Crescendo/PCI G3 & G4
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Driver (1)
Firmware (0)
Manual (2)
FAQ (12)
IDArticle TitlePost Date
72 The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD.May-12-09
73 What are the known incompatibilities with the Crescendo/PCI G4 700 and 800?May-12-09
While this new G4 upgrade supports virtually all clones, some PowerTower Pros have a second, very different motherboard design. The problematic version of the motherboard appears to be very rare, based on Sonnet's sales history and the number of related calls. Nevertheless, the Crescendo/PCI G4 700 and 800 are not currently compatible with this version. You can read the entire description, complete with diagram, at:
http://www.sonnettech.com/support/techtips/crescendopci.html

Regarding PCI video cards, most of the Power Computing clones, as well as a couple of the Apple PowerPCs do not have onboard video, and may have come with certain cards (IX Micro Twin Turbo, IX Micro Ultimate Rez, ATI XClaim 3D, and the ATI Mach 64) installed that are not compatible. These cards are legacy video cards and have not had software or firmware updates in several years. The lack of updated software/firmware, combined with the technology of the G4 chips used in these processor upgrades, results in various video anomalies. Because the problems reside in these cards' drivers, a resolution is not expected, and an alternative video solution is required. Recommended cards compatible with these processor upgrade cards include the ATI Radeon 7000 Mac edition.
 
74 Why can't I run Mac OS 9.2 on my computer upgraded with a Crescendo/PCI G4 800 (or 700)?May-12-09
169 May I discard my original CPU after installing Sonnet's upgrade cards? May-07-09
Sonnet recommends that you keep the original processor card even after installing our upgrade cards in case you ever need them.
 
171 The speed indicated on the G3 or G4 chip on my Sonnet processor upgrade doesn't seem to match the speed of the upgrade I purchased. What's the story?May-07-09
175 The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD while using Mac OS 9.May-07-09
218 The computer's standard startup process takes noticeably longer after upgrading to any Mac OS 9.x system from Mac OS 8.6 or earlier.May-12-09
228 System will not finish start-up process. Hang or crash occurs before desktop appears.Jun-23-09
229 After installing my new Crescendo/PCI processor upgrade in a Power Tower Pro, I can hear the boot chime when I turn the computer on, but the video display never comes up.May-12-09
230 After installing a Crescendo/ PCI G4 700 or 800 MHz upgrade, I opened Apple System Profiler and it is reporting the processor type as unknown and the speed as 450 MHz.May-12-09
The G4 chips used to achieve the speeds of these processors were created long after Apple created the ROM\u8217 s that are used in those vintage machines. In addition, Apple System Profiler (ASP) has never been very good at reading non-Apple engineered processors in OS\u8217 s prior to Mac OS X. The ASP calculates the 450 MHz speed using multipliers and the logic board bus speeds known at the time it was created. The chips on these upgrades have a maximum multiplier of 16x. But, Apple System Profiler does not recognize this advancement.

For OS\u8217 s prior to Mac OS X, the Sonnet software installs a utility called Metronome. This utility can be found under the Apple menu after installation. Metronome will give complete and accurate specs of the processor that is installed in your machine. If you are running a supported version of Mac OS X, and have installed the latest Sonnet X Tune-Up software, you will see that Apple System Profiler reports the processor type and speed correctly.
 
231 After following the instructions and installing both the Crescendo/PCI G4 700 or 800 MHz upgrade card and its included software into my computer, the video is distorted and my cursor is a rectangular block that cannot move more than halfway down the screen.Jun-23-09
233 G4 performance drops following Mac OS 9.x system software update.May-12-09