PowerBook G3 Wallstreet PDQ RAM Compatibility — #5

Post #5 by theos911

Source Forum	68kMLA
Category	Hardware
Post Date	Sun, 23 Oct 2011 - 13:22
Original URL	https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/powerbook-g3-wallstreet-pdq-ram-compatibility.24086/

Post

Thanks for your reply, theos911. The upgrade I have been considering the purchase of is the Sonnet 500MHz G3.

Awesome, that is the easiest to work with. You still need to do the ROM Load & Dump depending on how new/old it is. Luckily, there is no fiddly cache enabling software needed for either 9 or X. One issue is... and it can be a massive issue if you have a 2nd Gen wallstreet: If your upgrade is used, and it got its ROM from a 1st Gen PDQ and it was not one of the ones that came with a ROM from sonnet(Which all came with a R2 ROM IIRC) then there is a chance that is has a 1st. gen ROM loaded, which will not work with the video hardware in a 2nd gen WS. It won't hurt your WS, but you'll have an effectively brick'd upgrade unless Sonnet stil offers the ROM wiping service. On that note, I don't see why we couldn't just find the write enable line and manually do it ourselves, but that is over my head... As far as I know, their ROM dumping utility will not overwrite an older ROM over a newer ROM and more importantly in this case... a Newer over an Older. Hopefully, you won't have this issue.

) Here is a thread about the issue. https://www.macgurus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24079

If you can, be sure to get CL2 (2-2-2) RAM. This is the proper CL for the WS.

Hidden in this article behind the obvious stuff is some nice Tech info. http://www.techedgeezine.com/cart_mac_pb1.html

Currently relevant part:

I slipped a Viking Components MPG3/256L low profile 256 MB module into Slot 1 and a standard MPG3/265 256 MB module into Slot 2. These are PC-100 CL2 SODIMMS and while the system bus on a Wallstreet is only 66 MHz, the CL2 factor of this module is the important feature! CL2 means that this module has the fastest refresh speed of 2-2-2 (3-2-3 is the slowest), important for optimizing program or basic operations performance in any computer and every bit helps for an older slower bus design. You should try to buy only CL2 RAM for any Mac for that matter, ask whether you are getting 2-2-2 when you're buying RAM.