Apple builds G4s with very little that's supposed to need to be upgraded. But what if you want a little more out of it? More power with stability.
A few days ago, I opened my G4 tower for it's monthly dusting-out (it's VERY dusty here in Pahrump). I had just shut the computer down after being on the internet for a few hours. I noticed that the CPU's heatsink was HOT! Well, that set my thought wheels into motion...
Is anyone aware of a better cooling solution for a G4's CPU? The stock heatsink gets it's airflow from the chassis fan when the case is closed, but judging from the heat that I felt, there's a lot of room for improvement there. The problem is that there's not much physical room for a different heatsink/fan. The way that they have the stock heatsink designed, it's sculpted so that it will fit when the case is closed. Hmmm but why would I want to cool it considerably more?
Well, while my previously-mentioned wheels were in motion, I wondered about ... OVERCLOCKING! I know, I know, "There he goes again. SOS can never leave well enough alone." ... well, that would be correct. :D
My resulting research was rather fruitful. First, I found out that most G4-400s (AGP), like mine, actually are underclocked 450s! Also, 450s and 500s can very easily and safely be overclocked 50 over. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones who has an underclocked 450, the mod can safely yield you a 500! However, overclocking one of these isn't quite as simple as on most peecees. There's no jumpers or BIOS settings that allow you to do it. Nope, you gotta break-out the soldering iron and do a couple of very delicate connections. But remember, a few years ago, all overclocking was done like that. Has anyone here ever heard-of or actually done this? I found a site that explains it all in great detail.
Also, while inside my Mac, I noticed that the heatsink/fan on my stock Rage 128 graphics card is a puny little thing. I'm totally satisfied with the graphics on my Mac, as it runs Quake and Unreal Tournament very nicely, but hey, a little extra cooling definitely couldn't hurt. I'm thinking Thermaltake Crystal Orb!
If anyone else has any thoughts on this subject, or if you have any words of warning, please post.