ppc 601 pds card

[newbmac2k12]

I have a few quadra 950s laying around and recently got a copy of softwindows.  I know the quadra has a 040, and this software requires a ppc 601.  I seem to remember a upgrade card by apple for the pds slot that would upgrade it to a 60mhz i think ppc 601.  There even used to be a place on the internet that had these upgrade cards cheap as pulls from systems, but they dont seem to have them now!   Anyway ive even checked ebay lately and cant seem to find one.  My question is this these cards werent rare or anything?  Also i dont remember if im correct or not but didnt another manufacturer also make an upgrade card using ppc 601s for the pds slot on 040's?

thanks in advance

 

[CelGen]

Daystar put development time into the ROMs that the card used if that is what you mean. They also sold the card under their own name as well.

They were marketed for people who only wanted PowerPC application support and didn't want to buy a new mac like the Power Macintosh 6100. It did the job but the 601 is a terrible chip and both PPC and emulated 68K performance wasn't all that great on the mac. You're really wasting a 900 series Quadra if you're installing one.

One of the much more beefier PowerPC cards like the PowerPro 601 which came in 66,  80 and 100mhz speeds with 72 pin ram expansion and cache upgrades is a LOT nicer because it helps balance out the otherwise awful 601 chip but they are much more uncommon and expensive.

I've seen the cards on and off over the last two years at recyclers and they're usually $10-$20 each but most people if they wanted PPC they got a 6100.

 

[Macdrone]

softwindows 1 will run on a 040 i had it on my performa 638CD.

 

[CC_333]

Really? It must've been hideously slow!

c

 

[Unknown_K]

I don't think the PPC upgrade for the Quadra PDS slots was all that common. Most of the ones I seen were bundles with AVID video editing systems (because of the need for a PPC Nubus system with more then 3 slots).

The Daystar 601-80 with 4 x 72 pin SIMMs and optional cache module is the one that makes the most difference to a 950 (and the cache and RAM can be used in 68K mode), but they are very rare and expensive. Cheaper to buy a PPC computer then to bother getting a 601 for the 950.

 

[newbmac2k12]

@macdrone, yes i too have the 1.0 version of softwindows, its even on floppies and it runs on a 040 according to the box, cant confirm as i havent gotten around to it yet.  But if the box is correct and manuals it is running @ the speed of a 286 and win 3.1 in standard mode only.  As for everyone else the only reason why i wanted to dabble with later softwindows versions is the 3.0 and softwindows 95 i have both include either 3.1 or w95. Plus they are supposed or @ least the 3.0 which has w3.1 run it in enhanced mode.  Ill look for the better model daystar accelerator, but i do have a powermac 6100, but since it has a dos compatiblity card which i havent tested lately, it kinda takes the fun out of running windows on it, since it will do native 486/66 or even 486/100 since i have a overdrive chip i can drop on that card.  I guess for fun i could run it without the dos card and see how these emulators run on it.

Thanks in advance.