Which is faster,
an iMac D with a
NewerTech 466MHz upgrade
or a new iMac DV 400?

First posted 3/16/2000
article and cartoon by
rob-art@barefeats.com

First some CPU crunch tests...

If you are serious about Photoshop, get a G4.

 

For non-Altivec apps, the iMAXpower G3/466 shines.

 

Check it out. The iMAXpower G3/466 is faster than even the G4/400. I'm not sure what that means, to tell you the truth.

 

Now some 3D Game results...

 If you are a gamer, you need more than a faster CPU to get faster frame rates. And there is no way to upgrade the graphics on the iMac D (333). However, if you have an iMac A or B, you can add a Voodoo2 iWizard board. That iMac B on the graph with the Voodoo2 only has a 233MHz CPU!

 

 

Conclusion
The iMac 400 DV was a faster game machine but the iMac with the Newer Technology iMAXpower G3/466 was the winner of all the "normal" cpu intensive functions.

What a trip! A 466MHz iMac! From the first time I saw that daughtercard in the original iMac, I'm thinking "UPGRADE!" If you have one of the first three versions of the iMac, it's nice to know that you now have options like the Newer Technology iMAXpower G3/466 cpu. It just too bad the graphics chip was so lame on the early models. Personally, I think the current model with the RAGE 128, FireWire, and those sexy curved speakers is the best iMac design yet... especially the graphite Special Edition. Now if they just made one in with a G4...

The bad news is that there is no way you can upgrade the CPU on the DV model. Waa!

A few words about the hard drive speed. The iMac 333 originally came with a Western Digital Caviar 6 GB drive that clocked 10MB/sec sustained read/write. It was replaced under warranty with a Quantum Fireball CX 6 GB that clocks 15MB/sec. With the 466MHz CPU, the 15MB/sec speed remained unchanged. If you want to see faster hard drive speed, I'm confident that a Seagate Barracuda or Maxtor DiamondPlus would give you 25+ MB/sec.

Related Reviews
MacAddict tests the iMAXpower

 

Test Configurations & Procedures

Chart Name

CPU and Graphics

Sawtooth 400

Graphite "Sawtooth" G4/400 (1MB cache) with RAGE Pro 128 card from factory

iMac 400 DV

iMac G3/400 DV (512K cache) with soldered VR RAGE 128

iMac 466

iMac G3/333 (512K cache) with soldered RAGE Pro

iMac 333

iMac G3/333 with soldered RAGE Pro and Newer Tech iMAXpower G3/466 daughtercard (1MB cache)

iMac B Voodoo2

iMac G3/233 "B" (512K cache) with iWizard Voodoo2 upgrade added

 

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