Accelerate Your Macintosh! XLR8 233mhz 604e card Review

The Gurus Certify
This Site is Cool.

=Summary=
PROS: 2nd only to PowerLogix Pro in performance, lots of bus speed settings to chose from.
CONS: Speed adjustments require removing the card. Cache sensitive.
MacBench 4.0 scores

For comparisons with similar cards - see our reviews of PowerBoost 233, Ultra & Pro models.

Intro:

Although it does not quite equal the PowerLogix Pro card recently tested, the XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233 card does score quite well in MacBench. In fact, it posted the 2nd highest Video score we've seen. Not bad considering it was running at a slower CPU speed than the competitors. In actual use, the differences between the top 3 cards we've tested would be hard to detect, but as they say (all other factors being equal) - "faster is always better".

I was disappointed that the card would not run reliably at the 50mhz bus speed/250mhz cpu speed that the PowerLogix cards had, as the XLR8 card displayed problems at this speed. It has run reliably at the 49mhz bus speed/245mhz cpu speed however. It is just sad that all those bus speed settings (up to 60mhz) are going to waste, at least in our system. For maximum performance a fast CPU needs a large cache, and we were using the undisputed king of 1 meg caches - the PowerLogix Ultra model (P/N UC1MB). The IDT 1 meg cache did not work with this card.

Description:

The XLR8-233 comes with the standard XLR8 manual and a separate addendum related to the settings recommended for the 233 model. XLR8 states that the card runs best at the X5 ratio (Bus speed X 5 = CPU speed), and we concur. This effectively limits the bus speed to 50mhz max (250mhz cpu) however, and we were not able to attain that high a setting reliably. Using the X4 ratio, we attempted to run the card at every bus speed setting offered starting at 60mhz, but all failed to boot until we set the card to the 50mhz bus setting. After we determined that 50mhz was the fastest we could boot the card in this system, I changed the ratio back to X5 to maximize the CPU speed. At that time we saw video corruption after less than one minute of operation, and scaled back to the final setting of 49mhz bus/245 mhz cpu. The card ran several applications, MacBench, and several restarts without problems at this speed.

If there is sufficient interest, we will run further tests using the stock Apple 256k cache to see if that will allow the card to exceed 50mhz bus speeds reliably. Be aware however that bus speeds beyond 50mhz require setting the CPU ratio back to x4, and unless the card runs at 57mhz bus speeds or more, the current 49mhz bus/245mhz cpu setting is probably the best for overall performance. Results in your particular Macintosh model may vary from our experience, however we have attempted to minimize the "problem" variations such as mixed memory, PCI cards, etc. Currently no PCI cards are installed, and we're running a single matched pair of 64meg dimms (60ns) from MacGurus, along with the best 1 meg cache we've ever seen, the PowerLogix Ultra (P/N UC1MB).

The manual provides clear installation instructions and photos of typical installations for 75/7600, 8500, and 9500 Apple models. Settings for all bus speeds and cpu ratios are clearly shown, along with suggested and recommended settings for each model. There is a troubleshooting section and toll free Tech Support phone number should you need them. As a nice bonus, the static wrist strap included in the new XLR8 cards is the best we've seen. It plugs into the monitor power jack on the rear of the Mac and is reusable and adjustable.

This product carries a 30 day money back guarantee, and a two year warranty. As with all XLR8 products (and most other companies as well) overclocking the CPU does not void the warranty of the CPU card.

Base System Notes:

The base system used to test the XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233 was our standard PowerMac 8500, with 128megs of matched memory (60ns), standard built-in video with 4 megs Vram, running OS 7.6. Disk cache was 512k, Speed doubler 2 and LibMoto were active (Speed Doublers faster disk access was disabled). Quicktime 2.5 and Quickdraw 3d extensions were also enabled (as done in prev. testing). To maximize performance the card was tested with the supplied PowerLogix "Ultra" 1 meg cache installed.

Benchmark Notes:

All tests were run using MacBench 4.0 . All graphics tests were run at 1024x768, thousands of colors , not the lower resolutions and color settings used by most of the magazine reviews. We feel our settings are more in tune with actual users. Consider this when evaluating the video scores. Scores in general were the 2nd highest we've seen with any card so far, which makes sense as it is the 2nd fastest bus/cpu speed card tested to date.

XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233 Specifics:

Adjustable Bus speeds from 36 to 60mhz.
(Not all speeds will be usable in most systems)
Adjustable CPU/Bus speed ratios of 3:1, 3.5:1, 4:1 & 5:1
(Only the 4:1 and 5:1 should be used for best performance).

XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233mhz CPU Upgrade
MacBench 4.0 Scores
(Scores for PowerBoost^tm233 (240mhz cpu), and PowerBoost^tm 233 "Ultra" (250mhz cpu) are shown for comparison)

For a graph showing the stock 8500/120 (256k cache) scores - click Here

For a graph showing the stock 8500/120 (512k cache) scores - click Here

= Where to Buy =
Of the vendors that carry XLR8 cards, it seems Cyberian Outpost has the best prices. Remember to shop around though, as pricing on upgrades is very volatile recently.

Feedback Send us your questions or feedback
Don't like forms? Then send us a quick Email instead!

About Us About Computer Resources

= Top of Page =

= Back to www.xlr8yourmac.com =

Copyright © , 1997.
No part of this sites content is to be reproduced in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies.
Users of this web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.

= Where to Buy = Of the vendors that carry XLR8 cards, it seems Cyberian Outpost has the best prices. Remember to shop around though, as pricing on upgrades is very volatile recently.

Feedback	Send us your questions or feedback Don't like forms? Then send us a quick Email instead!
About Us	About Computer Resources

= Top of Page = = Back to www.xlr8yourmac.com =

Copyright © , 1997. No part of this sites content is to be reproduced in any form without written permission. All brand or product names mentioned here are properties of their respective companies. Users of this web site must read and are bound by the terms and conditions of use.

	The Gurus Certify This Site is Cool.
=Summary= PROS: 2nd only to PowerLogix Pro in performance, lots of bus speed settings to chose from. CONS: Speed adjustments require removing the card. Cache sensitive. MacBench 4.0 scores
For comparisons with similar cards - see our reviews of PowerBoost 233, Ultra & Pro models.
Intro:
Although it does not quite equal the PowerLogix Pro card recently tested, the XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233 card does score quite well in MacBench. In fact, it posted the 2nd highest Video score we've seen. Not bad considering it was running at a slower CPU speed than the competitors. In actual use, the differences between the top 3 cards we've tested would be hard to detect, but as they say (all other factors being equal) - "faster is always better". I was disappointed that the card would not run reliably at the 50mhz bus speed/250mhz cpu speed that the PowerLogix cards had, as the XLR8 card displayed problems at this speed. It has run reliably at the 49mhz bus speed/245mhz cpu speed however. It is just sad that all those bus speed settings (up to 60mhz) are going to waste, at least in our system. For maximum performance a fast CPU needs a large cache, and we were using the undisputed king of 1 meg caches - the PowerLogix Ultra model (P/N UC1MB). The IDT 1 meg cache did not work with this card.
Description:
The XLR8-233 comes with the standard XLR8 manual and a separate addendum related to the settings recommended for the 233 model. XLR8 states that the card runs best at the X5 ratio (Bus speed X 5 = CPU speed), and we concur. This effectively limits the bus speed to 50mhz max (250mhz cpu) however, and we were not able to attain that high a setting reliably. Using the X4 ratio, we attempted to run the card at every bus speed setting offered starting at 60mhz, but all failed to boot until we set the card to the 50mhz bus setting. After we determined that 50mhz was the fastest we could boot the card in this system, I changed the ratio back to X5 to maximize the CPU speed. At that time we saw video corruption after less than one minute of operation, and scaled back to the final setting of 49mhz bus/245 mhz cpu. The card ran several applications, MacBench, and several restarts without problems at this speed. If there is sufficient interest, we will run further tests using the stock Apple 256k cache to see if that will allow the card to exceed 50mhz bus speeds reliably. Be aware however that bus speeds beyond 50mhz require setting the CPU ratio back to x4, and unless the card runs at 57mhz bus speeds or more, the current 49mhz bus/245mhz cpu setting is probably the best for overall performance. Results in your particular Macintosh model may vary from our experience, however we have attempted to minimize the "problem" variations such as mixed memory, PCI cards, etc. Currently no PCI cards are installed, and we're running a single matched pair of 64meg dimms (60ns) from MacGurus, along with the best 1 meg cache we've ever seen, the PowerLogix Ultra (P/N UC1MB). The manual provides clear installation instructions and photos of typical installations for 75/7600, 8500, and 9500 Apple models. Settings for all bus speeds and cpu ratios are clearly shown, along with suggested and recommended settings for each model. There is a troubleshooting section and toll free Tech Support phone number should you need them. As a nice bonus, the static wrist strap included in the new XLR8 cards is the best we've seen. It plugs into the monitor power jack on the rear of the Mac and is reusable and adjustable. This product carries a 30 day money back guarantee, and a two year warranty. As with all XLR8 products (and most other companies as well) overclocking the CPU does not void the warranty of the CPU card.
Base System Notes:
The base system used to test the XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233 was our standard PowerMac 8500, with 128megs of matched memory (60ns), standard built-in video with 4 megs Vram, running OS 7.6. Disk cache was 512k, Speed doubler 2 and LibMoto were active (Speed Doublers faster disk access was disabled). Quicktime 2.5 and Quickdraw 3d extensions were also enabled (as done in prev. testing). To maximize performance the card was tested with the supplied PowerLogix "Ultra" 1 meg cache installed.
Benchmark Notes:
All tests were run using MacBench 4.0 . All graphics tests were run at 1024x768, thousands of colors , not the lower resolutions and color settings used by most of the magazine reviews. We feel our settings are more in tune with actual users. Consider this when evaluating the video scores. Scores in general were the 2nd highest we've seen with any card so far, which makes sense as it is the 2nd fastest bus/cpu speed card tested to date.
XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233 Specifics:
Adjustable Bus speeds from 36 to 60mhz. (Not all speeds will be usable in most systems) Adjustable CPU/Bus speed ratios of 3:1, 3.5:1, 4:1 & 5:1 (Only the 4:1 and 5:1 should be used for best performance).
XLR8 MACh Speed^TM 233mhz CPU Upgrade MacBench 4.0 Scores (Scores for PowerBoost^tm233 (240mhz cpu), and PowerBoost^tm 233 "Ultra" (250mhz cpu) are shown for comparison)