1.42 CPU upgrade for original MDD?

Hi!

I have (had) a Power Mac G4 “Mirrored Drive Doors” (M8689LL/A) Dual-G4 7455 @ 1.0 GHz. It is the last and best Power Mac that is capable of booting Mac OS 9.

I wonder if it was possible to replace the processor module with the one from the 1.42 GHz FW800 model (which can be found on eBay these days).

Did anyone ever try that?
I found an article at xlr8yourmac.com, but it doesn't cover this particular case: http://xlr8yourmac.com/archives/jun04/062804.html#S17642

Thanks in advance, Andreas.

Power Mac G5 “Late 2005” DC 2.0 (M9590LL/A), Mac OS X (10.4.11), G5 Dual Core 970MP @ 2.0 GHz • PCIe • 16 GB RAM • ATI Radeon X1900 256 MB

Posted on Jun 30, 2009 3:08 PM

21 replies

Sep 20, 2009 12:22 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks, I think I have that.

The gray discs are labled + Mac OS 9 Install+ and very tiny + Mac OS version 9.2.2, CD version 1.0, 691-3482-A+.
At least I hope it will work, since these discs have a big + eMac+ on them, but I installed the 2-CD-set + Software Install and Restore+ for + Mac OS version 10.3.3+ – to whose the Mac OS 9 disc is part of – on my Power Mac G4 without problems.

Thanks again,
Andreas.

Sep 20, 2009 12:38 PM in response to Mac User #330250

Many early Mac OS X discs were "for all qualified Hardware".
Gray OS 8 and 9 discs were hardware-specific.

So I think installing Mac OS X from those discs proves nothing.

Sep 20, 2009 1:46 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I tried this eMac Mac OS 9.2.2 disc now with my Quicksilver Dual 800 MHz (2001 model).

It is starting up into the desktop.
I cannot install it though because I have no valid partition. Drive Setup tells me that the installed hard disk can be initialized, but I cannot do that because I'd loose my current setup and I don't have a spare HDD at hand right now.

Anyway, I hope I'll find out about it soon and report back.

Cheers,
Andreas.

Oct 2, 2009 1:27 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I installed it now on my QS2001 Dual-800. Too bad this version of Mac OS 9 is in English language, but apart from that it worked 100% to my satisfaction.

I didn't try it on the MDD as I now left my sisters G4 with a fresh installation of Mac OS X 10.5 (with all the latest updates → 10.5.8 incl. SecUpd 2009-005) AND with her previous Mac OS X 10.4.11 (also the latest SecUpd 2009-005, but I fear this will have been the last for Tiger).

If she really requires Classic for one specific task, she will select 10.4 as her boot selection, do the job, and re-select 10.5.

Anyway, assuming that if it works on a QS, it will also work on a MDD (since the label “eMac” doesn't fit to either the QS not the MDD).

Cheers,
Andreas.

Oct 2, 2009 1:42 PM in response to Mac User #330250

Success!

I've installed the processor daughter card with its heat sink into the MDD. All I had to be carefull about was the physical act of replacing the CPU – and to get the thermal compound placed correctly.

That was it. No hazzle at all: just had to replace the CPU, turn on the Power Mac and everything worked right away.

This proves that it's really all about the bus speed here.

*Thanks again for all your help here!*
It was worth the discussion, all the information that was coming in helped with the decision to finally give this faster processor a try. I am happy!

Cheers,
Andreas

Oct 2, 2009 1:45 PM in response to Mac User #330250

Prove a theory by actually doing it. That's what I did, and if it hadn't worked, I'd have wasted some money I could have used for really importaint things… (education for the kids?)

Well. Thanks again!

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1.42 CPU upgrade for original MDD?