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G4 Upgrade for the B&W G3: As promised earlier today, I've posted my article that illustrates how to install the XLR8 MAChSpeed G4 400Z CPU upgrade in a B&W G3. For the benefit of readers that have never upgraded a CPU, there's a lot of detail on the steps involved. Experienced upgraders can skip over sections as desired. The XLR8 Firmware Updater (removing the G4 CPU block from the v1.1 ROM) is also covered. Check it out.
= 7:45 PM Update Follows =
Voodoo3 Beta 7 Drivers Released: The new beta7 drivers [link expired] should address issues with lower performance (low clock speed) seen with the Beta6 drivers posted yesterday. See the download page for a complete list of changes. I also had a boot error when ATM 4.02 was enabled under OS 9 with beta 6. I've not had time to test beta 7 for this issue but if you see any errors on boot, restart with the shift key down and disable ATM. [For the latest driver links, see the sidebar at www.mac3dfx.com]
= 4:00PM Update Follows =
Peek at the Sawtooth G4 CPU Module: Nothing too technical, just a look underneath that huge heatsink on the G4/AGP system. Take a look. [For other G4/AGP articles and reviews - see the G4 section of the Systems page.]
= Noon Update Follows =
ZD/Net has a review of the iMac DV SE. Maybe I'm biased but I think my review
was far more complete. :-)
= 9:30 AM Update Follows =
I'll have feedback on the new Voodoo3 beta7 drivers and another report on the Rage128 VR's mysterious 'Havoc' Codec that allowed 640x480 capture in Premiere (noted in yesterday's news and update to the VR128 Feedback page) in tomorrow's news (delayed due to work on the Sawtooth CPU module and XLR8 G4 400Z installation articles today).
Reader Request: iBook Wireless Modem Scripts: A reader asks for suggestions to improve
his wireless modem connect rates:
"Hi Mike,
I purchased a Nokia 6185 today along with a data kit (a simple cell-phone
cable with a 9-pin serial connector on one end). It is listed as being
usable as a standard external modem for PC's, WinCE and Palm devices.
I tried it on my iBook, running it through a Keyspan USB PDA adapter. It
works! But connection speed was an issue; I found a couple of different
modem scripts that worked, but could only achieve a 2400bps connection
speed.
It's supposed to get 14,400 bps, so there's certainly room for improvement.
I don't know if the speed is a result of the modem script or the Keyspan
adapter (or both). Any ideas? I'm using an AT&T 28.8 script and a Ricochet
modem script (the AT&T seems the most stable).
cheers,
Mike Fortson"
I welcome any reader suggestions for Mike.
Speaking of wireless, the Airport base station has been shipping for a week or so and readers say the cards are starting to ship as well. My Christmas present this is (I hope) is an Airport network.
Rage128 VR DVD Player Input: A reader sends a tip for improved image quality
when connecting to a DVD player:
"Mike:
I got the Xclaim to connect my 9500 / 21" monitor to a DVD player. At
first there were faint, closely spaced horizontal lines that would vary
in intensity; sometimes strongly visible, sometimes barely apparent. I
wasn't sure if they were caused by the card or the DVD player. I
suspected that the purple external Xclaim TV box and / or the powered
grey S-Video cord might be causing interference patterns to show up, as
I had the video and the audio from the player plugged into the purple
box and the box was connected to the computer. After I plugged the DVD
player directly into the S-Video-in port on the Xclaim card itself,
every bit of interference was removed. The result is a remarkable
smooth and crisp image that looks like a 21" HDTV.
It is also better to use 1152 x 870 or higher display resolution and to
set either full screen for pan and scan format; or check the 1/4 or 1/2
window size in order to access the Other option, which allows you to set
a horizontal size of whatever the screen resolution you're using, and a
vertical size that's proportionate to the 16:9 dimensions of the
anamorphic format ( this avoids the loss of some picture info that
occurs when an anamorphic dvd is downsized by the player to fit a 4:3
display.)
Although the Xclaim's booklet doesn't mention it, this card is obviously
outputing the full DVD resolution to the screen (not the 320 x 240
that's claimed for video capture,) as details such as film grain and
skin textures in closeups are clearly visible, and the varying quality
of various DVD transfers can easily be seen.
9500/250-604/ 400megs memory
OS 8.5
ATI card that came with computer
Jackhammer Ultra 2 card with 9 gig Cheetah
I haven't had any conflicts or problems.
Clifton Friswold"
ORB Drive/Retrospect Tips: A reader comments on how to get the latest ORB tools to work with Retrospect/Retrospect Express:
"Hello,
Previously your website reported problems with Castlewood's SCSI Orb
drive (2.2 GB). Specifically, the Orb is incompatible with Retrospect
and Retrospect Express. Media inserted into the Orb will be ejected by
Retrospect when it tries to reinitialize the drive for creation of the
StorageSet.
Castlewood's new Orb Tools for Mac, 1.2.3 available at
ftp://ftp.castlewood.com/scsi_mac/ fixed the problem, but Castlewood didn't fully explain how. Here's the procedure I'm able to make work:
1. Disable the Orb driver extension in your System Folder.
(Yes, you
heard me right.)
2. Launch Orb Tools.
3. One by one, insert media you plan to use. Click update driver. This
updates the driver on the disk.
Once the driver is on the disk, I find media loads automatically. So in
other words, you initially need to use Orb Tools to mount the disks and
update their drivers. Once you do that, the eject problem with
Retrospect and Retrospect Express is solved.
A technician I spoke to with Castlewood thought that only Retrospect
(not Retrospect Express) was supported, but I find that this solves the
problem with both.
Orb Tools works quite well and adds a number of useful features, giving
it full feature parity with the Windows version (including things like
AV playback optimizations.) With this software finally released and
fixed, I can now wholeheartedly recommend the Orb as one of the best
price / performance values available.
Thanks,
Peter Kirn
"
Requests for OS 9 Compatible Speed Doubler: Although there is nothing concrete noted on Connectix's OS 9 compatibility page, a reader sent a note of hope that Connectix might update Speed Doubler to work with OS 9:
"Hi Mike,
Below is a reply from Connectix for my inquiry into speed doubler.
You might want to mention on your page that people need to express
interest in an update. Otherwise, it may not be updated. I sent it
to sales@connectix.com and info@connectix.com and
service@connectix.com
Thanks for a great page!!!
Brent Kirsten
President,
DigitalCore
[Connectix's reply follows]
Brent,
Thank you for your interest in our products....
We are currently under development and research. An announcement on the
status of a compatible version of Speed Doubler with OS 9.0 will be
announced first on our website. Please bookmark us at www.connectix.com
"
Many readers have lamented the loss of Speed Doubler's smart copy and file sync features since upgrading to OS 9.
Upgrading Tips for Older Macs: I've commented on this before here in the past but wanted to
post a reminder. Always make sure your first Mac upgrade is RAM (I like 128MB as a minimum,
especially if working with later OS versions and 3D applications or games).
Also consider the other factors of your Mac's overall performance - video card capability and disk performance. No matter how fast your CPU is, it can't push more pixels out than the maximum fill rate of your video chip. Many older Mac onboard video and PCI cards didn't support any 3D hardware acceleration and can't support many 3D features like fog, texture mapping, transparency, multitexturing, etc. (and don't let names fool you - the IX3D cards like the IXmicro Ult. Rez/ProRez/MacRocket had very poor 3D as noted in my reviews). If your disk is nearly full and fragmented, that's another bottleneck. Try to focus on what your specific needs and system shortcomings are. In summary:
- Make sure you have adequate RAM first. Even a fast CPU is hampered by having too little RAM. Adding RAM can also improve system stability.
- Identify your specific needs and goals (video performance/OpenGL support, better game performance, or just reducing application task times).
- Video cards can't speed up 3D rendering applications (CPU speed matters most. Video cards can speed _display_ of 3D images, but the CPU has to calculate the image/scene first.)
- Video cards like the 3Dfx models can speed up games (and provide better image quality via support for more advanced 3D features), but they reach their full potential only with a fast CPU to keep them 'fed' with data. Performance usually scales up with faster CPUs (up to the limits of the video chip's capability). Search my Mac Game FPS database for examples of performance with specific CPU speeds and mac models. The Video cards page has reviews of most popular mac graphics cards.
- For owners of 300-350MHz G3s looking for higher game performance, remember that
many video cards (esp. the Rage128) are already saturated at your current CPU speed (especially at higher resolutions). So don't think a faster CPU will buy your more video performance in all cases. This is shown in many of my video card and CPU reviews. Highest performance/fill rate card for the Mac currently is the Voodoo3 - but remember the drivers are beta and have some specific compatibility issues (see www.mac3dfx.com)
- If you have a slow onboard video chip or PCI card and are looking at CPU upgrades,
consider a slightly slower G3 upgrade paired with a new video card. You'll be addressing
two performance factors rather than one (often for the same cost as the faster CPU card).
- If your hard drive is nearly full and you can't afford an upgrade, check your drive for applications, images, movies, downloads or other software that you don't really need or rarely use. You may be surprised at the total space you can free up this way. If you can't afford to just erase it, burn it onto a CDR. If you don't own a CDR burner, a friend might have one you could use. Also, if running OS 8.x or later, remember that HFS+ format can save a lot of disk space on larger volumes (due to smaller block size). [Update - you can now search a drive database of mac owner reports on drives of all types.]
- If considering high-dollar CPU upgrades or a series of upgrades for very old macs, consider the total cost of all the upgrades vs. selling the old system and putting the money (upgrade budget+sales of older mac) toward a new/used/refurbished system with better performance. Often later Macs have faster video, hard drive, CDROM and CPU as well as features missing in earlier models.
- When replacing older Macs with new G3/G4s - consider the cost/value of your existing RAM. For instance the 512MB of RAM in my Genesis would cost about $800 or more to replace now.
- Remember to check for owner feedback with your specific Mac model and upgrade in my Rate Your CPU upgrade database. Also check the CPU Cards page for reviews and articles related to any upgrade you're considering.
- For a guide to installing PCI SCSI controllers and drives, see articles like my Cheetah SCSI upgrade, 8600 internal RAID, or other articles on the Storage page and FAQ's How-To section (includes IDE drive upgrade articles from my G3-ZONE).
One example of a bargain boost package for owners of 120MHz or less 60x CPUs with under $300 to spend: A $170 PowerForce G3/250/512K card paired with a Voodoo3 2000 PCI card ($80-$100 street).
For those not as concerned with game performance, a Rage128 Orion card ($150 street) may be a safer choice for a video card (the Proformance 3 is also a great overall card, but it's priced at $250). For a comparison of all these cards including bang for the buck, see my recent 3D Card Roundup article.
If you know a Beige or B&W G3 owner that often upgrades their CPU module, a CarrierZIF base card (about $160 street) will allow you to use these ZIF modules in many older Macs. As time goes by, I expect 400MHz 'used' ZIFs from B&W G3s to be very cheap (as existing owners upgrade).
OS 9 File Exchange Tips: Mike Woodfill sent a link to a page with tips on workarounds for the DOS Mounter and Mac-PC manager incompatibilities with OS 9. (The November 8th page has the File Exchange tips.)
OpenGL installer removed from Descent3 Demo Two readers have noted that the OpenGL 1.1.2f6 (beta) OpenGL installer was not a part of the current Descent 3 Demo (it was this weekend). An iMac DV owner noted the OpenGL 1.1.2f6 (and ATI driver update included with it) caused compatibility problems in Fly!. He also noted the same image issues (pixel noise/'buzzing bees' effect) I noted in yesterday's news. Perhaps after the mail I received from Apple's OpenGL manager they had the installer pulled from the demo. With a modem connection I can't afford to download the 48+MB demo again to find out.
[Update: Virex 5.9.1 and later solves this issue, v6.0 and OS 9 updates now exist. See the Virex page for more information on updates and upgrades.] A reader sent a tip for any Virex/OS 8.6 users having problems with network file sharing:
"Most useful mac site on the web! Here's a tip. I'm sure this has been
covered here but I couldn't find any documentation among the mac sites:
Problem: 8.6 crashes when sharing files over appletalk ethernet
Description: Just upgraded to 8.6 (Not an early adopter!) and could not
share files over the network without crashing. (Although others could
share with me.) Hard crash!
Solution: Disable Virex in the EM
Here's to saving someone an hour chasing conflicts.
j fitzpatrick"
Jason Titus sent a note that Mactell's Firewire drives seem
to be alive and well.
"Looks like MacTell is coming back from the dead... Bottomline Online is listing all of MacTells former
FirePower products like : 'Rantic Firepower Firewire
Drive 22.0GB 7200 rpm', there is no company name on
the contact page at www.firepower.com, and the newly
created http://www.rantic.com/ sits on a server in the same
subnet as www.mactell.com.... Very cool. I was
worried they were gone for good!
Jason
"
Several readers wrote to say that Apple's stock hit record highs (over 96) recently and for the first time, exceeded Microsoft's share price. Apple may be small but their future sure looks bright.
For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.
Monday's News Summary
- Voodoo3 Beta 6 Drivers Released (short lived)
- ePower Strike Two
- OpenGL 1.1.2 Beta Clarification
- OpenGL 1.1.2 (Beta) Performance Tests in G4/450 Sawtooth
- iMac DV Review Updated w/OpenGL 1.1.2 Beta tests
- iBook/OpenGL 1.1.2f2/ATI driver Update Comments
- Q3Test 1.08 Performance Tips
- 640x480 Movie Capture with Rage128 VR
- Rage128 VR Feedback page updated
- iBook Keyboard Bounce Fix
- G4 Strip Utility
- OS 9 Feedback/Compatibility/Tips Page created
- Total Impact MP G4/G4 CPU Cards
- HP passes on 3GB DVD-R/W drive, waits for 4.7GB model
- Other Net News
Weekend's News Summary
- Game News updated
- More G3 Throttle Praise (solves Beige G3 printing problem)
- More VR128 Feedback: Connectix Quickcam extension conflict
- 6500/Rage128 tips
- MacGurus Rage128 Orion/Nexus tech notes page
- OS 9 Keyboard Macros: supported mac models
- OS 9 on Older Macs: Some happy/some not
- Readers miss Speed Doubler under OS 9
- Connectix OS 9 compat. page (VPC OK, Ramdblr to be updated, no news on Speed dblr)
- Other Net News
- Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Game Reviews and Game Framerates databases updated.
Friday's News Summary
- XLR8 Cache Control 1.4.1 Upgrade Issues
- iBench Browser Benchmark
- Beta6 Voodoo3 Drivers Coming
- PS 5.5/Altivec Bug/Update due from Adobe
- Powerlogix announces PF G4/400
- ATI Tech Note on OS 9/ATI Univ. 4.0x Drivers
- Proformance 3 OpenGL Beta
- Rate Your G3 Upgrade, Game Reviews (including Rainbow Six beta report) and Game Framerates databases updated.
- Sonnet G3 upgraded 6400 owner notes G3 Throttle util solves Geoport modem issue
- G3 upgraded PTP225 owner reports ATI Rage128 Orion needed driver update after CPU upgrade.
- Dramatic gains in Photoshop 4 noted by 8100 Nubus Mac owner after G3 CPU upgrade
- PTP 225/PF G3/220 owner reports no audio problems with Turbomax IDE card
- ATI Rage128 VR owners feedback page posted (reports from working systems)
- "Rare Glitch Project" (windows humor article)
- Multiple monitor displays
- TripleDTools Illustrator EPS file converter for ElectricImage
- site wins MyMac Magazine 'site of the month'
- 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 G3 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.
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) as in many cases problems are later found to be due to settings errors, slow L2 cache, etc.
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!