You are correct. The latest VLC is absolutely the best. ver 2.0 wasn't fast but they optimized it further. Zen's blog on video playback is outdated I'm afraid.
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Purchased NOS FireGL X3 on eBay for G4
- Thread starter ptdebate
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You are correct. The latest VLC is absolutely the best. ver 2.0 wasn't fast but they optimized it further. Zen's blog on video playback is outdated I'm afraid.
OK. Took a chance on this.
The original auction/Buy Me Now ended, but the same seller had another one for the exact same thing and listed the exact same way.
So we shall see if I have a working FireGL X3 in my QS soon.
P.S. Seller indicates he has shipped.
The original auction/Buy Me Now ended, but the same seller had another one for the exact same thing and listed the exact same way.
So we shall see if I have a working FireGL X3 in my QS soon.
P.S. Seller indicates he has shipped.
Great! After fiddling with the G5 for a bit, I've now reinstalled my FireGL x3 in its permanent home, the trusty Digital Audio G4.
I think the 9600XT is going in my G5 now so I can finally power that Studio Display that's been sitting around.
Strike TWO!
FireGL X3 card number two does not work in my Quicksilver. I got a little bit different hassle this time (chime, no boot), but every time I did get a boot the card was not recognized.
I am now over $120 into this with two brand new cards I can't use in my QS.
There will not be a strike three I'm done.
Radeon 9800 Pro it is.
The next MDD or G5 I get is going to have an awesome setup with two FireGL cards!
FireGL X3 card number two does not work in my Quicksilver. I got a little bit different hassle this time (chime, no boot), but every time I did get a boot the card was not recognized.
I am now over $120 into this with two brand new cards I can't use in my QS.
There will not be a strike three I'm done.
Radeon 9800 Pro it is.
The next MDD or G5 I get is going to have an awesome setup with two FireGL cards!
It sounds like your computer and mine have similar temperaments, although I can sometimes get the 9600 PC & Mac to work(albeit not reliably).
Wasn't the card you bought advertised to work in the Quicksilver? If so, I'd personally send it back. As Altemose points out, you're not going to be able to use two of them in any MDD or G5.
Here's the relevant auction text
To me, he's advertising it as being compatible with those models, but then trying to weasel his way out by saying it might not work.
Ebay frowns on that-either you advertise it as it works or it doesn't work.
In my Ebay listings, if I'm unsure about anything I will qualify it by saying "please buy this under the assumption that X does not work."
It's definitely an Item Not Received case, and the seller should take it back.
I've been buying and selling on Ebay for a long time. I used my Dad's account(with his supervision/permission) from 1998-2006, and then opened my own. My feedback score is close to 600 on my personal account, probably about evenly split between buying and selling(and also bearing in mind that Ebay has rules about how they count feedback from the same buyer/seller as well as the fact that not all transactions result in feedback). My current seller ranking is "Above Standard." I try to follow the rules to the letter and the spirit, even though it's an ongoing battle to keep up.
I can just about guarantee you that Ebay would force the seller to accept a return on this auction.
Except, I'm an idiot. Yes.Except aren't they both AGP cards?
Didn't realize that until AFTER I embarrassed myself!
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I'm just going to keep it. I will have a use for it at some point. Not that I couldn't fight for it but I knew the risk. The seller did his job, he shipped promptly and packed well.
I am disappointed it doesn't work in my QS, but that isn't the seller's fault.
In any case, I see it this way. I currently have two good high-end cards that are available for a future purchase of mine.
It's better than making that purchase and then having to find a card for it. Sooner or later there will be something I can use it for.
Except, I'm an idiot. Yes.
Didn't realize that until AFTER I embarrassed myself!
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I'm just going to keep it. I will have a use for it at some point. Not that I couldn't fight for it but I knew the risk. The seller did his job, he shipped promptly and packed well.
I am disappointed it doesn't work in my QS, but that isn't the seller's fault.
In any case, I see it this way. I currently have two good high-end cards that are available for a future purchase of mine.
It's better than making that purchase and then having to find a card for it. Sooner or later there will be something I can use it for.
I can certainly relate to that...and trust me when I say that I have a stack of high end video cards sitting that currently have no use but may in the future.
I also have a HUGE stack of not-so-high end cards(Rage 128s, GeForce 2MXs, 4MXs, Radeon 7500s and Radeon 9000s). I keep the 2MXs handy because they will drop into a Cube. 7500s will also, although not as nicely as a 2MX. The 4MX and 9000s are good(but not great) cards for older 2x towers that can't even use most of the high end cards. I even ram across another 2MX Twin-View the other day that I didn't know I had(identifiable by having 8 RAM DIPPs rather than the 4 on the standard card).
Rage 128s are handy for testing. With my current obsession with Old World ROM Macs, I've been snapping up the PCI version of this card as they make life easy in PCI-based OWR Macs. They can comfortably run a 1280x1024 display with 32 bit color in OS 7.5-9.2.2, something the built-in video can't do. They also give you VGA out, so there's no fooling around with dongles.
I've tried my flashed card in a couple of different 2002 model Quicksilvers, which as far as I know primarily differ from early ones in that they have native "big" drive support. One of mine started life as the low end 800mhz model, and the other is a factory dual 1ghz.
I've also tried mine in three different Digital Audio G4s, which internally are very similar to a Quicksilver. All three are the low-end single 533mhz.
I think that Erik's QS is a first generation one that started life as a 733mhz. I don't currently have one of these fully running(although I've given away two of them) although do have one that was assembled from spare parts and currently lacks a processor. I also have a first generation dual 800mhz, which I haven't tried the card in.
Mine works great in the MDDs where I've tried it(most recently, I used it in a single 1.25 MDD 2003, but have also used it in the first generation dual 1ghz). The only issue I've found is that it gives a weird grayscale screen in Leopard(but strangely not in Tiger) until the ATI drivers are installed(the 9600 PC&Mac does the same thing in all versions of OS X it supports).
I'm so sorry, Erik! I know that frustration far too well. And I feel some degree of responsibility too since it was my success with the Digital Audio which prompted your purchase.
Might I suggest that you test the card after removing one of your other graphics cards (or perhaps rearrange your outputs so that the rail that the molex going to the FireGL is on is a little less crowded? I can't help but think that there may be a power issue at play since you have so many cards.
And just to be sure, did you download and install the ATI 4.5.7 display panel and drivers for Mac?
Don't worry about it, it was my choice to make. It'd be different if you'd held a gun to my head or something like that.
I might try what you suggest at a later point when I feel like fooling with the system again, but two points to consider.
One, I already have a 9800 Pro on the bus. It also has Molex power and won't boot if it's not connected. Unless the FireGL draws significantly more power than the 9800 Pro there shouldn't be any reason that power is an issue.
I might also add that I did in fact do this with the previous FireGL (removed the other video cards) just to see it it was a power issue.
Two, because of 9800, the latest drivers have been installed for over a year now. The 9800 itself is no slouch and makes the same driver requirement demands as the FireGL.
I will however, probably try this quite soon. Changes to the laptops I have coming are also going to affect the QS which means the case will be open…and so on.
EDIT: Honestly though, for whatever reason I think this is a taping issue. As in, my Mac does not seem to like taped cards. The 9800 Pro I use now is the retail version intended for a G4 Mac. It's not taped. Any other taped card (including a flashed 9800 Pro) I've tried results in the same thing - nothing.
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I have used plenty of taped 9600XTs in the same computers that give me issues with the FireGL X3. I've yet to encounter a 4x AGP Mac where a taped 9600XT wouldn't work.
I don't mean to sound patronizing at all, but are you sure you're taping them correctly? If so, have you considered finding another quicksilver (ideally for dirt cheap) and just transferring everything over to it (i guess that probably would be a lot of work given your fan setup).
I retaped the original card twice. I retaped a 9800 Pro three times and I retaped this one twice.
What can I say. No tape, no chime, Mac acts like it's dead. Tape in the correct spots and the Mac chimes and boots, just does not recognize the card.
Bunns can back me up since he has the same issue and he's got way more experience in this then I do.
It's not a big deal. My 9800 Pro is still functional and sooner (hopefully rather than later) I'll have a Mac to put this card in.
I bought one too for my PowerMac G5. It's much, MUCH quieter than my previous video card (7800GS, a flashed BFG monstrosity with a noisy fan). Score: 16040 ATI vs 14709 7800GS.
I won't bother to try it in my MDD. Mac OS 9 most likely won't recognize it.
I won't bother to try it in my MDD. Mac OS 9 most likely won't recognize it.
Hey guys,
Just a little practical demonstration of the power of this card.
I'm running Civilization IV in the image below. On max settings. In 1600p. On my 2001 PowerMac.
I like to disable AA and a few effects and animations to achieve a fast frame rate, but with the below settings it's definitely playable.
Edit: Just to put this into perspective, the system requirements of this game demand a G5 or Intel machine, and here it is on a G4! And not even a late model at that
Just a little practical demonstration of the power of this card.
I'm running Civilization IV in the image below. On max settings. In 1600p. On my 2001 PowerMac.
I like to disable AA and a few effects and animations to achieve a fast frame rate, but with the below settings it's definitely playable.
Edit: Just to put this into perspective, the system requirements of this game demand a G5 or Intel machine, and here it is on a G4! And not even a late model at that
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I don't know why these cards are so hit-and-miss.
I'm working on buying ptdebate's DA along with the FireGL he had working in it, so hopefully I'll have one good combination of working cards.
I also am going to put my other FireGL in one of my MDDs-probably the dual 1.25-so that it's not sitting on the shelf.
I'm working on buying ptdebate's DA along with the FireGL he had working in it, so hopefully I'll have one good combination of working cards.
I also am going to put my other FireGL in one of my MDDs-probably the dual 1.25-so that it's not sitting on the shelf.
The last two sellers I bought these cards from all indicated that they would work in a QS, but covered themselves by stating they could not guarantee it.
Right now, I have two brand new FireGL X3 cards that do not work in my QS. Thanks for the link, but I am not going to add a third to my collection.
I do not know if it's my logicboard, or what, but so far any card requiring taped pins (whether it worked previously in a G4 or not) does not work in my QS. The logicboard in my Mac would be the 2001 QS board with the large HD restriction. I get around the latter by using a SATA card.
Since I now have this card, can any of you tell me what would happen if you didnt hook up the power to it? Having faulty power connectors on past (An ATI Radeon X1600 and a ATI Radeon HD2400) when the power was not connected there was either no video or a warming message saying the power isnt conencted. Also, does this card use 12V or 5V?
A SATA card is on my list. Do you have the Sonnet Tempo SATA or a flashed card? If you have the latter, can you flash one INSIDE a PowerMac or do I need a PC?
The same thing would happen. You'd be advised to hook power up to it.
Mine is a $10 two port flashed PC card. So far, it's the only PC card I have flashed that went perfectly the very first time and the only one that has so far worked. Harrymatic had a post on this so I searched for a card with the exact same chip he mentioned. As it turns out, for some reason other users with a QS could not boot off the cards they flashed with the provided ROM. But for some reason it's always worked on my QS. I have never had an issue booting my QS from that card. I only had to make sure that I had the data cables in the correct ports. On my card, the boot drive has to be connected to the top port.
As to flashing it, I did it on a PC. Via Harrymatic's instructions, that's the only way you can do it.
Harrymatic saved me about $70 by doing this.