Sonnet, has dropped prices on various G3 and G4 upgrades for a wide variety of Macintosh machines. Some of these price cuts are up to $150. They have also added a new card for PCI based Macs, a G3 running at 450 MHz.

Below we explore what performance gain you will see with these cards installed in the machines they are made for.

New Prices and the Machines The Cards Are Intended For

What kind of performance gain are you getting for the money you'll be shelling out for the various cards?......

Bear in mind that MacBench does not use the special AltiVec instructions of the G4 processor. Nor does it make use of a second processor in dual processor configurations. So the scores below will not show the improved performance of the G4 over the G3 for applications written to take advantage of the G4. In our testing using AltiVec savvy applications we have seen between 38% to 128% performance improvement when using a G4 over that of the G3. See the links below for the performance of these cards running various G4 savvy applications.

Ok, Ok! But what about the Velocity Engine (AltiVec) scores for the G4 upgrades? Click here

Ok, Ok! But what about the Velocity Engine (AltiVec) scores for the G4 upgrades? Click here

And how much do you pay per performance point (price divided by performance score) ....

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Press Release

SONNET DROPS PRICES AND ADDS NEW SPEED TO PCI UPGRADE LINE
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA € May 15, 2001 € Sonnet Technologies, the worldwide market share leader in processor upgrade cards for Apple Macintoshñ computers, introduces a new speed to its line of Crescendo PCI upgrades while lowering prices by as much as $150 on many of its G3 and G4 processor upgrades. This new mix of prices and speeds extends Sonnet's market leadership by setting the best price/performance standard in the industry for G3 and G4 processor upgrades. "As we are preparing to introduce our OS X installer for these platforms, Sonnet feels that it is important to offer the best values possible," explains Robert Farnsworth, president and CEO of Sonnet. "These new prices, combined with our new 450MHz G3, provide a solution for virtually every need." Sonnet's OS X installation solution is scheduled for release in early June.
Sonnet‚s new speed for Crescendo/PCI upgrades is:
Crescendo/PCI G3 450/1M $299.95
Sonnet‚s new lower prices in Crescendo/PCI upgrades are as follows:
Crescendo/PCI G3-500-1M $349.95 (was $399.95)
Crescendo/PCI G4-400-1M $349.95 (was $399.95)
Crescendo/PCI G4-450-1M $449.95 (was $499.95)
The Crescendo/PCI G3 line of products runs in all of the following Macintosh models:
- Power Mac 7300/7500/7600/8500/8600/9500/9600
- Workgroup Server 7350, 8550, 9650
- Daystar Genesis
- PowerCenter, PowerCenter Pro, PowerCurve, PowerTower, PowerTower Pro, PowerWave
- UMAX J700/S900
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Sonnet‚s new lower prices in Crescendo/NuBus upgrades are as follows:
Crescendo/Nubus G3-500-1M $399.95 (was $449.95)
Crescendo/Nubus G4-360-1M $349.95 (was $499.95)
Sonnet‚s full line for Crescendo/NuBus G3 and G4 cards are compatible with the following Macintosh models:
- Power Mac 6100, 7100, 8100
- Performa 611X
- WGS 6150, 8150, 9150
- Power Computing 100, 120
- Radius System 100, 81/110
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Sonnet‚s new lower price in the Crescendo PowerBook 1400 upgrades is:
Crescendo/PB G3-333-1M $329.95 (was $349.95)
Sonnet‚s Crescendo/PB upgrade cards are compatible with the following Macintosh models:
- PowerBook 1400, 1400c/117, 1400cs/117, 1400c/133, 1400cs/133, 1400c/166
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Sonnet‚s new lower prices in Encore upgrades are as follows:
Encore G3-500-1M $349.95 (was $399.95)
Encore G4-400-1M $299.95 (was $349.95)
Sonnet's full line of Encore G3 and G4 cards are compatible with the following Macintosh models:
- G3 All-in-one
- G3 Blue & White
- G3 Desktop
- G3 Mini Tower
- G3 Server
- G4 Graphite
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Sonnet also dropped its price on the Tango FireWire/USB to $129.95 (was $139.95)
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OS X Compatibility
In early June, 2001, Sonnet Crescendo/PCI G3 and G4 owners will be able to download an installer to run MAC OS X on any of the models mentioned above. Mac OS X‚s compatibility in these machines will match that in Power Macintosh G3 computers. This breakthrough solution will soon be accessible from the Sonnet web site for a download fee of $29.95. For Sonnet‚s complete Mac OS X Statement, please refer to the Sonnet web page at http://www.sonnettech.com/news/macosx_update.html.About Sonnet Technologies, Inc.
Sonnet Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California, is the worldwide market share leader in processor upgrade cards, ATA disk controller cards, and other enhancement products for Apple Macintoshñ computers. After Apple Computer, Inc., Sonnet is the largest producer of PowerPCñ processor-based products in the computer industry. Founded in 1986, Sonnet offers processor upgrades for more Macintosh models than any other company. To locate an authorized reseller or purchase product, visit the Sonnet Technologies web site at <http://www.sonnettech.com>, or call the company at 1-800-786-6260 (USA and Canada) or 1-949-587-3500.
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