The biggest feature of the MAXpowr 466 is that it disables speculative processing in hardware. As we discussed earlier, this feature is very important when it comes to compatibility for some users. The biggest drawback of the MAXpowr 466 is that it is not overclockable. There is no way to set CPU speed above the stock 466MHz. It's a shame that the card with the largest heat sink is not overclockable, but then, Newer Technology stakes their market territory in compatibility and quality, not overclockability. They play the game the way that IBM and Motorola, the makers of the Power PC CPU, want them to. Unfortunately, this means the MAXpowr 466 card is missing this important feature.
The MAXpowr 466 includes a nice software bundle consisting of the MAXpowr control panel, Gauge Utilities, GURU, SpellTools, and for a limited time, Tomb Raider II. The MAXpowr control panel provides customization of a few options for the upgrade, once installed. It can change the speed of the level 2 cache, though a card that can go higher than its rated speed is rare. It can disable motherboard cache, something it does by default since motherboard cache reduces performance with G3 processors. And it can enable memory timing optimization for those with 60ns or 70ns RAM. When you have all 60ns or 70ns RAM, this optimization can get rid of a wait state in memory timing, increasing overall performance slightly.
Gauge Utilities lets you check your CPU and cache speed and test your RAM. GURU lists all models of Macintosh and the kinds of RAM they use. SpellTools is an application that performs spell checking, macros, and text to speech in other programs. And last but not least, for a limited time, the MAXpowr 466 comes with Tomb Raider II. What would a software package be without a pair of Grand Tetons to round it out? The MAXpowr 466 manual is excellent and informative, walking you through everything you need to know about installation. The package also includes a grounding wrist strap to combat static.
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