User's Manual

In addition, the logic board design of the Power Macintosh G3 systems exhibits the following
characteristics in these vital areas:
Processor. These computers use the innovative, next-generation PowerPC G3
processor, which was designed specifically to provide increased power at affordable cost.
It does so through three major innovations: a state-of-the-art 0.25-micron manufacturing
process, optimization for the Mac OS, and a new, more efficient approach to level 2 cache
known as backside cache. Backside cache boosts performance far above the performance
of earlier systems—even those with higher clock speeds—by positioning the cache
directly on the processor module and making it directly accessible through a faster,
dedicated bus. This bus can run at varying speeds in proportion to the processor speed.
So, for example, the Power Macintosh G3 system based on a 266-megahertz PowerPC G3
processor features a 133-megahertz dedicated backside bus—more than twice the speed
of the system bus.
Memory. The memory controller
and PCI bridge support the Power
Macintosh G3 systems’ three memory
slots and three PCI expansion slots.
These systems make use of a faster,
industry-standard memory, SDRAM,
which adds to both their economy
and their availability.
Graphics controller. The
Power Macintosh G3 series systems
incorporate an ATI RAGE II+ graphics
controller, which not only provides
outstanding performance, but also
enables far greater expandability
(2MB to 6MB) than was previously
available, so users can choose the
level of graphics performance that
meets their needs.
I/O ASIC. This component
provides support for the input and
output of all standard Macintosh
graphics functionality and Apple Desktop Bus (ADB), serial, and SCSI connections. It also
efficiently incorporates 10BASE-T Ethernet, to meet users’ growing demands for easy and
immediate access to high-performance networking capabilities.
The “why”
The motivation behind this innovative product design is the same simple idea that drives
all of Apple’s efforts: bringing truly outstanding computing performance to our users more
and more easily and economically. So when you’re looking for the computer that’s just right
for you, don’t just look at the numbers (things such as processor speed and hard disk
capacity). Because today, it’s more important than ever to consider overall product design.
Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 [phone] www.apple.com
© 1997 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Macintosh, and Power Macintosh are
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S.A. and other countries. Java is a trademark or registered trademark of
Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S.A. and other countries. PowerPC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation,
used under license therefrom. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
November 1997. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. Printed in the U.S.A.
L02589A
3 DIMM (RAM) slots
PowerPC G3
processor with
backside cache
I/O: graphics, 2 serial,
Ethernet, ADB, SCSI
Audio/Video
card slot
I/O ASIC
Memory
controller
and PCI bridge
3 PCI slots
Graphics controller
and video expansion