[G4] upgrading dual processors from 867 to 1ghz

[Ronald Steinke]

On 29 Nov, 2004, at 10:58, Dave Vega wrote:
I recently purchased a used powermac g4 dual 867 mhz MDD. i was
wondering if it's possible (and worth the price and effort) to upgrade
the processors to 1 ghz or 1.25 ghz. Is there  a significant
difference in performance between 867 and the 1ghz chips? if so, does
it make more sense to sell my current system and purchase a newer
model, or upgrade my current box?

You are asking multiple questions in one paragraph. My responses are:

1. If you are satisfied with the operation of your machine but would 
like to have a faster processor, it is worth your time and money to get 
the processor upgrade. It will make it possible to run software that 
has high processor speed requirements. I recommend that you get the 
fastest model you can afford. I went from 400MHz to 800MHz and then to 
1GHz in my G4 Gigabit Ethernet box and think that I could have skipped 
the 800 step altogether. I would have been in the same place, as far as 
speed is concerned, but many months sooner and could have enjoyed the 
upgrade earlier.

2. I have never been able to see the difference between that close a 
speed change. You may be able to see the difference, but don't always 
expect to see the speed increase except for certain procedures. Going 
from 800MHz to 1GHz, I could not see any speed difference on the 
desktop when working on correspondence and other programs, but my games 
worked more smoothly. Putting in an upgrade video card gave me a 
"see-able" difference when playing games that the faster processor 
would now let me play on my Mac. So, getting the upgrade can have a 
beneficial effect in other ways than you first expect.

3. It only makes sense to sell when you no longer need or want the 
machine OR the requirements of your job procedures require faster and 
bigger machines. If you can upgrade to the specifications that do the 
job for you and the expense is not as great as buying a totally new 
machine, go the upgrade route. If a new machine will give you that many 
more capabilities and/or you need those abilities, get the new machine. 
That would be cheaper in the long run and you would have tremendous 
bragging rights until Apple comes out with a newer Mac that makes yours 
obsolete.

4. Don't forget to look at upgrading your RAM and video card 
capabilities.

Hope this gives you some insight.

Ron