PowerMac G4 Graphite (Dual Processor) Upgrades
G4 Dual Front

This page covers all the upgrades we sell for the PowerMac G4 Agp Graphics Dual Processor. Choose the type of upgrade you are looking for from the tabs below.(Not the right Mac? See here for more PowerMac G4s, or here for all Macs.)

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If you want specific upgrades for your exact model, choose it from the Model ID links below, or enter your serial number here:


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G4 Dual Side

History

Announced in July 2000, the PowerMac G4 (Gigabit Ethernet) added dual-processor power to the G4 line. Available with dual 450 or 500 MHz PowerPC G4 CPUs, this new PowerMac G4 also included on board 1000Base-T Ethernet as standard equipment, an industry first.

NB: Not all Gigabit Ethernet PowerMacs have dual processors. For single processor models, please refer to the PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics page.

These PowerMacs were the first desktop Macs available with dual processors.

These are excellent machines, and can be significantly upgraded for a very reasonable amount of money.

How to Identify these Machines

This page deals specifically with dual processor 100Mhz bus speed PowerMacs with an AGP graphics chipset. All these machines are part of the Gigabit Ethernet range, there is also a single 400Mhz Gigabit Ethernet machine, but for this PowerMac you should refer to the single processor PowerMac G4 AGP page.

PowerMac G4 AGP machines (which encompasses the Gigabit Ethernet and AGP Graphics ranges) can be easily distinguished from other G4 towers.

The rear of these PowerMacs has two audio sockets which are aligned vertically from the bottom of the port panel.

You can also check the components inside the case:

Turn the machine off and open the side of the case. Internally all G4 AGPs have four memory sockets (black in line sockets - see picture) towards the top of the case.

The PowerMac G4 PCI Graphics also have four RAM slots, but the audio ports on the back of the machine are aligned horizontally. Graphite coloured PowerMac G4s later than the Gigabit Ethernet range have only three RAM slots.

The heat sink in these dual processor machines is very large (see image) this differentiates between the single and dual processor models - check the Apple System Profiler utility if you are unsure.

You will notice four differing expansion sockets (some will be used). The first of these is a brown socket which is called AGP. If your machine does not have AGP it may be a G4 PCI Graphics. The other 3 sockets are for PCI Expansion cards. There is space for a number of internal hard drives to the rear of the machine.

If you are still unsure you can contact us on 01223 833 412 or by email for confirmation. If you want to upgrade but aren't happy to install your upgrades then we can help. Simply ask our engineers for further details.

Memory Upgrades

The PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet has four memory sockets, any of these sockets can take up to a 512MB module.

When they were released, these PowerMacs could only address a maximum of 1.5GB of RAM, despite the fact that 2GB could be physically installed. However under OS 10.3 (Panther) and above these machines can address the full 2GB.

There are none available.

Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy

Open the side of the case, with the machine turned off, and place the RAM into a socket. The RAM is designed so that it cannot go in the wrong way around.

Apple's instructions can be found here.

If you are unsure please call or email our team.

CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drive Upgrades

An internal CD/DVD drive would replace your existing optical drive. There are also external FireWire and USB options (FireWire highly recommended for this machine).

Any replacement internal 5.25" IDE CD unit will install into this PowerMac, and should work to read data. However, unless there is an Apple ROM on-board the CD unit, the computer cannot be booted from the CD, and the unit will not integrate with Finder burning and Apple software like iDVD. Burning can still be accomplished by third party software such as Roxio's Toast.

Look for the footnotes on any internal drive listed below, to see if there are any issues as described above.

INSTALL SERVICE - Internal CD/DVD Drive in a PowerMac/Mac ProStock: Available£15.00 + vat (£18.00)

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Difficulty 2 / 5 - Easy (internal)

Turn off the machine and open the side door.

Remove the front panel of the CD drive, which is secured by two clips.

Remove two small Phillips screws and gently move the CD caddie forward.

Disconnect all cables and replace with the new unit. Then install your software.

Excellent instructions can be found on Apple's website.

If you are unsure please call or email our team for details.

Internal Hard Drive & SSD Upgrades

The PowerMac G4 Gigabit Ethernet can can take internal IDE hard drives of sizes up to 120GB. Up to two extra drives can be added alongside your existing hard drive - a straight replacement is obviously possible as well.

If you want to use a larger hard drive you will need to use a SATA drive and install a SATA controller into a PCI socket. See the expansion cards section at the end of this page for details on available cards.

If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.

Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.

Installation Services

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Difficulty 2 / 5 - Easy

Turn off the machine and open side door.

If drive is a replacement then simply remove all cables and screws from the existing drive, and replace the unit.

If installing as a second drive then change the jumper setting to slave, and add the drive above the existing hard drive.

Connect power and data cables, and initialise the disk.

Excellent instructions can be found on Apple's website.

If you are unsure call or email our team.

Graphics Cards and Displays

Your PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics has one available AGP socket for upgrading your video capabilities. You also have three 33MHz PCI slots, which can take a second graphics card - however the AGP socket is superior and should be used for the primary graphics card.

Unfortunately, since ATI discontinued the Radeon 9000 Pro and Radeon 9800 Pro, we have no high-end AGP graphics cards to recommend for this machine.

There are none available.

Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy

Install any supplied software and turn off the machine.

Open side door and locate the (brown) AGP socket. Remove holding screw and remove the original card.

Insert the new card, and secure with the screw.

If you are unsure please call or email our team.

Expansion Card Upgrades

Your PowerMac G4 has three PCI sockets for connectivity expansion. Since the machine was released FireWire 800, USB 2.0, faster internal IDE controllers, faster wireless and wired connectivity, and much more, has become available.

With the use of PCI expansion cards, you can update your machine to use current spec connectivity types. Please note that some cards have an operating system version requirement - see the notes in the table below for any that apply to this machine.

INSTALL SERVICE - Expansion Card in a Desktop MacStock: Available£15.00 + vat (£18.00)

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Difficulty 1 / 5 - Very Easy

Install any supplied software and turn off the machine.

Open the side door and locate a free (cream coloured) PCI socket.

Remove the holding screw and remove the blanking plate. Fit the new card and secure with the screw.

To fit an Airport card, refer to Apple's guide here.

If you are unsure please call or email our team.

Keyboards & Mice

The following keyboards and mice are compatible with this Mac.

Trust 3 button USB Optical MouseStock: Available£6.75 + vat (£8.10)
Cherry Strait 3.0 USB Keyboard - UK Mac LayoutStock: Available£32.00 + vat (£38.40)

Power Supplies & Batteries

Listed below are power supplies, batteries and related products we supply for this Mac.

3.6V (half AA type) Lithium PRAM/Clock Battery for MacStock: Available£9.00 + vat (£10.80)

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Cables & Tools

Listed below are power cables, tools and related products we supply for this Mac.

Cables & Adaptors

FireWire 400 - 800 Adaptor Cable M/M (6pin - 9pin) 6 ftStock: Available£11.00 + vat (£13.20)
Sonnet Tempo eSATA Cable Set - 1m (2 x eSATA Connectors)Stock: Out of Stock£16.00 + vat (£19.20)1

Tools

Precision Screwdriver Set, 31 Piece - Phillips/Torx/TR6Stock: Available£12.50 + vat (£15.00)
Hard Drive Screws - Pack of 4Stock: Available£1.25 + vat (£1.50)
Anti Static Wrist StrapStock: Available£8.50 + vat (£10.20)
1For use with an eSATA PCI card, e.g. Sonnet Tempo X4P eSATA PCI/PCIX Card, to connect to an eSATA external device.

External Drives & Enclosures

This Mac can use any of the following external hard drives.

3.5in USB Enclosures

2.5in USB Enclosures

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Complete Machines - Refurbished

Any complete machines of this type or similar that we have for sale are listed here. Please note that these are refurbished models with a 3 month warranty, and that delivery is likely to take 3 - 5 working days. These can be purchased online with the standard website courier delivery charge for the mainland UK only. Please contact us for a quote on shipping to other areas.

There are none available.

Repair Services for this Mac

Here are the various repair services we offer for this Mac. You can have us take the machine in for evaluation, or book a fixed-price repair if you already know what the fault is and the service is listed below (for services without parts, please see the relevant tab on this page for compatible parts that we sell). If you know what the fault is, but we don't have a fixed-price repair listed below, please contact us for a quote.

Evaluation Services

Mac Repair - Evaluation ServiceStock: Available£39.00 + vat (£46.80)

Installation Services (parts not included)

Collection ServiceStock: Available£24.68 + vat (£29.62)
INSTALL SERVICE - RAM in a PowerMac/Mac ProStock: Available£10.00 + vat (£12.00)
INSTALL SERVICE - Expansion Card in a Desktop MacStock: Available£15.00 + vat (£18.00)
INSTALL SERVICE - Internal CD/DVD Drive in a PowerMac/Mac ProStock: Available£15.00 + vat (£18.00)