I Turned my G4 Cube into an ABSOLUTE BEAST

Oh my goodness. Today we're swapping out the Sonnet processor upgrade in the G4 Cube for an upgrade that's even more ridiculous. Just how much G4 power can we squeeze out of this Cube? What will it take to make this the ultimate MEGA CUBE?
Most importantly, can we get playable framerates out of the Cube on our Minecraft Server spawn area?!
Answers to all this and more in this week's Cubey shenanigans!
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#Macintosh #G4 #Cube

[@HughJeffreys]

Would love to own a cube. Awesome upgrade!

[@ActionRetro]

Thanks! I love this little oddball machine :)

[@chinh4thepro]

Nice

[@jhonjhon1740]

Hi Hugh

[@gp3328]

Hello Hughydo

[@RebornAudio]

Okay check ☑️

[@koztech]

This G4 Cube is the Yang to the Cursed Mac's Yin. Your channel is now in balance. Plus the Cube can make sure that Cursed Mac doesn't try anything funny...

[@ActionRetro]

Haha oh man you're right!

[@SausageFingers420]

Blessed G4 cube.

[@JamesnLollify]

This is reaching Powermac Dual-G5 levels

[@laurensnieuwland4657]

Maybe dosdude1 could populate the pads for a 2nd cpu? He has upgraded multiple G3's and G4's...

[@sadmac356]

oh we're on the same page

[@mattetch12]

I'm also certain Mac84 could do it

[@MichaelAStanhope]

@@mattetch12 no. you need special BGA tools to do that, and I know Steve doesn't have that. He could do everything but the processor though.

[@FloydBunsen]

@@MichaelAStanhope Louis Rossmann?

[@jbrooks4282]

I work for a Mac repair shop that has a BGA rework machine and I have replaced many thousands of chips on Mac logic boards. Mostly 2011 Macbook Pro and iMac Graphics chips. There are issues with installing a second CPU to this board. Sourcing the passive components (resistors,capacitors, vrm components, etc), would be easy. Sourcing a second, matched spec CPU, reballed and ready to install, won't be easy. Also, this board will surely have jumper settings and resistor values to determine the cpu type, speed and quantity. Without a service guide or schematic to setup the board for dual CPU it would be a trial and error process and in my opinion is not worth risking such a rare upgrade card.

[@cjsebes]

That's a lot of money to spend on an upgrade card, but as my grandfather used to say, if it makes you happy, it doesn't matter what you paid. Congrats on pushing the Cube beyond what we thought was possible. My Cubes sit it quiet envy.

[@rubenvd3913]

I've never even used a Mac of any kind in my life. The closest I've ever come to Apple is using someone's iPhone for a phone call in a time of need once. And still somehow, I'm addicted to your channel. :D

[@MichaelAStanhope]

This is insane. I didn't even know there was a 2ghz G4 processor for anything! Damn, lucky sucker! The differences are absolutely amazing on your Geekbench scores! Prepare ship for Ludicrous speed!

[@georg6876]

It's going to get to the point where this is the fastest g4 mac fullstop.

[@powder3d]

Minecraft RTX on it

[@stanb1455]

@@powder3d Nope. Just regular minecraft.

[@ZeroHourProductions407]

*Tim Cook HATES him!* With just *one weird trick*, this youtuber does more with his old mac than allowable by Apple by-laws...

[@RetroBerner]

This thing has more upgrade paths than modern machines, nice one 👍

[@bwgti]

Well. Almost all modern Macs have 0 upgrade options... This video was a lot of fun BTW!

[@gp3328]

Next video: "Installing a core 2 extreme 3.4 gigahertz processor into tge g4 cube!"

[@ActionRetro]

🤣

[@JamesnLollify]

Well it would be an intel mac at that point

[@ibmpc]

Next Next video: “Installing a core i9 10900k into the G4 cube!”

[@gp3328]

@@JamesnLollify hmmmm, "Installing the cell processor"

[@randomchannel9331]

Installing XBOX360 cpu into the G4 cube!

[@rhysholdaway]

It's time to ask... "Will it run Crysis?" :)

[@velocity211]

I think I was in a bidding war with you over this cpu on ebay lol. smrxm was the seller

[@imacg5658]

Damn, my G5 isn’t as powerful in terms of sheer GHz.

[@lepidotos]

Maybe not in GHz, but it is a 64-bit processor, so that makes up for it.

[@GSteel-rh9iu]

My G4 Cube sits on a shelf, as a museum-piece, I am not ever planning to turn it on again. Awesome video!

[@Match451]

Are the timings of the RAM in the cube maxed out? You could potentially get a very minor speed increase by getting memory with better timings, if you haven't already.

[@NobelTech]

Looks like it’s now the most powerful G4 Cube in the world!

[@emmettroberts1064]

yup

[@sisconhimejoshi]

I bet he’s not stopping here.

[@dcfuksurmom]

just wait until the second cpu socket gets populated...

[@christopheoberrauch784]

Until this great video, I was always happy for me because I have a Sonnet 1.3 GHz upgrade installed in my G4. Now I am a little sad not to have the faster G4 anymore. :(

[@zeddie4153]

Really enjoys your channel man, keep it up :D

[@burrocakes8048]

Great vid! Love this Cube series - very entertaining. Talk about vicarious living lol 🙂

[@slimechunker00]

This is insane. Great to see so much dedication for something so niché

[@3v068]

I am not a subscriber or a previous viewer. Thank you to the patreons who subscribed to make this possible. This is really interesting technology and this guy definitely not only explained it, but also presented it amazingly. Good video man!

[@Cicada_Lullaby]

Very impressive! One thing to note is that the F3 menu tends to drop the fps in minecraft. Looking at the fps with fraps would be better. I think performance would be better with the optifine mod or even better, the sodium mod. Can't wait to see more vids :)

[@ZacUAX]

Love your vids man, retro computing is so much fun. Maybe consider adding some music into the more quiet parts? It's not like it's crazy offensive, but it feels a little awkward listening to you breathe while installing stuff.

[@dionelr]

Wow, it’s pretty amazing what people have come up with for the old cube. I had a Cube a while back and could not have imagined it being upgraded to 2GHz. That’s insane.

[@nitrax8629]

Very interesting upgrade - I think it was also made available for hi-res Powerbook G4s using the same 7448 processor at either 1.8 or 2GHz, can't remember which. The minecraft footage is about what I experience on your server with my stock G4 Hi-Res.

[@jameswyma9849]

love the vids man youve got the most powerful franken cube on the planet

[@russianmusicgroup]

putting the second cpu on would sound like a job for either louis rossmann or dosdude1

[@AdamRenie]

I enjoy your videos! My Power Mac G4 Cube + PowerBook G3 got me through college. First G4 CPU upgrade was a PowerLogix 1.2 GHz 7457, and the last was a PowerLogix Dual 1.5 GHz 7447A. One of these days I'll get that system back up and running again!

[@ActionRetro]

Thanks! Oh man that's a heck of a nice dual!!

[@AdamRenie]

@@ActionRetro My 1.2 GHz upgrade was $489.99 new in 2004, unfortunately I don't have details on how much or exactly when I got the dual 1.5 GHz, but it breathed new life into my Cube for sure! Between these CPU cards and the limited GPU options - it was quite the money pit and labor of love.

[@williamalbertson78]

nice work loooking good love the build

[@mumblety]

I am just glad I was in the video in chat, and as "friend".

[@radcheckinski6300]

I had a newertech Dual 7448 @ 1.8ghz. It overheated constantly. Had to run my powermac with the door hanging open on a paperclip so it wouldn't kernel panic. It NEEDS that copper block. Its a fast cpu, but its very unreliable with heat.

[@jorisw_]

Awesome job. New favorite!

[@Blazeoptimus]

I still think your fastest upgrade for the G4 Cube is a dual 1.3 7457 with a large L3 cache. The reason for this is the very limited bus speed. The large l3 cache helps to compensate for this, and it ends up being faster than 7448s.

[@ActionRetro]

Would be really interesting to find one of these and test it!

[@Blazeoptimus]

I completely agree, I’ve been looking for one for around a decade. The idea of a super high MHz g4 was always more popular though, so the dual 7457s seem to be more rare

[@StevenJPiper]

That CPU upgrade is truly bonkers... That's the most powerful one I've ever seen. Also, subbed to your channel a while ago, we seem to be of the same mind, I too like to max computers out to see how far I can push them, and though, my channel (not the one I'm commenting with here) is floundering, I hope to re-vamp it, so I can do more stuff like this. i also have a G4 Cube, and plan to do much the same mods to it, though, I kinda worry about copying you! Great vid man

[@ActionRetro]

Thanks man! Don't worry too much about comparing your stuff to others, just do what you love and it will show! Good luck!

[@StevenJPiper]

@@ActionRetro Thanks for the encouragement :)

[@killab138]

I saw two sets of dipswitches on that processor board. What are they for?

[@BonkedByAScout]

I saw a guy who had a Pentium 3 mobo that was sold in single and dual socket variants. He was able to get it to work by soldering on another socket, the missing ICs, and I think tweaking a couple resistors on the chipset to put it in dual socket mode.

[@MrHal900]

Hey Sean I have a question. Which speakers are you using in that video? They look different from standard ones. I have an iMac G4..would those speakers able to connect to the audio port over there? Thank you in advance!

[@SchioAlves]

I love how the PPC Macs show how the next Mac Pro with ARM could (with a CPU socket), but probably won't be

[@nanopone]

i 100% approve of those creative pebbles, absolutely outstanding speakers for the price

[@knghtbrd]

This video brought to you by people who vicariously enjoy doing really crazy shtuff to old Macs and give Sean money so he can afford to buy these insane parts. 😃

[@ActionRetro]

🤣🤣🤣

[@hayder0687]

We all can only agree on one thing. Every day when Action Retro uploads is a day filled with Sunshine and Lolipops. In other words, a good day. :]

[@jeremytravis360]

I did buy one of the Dual 1.8 gig upgrade for my MDD but never installed it. It has a massive heatsink and would never fit unless modified to move the heat.

[@TheMetalMag]

I remember this processor it went quickly unvailable at that time so well done

[@stanb1455]

You should add an extra processor and all the necessary stuff when one appears. Anyhow, this G4 cube is truly a monster!

[@stanb1455]

Also, some more RAM and a better graphics card would suffice, if its possible.

[@bobfromsoireegames4309]

Great video sir

[@windowsxp4853]

Take two G4 7448 2GHZ, then solder them on a dual G4 daughterboard, and we get powerful dual CPU configurations on a G4 PowerMac

[@staso28]

Pure insanity !!! 2GHz Cube!! Great video...

[@gearfriedtheswmas]

What about the temps? That cooler looked a little loose to me.

[@cobaltmn5716]

reminds me of playing Minecraft on a netbook in the early 2010s.

[@privateaccount3405]

Thank god you actually got that auction rather than presumably some shrewd collector that would hoard it for themselves.

[@systemchris]

Great job!!!!

[@alexsinclair2012]

I work at a recycling center and saw one of these cards in a G4 tower.. A coworker mangled it with a screwdriver when trying to remove it, but... The board was chared and melted from a few blown tantalum capacitors...

[@wannabsexy]

the G4 Cube evolution continues this machine is a monster now :-) I hope somebody reaches out and donates the dual 1.8 board to you man

[@maxarothdev7374]

i have an iBook G4, is it possible to upgrade the cpu in that?

[@oliviercheval9363]

The PowerMac G4 cube is full of surprises! with my Powerlogix 7448 @ 1.7Ghz (VRM By-pass) my GeekBench score was 951. With 1.5Gb ram, DD Hitachi PATA 7k2 120go & Radeon 9000pro MDD edition. Today I put it back with its 450Mhz and the Rage Pro.

[@xPLAYnOfficial]

Oh yes, please get someone to solder a second one in. That would make this so delicious :)

[@AllonKirtchik]

Going where no G4 Mac has gone before! Now I wish I had a Cube

[@WagonLoads]

Is there any way to add drivers so that I can use the Cube with HDMI?

[@Sean3614]

The Old Cube Is dead long live the Cube 😂

[@WarhavenSC]

I sometimes wondered if you could get an IBM Power series or Freescale PPC e6500 CPUs working in a G4 or G5-based computer.

[@johncate9541]

My first thought was to get an ITX board and make a Hackintosh myself, but I would only do that if I got a non-working Cube. If you have one that runs, what you did is the best way to upgrade it.

[@jimseibyl5140]

I have that card in my sawtooth, I’d love to drop it in my cube but what are the dimensions of the copper heat bar, and how is it attached?? I have the normal synch it came with…

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

@Action Retro, a couple things to ask: 1) To try and fix the handle, why don't you try some lithium grease or WD40 - it'll probably dislodge the old grease that's making it stick. 2) What's going to happen to the Sonnet card now it's decommissioned from Cube duty, you going to sell it on or do you have other plans in mind?

[@connclark2154]

I have a cube but the external power brick died. I was wondering if you knew of a replacement? Maybe you could dso a video on it?

[@JessicaFEREM]

honestly it's only a matter of time before you attempt to populate the second CPU in the upgrade card lol

[@AllonKirtchik]

Chekhov’s CPU socket

[@soknightsam]

Nice! Too bad the g4 tv channel is gone you should have had your own Saturday morning show

[@organiccold]

Nice. If i well remember in my Blue &White Power Mac G3 i increased the bus speed by using PC133 ram instead of PC100. Does that works in the Cube too? Because does a diference in performance. Still runs today :)

[@thegoodchannel9688]

Please try upgrading it to the dual prosser and try overclocking the graphics card! It will make it the most powerful g4 cube.

Minecraft should be able to use the second cpu for shunk loading from what it sees in the settings menu if I recall. I think a lot of the lag might just be the cpu spending more times loading stuff and there just not enough cpu cycles for rendering left. Also with a 100Mhz FSB cache is everything, 2Mb L3 per CPU and 512K for L2 is probably a must. If we draw a parallel to the coppermine Celeron and Pentium 3 they basically flat lines on scaling past 10x multiplier, this thing is running 20x, sure it has more cache and more levels but eventually you can only go so fast on the CPU clock before ram speed removes any benefit from higher CPU clocks.

[@Fiddlesticks86]

It gets EVEN MORE POWERFUL???!! 😱 Nice 😎

[@AllonKirtchik]

That isn’t even its final form!

[@amberisvibin]

that 15fps is weirdly nostalgic. I played Minecraft 1.6.4 like that so much as a kid on my Pentium 4 machine

[@kaitlyn__L]

For me personally, “acceptable” is when your actions don’t feel disconnected from the movements anymore. Which is about 15fps for me. But “acceptable” is not “comfortable”. For me the lower bound of being able to be comfortable is 20-25, possibly due to growing up in PAL territory idk. But still, going into 40-60 is when it feels genuinely smooth. I actually have a higher tolerance for low game frame rates than I do for video, while also tolerating much higher frame rates in games than video. In video I mostly prefer 24-30, but 50 or 60fps is usually fine to watch. I really really don’t like 120fps video though. But I’ll play a 120fps game without issues (although I don’t really feel a benefit over 60 for games, I do feel benefit over 60 for drawing with a tablet though). Don’t like 15fps video whatsoever. But my priority with games isn’t watching and appreciating the motion, it’s having my actions replicated properly. And I feel that connection, occasionally tenuously, at 15fps. Anything lower and it’s a noticeable cognitive effort to keep the delay in mind.

[@brendanhoffmann8402]

I've been playing with 68k emulators today on my PC. I'm waiting for a 2011 mac mini to arrive so I can run sheepshaver for ppc stuff but at least I've got dark castle (1986) running (with sound!). So fun!

[@Artsificial]

Kind Sir, my life is without purpose or joy without that there sweet wallpaper. Please advise.

[@ActionRetro]

Right here! www.wallpaperflare.com/outrun-vaporwave-wallpaper-gjedg

[@oliviercheval9363]

Huge win!! Well done. I have an original Powerlogix 7448@1.7Ghz. And I was only able to raise it to 1.8Ghz. No boot at 2Ghz. Probably a Vcore problem. What are the positions for the voltage at 2Ghz?

[@Loudkona]

i wonder if its gpu limited at that point or is it still cpu limited?

[@quantum82xx]

What a nice upgrade. Sure beats mine with an overclocked DA CPU @ 533Mhz in there.

[@indibil]

where do you sell these processors?

[@RetroAnachronist]

Awesome hot rod machine.

[@RetroTechToys]

I want a Cube something awful! Great video. :)

[@HeyRusse]

From where did you got that wallpaper?

[@virtualtools_3021]

A dual 2ghz g4 cube!?! that sounds like an epic plan!

[@braddl9442]

I wonder if someone out there with the right gear and access to the right parts ever tried to turn that into a dual CPU. You now can have N64 frame rates in minecraft.

[@nrg753]

I'd like to see some more Mac gaming from that period on the Cube!

[@nrg753]

Or emulators...

[@gamepad3173]

Next Video: "Installing a slot loading Optical drive into the G4 Cube!"

[@nanopone]

id just like to point out that opening minecrafts debug menu to see the fps usually drops the framerate significantly. a cleaner way would be to use optifines framerate counter in video settings > other > show fps

[@Natures_Intentions]

Wow that's awesome I didn't you could puch a g4 cube that far.

[@50ShadesOfBeige]

Not madness, just a tad bonkers. I've got a homebrew G4-600 CPU board that I never got around to putting into my G4-450 Cube - maybe one of these days.

[@sojab0on]

The increase is expecatable with 800 mhz speed diffrence , but nice video again

[@Kyle-xv5kv]

You should send that processor board off to Dosdude1 and let him fit a 2nd cpu and all the gubbins to make that thing work. If anyone can do it, its him.

[@MrVitalic85]

May I suggest trying to shove one of the fastest single slot agp gpu (radeon 9800xt or x800xt) ?

[@DavidStahlOLDHAPPyMACs]

Sean Your Killing Me That Is A Fantastic Upgrade Now You Know I Will Have to Upgrade My Cube From The !.4 GHz To A Duel Core Thanks A-lot You Know Im Kidding Pal Great Video

[@ActionRetro]

Hahaha thanks

[@DavidStahlOLDHAPPyMACs]

You Know Jay Will Have Something To Say About That

[@crashtfa]

Not sure if you know this, but artic clean is just goo gone and 90% ipa, so if you run out you can save a few bucks

[@williamhart4896]

Nice upgrade for that old Mac g4cube to bad it's maxed out in the ram department have a great day

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

Little Behemoth is my new band name

[@donutking9002]

Now I really want to know what’s the limits of the G4 Cube.

[@elroyMKE]

How do you get youtube on there? i've looked everywhere.

[@ActionRetro]

I've had really good results with AquaVid - it's basically a stripped-down version of the TenFourFox browser optimized for KZbin: macintoshgarden.org/apps/aquaweb-aquavid

[@elroyMKE]

@@ActionRetro Thank you! This will put some more life into my imac g5.

[@thewilliamss2392]

Awesome cube Mr just imagine having the second processor on the card 4 gighz duo

[@amdintelxsniperx]

if you get the dualy its going to be awesome

[@jeremytoms5163]

If only it was that easy to update a G5 iMac :(

[@nilswegner2881]

The fact that Minecraft Runs better on a G4 Cube than on my old core i5 520M Notebook is Just emberassing