MesaQuake Beta 9 is now available at http://valerie.inf.elte.hu/~boga/MesaQuake.html. Beta 9 fixes the teleported bug in the previous versions.

MacGurus sent word of an XLR8 CPU upgrade sale:

" MacGurus Leads the Market with Radical Price Drops on XLR8 G3 Daughtercards!

XLR8 by Interex MACh Speed ZIF G3's for Apple G3's and AIO's! (Shipping Now!)
G3Z 300MHz (1MB L2 @ 1.5:1) (G3Z300/1) $419.99!!
G3Z 333MHz (1MB L2 @ 2:1) (G3Z333/1) $459.99!!
G3Z 366MHz (1MB L2 @ 2:1) (G3Z366/1) $539.99!!
G3Z 400MHz (1MB L2 @ 2:1) (G3Z400/1) $649.99!!
G3Z 466MHz (1MB L2 @ 2:1) (G3Z466/1) $729.99!!
(YES! True 2:1 233MHz BSL2!)

MACh Speed G3 750's for PCI Power Macintosh!
(Shipping Now!)
G3 233MHz (512k L2 @ 117MHz) (G233/5k) $269.99!!
G3 266MHz (512k L2 @ 133MHz) (G266/5k) $299.99!!
G3 300MHz (512k L2 @ 120MHz) (G300/5) $389.99!!
G3 300MHz (1MB L2 @ 200MHz) (G300/1M) $489.99!!
G3 333MHz (1MB L2 @ 167MHz) (G333/1M) $529.99!!
G3 366MHz (1MB L2 @ 183MHz) (G366/1M) $599.99!!
G3 400MHz (1MB L2 @ 200MHz) (G400/1M) $729.99!!
(The Best for Less!)

Alsoft Disk First Aid Patch: Bob Friede sends another news tip on a patch that fixes a bug in Apple's Disk First Aid. Here's a quote from the patch info:

"Disk First Aid contains a bug which causes the program to overlook errors in directory record key lengths of Mac OS Extended (HFS Plus) disks. All versions of Disk First Aid which support HFS Plus disks are affected. The results of this bug include missed damage, misdiagnosis of damage, and crashes. "

Get it at: www.alsoft.com/AskAl/askalreport-dfa1.html. (Thanks again Bob!)

ATI Trade-Up Offer: I remembered this was mentioned several months back (when it was offered for PC Rage128 buyers). Now that the Mac Rage128 is getting ready to ship (early May I'm told) the offer has been extended to Mac owners as well:

"ATI wants to say "thank you" to all our customers that own Mac based products. The best way to say "thank you" is to offer cash rebates to those who want to upgrade their current cards. Another added bonus of the MAC Loyalty program, you get to keep your original card ! Visit www.atitech.com/ca_us/trade_rebate/trade_ups/trade_up.html "

Retrospect Driver Update: Bob Friede sent a note that Dantz's Retrospect (and R.Express) 4.1 driver update v1.7 is out their updates page.

QT4 and MP3:

" You've probably already heard this tip, but I noticed the complex workaround for stuttering MP3 play on the page today and thought I'd share. After importing an MP3 into QT4 on my B&W 400, I extract the sound file, and then play that resulting untitled QT4 window. That seems to completely clear up the stuttering MP3 play for me. Thank you for xlr8yourmac. It's great.
Jamie Anderson "

In a follow-up to the info posted in the news recently, Orange Micro has a press release on their OrangePC 500/600 series CPU card compatibility with B&W G3s with the 1.02 firmware update.

Quake3 Tip:

"I just thought I'd pass along a tip on getting those "corona" lighting effects that I've seen on ID-posted screenshots of Quake III. You may have noticed that no setting in the games menus will produce the effect. What I did is edit the qconfig.cfg file to read:

seta r_flares "1"
or maybe it was the:
seta r_overBrightBits "1"

that did the trick. Either way it did the job. I don't know if this is how the game will actually render those effects but it does work.

I'd be really interested in hearing others tips on the best settings for the Rage 128 with Quake III Test.
Scott"

I've asked Scott if he can pinpoint the exact change.

There is a debate going on in my 3DFx Forums about MC vs VT 3dfx cards (Voodoo2 vs Banshee). It's in the "Open Letter..." thread. There is an very interesting quote from Marc Schmidt with regards to their unreleased Voodoo2 drivers:

"...actually really make me think about the possibility of releasing our Voodoo2 drivers which are still designed for reference boards as - you name it: shareware (!). This way everybody buying a cheap WinTel Voodoo2 card could get a fairly descent product and yet support the Mac community as well for a bargain. The more I think about it the more appealing this idea becomes. :-) "

MesaQuake Beta 8 It's available at the MesaQuake page and is said to have a mesaconfig.cfg file that allows adjustment of screen refresh rates. (Thanks Jeff!)

The 3D Gaming News page has a massive update from frank with much more than I could summarize here. A must read for Mac gamers, check it out.

G3 CPU Temperatures: Many times I've mentioned in the news that I don't believe the temperatures reported by utilities like Speedmeter are accurate, at least on the new Lonestar series of CPUs. Last night I was running the PowerForce 400 ZIF at 466Mhz, which ran fine with the case closed for hours. I was experimenting with a new IDE device with the case open for about 15 minutes. As B&W G3 owners know, the CPU runs hotter with the case open due to less airflow over the heatsink, and after several minutes the heatsink was uncomfortable to keep your finger on, yet Speedmeter reported only 31C. In fact after several minutes the system was not reliable due to the temperature increase, with errors in the finder, launching apps, etc. I'd guess the reported temperature was at least 20-30C off, maybe more considering it is reporting internal junction temperature. Bottom Line - especially if you own a 300 or faster G3, don't believe the temperatures are accurate.

Lombard Wish List: Things I'd like to see in the next-generation high-end Powerbook:

• 8MB Video RAM standard - 4MB does not allow RAVE mode at 1024x768 on current powerbooks and would be beneficial for my next wish list item.
• Dual monitor support - it would be nice to have a VGA port that would allow more than just mirroring.
• Modular video for upgrades - Dell's Inspiron 7000 has the AGP RagePro on a module to allow future upgrades. If the rumored future incorporation of Rage128 features into the RageProLT chip are true, this would allow upgrading the module for better performance.
• Modular, 3rd Party upgradable CPUs - Noted by MacOSRumors to already be in the design. This surprises me that Apple would make them 3rd Party upgradeable (no ROM on the CPU module).
• Easier RAM Upgrades -xpansion from the bottom of the notebook like most WinTel notebooks, not by a massive disassembly of the unit as is now required on Wallstreet designs (see my Inside the Powerbook G3 for a guide to upgrading RAM in the Wallstreet).
• Better Cooling - The current Powerbooks run too hot in my opinion. New PII notebook designs put the CPU at the corner of the motherboard with a quiet fan that is thermostat controlled. This makes even a PII 366 mobile run far cooler than a G3/250 Powerbook. By putting the CPU near the edge of the notebook, heat is exhausted out more efficiently and with a quieter, smaller fan. Apple seems to hate fans, but they can be low-noise and the benefits to the customer should be the primary design goal.
• USB and FireWire - USB Ports have been standard on PC notebooks for years now, it's time they were on the Mac. I'm sure the Lombard will have both Firewire and USB standard.

More OS 8.6 Tips: A reader says that rebuilding your desktop file (comand+option keys held down at boot) is a must after upgrading to OS 8.6, and will eliminate many of the errors/problems that have been reported with the betas and GM version.

QT4 -Saving Streaming Videos: John DeWeese sent this tip on saving streaming video files:

"Set quicktime to save to disk and then once it finished downloading do a search for .mov files and copy it elsewhere. Movie has worked well, between that and the quake3 test, it's actually gotten the pc guys to spend time in the mac section (now if we could just get them to understand them!).
John DeWeese "

More BW G3 Firmware Update Comments:

"Hey Mike. Thanks for the great site! Just updated my ROM in my BW G3... I can see no performance difference in anything. The only thing I notice is that Unreal now has small (2-3 pixel) bar artifacts on the right side of my monitor now. I play it at 800x600, 32-bit color, 100 MB of RAM allotted to the game. No major deal, but an annoyance, considering this was supposed to be a PCI performance "upgrade."
Take care, Scott"

I've not run Unreal since the update but do not see this in Quake3 or Rave Quake. The most promising news on the update were the reports of some PCI Cards now working after the update (Audio and Orange Micro cards as noted on my Firmware Update page).

MesaQuake B7 Feedback: Reader comments on the new MesaQuake B7 noted on the Quake3 Tips page yesterday:

"rocket trails are reduced in quality. cartoonish. otherwise it's very fast with a voodoo2
system:
7600/plG3 220/110/240MB ram
processor clocked to 315/126

timerefresh at 800x600/3/4 textures/high everything/trilinear = 38fps
very playable on a crowded server/test2 with DSL and 150 ping.

Also it occurs to me that some of the servers are underpowered for running this game. we neeeeed 500mhz p3 servers.
Byron Franek "

To keep you informed of all the latest 3D Graphics card news (regardless of platform), I just received a press release that Number Nine Visual Technology Corp. today announced full details of its SR9 Series of graphics accelerator cards for both corporate and high-end gaming PC users. The SR9 is said to deliver blazing 2D, 3D and DVD features at a very low price. The card is based on the recently announced S3 Savage4 Pro graphics chip, which has a unique texture compression feature that and 4X AGP capability. See the press release for more details. Since PCI versions will be offered and Number Nine is now offering their Revolution IV cards for the Mac (as part of their Digital Flat Panel Solution pack), I'm inquiriing to see if there are any plans for a Mac version of the SR9.

If you don't check the news daily, you're sure to miss something useful/interesting. Check the summary list below. For a blast from the past, read what was on the news page here exactly a year ago.

Other Net News:

• MegaSeg (Music Mixer) Review (iTeen)
• Mac Upgrade and Repair Bible (iTeen)
• Outbreak: How a Y2K Plague could bring us all down (ZD/Net)
• Ultra-SCSI fights Back (Unix Performance news) [Thanks to Greg Santilli]
• Java bug crashes Windows 95, 98 (News.com)
• Microsoft Promises Better Support (PCWorld)
• Digital Recorder Does Voice-to-Text (PCworld)
• Intel Pushes Multimedia Higher Optimized for Pentium III, high-end 752 chip speeds video and 3D rendering (PCworld)
• Ten Freq. Questions About Linux (C/Net)

Tuesday's News Summary

• ID comments on Q3Test Issues
• Voodoo3 in a Mac verified
• 3D Game News page updated
• Quake3 Tips page updated
  (DM screenshots/MesaQuake/more)
• WD 27GB ATA/66 Hard drive
• Sony delays 200MB floppy
• Wired4DVD decoder and PC DVD drives
• Sonnet G3/6500 conflict with ATI VR card
• New MesaQuake Beta7 released
• IDE cable comments
• OS 7.x tip for Quake3test
• TIL on 10/100 hubs
• QT4/MP3 Playback Tip
• OrangeMicro PCfx/Ethernet fix
• CIH 1.2 Virus Victim story
• PowerJolt 400 review
• Rate Your G3 Upgrade database updated
• Other Net News

Monday's News Summary

• 3D Gaming News Quake3/Half-Life updates
• More rumors of Mac TNT2
• Quake 3 Tips/Screenshots page posted
• More OS 8.6 GM Feedback
• Lower Powerbook temperatures with OS 8.6?
• More details on WiredDVD Card
• Reader report on Premiere 4.2LE Upgrade
• OrangePC CPU Card in B&W G3
• B&W G3 ROM Update fixes issues with PCI Cards
• OS 8.6 w/B&W Firmware Update report
• Reminder on site LAN tutorial
• BW G3 Firmware Update page revised
• G3 CPU Upgrade Ratings database updated
• Other Net News

For other recent site news/features links, see Main news page Topics pages and the Recent Site Features page.

If you own a G3 or later Mac, you might want to get our PPC Checker utility that will report if your CPU is copper or aluminum based.

Considering a CPU Upgrade? Check the CPU Upgrade Owner's Survey results and search for owner reports by Mac model and/or card brand. The database is being updated daily for new reports. Also make sure you ask your dealer about any issues with current builds of some models (ie PF G3) as I have gotten several reports of issues with certain mac models in the last few months (Mach 5, PowerBase, 7300). I urge any owners that have had problems to report this via the Survey Form. Always give the most weight to recent owner reports (dated in the listing).

-Show All Topics-

B&W G3 Related:

-Firmware Update
-MagicScan G3
(912K G3/Scanner Fix)
ATI OpenGL
FireWire 2.0
[File Download]
OEM B&W Ultra2 SCSI
[File Download]
Miles/MilesU2 Updates
ATTO ExpressPCI 1.3.4
(U2 & UW cards)
Rage128 Update 1.0 (485K bin)
or Binhex (660K)
ATTO ExpressPro-Tools [2.1.1]
3940UW v4.1b1 ROM
(Get the 4.0 control below as well)
2940UW v4.1 ROM &
2940UW Control 4.0
Formac PowerRaid Updates
[get hqx version]
Jackammer v1.4 Update
VirtualGameStation 1.1
Plaintalk Enabler
[For B&W/iMac]

Other G3 Models:
-Umax MagicScan v4 (912K)
(G3/Scanner Fix)
OrangeMicro 930U Beta
PPC Checker
Int. Modem Scripts
Apple Modem Update
[File Download]
PB G3 Modem 1.0.2
G3 Modem Update (V.90/56Flex)
See VersionTracker's G3 page for others...

G3 CPU Cards:
Vimage PB1400/2400
Vimage G3/240
(Vimage Update Info)
MacTell G3 Cntl
XLR8 Cache Cntl v1.3 [628KB]
PowerLogix SW
 -Cache Cntl 1.5.1
 -Speedmeter 1.3
 -GuardBit 1.0b2
  (Retrospect fix)
MAXpowr G3 1.3.7
XLR8 Cache Cntl 1.2

Misc/General:
Fuse 1.8.1
Virtual PC 2.1.3
OrangeMicro 930U Beta
MP850 v1.01 update (2.8MB)
ATI OpenGl Drvrs
Office98 GUID Patch
NAV 5.03
April 99 NAV Defs
Java Runtime 2.1.1
Drive Setup 1.7.2
USB Overdrive
Mesa OpenGL
USB Drivers
Blue Label Update 1
Mouseworks 5.20 (1.5M)
Inspire 3D 1.0C (7.2MB)
NavCom Cache Cntl 1.3
Logitech MouseWare USB
Yamaha CRW4416 ROM v1.0f
(See Mac Update Utility page)
Apple Displays Software 1.7.1
GV V.90 Flex Preferred Script
IE 4.5 Plug-in Updater
Farallon NIC Update
Lightwave 5.6D GL Update
(7.9MB Download)
MacTell Vision3D Pro/Lite 5.4.0
(ROM update also)

Formac GA 5.4.0
(Graphics Card Driver)
Stuffit Expander 5.1

Games Related:
MesaQuake(GL)
Joyport Update
(InputSprocket fix)
Myth Updates
Unreal Updates
MacMame(emulator)
3Dfx Checker Util
Descent 3Dfx
FutureCop 101A
MP850 Glide Drivers
CVGS v1.2
T.Raider2 Update

OS 8.5 Related
Check VersionTracker
for other updates.

See also Apple's Software Updates

Apple TIL Updates

Check here for cool Sherlock Plugins