PowerMac G4 Quicksilver Upgrades
G4 Quicksilver Front

This page covers all the upgrades we sell for the earlier version of the PowerMac G4 Quicksilver. 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 Quicksilver Side Open

History

Introduced in July 2001, the PowerMac G4 Quicksilver brought a new look to the PowerMac G4 range. replacing the older graphite coloured case with the trademark silver case of the later PowerMac G4s.

This is the first of two models of PowerMac G4 Quicksilver. The second version is dealt with on the PowerMac G4 Quicksilver 2002 page.

Apple's own specifications for the original Quicksilver can be found here.

How to Identify these Machines

The G4 Quicksilver can be easily distinguished from earlier G4 towers by the change in colour - machines such as the PowerMac G4 Digital Audio are graphite in colour, compared to the silver of these and later machines.

The rounded optical and ZIP bay covers are unique to the Quicksilver range, and were dropped for the later Dual Optical models, which also have twin CD drive bays, as opposed to a single CD bay and a ZIP bay.

There are two types of Quicksilver machines. This page is for the earlier machines, the later models, known as the PowerMac G4 Quicksilver 2002, have some minor differences and are dealt with on their own page.

The easiest way to tell the difference between the two Quicksilver models is by checking the clock speed of the processor (use the Apple System profiler utility). This page deals with 733MHz, 867MHz and dual 800MHz Quicksilvers. The Quicksilver 2002 page covers 800MHz, 933MHz and dual 1GHz machines. NB: There is also a 733MHz Digital Audio PowerMac G4.

Apple's own specifications for the original Quicksilver can be found here.

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 the upgrades yourself then we can help. Simply ask our engineers for further details.

Memory Upgrades

The PowerMac G4 Quicksilver has three memory sockets. The machines can accept up to 1.5GB in RAM, in 3 x 512MB modules. These machines need PC133 SDRAM DIMMs.

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.

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.

The CD caddy is held in by two screws, one at the front of the case and one near the top.

Remove these screws and disconnect all cables, the CD caddy can then be removed.

Remove the original CD drive, and check the replacement's jumpers are set to master, then fit it in place of the original.

Connect data and power cables and secure caddy with the two screws.

Close up the machine and install any supplied software.

If you are unsure, please call or email our team.

Internal Hard Drive & SSD Upgrades

The PowerMac G4 Quicksilver 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.

If you are unsure call or email our team.

Graphics Cards and Displays

Your PowerMac G4 Quicksilver 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.

High-end graphics cards are useful for 3D applications and games - also a lot of the effects within OSX use the graphics card, so upgrading the card will make your OSX desktop smoother and nicer to look at.

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 four 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.

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)