At 07:58 -0500 03/11/2005, Michael wrote:


>>   If so, does that mean that one could stick a 9600 dual processor 
>>board in say a 7300?

>Yes and no. The 9600 had a slightly different CPU slot so it could 
>use 604ev boards,
>  these won't work in other Macs. Most CPU cards that work in a 7300 
>should work in
>  a 9600 though.

There were two versions of the 9600.  The original 9600 has the same 
CPU slot as any other PowerSurge (7300 - 9600) machine.  A dual 
processor card will work fine in one of the original 9600 machines.

The second 9600 was called the PM 9600 Enhanced and it has the 
slightly modified CPU slot which probably won't run the dual 
processor cards, although that is not a certainty, unless someone has 
specific info on it.   The 9600 Enhanced and 8600 Enhanced were the 
machines which shipped with the 250+ MHz 604EV cards, as someone else 
mentioned earlier.

There are third party upgrades which run in both the Enhanced models 
and the original models, so there is no absolute reason that a CPU 
card can't work in both types of slot.   However, it is well known 
that the 604EV (Mach V) cards do not work in the earlier machines, 
and the earlier Apple standard CPU cards don't (IIRC) work in the 
Enhanced machines.  I am uncertain about the dual and four processor 
cards.

At this point in time, buying a 9600 on the used market, it may be 
difficult to make the distinction unless you get an original owner 
who remembers what CPU shipped in the machine from Apple.

There are three relatively simple ways to distinguish the 8600 and 
9600 from the 8600 Enhanced and 9600 Enhanced.

First, in Apple System Profiler (Mac OS), the ROM Revision (under 
Product Information)  in the original machines will be $77D.34F2 (or 
is it F1).   On the Enhanced models, the ROM Revision will be 
$77D.34F5.

Second, the numbers written on the four ROM chips will be 341S0280 
through 341S0283 on the original and 341S0380 through 341S0383 on the 
Enhanced.   The ROM chips are 44 pin chips with twenty-two pins down 
each long side and approximately 1.1" X 0.5".  Unfortunately, on the 
8600 the ROM chips are on the bottom side of the board.

Third, in the 9600, the four ~1" square cache chips behind the PCI 
slots will be missing on the Enhanced model and installed on the 
original.   On the 8600 the cache slot (DIMM socket) will be 
installed on the original and missing on the Enhanced.

Jeff Walther