Sonnet has come out with a series of prices cuts of up to $100 on many of its G3 and G4 upgrade cards. In addition to price cuts on G4 upgrades for G3 Power Macs, G3 & G4 upgrades for pre G3 PCI based Power Macs and L2 cache slot G3 upgrades, Sonnet is offering a rebate program of up to $50 on G3 upgrades for NuBus based Macs. You can now upgrade your first generation Power Mac for well under $200 - Merry Christmas!

Below we explore what performance gain you will see with these cards installed in the machines they are made for. We also take a comparative look at the price/performance equation of each card.

New Prices and the Machines The Cards Are Intended For

Note: It may be some days after this is posted that new prices will be reflected at retailers

Previous Sonnet Prices

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

Scores marked in Red indicate this information was provided by Sonnet. Scores Marked in Blue indicate that this information was independently verified by MacSpeedZone.

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 these upgrades? Click here

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

For Great Prices On Upgrades Check The Vendors Below
Processor Upgrades	Graphics Cards	Hard Drives & Optical Drives
PowerMax	PowerMax	4AllMemory	PowerMax
Small Dog	Small Dog	Small Dog
SCSI, Firewire USB Cards	RAM	Closeout, Used & Refurbished Macs
MacConnection	4AllMemory	AppleSmall Dog
Get your store listed!		PowerMax (refurb)	PowerMax (used)

Press Release

SONNET DROPS PRICES AND ADDS NEW SPEED TO PCI UPGRADE LINE
IRVINE, CALIFORNIA Þ May 15, 2001 Þ Sonnet Technologies, the worldwide market share leader in processor upgrade cards for Apple Macintosh– 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 Macintosh– computers. After Apple Computer, Inc., Sonnet is the largest producer of PowerPC– 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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