PowerLogix and OWC Announce Fastest Ever G4 CPU Upgrades; Next Gen Features

SAN FRANCISCO – January 11, 2005 – PowerLogix continues to lead innovation in the Mac CPU upgrade market with the announcement of two new CPU cards for PowerMac G4s.
The first CPU card is an all-new design, called the PowerForce G4 '47. It features the latest high speed G4 PowerPC CPU, the 7447A. This card reaches new highs with clock speeds of up to 1.7 GHz, and it also offers several features not offered by any competing product.
The second CPU card is a refinement of the original PowerForce G4 from 2002. Called the PowerForce G4 ‘57, it uses the latest version of the PowerPC 7457. The 7457 offers a slightly slower clock speed than the 7447A, but it includes 2Mb of L3 cache per CPU.
Both the PowerPC 7457 and the 7447A draw significantly less power than previous PowerPC G4s for cool, reliable, high-performance operation.

Features Common to Both PowerForce G4 ’47 and PowerForce G4 ’57:
Independent Power Supply Circuit

The PowerForce G4 '47 features one power supply for each CPU. This means that power demands from one CPU cannot affect the second CPU, ensuring reliable operation even under extreme conditions. It also results cooler operation. The PowerForce G4 ‘47 has the most sophisticated power supply design of any card on the market. It supports three input voltages (5v, 12v, or 28v) and converts these inputs directly into the CPU core voltage.

VRM Bypass Circuitry for use with G4 Cube

When installed in a PowerMac G4 Cube, the Dual PowerForce G4 '47 also features exclusive VRM Bypass circuitry. The original Apple VRM ("voltage regulator module"; also known as the DC/DC power supply card) is incapable of providing sufficient power for reliable operation at clock speeds faster than a single 1.2 GHz 7455 CPU. A dual CPU in the Cube was impossible, until now.
With the new PowerForce G4 '47 card installed, the Cube's original VRM is no longer the power source for the CPU. Instead, the CPU card uses its own power supply circuit. This greatly extends the life of the VRM, as the demands on the VRM are significantly less. In addition, the CPU power supply, since it is located on the card, is cooled by the internal Cube heatsink and the Cube's airflow. The original VRM, conversely, is located in one corner of the Cube, and has virtually no airflow.

By including this exclusive circuit on the Dual PowerForce G4 ‘47, PowerLogix has not only succeeded in extending the life of the Cube's weakest point, but has at the same time created the fastest, most powerful Cube ever.

Features Specific to the PowerForce G4 ’47:

Universal Design
The PowerForce G4 ‘47 is the same form factor as Apple’s original single CPU card. This means it will work in every 100 or 133 MHz Bus PowerMac, making it a universal circuit design. This is the only Single/Dual CPU card on the market that can make this claim.

Automatic Clock Speed Selection
Just plug the card into any 100 MHz or 133 MHz bus PowerMac G4, and the clock speed is set automatically. This makes installation even easier than before.

Real Time Temperature Monitoring
Lastly, the PowerForce G4 '47 includes real-time thermal monitoring capability. A digital temperature sensor chip has been placed directly in between both processors in the center of the board, and a proprietary software application is included so that the CPU card temperature can be monitored. Fail-safe code is included to prevent unintentional overheating. For example, if there is a fan failure, an alert will be issued and the system can be set to shut down safely and automatically if a threshold temperature is reached.

Features Specific to the PowerForce G4 ’57:
100 MHz Bus Speed
The PowerForce G4 '57 supports all 100 MHz bus PowerMacs: the PowerMac G4 AGP, Gigabit Ethernet, and Cube.   PowerForce G4-74'47 Models:
1.2 GHz Single $289
1.4 GHz Single $369
1.7 GHz Single $429
1.2 GHz Dual $479
1.4 GHz Dual $629
1.7 GHz Dual $729
Availability: first production will be shipping in approximately 3 weeks.
PowerForce G4-74'57 Models:
1.2 GHz Single $349
1.4 GHz Single $449
1.2 GHz Dual $589
1.4 GHz Dual $759

Availability: first production will be shipping in approximately 1 week.   Pricing will be listed on the OWC website (http://www.macsales.com) or email sales@macsales.com.

About PowerLogix
First to market in every significant Macintosh CPU upgrade product during the past five years, PowerLogix designs and manufactures innovative products for maximum performance from second generation and newer Apple Power Mac computers and clones. For more information, contact PowerLogix at 8701 W. Parmer Lane #1120, Austin, Texas 78729; 512-401-9902; or visit its Web site at www.powerlogix.com.

About Other World Computing
Other World Computing (www.macsales.com) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the Macintosh universe since 1988. The Illinois-based company operates the popular Macsales.com Web site, which features one of the largest online catalogs of enhancement products, including OWC’s own Mercury acceleration and FireWire product lines. Along with its proprietary XPostFacto, which allows select pre-G3 computers to run Mac OS X, OWC is an Apple Certified Developer, and provides extensive technical support for Macintosh users around the world. OWC also owns and operates FasterMac.net, a national Internet Service Provider designed specifically for Macintosh users, as well as OWC.Net, an ISP that provides Internet access, design and hosting solutions in the greater Chicago area.
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