As a result, Mac clones have proved truly compatible with the Apple-branded product.
In the case of Power Computing, UMAX, and DayStar, Apple provided the Tsunami motherboard
design. Working closely with Motorola, Apple developed the new Tanzania motherboard design used in Motorola's new StarMax systems and expected soon in Apple machines. Cooperation with DayStar Digital led to the multiprocessor (MP) support in hardware and software used in DayStar's Genesis systems (see the sidebar "DayStar Goes Quad"), Apple's Power Mac 9500/180MP, and other MP clones.
Each clone vendor seems to have a different niche. Power Computing, the first to enter the clone market, designs basic systems that push the speed envelope and are configured from a menu of options. UMAX takes a higher road (though without higher prices) and offers more elaborate support choices and an optional second processor. Motorola keeps to its strength in volume manufacturing with solid engineering and aggressive pricing on a very short list of models.
Macintosh clones are built under license from Apple, and normally in close cooperation with Apple; all boot up some version of the Mac OS. They may require a "syste
m enabler" to accomplish this, as even some Apple models (particularly laptops) do. Mac clones connect with standard Macintosh peripherals, including keyboards, mice, storage devices, and monitors.
Like the Power Mac 9500, all the units we tested are minitowers with PCI expansion slots, and except for the Motorola StarMax 4000, all require a PCI graphics display card. Also, all have an internal fast SCSI-2 connector, again except for Motorola's StarMax. As you would expect from a Mac, all have ADB ports, RS-232/422 serial ports, parallel port, external SCSI, and audio ports.
We asked Apple and the major cloners to provide us with their fastest single-CPU
604e system
, either at 200 or 225 MHz. We used BYTEmark to confirm what earlier testing had shown -- that the PowerPC 604e processor is well ahead of the current 200-MHz Pentium Pros. We used Adobe Photoshop to compare performance between systems.
Apple's fastest single-processor
Power Mac
is the obvious
reference point for comparing single-processor Mac clones. The Tsunami motherboard handles a range of processor speeds, so little has changed inside since Apple introduced the first 9500 at 120 MHz. Apple has designed some very clever and convenient cases, but the 9500 is decidedly not one of them, although it's not difficult to deal with like the 8500. Apple's largest case is very close in size to the other minitowers in this comparison but has fewer drive bays than most.
The
9500 has
the Apple name going for it, and its 768-MB maximum memory capacity is impressive, but it doesn't push the performance limits of the CPU or the system bus. And now that the Mac clones have demonstrated their reliability, the 9500 is no longer the de facto platform for image editing. While the 9500/200's Photoshop performance is faster than any single-processor Wintel machine, it isn't the fastest Power Mac. Still, Apple remains the conservative choice.
The
StarMax minitower
v
ies with those of the best PC clones in its assembly details. Motorola made some cost compromises, such as soldering down the CPU and not building in Ethernet, but the company uses the latest Power Mac motherboard design (Tanzania). It's also the only review system to use 3.3-V dual in-line memory modules (DIMMs) for system memory. The power-efficient 3.3-V parts are more expensive today (by about 25 percent) than 5-V DIMMs, but that will change.
The
StarMax system
board slides out without tools, making it easy to access RAM or the PCI slots. I like my Macs with Ethernet, but leaving it out means you don't have to pay for a 10-Mbps interface if what you really want is Fast Ethernet. Lack of interleaved memory is a more serious issue as it constricts the effective memory pipeline to half its potential 128-bit width.
Like Wintel systems, the StarMax comes with an Enhanced IDE (EIDE) hard drive and AT attachment packet interface (ATAPI) CD-ROM drive rather than SCSI. EIDE drives are
somewhat less expensive than SCSI drives, but they can provide similar performance. I found the StarMax drives essentially as quick as the drives in the other systems.
While Power Computing's
minitower system
doesn't have the fit and finish apparent in the other entrants, it packs the most raw power with its 225-MHz 604e CPU, 1-MB L2 cache, 8-MB PCI graphics card, and 7200-rpm 2-GB hard drive. It was the fastest in the
Photoshop tests
. Adding to its performance advantage, the
PowerTower Pro
has the biggest and best software bundle, which includes Microsoft Office 4.2.1. This system also has the highest price.
The PowerTower case provides the most internal drive expansion with eight drive bays. However, it's also the most difficult system to upgrade because a drive bay blocks access to the memory slots. The test unit I received had no video on start-up because its IMS TwinTurbo 128 video card had become unseated in its PCI slot. That t
his happened at all is not a sign of top-notch manufacturing quality control.
The UMAX
SuperMac S900
has base specifications nearly identical to the PowerTower Pro 225. The
UMAX unit
has half the L2 cache, and less bundled software, but its price is also much lower than that of the PowerTower Pro 225. The handsome SuperMac minitower upholds the industrial-design look of the Macintosh, although the basic box isn't much more exciting than the other clones. A design problem: A hinged cover hides the floppy disk and CD-ROM drives, and the CD-ROM tray pops out on shutdown, swinging the door open.
The S900 offers two unique upgrade options. First, you can add a second processor card (in its own slot) without removing the original processor. Competing systems (Apple and Power Computing) require that you replace the single-processor card. Second, UMAX offers its E100 upgrade, a PCI card with both E100 Ultra Wide SCSI-3 and 100Base-T Fast Ethernet. To better support
PCI-based multimedia peripherals, the S900's version of the Tsunami design uses a PCI-to-PCI bridge so that PCI devices can communicate directly with each other.
Best Bet
I found all the systems delightfully responsive and, after paring down some long INIT lists, quite stable. Based on application performance, Power Computing's PowerTower Pro 225 comes out ahead with its 225-MHz CPU and 1-MB L2 cache. UMAX's 225-MHz SuperMac S900, however, did not perform any faster than Apple's 200-MHz 9500/200, perhaps due to its 45-MHz memory bus (see the sidebar "Clock Trade-Offs"). The PowerTower Pro also has a 45-MHz memory bus but may have been saved by its double-size L2 cache. The 200-MHz Motorola StarMax ran slightly faster than the Apple system, most likely due to the new Tanzania motherboard design.
The PowerTower's performance advantage is too small to justify its higher price. The spartan StarMax's good price/performance ratio is offset by its upgrade limitations. That leaves the el
egant and well-supported 225-MHz UMAX as the system of choice. It provides similar performance to the 200-MHz Apple, but it costs a few hundred less and has excellent high-end performance options.
Note:
At press time we learned that Apple dropped the 9500/200's price by $1000 to $3449. It was too late to determine how the other vendors in this review will react with their own pricing.
Company Information
Apple Computer
Cupertino, CA
Phone: (800) 776-2333 or (408) 996-1010
Internet:
http://www.apple.com/
Circle 1047 on nquiry Card.
Power Macs: Cookin' at 225 MHz
