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Quicksilver G4 running Hulu (or Flash content)

840quadra

840quadra

Moderator
Original poster
Staff member
Feb 1, 2005
9,571
6,509
Twin Cities Minnesota
Hello,

Just curious to see how many of you here still use G4 computers at home, and if you have any success with watching modern videos on them? Basically looking to upgrade a Digital Audio with Dual 533 processors, to something in the 1.0 Ghz or faster realm.

Back story.......

I currently have a Digital Audio with Dual 533 processors, 1.5gb of RAM, and a video card that supports both Quartz Extreme and Core image. I have been using it as a iTunes media server for my MacBook pro, and Macbook for a long time, as well as using it as an internet portal in my bedroom (easy surfing like Facebook, twitter, gmail. etc..). The system will play hulu, but at low frame rates, and often stalls out. I am looking to upgrade my current setup.

Currently I am debating buying a dual 1.0 GHz (or faster) Quicksiver processor (I know I need to do some hardware mods to make one of them work), but am not sure if it is worth it, or if it will even play Flash based hulu content!


Thanks for the help!!
 
840quadra said:
Hello,

Just curious to see how many of you here still use G4 computers at home, and if you have any success with watching modern videos on them? Basically looking to upgrade a Digital Audio with Dual 533 processors, to something in the 1.0 Ghz or faster realm.

Back story.......

I currently have a Digital Audio with Dual 533 processors, 1.5gb of RAM, and a video card that supports both Quartz Extreme and Core image. I have been using it as a iTunes media server for my MacBook pro, and Macbook for a long time, as well as using it as an internet portal in my bedroom (easy surfing like Facebook, twitter, gmail. etc..). The system will play hulu, but at low frame rates, and often stalls out. I am looking to upgrade my current setup.

Currently I am debating buying a dual 1.0 GHz (or faster) Quicksiver processor (I know I need to do some hardware mods to make one of them work), but am not sure if it is worth it, or if it will even play Flash based hulu content!


Thanks for the help!!
Click to expand...

I can play Hulu videos with no problems on my single 1.25 ghz mdd and my eMac but I can't remember if I got hulu to work on my 400mhz sawtooth (haven't used it in a while). I'm not sure exactly which processors are compatible with the 133mhz bus but I would look for a cheap sonnet g4 around on the internet.
 
I watch SD Flash YouTube videos on my 1.5ghz PBG4 12". Leopard, 1.25gb of ram.

Smooth if its the only thing open and I have high performance on. If I have something else open. It works fine, I just have to wait for the video to load all the way first before playing.

Dual 1.25ghz or above will be more than fine for SD. Under 1ghz single core, you're pushing it.
 
Sounds good.

The system is currently a Digital Audio housed in a quicksilver case. I have a Dual 533 processor in it, with a good video card that supports both Quarts extreme, and Core image fully. It plays all iTunes content (Standard def) just fine, so it is working well as an iTunes based HTPC, and jukebox.

I think I am going to try out a Quicksilver dual 1.0 GHZ card on this and see what that does.

Thanks again!
 
840quadra said:
Sounds good.

The system is currently a Digital Audio housed in a quicksilver case. I have a Dual 533 processor in it, with a good video card that supports both Quarts extreme, and Core image fully. It plays all iTunes content (Standard def) just fine, so it is working well as an iTunes based HTPC, and jukebox.
Click to expand...
Which makes it a Quicksilver, as a Digital Audio is a Quicksilver logic board in the old graphite case. Technically, it has nothing to do with the older PowerMac G4s, as these were PowerMac G3 logic boards with G4 CPUs.

840quadra said:
I think I am going to try out a Quicksilver dual 1.0 GHZ card on this and see what that does.
Click to expand...
Overclock it to 1.25GHz and you'll be fine. Flash runs multithreaded (well, at least on Snow Leopard), so you'll be fine. This is performance-wize on the level of a 2GHz Pentium D.
 
Giuly said:
Which makes it a Quicksilver, as a Digital Audio is a Quicksilver logic board in the old graphite case. Technically, it has nothing to do with the older PowerMac G4s, as these were PowerMac G3 logic boards with G4 CPUs.
Click to expand...

That is not fully correct. The quicksilver logic board contains a 4th mounting point for the processor cards that also provides 12 volts to it. I will need to run a 12v feed from the power supply to this 4th pin to power up whatever Quicksilver processor I decide to go with.


Screen shot 2010-08-30 at 3.33.11 PM.jpg
Quicksilver processor on left, older style G4 (non ZIF) on right.​

Also, G3 systems (and early Yikes G4 towers) use ZIF sockets, where the later G4 systems feature a different processor connection system, and screws that lock it to the logic board (pictured above).

This is performance-wize on the level of a 2GHz Pentium D, you won't have any problem with YouTube. Be sure to max out the RAM to 1.5GB, this has more effect than the CPU.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. I do have the system maxed out on memory, as it also helps with file sharing and streaming iTunes content to multiple systems at a time.
 
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