| XLR8 Performance Package USB Reviewed by: Brent Hecht Review Date: 10.11.99 Updated: 10.13.99 Manufacturer: XLR8 MSRP: $69 (US) |
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As the popularity of the Mac platform grows, many new technologies are becoming available. No one in their right mind would buy a new Mac each time one of these technologies is released. So what is a good Mac user to do? Upgrade! With the Peformance Package USB,
which
includes XLR8's DualPort USB, Point&Scroll Mouse, PowerPack software, and Mach
Speed G3 Control software, XLR8 aims to provide Mac users with all the upgrades they
need in one, convenient bundle… But does the Performance Package live up to its hype?Once all the drivers were installed, I was able to realize the potential of having USB capability on my Beige Power Mac G3. The DualPort USB, a PCI USB card that sports two USB ports, provides this capability. XLR8 claims that both the ports support up to 12 Mbps transfer speeds, and are completely compatible with all Mac USB devices. Both of these claims proved to be accurate. All of the USB devices that I tested worked perfectly and transfer speeds were comparable to that of the iMac's USB ports.
The Point&Scroll Mouse is by far the best element of Performance Package USB. It features two customizable buttons, a scroll wheel, and a great looking transparent casing. While the one-button simplicity of Apple's mouse is great for the novice, more advanced users will quickly appreciate the advantages of having a second button, which can function as a single click, control-click
(for contextual menus), double click, or drag.
In addition, the scroll wheel, long standard in the Windows world, is also a timesaver;
no more mousing over to the scroll bars. The only problem with the Point&Scroll
is that it cannot be activated until itsextension is loaded. This means that it is
useless while pre-extension tasks, such as the after-crash disk check, are executingThe two software products included with the Performance Package USB, MACh Speed G3 Control and PowerPack, are not as impressive as their hardware companions. The MACh Speed G3 Control software allows users to speed up their computer by increasing backside cache speeds, but the speed increase is not noticeable with normal computer usage. In addition, there are freeware software packages that offer the same functionality. The PowerPack software is even more useless. It allows users to run detailed performance and hardware tests, but the only people who need such detailed tests are technical support representatives and review writers.
The combo package offers users a USB PCI card and a USB scrolling mouse. By purchasing the Performance Package, Mac users can save $5, plus get the XLR8's utility software for free. Also, users looking to pick up an G3 upgrade may want look into an XLR8 deal. For a limited time, the USB Performance Package is free with any newly purchased MACh Speed G3 or G3Z, 300 MHz or higher, through January 1, 2000.
Requirements:
* PCI based Apple PowerMac, UMAX, Power Computing, Motorola or DayStar Mac OS based systems.
* Apple Mac OS version 8.5 or greater; 8.6 highly recommended
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