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All G4s are PCI only. There are a number of 4 port PCI cards on eBay for Mac, most of them seem to be 3124. There is also a flashing thread here with a rom for a 3112.

You will only get SATA 1. Even the G5s are limited to SATA 1 and that's native.

No worries about drives or fans. I have three video cards (one with a Molex connector), one Firewire/USB card and one SATA card as well as multiple non-stock fans in my Quicksilver. The MDD has a more powerful PSU.
 
all G4s are 64bit PCI 33MHz (its why the slots are twice as long) there are a couple 4 port bootable SATA cards that will work in these slots http://www.firmtek.com/seritek/seritek-1v4/ this is a good card it works even under OS9 and use the 64bit slots to there fullest (one guy on another forum put 2 SSDs on this in Raid 0 in OS9 and got 190MB/S in OS9 LOL!)
 
You may try flashing a PCI-X sil3124 card such as those PB3124's in eBay with the SeriTek 2se4's firmware.
The ROM chip on the card probably has to be the PM39LV040 or others that are compatible with the firmware.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/bootable-sata-ii-pci-x-for-powermac-g5.1863488/

If it works, you will have an OS X bootable 64bit SATA-2 card with 4 internal ports.
How is OP going to make a PCI-X card work in a G4 MDD that is PCI only?

No G4 can use anything other than standard PCI.
 
How is OP going to make a PCI-X card work in a G4 MDD that is PCI only?

No G4 can use anything other than standard PCI.

I am unsure about that myself.

http://www.firmtek.com/seritek/seritek-2se4/spec/

"Some customers have reported compatibility issues when using the SeriTek/2SE4 with PowerMac G4 800MHz and 1.25GHz models."

Although the tone is leaning towards not compatible with G4's. But the word "some customers"
is still not clear enough if it's backward compatible with 33MHz PCI.

Beside, OWC thinks it is compatible with the MDD.
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?&model=169&type=HardDriveController&sort=d&cat=2330

I think he meant PCI 64 bit as the seritek 1se4 or the 2se4 for Tiger+ setups.

But he also said 66MHz which meant PCI-X. MDD's are just 33MHz. He will get PCI-X performance
once he moves to a (PCI-X equipped) G5 though.

The 1se4 is backward compatible with 33MHz but there is no PC version to be flashed from.
2se4 is unknown.
 
I was also under the impression that most PCI-X cards were backwards compatible, was I wrong?
I think so. I've yet to hear of anyone with that kind of card in a G4. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened, but no experienced user here has ever made that suggestion to my knowledge.
Great, something I don't need to worry about!
No, you don't need to worry about it.

I was typing quick last night as it was the third time I'd entered that message. My browser kept quitting out on me.

To clarify, I've got a case fan of higher CFM, a PSU fan of higher CFM, one 120mm high CFM fan mounted in the bottom (I knocked a hole in the bottom of the case), one 60mm intake fan and depending on how things are 1-2 additional 80mm high CFM fans.

Add in four PCI cards, an AGP card with a Molex connector, three internal SATA drives and a SATA DVD-DLSD, plus an external iSight camera and my Quicksilver is handling quite a load. Additionally, I have six displays connected, three of which are Cinema/Studio displays and their USB connectors.

I try and keep everything that is USB powered running through either a powered hub or on it's own power. My displays are using A1006 ADC/DVI adapters so they are drawing power from those and not the Mac. All those connectors are running into a powered USB 1.0 hub that's hooked up to one of my built in USB ports. The other built-in USB port handles my wired keyboard and a single BT USB dongle (for my wireless Magic Mouse). And I have one powered USB 2.0 hub connected to the USB 2.0/FW400 card. In this way I try and keep as much draw off the PSU as I can. But I can't do anything about what the actual cards, drives, fans and CPU draw.

As I said though, the MDD has a more powerful PSU and your setup is unlikely to be as loaded as mine so I don't think you'll have an issue. That said, you should know that MDD PSUs are prone to failure. If yours hasn't failed by this point you're probably good but this was one thing Apple had issues with when the MDDs were released.[/QUOTE]
 
I'm aware G4's are PCI only not PCI-X, that capability is for when it gets installed in a G5.
I was also under the impression that most PCI-X cards were backwards compatible, was I wrong?

I'm not sure if most are compatible with G4's. But there are several of PCI-X cards that are reported to be compatible.

Intel® PRO/1000 MT Dual Port Server Adapter, Apple's PCI-X gigabit ethernet card, Apple Fibre Channel 133MHz 64-bit PCI-X Card, etc.

Then there is Sonnet's tempo_sata_x4i which is a G4 compatible PCI-X, SATA-2 card:
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempo_sata_x4i.html (click the Technical Specifications tab)

SeriTek 1eVE2+2
http://barefeats.com/hard49.html

HighPoint RocketRAID 1820A
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/about_rocketraid_mac.htm

Just to name a few.




This one is interesting (as I previously replied). But it's risky since I've seen no one doing it before.


I would skip this one

From your replies in other threads, I guess you would probably like an Sil3112 based card better
since the procedure is already well established.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/guide-to-flashing-pc-sil3112-sata-cards-for-mac.1690231/

Your best bet is the black card with the same layout as this one:

black 3112.jpg


It used to be everywhere and very cheap (I got mine for about 10USD, free shipping).
However it seems that this version of card is running out. And the price has skyrocketed.

The current version is the red one. But I'm not sure if you could use the method described in that thread with it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-to-2-SA...112-3112-Card-Adapter-Converter-/331677428152
 

Hey, just found that that card has been confirmed to work in a G4. :)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/additional-hard-drives-in-powermac-g4-da.1826308/#post-20450855

Normally it's not bootable. But it seems most (if not all) of these cards come with MX29LV040 ROM
chip which "should be" compatible with FirmTek/SeriTek firmwares. Because it is one of the chips
that is supported by 1s2's firmware.

So one can try putting it into a PC and flash it with the 2se4's firmware.

Sadly, the seller doesn't ship to where I stay and his eBay store doesn't accept messaging.:(
 
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Nah, with the price+shipping of other sellers, I could have bought another MDD!
That's alright though, I've no real need for it, just for fun. ;)

Before flashing it though, I think you may want to give a look at its BIOS version,
to see if it is the same as one in the list here: http://www.siliconimage.com/support/

Click at the menu under "Product Support" and choose Sil3124. Then you will see
all versions of driver and BIOS's for the card from 2003 to 2010.

If it is the same, then just flash away. If not, you have to decide to keep that unique
firmware, by pulling the ROM chip out and replace it with another compatible one
(which may a bit hard to find), or not.

Basically, Silicon Image have 2 BIOS's for this card to choose form. The Base for
a non-RAID setup and the SATARAID for a RAID setup. And there are two sets of driver
for each setup. They recommend using the latest ones.

With all the BIOS's and drivers available, I think you can revert the card back
to the initial state if anything goes wrong.
 
sounds like you got a prototype Mac/GPU on that 450Mhz Sawtooth G4 since they came out in setptember 99 and that card is dated before that
 
Prism_electronics3 appears to have 850 of them?!
(but at $1,999 per lot of 85 of them, I'm so not suggesting they're necessarily the right place to buy from)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-85-S...772230?hash=item3cd6bd5d86:g:H0QAAOxy-W9ST0iM
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-85-S...772230?hash=item3cd6bd5d86:g:H0QAAOxy-W9ST0iM

I wonder what type of equipment do these cards come from? They are so many and so homogenous.

@ for this: So, basically, update the PC BIOS and download Mac drivers?

Yes, in case you want to use Silicon Image's firmware or things go wrong
after you flash it with SeriTek's 2se4 firmware and want to revert it back.
 
Update on the ATi Gire GL card I bought from eBay seller 'italod'...
Dead duck, it came pre taped, it was fairly neat, but didn't work.
Tidied the tape, still didn't work.
Retaped, very carefully, still didn't work.
Re-retaped, very very carefully, still didn't work.

Verdict,:- Dead duck. Disappointed but not exactly shocked.


I'll give it to a mate of mine, he's in manufacture, testing and occasionally development of circuit boards used in stuff like high-end medical equipment, high-end telecommunications, military, aerospace and even Formula1 occasionally.
(but never ever spy satellites, not never ever ever. Honest! - ahem - )
He's utterly brilliant, if he can't make it work, it'll never work.
It's been determined, here at least, that the FireGLs won't work on Quicksilvers. It's the one G4 system it will not work on.

I have two, both brand new and flashed but I also have a Quicksilver.
 
I have an MDD, not a Quicksilver*. If it works, it should work in that, shouldn't it?

I tried a FireGL on two different MDD's, did all the hokus-pokus with the taping etc. and could never get it to work.
I'm not saying it can't be done, just that it would not work for me.
 
You may try flashing a PCI-X sil3124 card such as those PB3124's in eBay with the SeriTek 2se4's firmware.
The ROM chip on the card probably has to be the PM39LV040 or others that are compatible with the firmware.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/bootable-sata-ii-pci-x-for-powermac-g5.1863488/

If it works, you will have an OS X bootable 64bit SATA-2 card with 4 internal ports.

has this ever been confirmed to work? flashing Sil3124 with 2SE4 firmtek firmware?
theres a number of silicon image pb3124 cards being blown out on ebay atm, can get 2 of them for under 40$ and they come with bios sockets + MX large flash eeproms (the same brand of chip was good for flashing the sil3112's?)
 
has this ever been confirmed to work? flashing Sil3124 with 2SE4 firmtek firmware?
theres a number of silicon image pb3124 cards being blown out on ebay atm, can get 2 of them for under 40$ and they come with bios sockets + MX large flash eeproms (the same brand of chip was good for flashing the sil3112's?)

I’m not sure (did they share the same chipset?), but I did see a 2se4 on there recently in working order.
 
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