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Meet my new, heavily upgraded Digital Audio G4!
- Thread starter ptdebate
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On the 1,5GB RAM vs 2GB in the previous PM G4s:
I barely use 800MB, when letting iMovie or Handbrake encode a video. I guess you have to have the right beasts of software to see a difference.
On the 9800.
You can flash a PC 9800, with a ROM from here http://themacelite.wikidot.com/compatibility there is also a list of working 9800 PC cards, that can be flashed and what their differences are (clock-frequency, RAM).
Downside is, in OS X it works, but under OS 9 you have no Open GL, hardware 3D acceleration etc.. This only disturbs you, when playing games. There is a way to resolder a capacitor on the 9000, to make OpenGL work, I don't know, if that is possible on the 9800.
For other options google jcsenterprises OS X graphics cards, it gives a list of all cards ever available.
There is a thread here on how to get a cheap SATA-PCI-X card (60MB/s instead of 35MB/s on PCI) for 10-15 USD. it doesn't support booting though.
PS: could you click on "More info" and look whether it says PPC 7457, 7447, 7448 or 7455?
Is this your screen or did you use a camera for the screenshot? Besides the screenshot app in utilities you can also hit the key under the caps-lock key + opt. + 4 and then draw a frame with the mouse. Or add the apple key at the end and you can shoot the window.
I barely use 800MB, when letting iMovie or Handbrake encode a video. I guess you have to have the right beasts of software to see a difference.
On the 9800.
You can flash a PC 9800, with a ROM from here http://themacelite.wikidot.com/compatibility there is also a list of working 9800 PC cards, that can be flashed and what their differences are (clock-frequency, RAM).
Downside is, in OS X it works, but under OS 9 you have no Open GL, hardware 3D acceleration etc.. This only disturbs you, when playing games. There is a way to resolder a capacitor on the 9000, to make OpenGL work, I don't know, if that is possible on the 9800.
For other options google jcsenterprises OS X graphics cards, it gives a list of all cards ever available.
There is a thread here on how to get a cheap SATA-PCI-X card (60MB/s instead of 35MB/s on PCI) for 10-15 USD. it doesn't support booting though.
PS: could you click on "More info" and look whether it says PPC 7457, 7447, 7448 or 7455?
Is this your screen or did you use a camera for the screenshot? Besides the screenshot app in utilities you can also hit the key under the caps-lock key + opt. + 4 and then draw a frame with the mouse. Or add the apple key at the end and you can shoot the window.
Cox Orange, great points you make here. It's clear that there's still a lot I can still do to max out this machine. could you tell me a little more about the SATA-PCI-X card you're referring to? Is that GPU bandwidth you're referring to or HDD bandwidth?
bunnspecial, I just ordered a 9600XT from the seller you recommended--for only $23 plus shipping!
Could you provide advice on how to tape connectors 3 and 11? Or is there a guide online somewhere for it? Thanks as always!
bunnspecial, I just ordered a 9600XT from the seller you recommended--for only $23 plus shipping!
Could you provide advice on how to tape connectors 3 and 11? Or is there a guide online somewhere for it? Thanks as always!
There are some guides online with pictures, but here's the basic procedure I follow:
First of all, you need a roll of Scotch tape(I suggest real Scotch-brand tape) and a good, sharp fine bladed knife. A fresh #11 Xacto knife blade is close to perfect, as is a #11 scalpel. I've also used my pocket knife in a pinch, but I should add the caveat that I'm obsessive about keeping my pocket knife sharp and wouldn't advise attempting this with a dull pocket knife.
A good, sharp pair of tweezers are also handy, although not strictly a necessity. I use a pair of Dumont #2s(my main tweezers for watch work) although a $75 pair of tweezers is probably overkill unless you just happen to have them
In any case, flip the card over to the back. Take a piece of scotch tape long enough to cover the "fingers" on the card. Align the top edge with the top of the tape with the top of the "fingers". The tape will be about twice as wide as the contacts on the board-just let it hang over and DO NOT wrap it around. Use your knife to slice the flush with the bottom of the contacts.
I'd also then suggest at this point using a non-marring tool of some sort(a credit card works great) to burnish the tape and make sure you have stuck to the fingers well.
Now, start at the front of the "fingers" and count backwards. You will note that they alternate, with some pointing "up" and some "down." Count back 3-this one should have the wide part "down." Use your knife to carefully slice the tape in the space between contacts 2 and 3. Do the same between 3 and 4. Then, start peeling the tape back from the front. This is where the tweezers can come in handy. Do it slowly, and provided that you've cut completely it should stop coming off when you get to contact #3.
Now, start counting again(I'd suggest starting at #1 again) and count until you get to 11. This one should also have the wide part of the contact "down." Just as with the previous one, carefully slice the space between contacts 10 and 11, and then between 11 and 12. You can then peel off the tape between 3 and 11, and everything behind 11. If you've done it correctly, you should have left tiny pieces of tape on pins 3 and 11. Recount and make sure you have them correct
I'd suggest again, at this point, burnishing the tape remaining on those pins. If you're using an Xacto knife, rolling the handle with moderate pressure across the taped pins will work well.
The whole process takes a LOT less time to do than it took me to type it up. Just check and double check to make sure you have the correct pins taped. I don't think that you'll actually hurt anything if you tape the wrong pins, but the computer won't boot and you'll have to start again from scratch.
Also, Cox Orange--to answer your question, my G4 is a 7448, although I'm not at home right now to take a screenshot.
Hi, sorry, I answer so late.
You can find the info (a link to the card and the driver) here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1826308/ (post #12, if you don't want to read all).
You can find the info (a link to the card and the driver) here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1826308/ (post #12, if you don't want to read all).
So, I've got it flipped over, bunnspecial. Do I start from the big side or the little side? "Front" is a little subjective
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What if I just cut the leads instead of taping? Would I have to press down really hard to accomplish this?
So I managed to tape the pins and the new card works great. The only odd thing is this: I can't quite get it screwed in because the GPU's screwhole won't align with the one on the slot. Bunnspecial, did you have this issue? Is it a problem to leave it unscrewed?
I've never had this issue in a G4, and I've had three of these cards.
Check to make sure the front plate on the card isn't bent somewhere.
It's especially important with this card that you have it screwed in, since the locking tab on the AGP slot won't engage the tab on the card.
Looks like I just hadn't situated it properly. I'm such a newbie! Anyway, it's fine now and I'm very pleased with the performance.
Looks like a pretty good deal for Sonnet card.
But you will get only 30-35MB/s and it is limited to 2TB, but it is bootable.
The one I mentioned (if you looked into the link and the link in the linked post), gets you 65MB/s and supports over 2TB. PCI-X is the cards with the long golden flank.
The flank looks like this http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41B+tdJwipL._SX450_.jpg
(it is the one that I got for 2,-EUR in an auction on EBay. The one linked to in the thread I linked, costs about 10-15 (you don't have to pay the pay-it-now-price and can make an offer there).
There is also a 12x SATA card areca 71-1231-D1ML0C that is compatible, but I don't know about the max. drive capacity supported.
But you will get only 30-35MB/s and it is limited to 2TB, but it is bootable.
The one I mentioned (if you looked into the link and the link in the linked post), gets you 65MB/s and supports over 2TB. PCI-X is the cards with the long golden flank.
The flank looks like this http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41B+tdJwipL._SX450_.jpg
(it is the one that I got for 2,-EUR in an auction on EBay. The one linked to in the thread I linked, costs about 10-15 (you don't have to pay the pay-it-now-price and can make an offer there).
There is also a 12x SATA card areca 71-1231-D1ML0C that is compatible, but I don't know about the max. drive capacity supported.
The way I see it, the main boon for me is going to be support for larger drives. 128MB on the old g4s can get pretty restrictive. Thanks for the suggestion and information! I may double up and get one of these later on so I can get more speed out of my boot drive.
How do you get a PCI-X card into the PCI slot of a G4 Mac that only has PCI slots?
Or does it matter?
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You might look at Intech's Hi-Cap driver if you use an IDE drives. It allows you to use IDE drives above the 128GB limit.
It physically fits (look at the linked picture above and in your Mac and compare) and all I can say is, that on the G4s PCI-Slots it gets one 65MB/s, should be that in a G5 that has real PCI-X it is faster. I "talked" two other membrs here "into" getting this PCI-X card and it works (they have another PCI-X card than mine, with green PCB), and mine (purple PCB) works, too.
All it has to have is a SIL3124 chip (SIL3132 should work as well, but some have reported problems with other cards that share this ship, the Sonnet has this chip, too) and you need the SIL3124 Mac driver, which can be downloaded from the link in the other thread. EDIT: (the SIL3124-Driver is needed for the "PC"-SATA-PCI-X card to work).
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I'd prefer to go whole hog with a 2TB drive--do you know if that driver works with SATA drives connected via SATA to IDE adapters?
Thanks!It physically fits (look at the linked picture above and in your Mac and compare) and all I can say is, that on the G4s PCI-Slots it gets one 65MB/s, should be that in a G5 that has real PCI-X it is faster. I "talked" two other membrs here "into" getting this PCI-X card and it works (they have another PCI-X card than mine, with green PCB), and mine (purple PCB) works, too.
All it has to have is a SIL3124 chip (SIL3132 should work as well, but some have reported problems with other cards that share this ship, the Sonnet has this chip, too) and you need the SIL3124 Mac driver, which can be downloaded from the link in the other thread.
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Intell…
If I follow that explanation to it's logical conclusion am I to understand that a PCI-X video card would function in a G4? Or would I be wrong? Is there even such a thing?
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You don't need the driver for drives connected via a SATA card or drives connected via Firewire/USB. Only drives on the IDE bus.
I have two 1TB hard drives connected to my SATA card and while I have the driver installed that was because I had IDE drives installed at one point. I just have not uninstalled the driver yet. But, I was using the full size of my SATA drives before I installed the drive, so it works as I mentioned.
As far as I know, there is no such thing as a PCI-X video card. Even if there was, it would have to be flashed for a Mac. That would require making a ROM for it. Then one would have to hope that the PCI-X video card is backwards compatible with PCI 32/64-bit slots.
I may have confused ptdebate with my interlude... so to clarify:
IDE-SATA-HiCap-Driver = needed to use SATA or IDE drives on the PowerMacs original ATA-Bus
SIL3124-SATA Driver = needed with non-Sonnet-SATA-PCI-X-Card as posted in the other thread or shown in the picture I linked.
no Driver = Sonnet-SATA-Cards.