PowerMac G4 Dual 867 MHz vs Single 1 GHz

One thing to check with the Dual 867 MHz is what it's system bus is since it was 133 MHz while the faster MMD's had 166 MHz now in the real world I'm not 100% what that will actually translate out to since the slower bus with a DP might just even things out.

http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/mdd-power-mac-g4-dual.html

The other thing to check may be the video cards as they may be different with the faster MDD having a better card.

Finally listen to the fans some folks find these Macs loud....

Kevin

If the one with the single 1 GHz CPU came that way, it should be a FireWire 800 model, which is technically not an MDD. If so, that's a factor to consider if you might want to use that feature or later resell the machine.

You can also replace the Single CPU with a Dual CPU. The Dual 867 CPU can usually be found on eBay for around $30, or a bit less if you're patient. \[Disclosure: I'm presently selling one there and will probably list another later.] Far better is the Dual 1 GHx CPU from the xserve line, which (unlike the MDD Dual 1 GHz CPU) has 2 MB L3 cache per CPU and is timed for a 133 MHz board, but it's a lot harder to find at a reasonable price, if at all!

You can also get a Dual 1.0, 1.25 or 1.42 GHz processor card, and either run it on the 133 MHz board without modifications, which will cut the processor speed by 20%, or you can do a simple, and reportedly safe, modification of the logic board to let it run at 167 MHz. (Search this forum for something like "logic board modification".) I've not done it myself yet, so I'm only going by what many others have written. But, if you run a Dual 1.25 or 1.42 MHz processor, you will need a better heatsink than the thick-fin aluminum one that comes with either of the machines you're talking about. The thin-fin aluminum one (it has around 35 equal-size fins, as opposed to the 26 fins of unequal sizes in the inferior one) should be adequate except for the Dual 1.42 GHx CPU, for which you should probably use the more expensive ($60 or so) copper heatsink or a custom fan setup.

Here’s the spec sheet on the G4 Dual 867MHz MDD model.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg4/stats/powermac_g4_867_dpmdd.html

Here’s the spec sheet on the G4 Single 1GHz MDD model.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermacg4/stats/powermac_g4_1.0mdd.html

I doubt that you would see any significant difference between the two. The dual processor only comes into effect with certain apps that are designed for dual processor operation.

Another consideration. Do you run any apps in classic mode or while booted into OS 9.x? You can do that on the Dual 867MHz, but not on the Single 1GHz FW800. According to the EveryMac spec sheet, the 1GHz model is worth about $50 more and is about 6 months newer than the 867KHz.

If you are not going to use classic, go for the 1GHz model.

 Cheers, Tom 😉

Texas Mac Man hath written:

I doubt that you would see any significant difference between the two. The dual processor only comes into effect with certain apps that are designed for dual processor operation.

OS X is one of those "apps"! It will always make use of both processors.

Another consideration. Do you run any apps in classic mode or while booted into OS 9.x? You can do that on the Dual 867MHz, but not on the Single 1GHz FW800.

You can't +boot into+ OS 9.x with the FW800 models, but you can +run apps in Classic Mode+ with any PowerPC Mac running Tiger (10.4.11) or earlier.

- Aaron
- aarons510

I just got a used MDD this week, and at first it was quite loud. Almost immediately after booting the fans would rev up to full RPM (and dB). Reading this suggestion on some article somewhere I opened up the machine and removed the drives and cables and cleaned out all the dust, using a blower and vacuum. Then I removed the heatsink and cleaned off the contacts with some q-tips and little alcohol. I put on some fresh thermal paste and reinstalled the heatsink. Closed everything up and had a much quieter machine. It may even be quieter than my G3 Desktop now.

Good luck with your "new" G4 tower, I don't think any of them would be a bad choice. Coming from the G3 world, I am wondering why I waited so long to upgrade to one.