3 running at 533MHz.

WizOSX · Mar 10, 2004, 10:12 PM

Originally posted by jcadam

I had my Rev A Beige G3 running at 533MHz.

Was it a 533mhz G4? Or was it a slower processor, like a 400mhz, that you overclocked? I gather from what you said that you no longer have it!?

Coldwater · Mar 11, 2004, 01:49 AM

WizOSX..its great that you went ahead with part of your plan. I was finally able to try the B&W 350 zif in the Rev A Beige 233. Being only concerned with speed over 300 mhz, the first try was at 400 mhz. It booted up the first time as smoothly as any other Mac I've had. If I had the time I'd try other settings but that isn't possible now. Good luck with your next upgrade.

The word impossible is found only in the dictionary of fools--Napoleon

jcadam · Mar 12, 2004, 01:09 AM

Originally posted by WizOSX:
Was it a 533mhz G4? Or was it a slower processor, like a 400mhz, that you overclocked? I gather from what you said that you no longer have it!?

It was a 500MHz G3, that I overclocked to 533. When I replaced the Beige with a B&W I built, I put the same CPU in it , and ran it at 550MHz.

I then put the original CPU back in the Beige and gave it to a relative

Of course, my B&W is now collecting dust in the closet. I have a MDD G4 now (didn't build that one myself, and I don't have it overclocked).

olePigeon · Mar 12, 2004, 03:31 PM

I bought an OWC G4 450MHz upgrade for my Rev A G3 a while back and it just didn't work. I called OWC to try and troubleshoot, and they eventually told me that my G3's ROM was too old. It wouldn't support anything past 300MHz.

It could be that I had one of those really funky 1st run Rev A G3s that had the f*cked up voltage regulator too.

Anyway, I guess I was wrong to assume that that was the case for all of them. If it works, go for it. You're luckier than me.

halogen8 · Mar 12, 2004, 04:20 PM

Originally posted by WizOSX:
I flashed a PC Radeon 7000 ($60--new, real ATI) and put in a 256mb DIMM ($67) to add to the 64mb that was in the machine.

How did you flash the PC Radeon card?

WizOSX · Mar 12, 2004, 09:24 PM

Originally posted by halogen8

How did you flash the PC Radeon card?

Go here:

http://www.appletalkaustralia.com/ar...7000flash.html

He explains it very well. The only things I would add are the following:

1) Be careful using a 64mb card instead of a 32mb. They sometimes work and sometimes do not. From reading some different forums, it seems to me that you can't really know ahead of time. I tried a 64mb Powercolor card and it didn't work.

2) Real ATI cards always work, it seems, so you may want to pay a few dollars more and get one.

jcadam · Mar 13, 2004, 05:28 AM

Originally posted by olePigeon:
I bought an OWC G4 450MHz upgrade for my Rev A G3 a while back and it just didn't work. I called OWC to try and troubleshoot, and they eventually told me that my G3's ROM was too old. It wouldn't support anything past 300MHz.

It could be that I had one of those really funky 1st run Rev A G3s that had the f*cked up voltage regulator too.

Anyway, I guess I was wrong to assume that that was the case for all of them. If it works, go for it. You're luckier than me.

I had an OWC G3 Upgrade in mine. Maybe it was a problem bewteen G4 upgrades and the rev A Beige's. I didn't have the problematic voltage regulator in mine though.