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angelmb · 09:44 AM

so far...

http://www.powerlogix.com/products2/...nce/pismo.html

interesting the fact that iTunes ripping mp3 with the G4 'altivec powered' is slower than the great G3�s Mhz advantage.

stevesnj · May 17, 2003, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by angelmb:
so far...

http://www.powerlogix.com/products2/...nce/pismo.html

interesting the fact that iTunes ripping mp3 with the G4 'altivec powered' is slower than the great G3�s Mhz advantage.

I plan to upgrade my Pismo processor and think that $350 is a great value but I would love to see independant reviews of the upgrade rather from the company that sells it. I hope someone with the 900 upgrade posts on Macnn.

sinebubble · May 17, 2003, 10:18 AM

900HMz? When did this come out?

I can't believe it's selling for $350. Gone are the days when they would charge us almost as much as a new system for a CPU upgrade.

RH · May 17, 2003, 12:07 PM

I sent out my Pismo 400 on Monday so I should get it back by Tuesday at the latest I hope.

I did find one review over at Accelerate Your Mac in the forums and it sounded very good. Sorry I don't have the link.

After I get it back I'll post and let you know how its working. I have to admit I am getting impatient waiting. I have had very good luck with CPU upgrades in the past and was considering retireing the Pismo and getting the 12' PowerBook, but I hope this will give it some more life for a couple of more years.

RH
PowerBook G3 400 -soon to be 900
Blueberry iMac G4 433
5GB iPod

[APi]TheMan · May 17, 2003, 05:51 PM

Originally posted by RH:
I sent out my Pismo 400 on Monday so I should get it back by Tuesday at the latest I hope.

Good man. I was planning on going for the same upgrade this summer. I love my Pismo 400 to death, but it lacks in the snappiness? area.

Lateralus · May 17, 2003, 07:56 PM

I as well love my newly aquired Pismo. It is really a tank.

At first, when I started looking at these new 900MHz G3 upgrades, I disgarded the thought of getting one because my stuck-with-Rage 128 computer didnt seem deserving enough. However, over the past weeks I have been shocked at how well the Rage 128 handles itself in Jaguar, and am now convinced that the OS X experience for Rage 128 owners will only get better with Panther 10.3. So, I might end up getting an upgrade for this baby afterall.

stevesnj · May 17, 2003, 09:16 PM

Originally posted by PowerMacMan:
I as well love my newly aquired Pismo. It is really a tank.

At first, when I started looking at these new 900MHz G3 upgrades, I disgarded the thought of getting one because my stuck-with-Rage 128 computer didnt seem deserving enough. However, over the past weeks I have been shocked at how well the Rage 128 handles itself in Jaguar, and am now convinced that the OS X experience for Rage 128 owners will only get better with Panther 10.3. So, I might end up getting an upgrade for this baby afterall.

I wonder if Panther will support processor upgrades?

[APi]TheMan · May 17, 2003, 09:30 PM

Originally posted by stevesnj:
I wonder if Panther will support processor upgrades?

I hadn't even thought about that possibility.

I prefer to look at the situation is as: Panther will support G3s, therefore it will support upgrades...

It should be on the shoulders of Powerlogix to make sure that Panther doesn't know the difference between an upgraded Pismo and an unupgraded Pismo.

bstone · May 18, 2003, 03:43 PM

From a recent former Pismo owner (sold mine):

Remember the major bottleneck- 8mb video card.

Good luck!

angelmb · May 18, 2003, 04:30 PM

I think processor upgrades are not a problem, is only a cpu, not some of those card upgrades aimed to Power Macs.

zos · May 19, 2003, 12:37 PM

I think 900mhz would make me notice the 8mb video far less. Besides, unless you're rendering 3d or trying to play the newest games I don't think many would find a problem at all with the 8mb, I'm a graphic designer and while I realize my Pismo is slow by today's standards, it's not too bad at all (only when dealing with video do I really wish my Pismo 500 was faster). Till I upgrade I'll be anxiously awaiting more real world reviews.

Colddiver2 · May 20, 2003, 05:11 PM

Just ordered my upgrade too... This almost looks too good to be true. I will post results once the upgrade is completed.

Colddiver

stevesnj · May 20, 2003, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by Colddiver2:
Just ordered my upgrade too... This almost looks too good to be true. I will post results once the upgrade is completed.

Colddiver

Can't wait to see results from someone...I may have to contact Powelogix about Panther support..they might not even know yet.

RH · May 21, 2003, 03:01 PM

Well I just got the G3 900 upgrade installed, and I must say that there is a night and day difference!!! Scrolling is smooth and fast, All the iApps (except iMovie) are launching in one bounce. Even god forbid VPC 6 can run XP at a "decent" speed for non intensive work.

The "Snappyness" has finally arrived in my beloved Pismo! I checked with Powerlogix and they stated that "no problems are anticipated with Panther, and they will be working with it extensively as soon as WWDC comes around."

Even with the crappy Rage 128 graphics chip here are some Xbench scores:

Results 59.34
System Info
Xbench Version 1.0
System Version 10.2.6
Physical RAM 1024 MB
Model PowerBook3,1
Processor PowerPC G3 @ 900 MHz
Version Arthur v2.2
L1 Cache 32K (instruction), 32K (data)
L2 Cache 1024K @ 220 MHz
Bus Frequency 100 MHz

I'm very happy after checking benchmarks for the 12' PB and they only rate at 70.00-72.00

kentuckyfried · May 21, 2003, 03:07 PM

Make sure you guys install this thing to the letter, including the heat sink, if there is one. Everytime.

Powerlogix will screw you at any opportunity that they can get.

zos · May 22, 2003, 03:26 PM

Originally posted by kentuckyfried:
Make sure you guys install this thing to the letter, including the heat sink, if there is one. Everytime.

Powerlogix will screw you at any opportunity that they can get.

What do you mean they'll screw you? Elaborate or give examples.

Lateralus · 12:49 AM

{Nevermind}

Lateralus · 12:52 AM

{Nevermind}

zos · May 27, 2003, 10:46 PM

Any more real world usage comments? I'd really love to get this when I have the dough.

[APi]TheMan · May 28, 2003, 04:10 PM

Originally posted by zos:
Any more real world usage comments? I'd really love to get this when I have the dough.

I just set up my PayPal account, now I have to wait 2-3 days to confirm my account...

THEN I'll order the upgrade.

RH · May 28, 2003, 09:47 PM

Well, after 1 week the report is still very good!! It does run a little warmer than it use to, but not enough to cause any problems or kernel panics (thank God). I must say that it still is cooler than the rev. A 400 mhz tibook I used to have. I have absolutely no complaints about it and feel that it was worth every penny.

If anyone has questions about the upgrade post them and I will try to reply.

RH
Pismo G3 900
Blueberry iMac G4 433
5gb iPod

zos · May 29, 2003, 03:17 PM

Have you tried any games with the upgrade? We're always limited by the video, but we can still play plenty of games.

The spinning beachball of death, how often do you see it now in comparison? Things like scrolling and opening up menus, how are they now?

Thanks!

[APi]TheMan · May 29, 2003, 03:47 PM

Originally posted by RH:
If anyone has questions about the upgrade post them and I will try to reply.

Awesome. How long did the whole process take? I know the website says 5 days from when they get your CPU, but what did you experience?

Thanks.

stevesnj · May 30, 2003, 10:50 PM

Originally posted by RH:
Well, after 1 week the report is still very good!! It does run a little warmer than it use to, but not enough to cause any problems or kernel panics (thank God). I must say that it still is cooler than the rev. A 400 mhz tibook I used to have. I have absolutely no complaints about it and feel that it was worth every penny.

If anyone has questions about the upgrade post them and I will try to reply.

RH
Pismo G3 900
Blueberry iMac G4 433
5gb iPod

MORE MORE MORE!!!....thanks though for posting what you observed so far but as stated above I hope to see posts about window sizing, app start speeds ect...THANKS!!!

RH · May 31, 2003, 12:20 AM

quote:

Awesome. How long did the whole process take? I know the website says 5 days from when they get your CPU, but what did you experience?

Thank

It took exactly 5 "business days" so figure 7-8 days if it ends up staying in Austin over the weekend. If you are impatient like I was they'll fed ex it back to you overnight for $10.00 extra. Installation took about 20 minutes and was easy. But be careful as the instructions are a little vauge. Just remember that the original heat sink (the one that looks like it has an arm) won't be used.

RH

RH · May 31, 2003, 12:31 AM

MORE MORE MORE!!!....thanks though for posting what you observed so far but as stated above I hope to see posts about window sizing, app start speeds ect...THANKS!!

There is a dramatic change in how "snappy" scrolling speed is, and window resizing is much better as well. Menu speed is much improved, no lag as before when it was a 400mhz. Overall I would say that apps launch twice as fast, except for those like Photoshop. I know this is not scientific but consistantly...
Safari --- 1 bounce
Mail --- 1 bounce
i Apps (except iMovie) --- 1 bounce
iCal --- 2 bounces
Office X --- 3-4 bounces cold start (1-2) afterwards

It is not a new powerbook, but it is so much better. I don't play games, so I really can't say much is that area, but I sure it will improve them.

RH

stevesnj · May 31, 2003, 12:43 AM

Originally posted by RH:
MORE MORE MORE!!!....thanks though for posting what you observed so far but as stated above I hope to see posts about window sizing, app start speeds ect...THANKS!!

There is a dramatic change in how "snappy" scrolling speed is, and window resizing is much better as well. Menu speed is much improved, no lag as before when it was a 400mhz. Overall I would say that apps launch twice as fast, except for those like Photoshop. I know this is not scientific but consistantly...
Safari --- 1 bounce
Mail --- 1 bounce
i Apps (except iMovie) --- 1 bounce
iCal --- 2 bounces
Office X --- 3-4 bounces cold start (1-2) afterwards

It is not a new powerbook, but it is so much better. I don't play games, so I really can't say much is that area, but I sure it will improve them.

RH

SWEET!!! THanks for the info....I'm gonna go from the 500 to the 900 so I should notice good results also...

Does your Apple System Profiler show the new Processor info?

Eug · May 31, 2003, 12:45 AM

Originally posted by angelmb:
so far...

http://www.powerlogix.com/products2/...nce/pismo.html

interesting the fact that iTunes ripping mp3 with the G4 'altivec powered' is slower than the great G3�s Mhz advantage.

Yeah, a G3 900 will DESTROY a G4 500 for most tasks.

That's quite a nice upgrade. And if you're running out of storage space, you have an excuse to swap out the hard drive for a new one. That with the G3 900 and you'll have a screamer.

RH · May 31, 2003, 02:23 AM

Does your Apple System Profiler show the new Processor info

For some reason ASP shows the processor running at 550 mhz, the correct stats for the processor will be shown in the control panel type software from powerlogix which allows you to down clock the chip to conserve the battery and adjust the cache settings

RH

angelmb · May 31, 2003, 02:53 PM

Very nice to hear from a satisfied Pismo 900 user

But... do you think could we see an 'all-new kinda Pismo PowerBook' some future day?

angelmb · May 31, 2003, 02:56 PM

Is Office v.X more usable with the 900 Mhz?, I fear that the real thing is that Office v.X is cr** and s*** and ****************

stevesnj · May 31, 2003, 09:16 PM

Originally posted by RH:
Does your Apple System Profiler show the new Processor info

For some reason ASP shows the processor running at 550 mhz, the correct stats for the processor will be shown in the control panel type software from powerlogix which allows you to down clock the chip to conserve the battery and adjust the cache settings

RH

Thanks RH !!!

I appreciate the info...send more info when you discover more faster stuff since the upgrade...

Steve

[APi]TheMan · Jun 1, 2003, 01:29 AM

Originally posted by angelmb:
Very nice to hear from a satisfied Pismo 900 user

But... do you think could we see an 'all-new kinda Pismo PowerBook' some future day?

I just got an e-mail from PowerLogix saying my order had been received and they sent the box in the mail... Cool.

About seeing an 'all-new kinda Pismo PowerBook' some time in the future... Well, I love my Pismo. It's so sexy and professional looking. But I guess we'll just have to wait until Apple's next design to see what's in store for us PowerBookers.

dennis88 · 02:43 PM

Originally posted by RH:
Well I just got the G3 900 upgrade installed, and I must say that there is a night and day difference!!! Scrolling is smooth and fast, All the iApps (except iMovie) are launching in one bounce. Even god forbid VPC 6 can run XP at a "decent" speed for non intensive work.

The "Snappyness" has finally arrived in my beloved Pismo! I checked with Powerlogix and they stated that "no problems are anticipated with Panther, and they will be working with it extensively as soon as WWDC comes around."

Even with the crappy Rage 128 graphics chip here are some Xbench scores:

Results 59.34
System Info
Xbench Version 1.0
System Version 10.2.6
Physical RAM 1024 MB
Model PowerBook3,1
Processor PowerPC G3 @ 900 MHz
Version Arthur v2.2
L1 Cache 32K (instruction), 32K (data)
L2 Cache 1024K @ 220 MHz
Bus Frequency 100 MHz

I'm very happy after checking benchmarks for the 12' PB and they only rate at 70.00-72.00

I get 75,40 points in xbench on my 12,1" powerbook with 60gb, 640mb ram and combo drive.

But it must feel nice to bring back the life in your pismo!

I would guess that your pismo is just as fast as the today's ibook 12" 900mhz, except for games.

Powerbook · Jun 2, 2003, 11:14 AM

What is it with this G3/800 MHz update for 299$ I'm reading about? Anyone knows more?
http://www.novaint.se/powerlogix/pro..._g3_pismo.html

PB.

stevesnj · Jun 2, 2003, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by Powerbook:
What is it with this G3/800 MHz update for 299$ I'm reading about? Anyone knows more?
http://www.novaint.se/powerlogix/pro..._g3_pismo.html

PB.

I think they offered an 800 but updated it to a 900...even if it were available who wouldn't spend an extra $50 for the 900??

http://www.powerlogix.com/products2/...smo/index.html

aplmd · Jun 2, 2003, 04:24 PM

I had a real bad experience with powerlogix. I sent my Pismo in for an upgrade, and the technician dropped the motherboard. It took 3 weeks to get another one, only to get it back with the screen not working. (powered up first for about an hour, then went dead). Had to fork out more money to get it fixed (they said the screen had nothing to do with the CPU upgrade). They sent it to California to get fixed and when I got it back, the heat sheild was missing on the CPU. After 6-7 weeks of headaches, I finally got it back, but it cost me $500. All powerlogix would credit me for is the $50 since they didn't get it back to me within 10 days. I ended up buying a Powerbook G4 since I was hesitant that the trusty pismo would die when I needed it most.

Just a word of caution.

Ants Palm-Leis
[email protected]

Powerbook · Jun 2, 2003, 05:20 PM

Originally posted by stevesnj:
I think they offered an 800 but updated it to a 900...even if it were available who wouldn't spend an extra $50 for the 900??

http://www.powerlogix.com/products2/...smo/index.html

Me!

These 300 bucks versus double the megahertz just suit best for me.

PB.

[APi]TheMan · Jun 2, 2003, 11:17 PM

Originally posted by aplmd:
I had a real bad experience with powerlogix. I sent my Pismo in for an upgrade, and the technician dropped the motherboard. It took 3 weeks to get another one, only to get it back with the screen not working. (powered up first for about an hour, then went dead). Had to fork out more money to get it fixed (they said the screen had nothing to do with the CPU upgrade). They sent it to California to get fixed and when I got it back, the heat sheild was missing on the CPU. After 6-7 weeks of headaches, I finally got it back, but it cost me $500. All powerlogix would credit me for is the $50 since they didn't get it back to me within 10 days. I ended up buying a Powerbook G4 since I was hesitant that the trusty pismo would die when I needed it most.

Eek! I am sending my Pismo in tomorrow... yikes... Wish me luck... I don't got the kinda cash to buy a new system!

PacHead · Jun 3, 2003, 06:25 AM

I have a pismo and am contemplating going for this upgrade soon also, it looks sweet.

However, what do some of you mean when you say you're sending your pismo in to upgrade ?

Ive been reading on the powerlogix website, and it says you only have to send the cpu board into them, not the whole machine.

Ive removed mine b4, when installing ram, and its pretty simple to do.

This cpu upgrade and a newer/bigger harddrive will give me at least 1 more year of happiness from my pismo.

Targon · Jun 3, 2003, 05:05 PM

Does the CPU Fan in the Pismo come on now with the 900mhz upgrade?

I have a 400 Pismo and the fan has only ever been on a few times its loud as.
Hopefullt the new CPU doesnt allow the fan to come on???

Cheers

stevesnj · Jun 3, 2003, 09:02 PM

Originally posted by Targon:
Does the CPU Fan in the Pismo come on now with the 900mhz upgrade?

I have a 400 Pismo and the fan has only ever been on a few times its loud as.
Hopefullt the new CPU doesnt allow the fan to come on???

Cheers

RH quote about heat...

Well, after 1 week the report is still very good!! It does run a little warmer than it use to, but not enough to cause any problems or kernel panics (thank God). I must say that it still is cooler than the rev. A 400 mhz tibook I used to have. I have absolutely no complaints about it and feel that it was worth every penny.

If anyone has questions about the upgrade post them and I will try to reply.

RH
Pismo G3 900
Blueberry iMac G4 433
5gb iPod

He didn't say anything about the fan turning on but it will depending on the environment you expose it to...My fan has turned on like 4 times in 3 years.

Steve

RH · Jun 3, 2003, 10:13 PM

I've been using it intensivley for the last two weeks trying to see if I would encounter any problems and so far all is well. As for the heat issue, it does run hotter, no doubt about it. Just as a precaution when I use it with the lid closed and connected to my external LCD, I sometimes open it for venilation. However, when using it with the lid closed the fan never has come on. Since I got it upgraded the fan has come on twice-both when I traveling and it was on top of a down comforter in a hotel (the air vents were obstructed). You will notice more heat dissipation through the keyboard as the new "heat transfer puck" sends more heat to the heatsheild that covers the ram slots.

RH
Powerbook G3 900
Blueberry iMac G4 433
5GB iPod

stevesnj · Jun 3, 2003, 10:34 PM

Originally posted by RH:
I've been using it intensivley for the last two weeks trying to see if I would encounter any problems and so far all is well. As for the heat issue, it does run hotter, no doubt about it. Just as a precaution when I use it with the lid closed and connected to my external LCD, I sometimes open it for venilation. However, when using it with the lid closed the fan never has come on. Since I got it upgraded the fan has come on twice-both when I traveling and it was on top of a down comforter in a hotel (the air vents were obstructed). You will notice more heat dissipation through the keyboard as the new "heat transfer puck" sends more heat to the heatsheild that covers the ram slots.

RH
Powerbook G3 900
Blueberry iMac G4 433
5GB iPod

Could you post a pic of the processor and "puck" so we can see?...if you are able to...if not no big deal.

Steve

zos · Jun 4, 2003, 01:19 PM

Yeah, pictures would be nice if you wouldn't mind opening her back up again. I'm getting really excited about this upgrade!

[APi]TheMan · Jun 4, 2003, 05:53 PM

Originally posted by PacHead:
However, what do some of you mean when you say you're sending your pismo in to upgrade ?

Ive been reading on the powerlogix website, and it says you only have to send the cpu board into them, not the whole machine.

Yeah, that's what I meant. Oops.

Originally posted by PacHead:

Ive removed mine b4, when installing ram, and its pretty simple to do.

This cpu upgrade and a newer/bigger harddrive will give me at least 1 more year of happiness from my pismo.

Yep, removing the logic board is pretty simple as it is, but PowerLogix even sends you a cool little tool thing to help with the process. It's going to be handy to keep in my little bag of tricks. Maybe I'll save some damsel in distress with it sometime...

About upgrades... Yep, I installed a 30 gig drive about two months ago (IBM Travelstar), and I'm up to 768 RAM. So this upgrade should make using my system a lot easier. I loved my Pismo before and I can't wait to use it now.

zos · Jun 9, 2003, 03:18 PM

Any updates? C'mon, I'm sure more people have gotten this upgrade since the last round of posts.

How's it working out for those that have had a bit more time to play with it?

[APi]TheMan · Jun 9, 2003, 03:48 PM

Originally posted by zos:
Any updates? C'mon, I'm sure more people have gotten this upgrade since the last round of posts.

How's it working out for those that have had a bit more time to play with it?

Heh! As of today (June 9th), my upgraded system is still not back... I sent it in on the 4th... I'm at work right now, so I'm hoping that there's a package slip from FedEx on my door when I get home after work today...

So I'm eagerly awaiting... ah!

stevesnj · Jun 9, 2003, 04:05 PM

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
Heh! As of today (June 9th), my upgraded system is still not back... I sent it in on the 4th... I'm at work right now, so I'm hoping that there's a package slip from FedEx on my door when I get home after work today...

So I'm eagerly awaiting... ah!

I'm hope it's there also....

[APi]TheMan · Jun 10, 2003, 01:34 PM

Originally posted by stevesnj:
I'm hope it's there also....

Nope.. wasn't there yesterday. Maybe today..

I've had dreams about using my computer after I get it back... and it not being very snappy... I wake up super disappointed and bummed out after dreams like those. That is, until I tell myself, "NINE HUNDRED MHZ"... Heh. This will be sweet.