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Are Apple CPU cards compatible across all PCI power Mac models?

avadondragon

Well-known member
I feel like I've read somewhere that this was the case but I can't find the source. I know the various G3/G4 upgrade cards are listed as being compatible with all PCI powermac models. I also know the dual processor machines/CPUs are definitely an exception to this rule
 

beachycove

Well-known member
As I understand things, cards for the 7300, 7500, 7600, 8500, 9500 and some 8600/9600 (non-Kansas) machines will be compatible, with a couple of qualifications. First, the 7500 shipped with a 601 card, and I’m not sure that would work in, say, a 7300. I bet that it would, but never tried it. Second, most 604 and 604e cards should work across the range, but there were 604e cards that ran at 233mhz or so, which might not work in older machines because the faster processor speed demands a corresponding increase in bus speed, which the older logic board might not manage. I’ve even seen 200MHz processors cause instability in some pci Macs. Some of that could have to do with cache limitations, in particular, but I believe the faster 604e cards especially needed tuned logic boards.

Kansas machines with 604ev processors will only work in Kansas boards, which restricts them to the final 8600 and 9600 revisions.
 

beachycove

Well-known member
Dual processors are a bit different. Heat is an issue, for sure, in the close confines of a pci desktop.

I don’t know that there are other incompatibilities beyond those mentioned, though. I had a dual 180mhz card 604e running in a 7500 once, for testing purposes (with open top and a fan), and all was well.
 

Franklinstein

Well-known member
Yeah, as above basically Apple works in Apple except for potential trouble with >200MHz or MP cards. A basic third-party card (604, G3, or G4) should work the same in any of the processor card-based models. Clones are a whole other can of worms with their own caveats.

If you notice in the 7x00 desktops there's a little spot for a fan in the drive bay area. Some models included a fan (mostly the 7200, with a unique blower) and I think there were a couple kits from Apple that included fans to go with installation of particular upgrades or combinations of cards. I often put a fan in there to help out a little. It doesn't do much for the G3DT but it does for the classic processor card-based models.
 

cy384

Well-known member
There is an apple PDF floating around (don't have it at hand) that specifies exactly which apple modules are supported in which macs of this era.
 

Cory5412

Daring Pioneer of the Future
Staff member
the 7500 shipped with a 601 card, and I’m not sure that would work in, say, a 7300

Confirming that the 7500/100 601 card works in an 8500. I've got one in my 8500 for fun. Haven't tried it in any other systems but I don't see why it wouldn't work, except maybe for the "cache at 50MHz" issue.

I've got 604/120, 604/132, 604/150 and 604e/180 cards working in this machine, too. The only one I haven't tried yet was a /200, mainly because i was going to fetch that out of my 7300 in storage.

Apple's /233 604e card should work in any pre-Kansas/Mach5 Mac, it was sold as an upgrade for the earlier PCI PowerMacs in particular. In theory the buses on the machines should be up for whatever speed that 233MHz card wants, but maybe some caches aren't? I don't know if Apple packed a new cache in with it.

Some models included a fan (mostly the 7200, with a unique blower) and I think there were a couple kits from Apple that included fans to go with installation of particular upgrades or combinations of cards.

I'll admit, I've never noticed that. I wonder if the 601/120 in some of the later 7200s run particularly hot, or the 7200 with the DOS card is particularly troublesome? (it's supposed to be a little bit toasty in the 6100/dos for example so i can see how a 7200 with a pentium and a fast 601 in it might get warm.)
 

chelseayr

Well-known member
I don't have any cites to back up this as much I know I had been saving some motorola&ibm technical pdf's somewhere but anyway I'll just reference to that the mackido website suggests that there were two lines of 601 itself. the 601 at 50-80mhz rated to 3.6v/7-8w or the 601v at 100-120mhz rated to 2.5v/4-6w. so it is perhaps plausible that certain macintoshes would react a bit differently thermal-wise depending on which of the two actual family of cpu is soldered in
 

EvieSigma

Young ThinkPad Apprentice
I was going to make a thread about this because I have a 7600/120 and a 200MHz card from a junked 9500 and I wonder if the 200MHz card would work in the 7600.
 

Franklinstein

Well-known member
Apple's /233 604e card should work in any pre-Kansas/Mach5 Mac, it was sold as an upgrade for the earlier PCI PowerMacs in particular. In theory the buses on the machines should be up for whatever speed that 233MHz card wants, but maybe some caches aren't? I don't know if Apple packed a new cache in with it.



I'll admit, I've never noticed that. I wonder if the 601/120 in some of the later 7200s run particularly hot, or the 7200 with the DOS card is particularly troublesome? (it's supposed to be a little bit toasty in the 6100/dos for example so i can see how a 7200 with a pentium and a fast 601 in it might get warm.)
I put a 233MHz card in an 8500 because I wanted something a smidge faster than 132MHz. The bus clock of this card is 46.6MHz, which should be well within spec of all of these machines, and even though my card has "FOR 9600 ONLY" silkscreened on it, it works just fine in the 8500.

There were a few variants of the 7200 and not all had a fan. Per the Apple Service Source:
There are five versions of the Power Macintosh 7200 logic board: one 75 MHz version, two 90 MHz versions, and two 120 MHz versions. The two 90 MHz versions of the logic board are functionally equivalent, as are the two 120 MHz versions; However, one of the 90 MHz versions and one of the 120 MHz versions has an auxiliary fan that connects at J70.
 
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