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Top stories of 6/1/2001: |
| More G4/733 Test Results - GeForce3 vs Radeon: |
I've updated the G4/733 and GeForce3 page to show results of more tests last night - this time comparing the GeForce3 to the Radeon card in that system in several tests like Photoshop 5.5 scrolling speed, MacBench5's Publishing graphics test, a complete listing of resolutions for both card (modes available when connected to an Hitachi 19" monitor), Quake3 and Throughput 1.5 results. (Due to time constraints, I'm having to post these results in stages - more tests such as DVD, movie playback, general game compatibility, etc. will follow later.)
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| Interesting Story on Duality Sci-Fi Film Made on Macs: |
It's easy to get so caught up in performance comparisons, etc. that you miss one of the main features of the Mac - ease of use. For example how relatively easy it makes creating your own movies. Apple has an interesting story titled A Home-Made Sci-Fi Epic on how "Duality" was made that is well worth a read.
One day I hope I can get enough time to really enjoy using the Mac instead of being in a constant state of catch-up (impossible), tech support and endless tests. I really miss having time to just relax and create something (3d, movies, etc.) - granted the final result would not be anything great, but it is still satisfying.
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| 2nd Report on a GeForce3 in 2xAGP Mac: |
I noted in yesterday's news, despite the Apple requirements note of a 4xAGP slot Mac (the AGP/power issue was covered earlier this week - see the news summary below for links) - I was able to run a GeForce3 in my Gigabit G4/500 DP with no apparent problems so far. (Apps and game tests were run with no problems seen. Some of the test results were added to the G4/733 and GeForce3 page here).
However the only other report I've heard to date of anyone else doing this noted he had system freezes at startup unless extensions were disabled.
I rebooted dozens of times during the tests, always with extensions enabled. (I reboot before each test run to ensure as clean/repeatable a system/cache state as possible). Cold starts were also fine. Perhaps his problems are an extension conflict, but remember a GF3 in a 2xAGP mac isn't a supported configuration. It seems to work fine in my Gigabit G4 but I have no other cards installed, and I took care to manually check the extensions folder to make sure all ATI extensions were removed, etc. The reader's problem post is included in this thread where I have also noted my Gigabit G4's power supply ratings (the exact same ratings as the G4/733 P.S. - even the same brand of supply is in both machines.) Since other readers have asked about the power supply ratings in my Gigabit G4, here is the manufacturer info and ratings.
MFR: AC Bel
5V - 20 Amps
3.3V - 24 Amps
(total of 5V/3.3V is 126W max)
+12V - 8 Amps
-12V - 0.25 Amps
28V - 4.04 Amps
(28V is ADC monitor power - pre-Gigabit G4 systems do not have ADC power, nor the AGP slot ADC power connectror to pass the power to an ADC graphics card.)
I always suspected the motherboard as more of a primary factor in this issue than the power supply ratings however. My system could fail tomorrow, but so far I've not seen any problems yet. I've not done a long term test or one with the PCI slots populated with cards however.
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| 2001 iBook Owner's Tool Tips for Hard Drive Upgrade: |
There's a post in the forums here from a 2001 iBook owner that just replaced the hard drive who noted that a plastic spatula made getting the bottom cover off much easier.
"
I just got done changing out the 10GB HD in my new iBook Dual USB. One recommendation that I can make to make your life easier with the install is to get a flat plastic spatula. It HAS to be plastic.
Use this to help pry off the bottom. This will eliminate you using a metal object which WILL cause small knicks to appear on the case.
Also, make sure to be extremely careful when removing the keyboard ribbon cable. There are (2) two clips that hold it in. Very carefully make sure to clear the clips before pulling up to remove the ribbon cable. Other then that, just follow the directions that were posted here...
PATIENCE is your best friend when doing this, take your time. You will need to have a #8 Torx as that was one thing that was missing from the direction.
(he later wrote in reply to a question)
Okay, the plastic spatula comes into play, especially at the corners. What you do it push the flat part into the seam of the outer polycarbonate plastic, while pushing inward, twist the handle so as if you were prying it up.
Just be slow and careful not to crack any of the plastic clips. As far as the bottom goes, there are (8) eight total screws you have to remove to get the plastic bottom off. 3 allen wrench ones, 3 under the feet, and 2 inside the battery bay.
(posted by skizot)
"
Tuesday's news had a link to another reader's guide pages also available in PDF form. However as noted previously, this is a job most owners may not want to tackle.
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| Mac Runtime for Java 2.2.5 Available: |
MRJ 2.2.5 is available from OS 9's Software Updates Control Panel. (Software Updates also keeps showing Disk First Aid 8.6.1 despite having installed it twice before on this PB.) Thanks to Christopher Smith for the heads up. Chris said it has full Java 1.1.8 support. (I wonder if it also would help with the Daytek Streamer.) |
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| Nvidia 3.6 Drivers on Software Install CD of GeForce3 Card Orders? (NOT) |
(Update ) The stories of Nvidia driver version 3.6 are incorrect - a reader that bought the card separtely said that the drivers on the CD are just v2.1, same as installed on new Macs with GF3 cards. Evidently some thought the text under the extension name when you do a "Get Info" ( which says "MacOS Software Package 3.6" for the Nvidia 2.1 extensions) was the same as the version number of the drivers.
The actual extension (driver) version number is shown farther down in the Get Info dialog (and can be seen using the Extensions Manager). Version 2.1.1f1 is the latest Nviida drivers that I've seen and they do not solve the Lightwave 3D or the transparency issues, etc. in some games noted previously. OS 9.2 (when released) may have a later version. One source tells me that the Lightwave issue should be fixed in the next driver update, implying that it may have been fixed already in an unreleased (to date) driver version. I hope so. |
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| More Reports on Slowdown with CD/DVD Extension version in Authoring Support Update 1.1 |
Yesterday's news had a post with a reader's comments that he saw a slowdown in performance after waking from sleep (B&W G3 system) that occured after he had applied the Authoring Support 1.1 update. He said replacing the CD/DVD extension that is part of that update (v1.4.5) with a previous version solved the problem.
In reply to that post several other readers wrote to say they had seen the same thing. I've not read all the replies yet, but in every report I saw the common thread was a B&W G3 system although it may affect other models. (Update - a Dual G4/533 owner just reported he's also seen the issue.)
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(reader reports on this issue - latest first)
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I have a DUAL G4/533 and saw the same slowdown in performance after sleep. I
saw the post about the CD/dvd extension and replaced it with t he original
9.1 CD and everything is fine. Just noting to say that it affects the newer
G4's as well.
Sondjata K. Olatunji
InnerVisions Productions
www.ivprod.com
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Mike,
The reader that e-mailed today with word of his computer slowing down
thanks to the CD-ROM drive is not the only one. I have a rev. 1 B&W G3
w/Ultra2 SCSI. I've noticed that if I leave a disc in the built-in
CD drive and then let the drive spin down, that the computer slows down
dramatically when that disc has to spin back up. I've not seen this issue
with sleep, because I don't put my computer to sleep often (due to SETI).
But, the symptoms he's mentioned do affect me. A reboot is the only way
I've been able to fix it.
I'm going to try out the older extension later to see if that fixes this
problem.
Thanks,
Bernie
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Count me in on the CD Extension/sleep issue. When I wake my G3 up after sleeping during the day (12 hours) it's SLOW. I'm gonna go home & try the extension swap to see if it fixes the sluggishness. I normally fix it by restarting.
I'm running 9.1 on a 400MHz BW G3, 320 megs RAM, 9 gig UW (stock) & a 20 gig IDE drive. It also has a 8/4/(32?) Philips burner installed instead of the 24 (?) speed CD drive.
- Matt
(he later wrote)
And for the record, it's a rev 1 BW G3. The graphics card is a PCI Radeon, if that helps.
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Hey Mike,
Just thought I'd send a note that I have also noticed this problem with my computer. I did not associate it with Authoring Support, but now it makes sense. I have only had this problem since installing AS 1.1. I'm not sure, but it seems that it doesn't always happen though; sometimes it wakes from sleep with the slow typing, etc.
Scott
(he later wrote)
I have a B&W G3, originally a 350mhz but now has a Sonnett G3 500. I also have a Radeon PCI in the 66mhz slot, replaced the stock DVD ROM with a Panasonic 16X model, 512meg RAM and Farallon Skline PCI/PC card.
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Mike,
In reference to Roland's email to you on the issue with Apple CD/DVD Driver
1.4.5, I have also experienced a similar problem on my B&W. My specs:
B&W G3 450 OC'd to 500
System 9.1 with most recent updates
512MB RAM
Radeon PCI in 66mHz Slot
OEM Rage 128 and Adaptec 2940U2B
2 internal SCSI U2W drives
20 GB Maxtor Master on primary IDE Bus
Toshiba SDM-1302 DVD-ROM master and 250 ZIP Drive slave on secondary bus
After installing Authoring Support Update 1.1, my computer would slow to a
crawl after waking from sleep requiring a restart. Replaced the 1.4.5
driver with 1.4.4 and the problem went away. Not sure if the issue is just
with the B&W's (Roland didn't mention which computer he had). I did find
this thread about the issue in MacFixit's forums, so it appears to be a more
widespread problem:
Hope this sheds some light on the issue..
James
"
The original reader's comments on this issue from the 5/31/2001 news page follow for reference:
"
Mike,
Having installed Authoring Support 1.1, my computer ran VERY slowly after waking up from sleep. Even during typing in SimpleText the computer would be about 30 characters behind. Basically a restart was the only option (making sleep-mode a little pointless)
I did some investigation, and tracked the problem down to the Apple CD/DVD driver. Authoring Support 1.1 included a new version, 1.4.5. If I manually replaced this with 1.4.4 (from Disc Burner) or 1.4.3 (from Mac OS 9.1), all the problems disappeared.
Why a CD driver can affect the sleep mode I don't know, unless it slows down
the IDE bus or something like that.
Roland"
Roland later wrote he had a B&W G3 system. |
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| Reader Request: IDE RAID Card Experiences from Dual G4/2001 G4 Owners: |
I know there were past reports here from VST card owners noting problems in 2001 G4 systems, but a reader asked if any Dual G4 or 2001 G4 system owners had reported any problems with the Sonnet (or Acard) IDE RAID card (not the standard ATA/66 card). The drive database has some entries and I've been too swamped to check the page here on OS X/PCI IDE card reports (which noted Sonnet/Acard ATA/66 cards and even RAID cards worked in OS X as I remember) but if any readers are using the IDE RAID cards (with switches on them) with a 2001 G4 or dual G4 system let me know what your experience has been. Thanks.
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| CPU Upgrades Owner Ratings Database Updated: |
The Rate Your CPU Upgrade database has been updated with 6 new reports (total to date: 5,738). [Entries after midnight last night are added the following day.]
- Metabox G3/320 in Starmax 4000 (rated 10)
- NewerTech G3/400 in 8500 (rated 8)
- Other World Computing G3/450 (copper) in Beige G3 (rated 1)
- Powerlogix Bluechip G3/466 in PB G3 wallstreet2 (rated 10)
- Sonnet G3/400 in 8500/120 (rated 10)
- XLR8 CarrierZIF w/OWC G3/500 ZIF in 7500 (rated 10)
You can find these full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)
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| CDRW/CD/DVD/Hard Drive Compatibility Database Updates: |
The Drive Compatibility searchable database had 11 new entries added this morning. The database has reports on Combo DVD-CDRW, CDROMs, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, CDRW, Hard Drives and Removables (tape drive, ORB, ZIP, MO drives, etc.) in all interface types (IDE, IDE RAID cards, Firewire, SCSI, adapters). Current total 3,903 reports. [BTW - the drive database is not a place to post questions, it's for reports on drives you've used. For guides to drive installs, see the IDE, SCI or Firewire articles linked above and/or the FAQ. If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.]
You can find full owner reports by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches).
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database.
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