[Kilik]

I have a PowerMac 8500/180 w/ a 45 mhz bus, and have been looking around ebay for a quick upgrade to maybe a 250mhz 604e.
I keep reading that I cannot use a processor from a 50mhz bus computer with my 45 mhz bus computer. For example I can't use a 250 mhz 604e card from a 9600 computer or a 233mhz card from a Umax in my computer. Is this true? Of course I keep seeing other auctions that say I can use any processor from 7200-9600 on my 8500.
So what is true?
Any help would be appreciated.

-Lucas

[zac4mac]

My old 8500/120 is at work now. So I don't have to work on a PC.

It is on its third processor, an OEM G3-400 ZIF on an XLR8 carrier.
The bus speed is at 56.8 MHz, processor/L2 @ 454/227.
I found cheap RAM at Velocity Upgrades and it now has 704 MB interleaved 60ns EDO.
It's pretty darned fast for a 6 year old computer, still faster than last year's Dell POS I have.

What you can't use are Mach5 cards from 86/9600's in excess of 233 MHz because they have a different memory bus architecture. They ran a 50 MHz system bus with a 100MHz RAM bus.

[Kilik]

Thanks!
Do you have any idea if this card is compatible with my 8500?

Umax 233 card

[ 10-28-2001: Message edited by: Kilik ]

[zac4mac]

Should be OK. Looks like the one I had in the 8500 before I put the G3 in. You won't see much of a speed jump tho. I have that card running in a 7500 w/160 MB of bastard RAM and it does a SETI unit in about 40 hours, the 8500 w/ a 454 G3 takes 15-17 hrs...
Best bet is to get a G3 in there.
If you get an XLR8 carrier, you have very fine control of the system bus speed to get the most out of the chip.
You should be able to get a G3 going in there for 100-150 I'd think. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1289367913 http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1290374259 http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1289792356

[Jodar]

Originally posted by Kilik:
<STRONG>I have a PowerMac 8500/180 w/ a 45 mhz bus, and have been looking around ebay for a quick upgrade to maybe a 250mhz 604e.
I keep reading that I cannot use a processor from a 50mhz bus computer with my 45 mhz bus computer. For example I can't use a 250 mhz 604e card from a 9600 computer or a 233mhz card from a Umax in my computer. Is this true? Of course I keep seeing other auctions that say I can use any processor from 7200-9600 on my 8500.
So what is true?
Any help would be appreciated.

-Lucas</STRONG>

If you are going to upgrade, go for either a G3 or G4 upgrade. I have a 7500, running a PowerLogix G4 card. It works terrific (so far). Check out xlr8yourmac.com and lowendmac.com for suggestions on upgrading your machine. Those sites have very insightful, if a bit dated (at least for my 7500) information.