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Powermac G4 MDD with PC video card?
- Thread starter Krisz
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Thank you!
There are several radeon roms, I don't know which one I need
The card I bought has 256 mb of ram but I don't see anything written on it that would confirm that it is a pro version
However, the roms listed on the site are all for the pro version which is 256 mb
This is the card in question.
https://cdn.rios.hu/dl/uad/2024-12/6813454/img_3386.jpg
https://cdn.rios.hu/dl/uad/2024-12/6813454/img_3387.jpg
I flashed an AGP4x ATI Radeon 9700 128MB PC GPU directly in a Sawtooth G4 many moons ago using a tool for Mac called Graphiccelerator. The ROMs came from themacelite URL posted above, and after a few issues with an incorrect ROM, missing the aux power, then eventually flashing again with the correct 128K size ROM, I got it running perfectly. No pin-taping was needed for that card. It still runs great in the Sawtooth whenever I fire it up.
Some of these old posts might help:
Some of these old posts might help:
Thanks
Unfortunately the radeon 9600 doesn't work without gluing, the computer won't turn on, but after gluing it doesn't give a picture either, so I'll have to flash it.
I'll find an old AGP motherboard after the holidays and try it out
Happy holidays to everyone!
Actually, there is a Power Mac G5, 11.2 gathering dust in the storage room. It has an Nvidia video card, but it might be better to deal with that because it is much faster than the g4.
I bought it for MorphOS years ago but it wasn't compatible with it, it wasn't supported for MorphOS in the first place because of the video card, but at the time I read that powermac 11.2 wasn't supported anyway.
I found a Mac radeon 9600 card at a reasonable price
I'll order that and if MOS doesn't work with G5 11.2 then I still have the g4 and I'll put the card in there with the contacts taped off
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Someone has some wires crossed here.
If it is a 11.2 it is PCIe so you won‘t be using that AGP card.
If you plan to go MorphOS only get a RadeonHD card. There is separate thread dealing with that.
If it is a 11.2 it is PCIe so you won‘t be using that AGP card.
If you plan to go MorphOS only get a RadeonHD card. There is separate thread dealing with that.
You're right
I'd better look at the machine to make sure what type and what socket it has
THX
I went out and took a picture of the video card and motherboard sockets in the g5
Attachments
Unfortunately, as I look at it, it's even harder to find a video card for the g5
and the g4 is too slow for me.
The real choice would be an Amiga One x5000 because it's fast and accepts PC video cards! Unfortunately, the Amiga is a terribly expensive machine
I had a pegasos 2 machine and it was already much faster than the Mac G4! I don't know what to do, I need an HD video card for the G5 but I can't find one and if there is one, it's very expensive
G4 is too slow for you?! What? Only few hours ago you said you were ordering another card for it! Why does this thread even exist then?Unfortunately, as I look at it, it's even harder to find a video card for the g5
and the g4 is too slow for me.
And I had no problem finding plenty of good video cards for my G5 11,2s. They are way more available than good cards for G4s.
I think you need to sit down and think. You need to make it clear for yourself what you really want and need. Now you are just wasting time and money.
Unfortunately, as I look at it, it's even harder to find a video card for the g5
Huh what, nope....
If it is just for MorphOS any damn PC RadeonHD will do (just look here for supported models).
I just for fun set ebay to Hungary and I get, 1 way overpriced, 1 defect, 1 not supported and a 4850 for 58€ which is way to expensive but might still be a better option the the usual 20-30€ in Germany plus shipping to Hungary.
Still just a fraction of the 2000+€ for an X5000 (which is out of stock everywhere AFAIK).
Edith:
Look here for further discussion on running MorphOS on a 11.2 G5.
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At first I thought that maybe the video card was causing the system to be slow, but then I noticed that the processor would hang at 100% even when starting a simple application.
Unfortunately, the G4 is very slow, which I don't understand because I used to have a Pegasos2 computer it also had a G4 processor and MorphOS was very fast with that system!
So if I buy an HD radeon card for the G5 mac that is a PC, will it still work without flash? The boot screen is not important.
Let's say an HD3450
Nvidia cards are not supported by MorphOS!
You can also install it with a PC video card, insert the MOS installation CD, hold down the "C" key and when MOS boots up, there should be a screen.
However, HD cards and many Radeons do not support Warp3D and many Amiga games use it
Never said they would be.
But having a screen hooked up to will help you if you encounter problems.
I've had some occasions where the CD wouldn't boot with "C" but only by going through "OPT"(ALT) and the boot menu.
As for Warp3D, *shrug* sure if you care for those old games you will loose them, unless there is a SW renderer wich will be more than enough for games designed with a Permedia as !BEST! case.
Modern shader based 3D drivers are in the works (latest beta does omit many HD cards but that should be fixed soon) and most recent game ports are build against those.
It really depends what you want, if it is W3D stick with the G4 (it seems no G5 suitable card has W3D support), get a better Radeon9000 (might even be a genuine Apple one) or add a PCI Voodoo which works quite nice in a G4 (but for some reason won't in a AGP+PCI-X G5).
Or go G5, get a supported "modern" card with better result in SW that supports that.
Voodoo cards have very little RAM and are expensive
I don't even know what the best solution would be
the Powermac G5 would be fast enough but I can't find a video card that is fully supported in MorphOS
maybe I'll wait for it, MOS will have better video card support in time
I think this is the key question here. What exactly are you trying to do and why?
Regardless of whether you do it on your G5 or your MDD G4, if you want guaranteed results with a PC graphics card in a Mac, it simply will not be as simple as sticking it into the motherboard out of the box.
Firstly, where is it being slow? In MorphOS, and I quote "The unregistered version of MorphOS includes the full functionality, but slows down operation after a 30 minutes period until you choose to reboot your computer" so, that could be a factor.
Also, what cpu does your G4 have, anyway?
There are some operations that drain the processor 100%
When I start the browser, it loads the processor so much that even the mouse pointer moves jerkily
There are simple 2D games that stutter in a way I've never seen on my Amiga or Pegasos 2 computer.
The Mac has a 1.25 GHz processor and a single-core
As I mentioned, I used to have a Pegasos 2 computer and it had a 1GHz g4 processor and was still much faster than the Mac G4.
I know that the unregistered version of MorphOS slows down after 30 minutes
I have known MorphOS for a very long time
None of that sounds normal.
As I wrote above, my 1.8GHz QuickSilver feels pretty close to a G5.
Now if "the browser" refers to Wayfarer some slowness is to be expected as you are trying to load current websites into a current browser running on 20+ years old HW.
I still use Odyssey for most sites.
Possible reasons:
- you run out of VRAM (activate the screenbar-module for that to confirm)
- some background task is running amok, check Taskmanager this could be something obscure task like temperate sensor or a failing HD
As I wrote above, my 1.8GHz QuickSilver feels pretty close to a G5.
Now if "the browser" refers to Wayfarer some slowness is to be expected as you are trying to load current websites into a current browser running on 20+ years old HW.
I still use Odyssey for most sites.
Possible reasons:
- you run out of VRAM (activate the screenbar-module for that to confirm)
- some background task is running amok, check Taskmanager this could be something obscure task like temperate sensor or a failing HD
Well, as it happens, that Mac has a MPC7455, which looks to be an inferior cpu. Not, like, a massively inferior cpu, but it does have half the L2 cache. Sonnet upgrade cpu cards from the era would have used 7447, but those are basically impossible to get your hands on, especially for an MDD, unless you have stupid amounts of money and a lot of luck if anyone is even offering one on ebay.
And speaking of, god I wish I had one of these: https://www.ebay.com/itm/145964053463
(Mods, this is not my auction)
Just for perspective, back when PMac G4 support was added even a 677MHz would beat the 1GHz Peg2 in most benchmarks. "Conservative" RAM timing and a AGP port that wasn't really one (rerouted PCI-X) being the culprits.
So a non faulty 1.25GHz MDD should be way faster than any Pegasos.