Frequently Asked Questions about our products
This is purely hardware. Most of our kits are based around the
RocketSocket, which is a snap-on device that disables the oscillator
on the motherboard and replaces the signal with one from a higher
speed oscillator. This causes the CPU to run a bit hotter, so we also
include a CPU fan on the models where it is necessary to dissipate the
excess heat.
For most of our kits, absolutely no soldering is involved. The socket
attaches to the oscillator on your motherboard, and the CPU fan
attaches to your CPU with double-sided heat-transfer tape (on 68040s
and PowerPC PDS cards) or fits nicely inside your heat sink (on
PowerPCs). The installation is extremely easy to reverse, and new
oscillator frequencies can be easily installed in the socket. We also
sell kits for a few computers that do require you to do some amount of
soldering on your motherboard. These kits are clearly marked on our
product list.
You will be running your processor at speeds above its rating, so it
is always possible that you may do some long-term damage. However, we
have been running up-clocked machines for 4 years, and we've never had
any serious or long term damage that was due to up-clocking.
On 68040 machines, the highest speeds we can run with our kits are
governed by conflicts with the serial subsystem (and the video on the
AV machines). On the PowerMacs, other components on the motherboard
govern the highest attainable speed. The faster oscillator we supply
is just below these limiting speeds. We also provide a second, slower
oscillator in case your machine has problems running at the higher
speed. The Centris 610 uses the motherboard oscillator to drive its
ethernet subsystem, so up-clocking a Centris 610 will disable the
on-board ethernet on that machine.
Absolutely. It is our understanding that up-clocking voids any
warranty you may have with your hardware vendor.
Good question. Possibly to give computer nerds like us here at OE
something to do with our spare time....
Actually, the real reason is that it doesn't always work. If your
processor or components are rated at a given frequency, they tested
fine at that frequency, but when tested at higher frequencies, there
is a small chance that the errors were major enough to cause
unreliable performance. Usually, however, the timing tests on
electronic components are fairly stringent, so there is a decent
amount of play before any errors show up.
We have a 6 month money-back guarantee that our kit will work with
your machine at one of the two frequencies we include, and a 15 day
unopened envelope return policy if you don't agree with the terms of
an agreement that limits our liability. If you have problems running
with one of our kits please contact us about trying out slower
oscillators or returning your kit.
Nope. Nothing is cut. The socket snaps on to one of the motherboard's
oscillator, and can be easily removed. If your kit includes a CPU fan,
it goes directly on top of the CPU.
Ummm... Nope. But what else did you want it to do?
Nope. Just a faster oscillator. We know that Sonnet Technologies
offers a DX-2 -like socket arrangement for 68040 machines, but our
solution is a lot cheaper (and it is possible to up-clock Sonnet's
accelerators). As for caches, we recommend getting the cheapest
available fast (12 ns or lower) L2 cache for PowerMacs. There are
large number of companies offering relatively good deals on these
caches.
Our kits won't interfere with NuBus or PDS slots in any way. The DOS
card for the 6100s sometimes limits the top speeds of those machines,
so we have a special kit for 6100/DOS machines. Please see our product
list for details.
We've found that serial port and video problems set in at lower speeds
than where CPU-heating becomes a problem. On some of the models, CPU
heating is an issue, so we provide CPU fans to draw away some of the
excess heat. Due to popular demand, we are now selling separate CPU
fans for the other models or for people who want to build their own
kits. The fans are priced competitively, and do a very good job of
cooling both the 68040 and 601 chips. See our product list for more
details.
Our kits work fine with the L2 cache cards. We do, however, recommend
L2 cache speeds of 12 ns or lower. Don't worry if you already have a
14 ns Apple or third party card, as only a small percentage of these
cards will conflict with our up-clocking kits. Our kits are also
completely compatible with the AV models of the PowerMacs.
The PDS card doubles the speed of the 68040 on the motherboard, so you
can up-clock those cards simply by up-clocking the motherboard
itself. Most of the PowerPC PDS cards will go to 72-76 MHz with a fan
cooling the 601. If you try to up-clock one of these cards in a
Centris or Quadra machine, you will need an 18 or 19 MHz oscillator
for your socket as well as a "PDS Chiller" to cool off your PPC
card. We have special kits for these models that include the right
oscillators and CPU fans. Please see our product list for more
details.
We have kits for most of Apple's most recent machines (i.e. most
machines in the Centris, Quadra, PowerMac, and PowerBook lines). Our
product list has a complete list of machines we support. If you don't
see your computer there, it either means that it can't be up-clocked,
or that up-clocking can be done without one of our kits. One of the
partners in Output Enablers maintains a Clock-Chipping Home Page in
his spare time which has instructions for those machines that can be
up-clocked without our kits. You can get to that page at:
http://www.highox.com/mhz.html
Send us e-mail at: sales@outputenablers.com.
We also have a WWW home page at
index.html You can order directly from the web by pointing your
web browser at our secure on-line order form at https://www.io.com/oe/order/order.1.html
Not at this time.
We ship via Priority Mail. Delivery takes approximately 2-4 days
(depending on your location).
If we are shipping your order to a California address, you need to
include 8.25% sales tax. Shipping is $5.15. Shipping charges are
non-refundable.
Sorry, but no. Our prices are this low for a reason. All three of
these shippers want outrageous amounts for shipping next-day air, and
the time it takes to get packages ready for these shippers is
prohibitive. Large orders (10 kits or more) will be shipped via
UPS.
Yes. We ship via standard Air Mail to destinations outside the U.S.
Shipping to foreign addresses is US$ 6, and the purchaser is responsible
for all duties or import taxes that the recipient's country may impose.
We require payment in US$, but if you pay using Visa or MasterCard,
currency conversion is automatic.
You can use our
online order form
for international credit card orders.
International money orders or Canadian checks must
be drawn on a bank that is a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve
system, or we will not be able to process your order.
Sorry, but the San Carlos address is just where we get our
U.S. mail. We've seen very quick delivery for U.S. mail inside the Bay
area, so if you can wait a day or two, you won't have to visit our
fair city.
Send us e-mail at: sales@outputenablers.com, and
we'll get back to you as soon as we can (this is usually within about
a day).