Mounting of a Powerlogix card
back to Cube
The goal is to replace the stock cpu @ 450 MHz (on the
left) with a Powerlogix 74448 @ 1,7 GHz (right).
I will not detail all the process, the Powerlogix documentation
is very well done.
But If you really don't know how to unmount the Cube,
there is an excellent "how to" on MacBidouille (installation d'une
Radeon 9000).
I only have two advices :
- class carefully all the screws.
- update the Cube's ROM and install Powerlogix
firmware BEFORE unmounting your Cube.
The stock cpu heatplate. It will not be reused because
the Powerlogix card has its own :
I put some thermal paste on the heatplate.
This card has the VRM bypass. It means it has its owns
tension regulator and she bypasses the Apple VRM.
The card takes it's power from the AGP daughtercard powersupply.
So you have now two wires (4 to be correct, 2 +, 2-) coming out that
point : one goes to the cpu and the other to the AGP card.
The card comes with a 80 mm ultra thin fan (15 mm) that
you have to put at the bottom of the Cube where Apple has provided
what to fix it.
I prefered to replace that noisy fan with a quieter Panaflo
which can blow under 5V.
(that's the fan Sonnet supplies with it's cards).
The fan is supposed to be connected on the VRM card which supplies
12V.
As I wanted to supply it with 5 V, I took power on the DVD.
At 5V that fan can hardly be heard and should cool suficiently.
(it has cooled a Powerlogix 7457 @1,35 GHz card
for two years without any problem).
Final mounting :
You can read the benches.
I made some temperature tests :
iddle : 30°C
Internet : 37°C
iTunes : 39°C
Quicktime video (adapt size to window) : 42°C
on Internet with a video running : 43°C
video encoding H264 : 43°C
As I really could not make it hot I tested with Altivec Fractal
Carbon :
262 144 counts, refresh, refresh, refresh.
x1 : 49°C
x2 : 51°C
x3 : 53°C
x4 : 54°C
I could hadrly stress it more. Temperature is really well controled.
Impressive.
back to Cube