So I recently picked up a pair of Encore ZIF G4s from one of my favorite eBay sellers. I've only had a chance to try one of them, but so far it looks like it works great!
I dropped it in my G3 desktop system and took a moment to overclock the bus to 83.3 MHz. While I was in there, I set the jumpers appropriately for a 6x multiplier (83.3 x 6 = 500). Imagine my surprise when I started up the system (wow, it boots FAST!) and saw Gauge Pro report the CPU at 416 MHz (5x the bus).
So here's my question: Does Sonnet put some intelligence on the ZIF module? I know that with some of their cards, they automatically detect the bus speed and set the multiplier appropriately on the card to get the expected bus speed. I'm thinking that the card thinks it is in a B&W G3 at 100 MHz and setting a 5x multiplier and that if I slowed down to a 66 MHz bus, I'd get a 500 MHz G4 with a 7.5x multiplier.
Can someone confirm that? And does anyone know how to circumvent the intelligence on the card?
Sonnet typically overclocks some low-temperature 7410s rated at 400 MHz or 450 MHz to get the 500 MHz speed out of them. Both my cards are technically "overclocked" by Sonnet (one is a 400 MHz part, the other is a 450 MHz part). Side by side, I see some resistors on the card that make sense as multipliers. I'm thinking that if they really are, I could move them around to find the right combination to get 500 MHz on an 83.3 MHz bus.
BTW, my system is reporting 105 MB/s memory performance with an 83.3 MHz bus in Gauge Pro.
Peace,
Drew
_________________
Power to the PowerPC!
I dropped it in my G3 desktop system and took a moment to overclock the bus to 83.3 MHz. While I was in there, I set the jumpers appropriately for a 6x multiplier (83.3 x 6 = 500). Imagine my surprise when I started up the system (wow, it boots FAST!) and saw Gauge Pro report the CPU at 416 MHz (5x the bus).
So here's my question: Does Sonnet put some intelligence on the ZIF module? I know that with some of their cards, they automatically detect the bus speed and set the multiplier appropriately on the card to get the expected bus speed. I'm thinking that the card thinks it is in a B&W G3 at 100 MHz and setting a 5x multiplier and that if I slowed down to a 66 MHz bus, I'd get a 500 MHz G4 with a 7.5x multiplier.
Can someone confirm that? And does anyone know how to circumvent the intelligence on the card?
Sonnet typically overclocks some low-temperature 7410s rated at 400 MHz or 450 MHz to get the 500 MHz speed out of them. Both my cards are technically "overclocked" by Sonnet (one is a 400 MHz part, the other is a 450 MHz part). Side by side, I see some resistors on the card that make sense as multipliers. I'm thinking that if they really are, I could move them around to find the right combination to get 500 MHz on an 83.3 MHz bus.
BTW, my system is reporting 105 MB/s memory performance with an 83.3 MHz bus in Gauge Pro.
Peace,
Drew
_________________
Power to the PowerPC!