Should G4 processor upgrade cards be seriously considered for PT6?

For PT6/OSX, I'm looking at the option of upgrading our G4/400 AGP with one of the processor upgrade cards from GigaDesigns, OWC, PowerLogix, etc. Have read a number of positive posts on these upgrades here and elsewhere. But it appears Digi does NOT test or sanction these cards. Checking the Compatibility docs, I don't see anything that discusses them. But I became more alarmed when Answerbase item #3608 says: 'WARNING: At the time of this writing G4 upgrade types of any type are known to have serious problems when used with Digidesign products (ie. crashing).' This seems a little dated to me (4/27/2000), but that's all I could find that discussed them. For all of you using these upgrades, have you experienced these "serious problems" mentioned by Digi? Also, is anybody having success running these G4 upgrade cards with PT6/OSX?

As a general rule, avoid processor cards. Used G4 Mac's are so cheap that you will get much more for your money (a stable system that is!) by buying that. You don't really need the fastest G4 with PT6/OSX, but a lot of RAM helps. Good luck! Helge

Hi there Alot of Powerlogix users have used these upgradecards both with PT 5.X and 6.0. They report the cards to be very stable, and in general flawless, after several months working with PT 6.0! They convinced me that this is the way to go, if you dont have the money for a brand new mac. Search the Duc for Powerlogix users, and drop them a mail. Many of them would be happy to reply back to you. Keep in mind that Powerlogix has 30 days money back, and 2 years warranty on all their cards! Pindebraende

One issue with some of the upgrades is having to use your old heat sink to cool a processor that is 2 + times faster, than it was intended for ...... they're have been failed processor reports (overheating) with some of the earlier G4 upgrades. The Gigadesigns and OWC have appropriate heatsinks and fans to guard against this. That said, I installed an OWC 1.3gHz card that has been working flawlessly for the last 3 weeks with PTLE and it adds no extra noise that I can detect I'd have disagree with the above poster that says a used Mac of equal performance would be cheaper than the $570 It took to upgrade my G4/500.

I upgraded a G4/400 AGP some months back with a Powerlogix G4 1 Ghz. The speed is great and it it solid with PT 6.

I upgraded with a G4 single processor Powerlogix card and it seems to be flawless.

Thanks for the feedback! Looks like a good option to consider compared to quite a bit more $$ for a new Mac. And now with G5s on the horizon, the upgrade might be the best thing right now. Related question: With PT6 dual processor support/capability, has anybody tried the Powerlogix dual processor upgrade card yet? Seems like most have only tried the single processor G4 upgrade cards.

Before you get too far into that, check the Powerlogix site to make sure your 400 can even take a dual processor card. They have a comprehensive table to let you know if your machine qualifies or not. I was miffed to find out that my 450 didn't make it, so I'd be doubtful. However, my 1.2 G single processor card works like a dream, after 4 months. Seems to me I'm getting equivalent speed bump for half the price of a new machine. Tides me over till the G5's ... It has an extra fan planted on the heat sink, BTW. malcolm

Before you get too far into that, check the Powerlogix site to make sure your 400 can even take a dual processor card. They have a comprehensive table to let you know if your machine qualifies or not. I was miffed to find out that my 450 didn't make it, so I'd be doubtful. However, my 1.2 G single processor card works like a dream, after 4 months. Seems to me I'm getting equivalent speed bump for half the price of a new machine. Tides me over till the G5's ... It has an extra fan planted on the heat sink, BTW. malcolm

Malcolm, THANKS for the heads up. I'll be sure to check that. FYI, I found 1 other post on another thread saying they had upgraded a G4/400 AGP to a PowerLogix Dual with no problems. But that's the only one I've found so far. Except for some heatsink issues on certain brands (Sonnet) and a few minor things (wake from sleep on some), this looks like a great option to get a big performance boost needed for soft synths/samplers and host-based apps. Speaking of other apps, I assume from everybody's positive remarks that they haven't experienced any major compatibility issues with other apps you may be running (Reason/Recycle, Toast, WaveburnerPro, etc.) -- hope that's the case. I'm a little surprised Digi doesn't test or endorse some of these upgrades as viable options. They look like a great option until G5s hit the streets. Thanks again for the feedback.