Sonnet Technologies has announced what it claims is the first product in a dual processor product line for Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics (Sawtooth) machines called the Encore/ST G4 Duet.
This card is comprised of dual 500 MHz processors, each with its own 1MB/250MHz backside cache. Sonnet will ship the first cards in February for a suggested price of $999.95. With a design that is plug-compatible with Apple’s dual processor design, the Encore/ST G4 Duet will upgrade any AGP Graphics G4 machine to the equivalent of Apple’s dual 500 system.
Encore/ST G4 Duet purportedly integrates seamlessly with all applications. It supports all G4 operating systems from Mac OS 8.6 through OS X without any additional software.
“With Sonnet’s 100% software compatibility guarantee, the Encore/ST G4 Duet offers a sensible choice for getting dual 500 MHz G4s. It installs into an existing machine in minutes for hundreds of dollars less than the cost of switching to a new machine, and there is nothing else to change, reinstall or reconfigure. There are no additional file transfers, no software installations, and no switches or jumpers to configure,” said company officials in a statement.
Included with the product is an easy-to-install heat sink adapter that provides effective cooling for both processors.