3Dfx Updated Drivers w/OpenGL: Just posted - they work great to my eyes in Quake3 demo and Quake2. [Note - 3dfx links removed after their went out of business in early 2001. See my www.mac3dfx.com site sidebar for the last driver download links I know of.]

What's new in 1.0b9 (Beta9) Voodoo3 drivers:

1. Preliminary OpenGL support has been added. Please read the Voodoo3 ReadMe file for further details on compatibility.
2. Improved monitor detection.
3. Fixed startup resolution problem with MacOS 9.
4. Once again allow gamma settings in fullscreen Glide apps.

The Voodoo2 beta3 drivers add full-screen OpenGL support (native driver).

Note: Make sure you disabled the Mesa3dfxengine extensions and remove the mesa libs and settings file.

Update from FirmTek on Mac IDE Cards: Daniel Bliss sent an reply from FirmTek's President to his inquiry on a Mac compatible IDE ATA/66 card:

"Thanks for your interest. We are indeed putting some finishing touches on an ATA/66 card for the Mac. However, we cannot guarantee that pricing will be similar to PC pricing.. Macintosh computers require a lot more "messaging" from a device driver perspective and thus the overhead is much higher.

We'll add you to our announcement list so that you will be one of the first to know when this card becomes available.
Sincerely,
Chi Kim Nguyen
President
FirmTek, LLC. "

This is a follow-up to today's earlier post on FirmTek and Promise IDE cards. [Note - See the IDE articles page for later/other brands of Mac IDE card related articles.]

Quake3 Performance Tweaking: The Game News page 2PM update includes a great page showing the FPS Benefit of many console settings as well as sources for more info on console commands and settings.

Photoshop 5.5: Athlon 600MHz vs. G4 I've added Photoshop 5.5 PSBench 21 filter test results from an Athlon 600MHz system (256MB RAM) running Windows 98 to the Applications tests page of my XLR8 G4/400Z review. There is no support for the Athlon's PIII/Altivec-like instruction set in Photoshop 5.5 and even with a huge MHz speed advantage, the Athlon's total times trailed all but the stock B&W G3/400.

Promise IDE Controllers - Write for Mac Support: Over the years I've had many questions about using Promise Technology's IDE controller cards in a Mac. As of Nov. 1999, only the Promax.com Turbomax PCI IDE card is mac compatible (although I hear prodirect also sells a similar card). [Note - See the IDE articles page for later/other brands of Mac IDE card related articles.] Daniel Bliss wrote Promise asking about Mac support and here is their reply:

" Hi, here is the name and url of a company that is considering device drivers for our cards. www.firmtek.com. They specialize in Device Drivers. Send them your some mail expressing interest. Also [send] it to the rest of the Mac world. The more support they receive the faster they are likely to produce drivers.

Billy Harrison
Senior Technical Support Rep.
Promise Technologies Inc,.
www.promise.com
billyh@promise.com "

Note - Firmtek's URL is just a single page but there was an email link there - info1@firmtek.com. Write them to let them you'd like mac support for the Promise ATA/66 cards (currently about $50 street price).

USB Video/Keyboard/Mouse Switcher: Need to share a monitor and keyboard/mouse with several Macs?

"Dr. Bott LLC announces that MoniSwitchUSB is now shipping. Dr. Bott has taken their experience with the original ADB MoniSwitch and created MoniSwitchUSB. MoniSwitchUSB is a Mac friendly KVM (keyboard, video, and mouse) switch that allows the use of a monitor and USB peripherals with multiple USB capable computers including Macs and PCs.

Support for both Mac & PC monitors.

Looks and works great with new G4s!

Available for 2 or 4 computers.

Includes all necessary USB and super premium video cables!

PCI Kit available for beige Macs.

Lighted LED indicates selected computer at a glance.

Compatible with Windows 98, Mac OS and other operating systems that support USB.

iMoniSwitchUSB allows use of iMac built-in monitor, keyboard and mouse with up to 3 other Macs or PCs.

MoniSwitch2USB retails for $139, MoniSwitch4USB retails for $199. A PCI compatibility kit is available with the purchase of a MoniSwitch for an additional $40 that includes a USB PCI card and DB15 video cable. "

Quake3 FOV Tip: The Game News page has an update with a Field of View tip for Quake3 and some comments on the new Rainbow Six demo (no native glide support - OpenGL required). [2:00 PM updates include several tips on Q3 console commands and a great page showing the FPS Benefit of many console settings.]

Rainbow Six Gamers Wanted: I'm looking for someone (or a group) to run a Mac Rainbow Six column here - interested? Contact me.

Wincent.org has several articles related to the issue of graphics card choices on new Macs. The first is titled Why Apple's Graphics Don't Cut It and there is a part two followup. I know this is preaching to the choir here as we've all lamented the lack of choices at BTO. I even had a petition on this some months ago at www.mac3dfx.com. I can only hope a) That ATI offers the Rage128 Maxx or similar card for the Mac and b) that Apple looks at other options for high performance. I hear rumors Apple is investigating several options...

For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.

Monday's News Summary

• iBook #1 U.S. Consumer Portable
• Game News Updated
• USB Mouse Axis Problems
• Alsoft Software Updates
• OWC Copper G3/450 ZIF Upgrade
• Update on XLR8 G4 Upgrade Memory Bandwidth
• XLR8 G4/400Z Review
• Sonnet and XLR8 Lower CPU Upgrade Prices
• 3Dfx Hires ATI Programmer
• PowerBase G4 Upgrade
• Miles U2W/Sawtooth Tip
• Quake3 Demo Texture Loading Tip
• Quake3 Arena Goes Gold
• Mac Game/Video Card Performance Database Updated
• Getting Answers Faster

Weekend's News Summary

• USB 1.3.5/VR 128 Tip
• Updated ORB Tools 1.2.6
• Newer Tech Lowers Prices
• Thanks To Readers
• Airport User Comments and Tips on Setup
• 3Dfx Driver Update Soon?

Friday's News Summary

-Freq Asked Questions

Check Apple's Software Updates
(especially their Recent Updates)

Apple TIL Updates

Apple Forums