Mac Quake3 Point Release (Beta) Patch: I've been offline until just now but spotted a note in my 3dfx forums that a Mac Quake3 Beta Patch has been posted. See this page at Blue's News for mirrors. See my 3Dfx forums post for a list of changes/fixes and a note from one reader that said after the patch that OpenGL would not initialize. (I just installed the update here on the G4 and had no problems so far with my Voodoo2 SLI.)
'Free DSL' May Not Be: PCWorld has a story on one example where
'free' DSL access has strings attached. Details are in their Free DSL Comes With a Price.
= 3:00PM Update Follows =
More PF G4/350 Feedback: Josh Lewis replies to the PF G4 report posted earlier today with some tips and an update to his previous post in my database:
"Hi Mike,
It's Josh Lewis here again. I think I was the first one besides you to
add a G4 report in your CPU database. Any I think I might know why The
other guy with the powerforce G4/350 is getting better results with the
sonnet software.
I think it might be that sonnet's controls turn a lot of things on
automatically. Including dynamic power management. My G4 really did not
behave well or feel that pleasing until I enabled power management on the
"Other" panel of the g3/G4 cache profiler.
After living with this upgrade awhile longer I think I would Give it a
slightly better grade than I had in the database. This card works for me and
I also discovered it run stable at 400/160/50.
-Josh Lewis
"
I thought that Dynamic Power Managment was enabled by default when I installed the software here. From what I understood of that feature it allows the CPU to power down (reduce clock speed, etc.) during idle periods but I've asked Powerlogix for more details. BTW: I posted an update below that notes my Jackhammer PCI SCSI card works fine with the PF G4 in my 9600/350. The reader's Jackhammer might have a different firmware version perhaps.
Speaking of Powerlogix cards, George Cole sent a note their Small Dog/MW Expo specials are still available for a limited time:
"Hey Mike,
Just wanted to let you know that Small Dog is still running MacWorld
specials on some of our upgrade cards until the end of this week.
Not all cards are in stock at this time, but you can still lock in
the lower price.
These two cards are still in stock:
PowerForce G3 300 ONLY $225
PowerForce G4 350 ONLY $555
These cards are out of stock, but you can still lock in the low price:
PowerForce G3 250 ONLY $155 *out of stock*
PowerForce G3 500 ONLY $555 *out of stock*
PowerForce G3 500 ZIF ONLY $555 *out of stock*
Customers can order via this link
"
= 1:30PM Update Follows =
Rate Your CPU Upgrade Reviews Exceed 3000 reports! This morning I added the latest reader reports into the database that put the total at 3,001. Thanks for all that take the time to enter their ratings and comments. Among the new entries was this interesting one from a PowerForce G4/350 owner that noted he's using Sonnet's control software. Not sure that is kosher (licensing wise), but the report is interesting.
"
9600/350 w/Powerlogix G4/350 upgrade running 420/210
768mb ram, Turbomax w/20gb Barracuda, Proformance III, OS 9.
Disappointed at first; very unstable w/ Powerlogix software regardless of cache setting (write thru enabled/disabled) or speculative addressing (on/off), or any combination of the two. OS 8.6 or 9.0 didn't make any difference either. I would have sent it back but downloaded Sonnet's software and it runs perfectly, very stable for 5 weeks now. Card is incompatible w/ Panasonic 7502 CDR and Jackhammer; replaced w/Yamaha and Turbomax (the Turbomax is a worthwhile upgrade in itself). MB scores, proc. 1342, fpu 1571, disk 1996 w/ 2mb cache. Photoshop is almost twice as fast finishing the 21 filter test in 137 sec. BTW, OS 9 is slightly faster than 8.6 in Photoshop w/ the G4.
Jeff"
I asked what firmware revision he has in the Jackhammer. [Update: I just swapped out my ATTO U2 SCSI card in my 9600/350 with a Jackhammer (v1.4 firmware) and it booted and seems to run fine with the PF G4/350 here.] Other than VPC 3.0, I've had no general problems running the PF G4/350 with their G3/G4 Cache Profiler v1.3 and Altivec Enabler v1.0.
Remember in most older Macs G4 (and G3) owners should run Speculative Processing OFF. The 'Mach 5/Kansas' motherboard systems (8600/250 and up, 9600/300 and up) are claimed to have 'clean' ROMs that allow speculative processing and I've ran G4 cards in my 9600/350 with it enabled fine, however there could be disastrous results with a G4 CPU in other models of pre-G3 Macs with Speculative Processing enabled. This makes it important for G4 owners to install the software for their G4 card before installing the card. This is not an issue with Newer Tech cards as they have a hardware solution instead of the virtual firmware of other brands. It's also not an issue of course for Apple G3 or later systems.
The PF G4/350 ran fine here in my 9600/350 in most every application (Photoshop 5.5, After Effects, etc.) except for Virtual PC 3.0, which would hang at the Windows screen. (VPC 3 ran fine with XLR8 G4 card so it's not a G4 compatibility issue in general). A clean OS 9 install fixed an issue with Premiere 4.2.1 and I will try a reinstall of VPC 3 to see if that helps. After these issues are settled I'll be posting a review of the PF G4/350 card. So far the PF G4/350 has ran at 400MHz fine with this review sample.
BTW: with a clean install and trimming of OS 9 it seems much snappier than before. In case you missed it, see the notes on the 4 Altivec OS 9 extensions that are not installed by default except on Apple G4 systems (noted in my G4 upgrade reviews last fall). The CPU Upgrades page has links to XLR8 and Newer Tech G4 upgrade reviews that list the extensions and how to extract them from the OS 9 CD. The sidebar here under CPU Related articles also has links to reviews.
Speaking of the Turbomax card, I reviewed it here last spring. Beware of A/V capture/playback issues in pre-G3 Macs but otherwise I liked it at the old price at least. Last night I noticed my Turbomax card's main controller chip has "Acard" on it. This backs up the comments in the news last year that Acard was the OEM of the Turbomax card. Since the Turbomax lists at $199 now, the Acard ATA/66 card looks like a better deal. They promised to send one for review. See the FAQ's IDE/SCSI/Controllers topic area for links and pricing on the Acard from recent news pages here.
G4 Plaintalk Mic Option: Andy Nelson wrote that the PowerMac G4 Accessories options include a $15 Plaintalk Mic kit. (It's not listed as an option on the regular G4 BTO pages however, only on the Accessories links on the front page of the Apple Store.) I didn't notice this before and a common complaint on the G4s was that it doesn't come with a Mic standard as did previous models (at least up to the B&W G3).
More AIWA USB Tape Drive/PCI USB Card Reports: In reply to a post in yesterday's news
regarding a MacAlly PCI USB card (using Apple 1.2 USB Card drivers) having Retrospect backup errors solved by switching to a Keyspan USB card (with their own drivers), several readers wrote to say they were using the same tape drive fine with other brands of USB cards. Here's a few reports from owners of XLR8 USB cards:
"Hello,
Regarding the reader's problem with the AIWA tape drive and a PCI USB card,
I've had no problems with the drive under this set-up:
MacOS 9
USB software 1.2
Umax S900, Carrier card w/366 G3
Interex 2-port USB PCI card
AIWA TD-U8000
So, it works on more than just the Keyspan.
--Keith Johns
"
Another reader reported using 1.3.5 with the XLR8 card and Retrospect 4.2:
"Hi Mike,
I was reading Warren Nagourneys note about the Aiwa USB Travan tape
drive. About two months ago I purchase the Aiwa drive and an XLR8 2 port
USB PCI card and have been backing up three computers at home on our
personal network without a hitch (boy do I hate making claims like
that!) The USB card has been working flawlessly on my PM7500/G3/450.
Even got my son one so can use the iShock controller from MacAlly.
That's running just fine too.
The software I use for backing up is Retrospect 4.2 with clients on
the other machines. The USB drivers are version 1.3.5 [running OS 8.6]
Gary Sawtelle"
This reader notes an 'OEM' (PC I assume) USB card also worked fine but included a tip
on G3 cache mode that he had to use:
"Hi. I noticed a mention of compatibility problems between a USB card and
the AIWA USB Drive. I've been using the drive with an OEM USB PCI card and
version 1.2 of Apple's drivers. I had to set my Powerlogix G3/400 to use
"Write Through" mode for the backside cache, otherwise my computer would
lock up after using the tape drive for a few minutes. With the "Write
Through" mode set, I haven't had any problems.
--Jeff
"
Another report of cheap PC USB cards working and notes on XLR8's PowerControl and OS 9 incompatibility:
"
Good day Mike,
Just wanted to pass along a note that I was able to get the Aiwa
USB drive to backup with the cheapest of the cheap-- the Siig
2-port PCI USB card. I think it was $15 or $20 from Microcenter
when I got it. Anyway, backing up data went off without a hitch.
My system configuration is below for reference.
There was one problem-- that with my G3 upgrade after installing
the PCI card. Using the 1.3.5 USB drivers from Apple, I did experience
some slowdowns and stability issues. After running XLR8's testing
utility, I found that it reported my CPU as running at 0MHz (though
the control panel read the right value) and an MPNotifyQue error.
Anyway, I tested a few things and ended up pulling the USB card
and doing a clean reinstall the OS. Stability improved but PowerControl
still reported 0mhz. I called XLR8... quick aside:
If you have a question and call them go to their PC voicemaze
option. They require you to leave a message on the Mac side...
and that message wasn't responded to for over a week. When it
was, they just said to call them back and leave another message.
An email or 2 didn't work either. Calling them up and choosing
Interex/PC parts, I was able to talk to someone right away who
could help me and in fact was working on a Mac. Still think they
have great customer service, though.
Apparently PowerControl is NOT OS 9 ready and read 0 MHz for
the tech I spoke with at XLR8 as well.
I haven't tried putting the card back in or going to the 1.2
drivers... I plan to do so shortly.
Just wanted to let you know that another brand of PCI card worked
flawlessly (in terms of transfering data) to the drive. And the
XLR8 PowerControl issue.
--Pete
System Info:
7500/g3 333 (ZifCarrier)
OS 9 (8.6 on secondary stock HD)
Siig PCI->USB (1.3.5 drivers)
Initio U2W card w/Barracuda LVD 9GB drive
Voodoo 3 2000
Hybrid cable modem (avoid hybrid if you ever get the option)"
For more info on PowerControl, see my article on the utility posted last year. There may be a later version of PowerControl at XLR8's web site than is shipping on past CDs, I know one was planned some time back.
I'll be adding these reports to the USB section of my FAQ for future reference.
Umax Cache Doubler Compatibility Notes: Peter Chin wrote with some info on
Cache Doubler and busmastering PCI cards:
"As long as you're covering UMAX issues..
Recently I found that after picking up the UMAX Cache Doubler
from SmallDog for $9, that it was incompatible with USB PCI cards.
Installing the UCD in a C600/240 with a Keyspan USB card resulted
in crashes during startup. I found out on the SuperMacs mailing list
that the Alchemy motherboards only allowed bus mastering from
one slot, and that the Cache Doubler actually enables bus mastering
for itself in some manner (even though it's in the CPU ZIF slot,)
causing a collision on startup. It's said that almost all USB cards
along with some Ethernet cards (especially 10/100 cards) will not
work with Cache Doubler. I'd imagine if you could get a CommSlot
Ethernet on the C600 it wouldn't matter, but it's a real blow to
anyone buying a cheap Cache Doubler who wants USB connectivity.
BTW, I also went back to Apple's USB Software v.1.2 as it was causing
massive slowdowns in MPEG playback from VideoCD's..
Peter Chin
"
More on Beige G3/Toshiba 6X DVD Drive: As a follow-up to yesterday's report from Sandy
I had asked him to verify that the drive was set to slave (with no master?):
"
Yes the drive is set on slave, it would not even boot the past the first 2
extensions if it was on master, my apple 24x cd was on master though. And
to my amazement, the movie american pie was scratched and thats why it
played bad. I just bought Leprechaun, The Dentist, and Sometimes they
comeback and all of them can play the whole way through with no lip syc
issues even in full screen. Oh and one more thing, the dvd drive will even
boot up off of the os9 cd and my os8.5. Pretty amazing for a $90 PC only
ide dvd drive. Thanks for all the info on the site.
Sandy"
The Toshiba 6X drive he bought was from a Hi-Val box, but the drive also was
used in Memorex 6X DVD ROM drives as noted here several weeks ago ($99.95 retail at the
local Office Depot, now sold out however). It seems a far more compatible drive overall than the Pioneer ones based on reports. See the FAQ's DVD section for more reports on PC DVD drives in Macs.
PCI Cards and Low Power Mode: For all new G4 owners that get the waking from sleep note that a PCI bus could not be powered down, I had guessed that ATI's Rage128 PCI cards might be the exception. Not so according to this mail from reader Donald Berube that includes notes from ATI's Developer Relations saying only their AGP cards allow powering down:
"Hello Mike,
Just thought that you may be interested in the following email I recieved
from ATI Developer Relations concerning PCI Power Down and Power Manager
2.0: (Also the following technote is interesting: http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn1190.html#Section3)
[Mail from ATI Tech Support;]
Hi Donald, None of our PCI cards support Power Manager 2.0, specifically zero power state. Only our AGP solutions have this support. In short, the Nexus 128 will not support this.
Regards,
Nitya Ulaganathan
ATI Developer Relations
"
Rainbow Six Mod Report/ Free GL Tron Game: The Game News page has reader's report on the R6 mod noted in yesterday's news, notes on a cool new Tron OpenGL Game and a game brightness tip for 3dfx card owners.
Databases Updated: I've also updated the Mac Game/Video Card Framerates and reader rated Mac Game Reviews databases.
RC5 Altivec Boost: See the thread in my G4/Upgrade forum on the dramatic improvements
in RC5 Keys/sec with the altivec enhanced client. Here's a typical report:
"
Sawtooth 450
Old Version (No Altivec) ~1.4 MK/s
New Version (With Altivec) 3.85 MKey/s
When I strip out extensions and turn AppleTalk off, it is a little swifter.
Scott Herndon
"
Latest Forum Topics: A small sample of the latest discussions going on in the message boards:
G4 Forum:
- old hd as a slave?
- AHA 2930 wont work? Which SCSI cards do?
- when is next G4 revision/generation?
- OS9 Multi Users on G4?
- IE 4.5.1 Oddities
- shutdown pause
- DUAL SCREEN INTERFERENCE
- G4 (frustration)
- Altivec stats for new RC5 client
- G-4 and laserwriter
and hundreds of other messages/threads
3dfx Forums:
- RAVE on Voodoo3??
- iNes and Virtual Gameboy?
- UT & brightness/gamma
- UT with no CD? Possible?
- [OFF] IDE drive in 8500
- OS9 and ixTV sound problem
- Madden Game pad problems
- mice suggestions? and v4/5
and hundreds of other messages/threads
For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.
Tuesday's News Summary
- More L2G3 Upgrade Feedback
- $49 OEM Matrox Mystique cards/vram upgrades
- AIWA USB Tape Drive/Macally PCI USB Card Report
- Game News page updated w/Mac Rainbow Six mod & Activision Mac Quake3 Arena support info.
- AGP Rage128 Pro Cards available at Apple store
- Lucent 11Mbps Wireless PCMCIA Card Report
- Mac USB microscope and e.light mfr. URLs
- HiVal (Toshiba) 6x DVD Drive Report (CVGS Compatible?)
- MBDF Virus Report
- Maxtor Drive Free Photoshop LE Offer
- iDisk Tips/Issues page created.
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
- Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.
Monday's News Summary
- Mac ATA/66 IDE Controller Card Status (Acard, Prodirect, Blackfire)
- Maxbug Disables DVD
- Virus Notes: MBDF virus reports on rise
- Hard Drive Upgrade Guides (Biege G3/B&W G3, iMac)
- My Q∓A/DVD info added to my Mac 3dfx VSA-100 card page
- OS 9 Performance Tip
- More Maxtor HD Sales (18GB for $140)
- iDisk Tips
- OS 8.1 Hack and iDisk
- Another VR128 Video Extensions Loading Tip
- iCar - Drive Different!
- MW Expo Summary Comments
- External IDE Drives
- L2G3 Upgrade Video Card Tips at www.mac3dfx.com
- Game News page updated for Q3 vs UT review, more.
- What's a Microbook?
- Sonnet PB1400 G3 Upgrades Pre-Orders at OWC
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews, and Mac Game/Video Card Performance searchable databases updated
- Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.
- Other Net News
Weekend's News Summary
Friday's News Summary
- Another page of MWSF 2000 Pictures incl. pix of the iSub, VST Tri-Media drive and comedian Sinbad.
- Mac Technician Jobs available
- Aurora Video Systems announces uncompressed video option for Igniter
- Supra 56e USB Modem - No Caller ID/Distinctive Ring
- Thinner Ckt Card on CPU Upgrade Cards Note
- More on Onstream Mac Drive Pricing:
- Pros/Cons on MacOS Apps under OS X
- Pioneer SCSI DVD Drive & Hacked CD/DVD Extension
- Mac Game Artists Wanted
- Possible iDisk Storage Demands
- Casady & Greene has released an 8.1 update to Spell Catcher 8.
- Forum Topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.
- Other Net News
For links to older news pages see the Archives page. The recent features page has a lists reviews/articles you may have missed.
For a guide to finding answers to questions - see my Site Guide page.
Considering a CPU Upgrade? Check the CPU Upgrade Owner's Survey results and search for owner reports by Mac model and/or card brand. Readers post new entries daily and the database is updated several times a week. The current database has more than 2,800 reports and growing.
Note: Before sending tech support related questions please check the Answers to Common Questions, Troubleshooting page, Site Contents, CPU Card reviews/articles, SCSI reviews articles, Graphics card reviews, Tips/Misc, Message Boards and Help pages - in many cases the answers to your questions are there and they have far more detail than I can list in an email. For Apple G3 system info - see the G3-ZONE.
Please try the Men in Mac Help page as an alternative on requests for tech support to help me be able to spend more time on reviews and getting caught up in mail. Thanks.
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Answers!
