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| 5 (five) PCI Slots in a PowerMac 4400/7220? |
Posted by: register on 2026-03-10 14:17:04
On a big auction site I stumbled across item #324674483177, which appears to be an original part from a Motorola StarMax 3000/240. It is a PCI riser card with 5 slots. Given the similarity of the StarMax 3000/240 and the PowerMac 4400 and PowerMac 7220, it might be possible to use the riser board from the StarMax in one of the PowerMacs (at least with an open case ;-) like a convertible). I will not try to buy that riser card, as I have none of the computers it is meant for. I just thought it might be interesting for someone trying to max out an already maxed out PM4400 (think of Hellcats with a cockpit view across multiple screens and Ethernet and SCSI-II and still something else left to choose from to populate a free PC slot…). Reports on actual mileage are always welcome. |
Posted by: obsolete on 2026-03-10 16:24:40
Interesting find. Here's another one, in the USA: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175154682228
This is the one that would have come in the 4400: https://www.ebay.com/itm/164963926532
And this is...something else: https://www.ebay.com/itm/350262806527
I apologize for my ignorance, but I don't know what's going on with that flipped slot. |
Posted by: Performa450 on 2026-03-11 12:25:10
Heh, synchronicity or similar but I just received what looks like a prototype Apple 3 slot riser to swap with the 2 slot/comm slot option that my 4400 came with. It has a Motorola part number on it. Tempted to try the five slot riser too!
https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/performa450s-machines.44085/post-585312 |
Posted by: obsolete on 2026-03-11 13:17:13
Ah, that's 2 PCI slots + a Comm Slot II vs. 3 PCI slots, that makes sense. Not sure whether Tanzania has the same issues as Alchemy/Gazelle with PCI bridge chips, but there could be some issues with multifunction cards in the bridged slots of the 5-slot riser card. |
Posted by: Coloruser on 2026-03-13 02:40:33
The DEC Bridge Chip causes some Incompatibilities according to my memory (I worked in the clone business in 1996-1998), It’s the same bridge as used in the tsunami revised storm surge board from Supermac/Umax S900. Some cards only work in the upper - means Apple Bandit PCI Controller - slots and create issues in the lower DEC bridged slots. See S900 bridge chip issues. I had issues running a USB/FW card in the bridged slots in the early 2000s with a StarMax but the symptoms were different than with the S900. |
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