X1900 Woes

[pdpfilms]

Howdy-
I've been using my new X1900 for a few days now, and it's been going well. Though I've run into a few problems that I hadn't encountered before with my Quad, and I'm wondering if its the new card. Currently I ahve my 20" hooked up to my 6600, and my 30" connected to my X1900. If i'm watching video in iTunes, it works great on the 20". All smooth and joyous. But when i drag the video window onto the 30", it gets choppy. I don't notice anything else choppy... DVD player works great, GUI actions are all smooth... Why might this be?

Thank 'ums.

EDIT: Upon further inspection, it appears that whichever display I start the itunes video in is the one that stays smooth. When I drag it to the other, choppiness occurs. But it only happens in iTunes, not quicktime. Just another example of crappy iTunes coding?

EDIT: And further, the choppiness in iTunes causes the entire eyetem to become choppy. It's as if the instant the video touches the second screen, the entire video system is hacked down to 5fps. Still, only with iTunes.

 

[Sun Baked]

Could be because there are some issues using both cards at the same time.

You may find the problems vanish if you plug both LCDs into the X1900 and remove the Nvidia card.

Explained as driver related conflicts that appear every now and then using both cards.

Don't know what they all are, but have seen a few complaints about using certain apps with both cards installed.

 

[pdpfilms]

Could be because there are some issues using both cards at the same time.

You may find the problems vanish if you plug both LCDs into the X1900 and remove the Nvidia card.

Explained as driver related conflicts that appear every now and then using both cards.

Don't know what they all are, but have seen a few complaints about using certain apps with both cards installed.

Could be. But still confuses me that it doesn't happen in any other app.

 

[Sun Baked]

Could be. But still confuses me that it doesn't happen in any other app.

You can always try Aperture and Google Earth.

At least you have somebody saying, that there are driver related issues -- not application problems.

Imagine the time you will spend on the phone with Apple, ATI, Nvidia, etc. trying to find the problem...

@ Macintoshian Achaia

I tried the combination of an ATI X1900XTX in slot 1 and an iNvidia Geforce 7300 in slot 4 on my new MacPro Dual 3 Ghz machine. It caused all kinds of issues the worst of which was instant kernal panic crashes in Apple's Aperture. Also caused slow performance overall and Google Earth simply would not open. I went through three product specialists at Apple an a tech at Wacom before removing the ATI card and installing another 7300. Problems gone. The consensus is that it is a driver compatibility issue. I have contacted ATI and they say that the only way to use the X1900XTX and drive more than two monitors (I use four) is to purchase the X1900 Crossfire Edition and use it in combination with the X1900XTX. I have yet to find a Mac version of the Crossfire Edition. If anyone knows of a purveyor, please let me know. Meanwhile, I'll use my X1900XTX as a $400 paperweight.

 

[pdpfilms]

You can always try Aperture and Google Earth.

At least you have somebody saying, that there are driver related issues -- not application problems.

Imagine the time you will spend on the phone with Apple, ATI, Nvidia, etc. trying to find the problem...

This is strange. I haven't had any kernal panics or application shutdowns. Maybe i'm lucky???? If it really is the case that ATI chose to screw users with Nvidia cards, I'd be pretty pissed...

 

[StealthRider]

You're running a 6600 and the X1900 together? How? Is this a PowerMac G5 or a Mac Pro?

 

[pdpfilms]

You're running a 6600 and the X1900 together? How? Is this a PowerMac G5 or a Mac Pro?

G5 Quad. It's got PCIe, which both cards are.

 

[NATO]

Did you get the standard X1900 Upgrade Kit from Apple? I think that particular card is designed for the Mac Pro only as I think it has firmware which works only on the Mac Pro (even though both systems use PCI-Express)

ATI have announced (I'm not sure if it's shipping yet), a special X1900 'G5 Edition' specifically for Power Mac G5 systems (See here for more info from ATI, and here for an MacWorld article on the new G5 Card)

Which X1900 do you have? I'm pretty certain it has to be the special 'G5 edition' you need and not the standard X1900 Upgrade Kit Apple sells. According to the MacWorld link, "The build-to-order card available from Apple does not work in G5 systems because of firmware differences between the Mac Pro and the G5".

This could explain the problems you're having.

 

[Sun Baked]

I'd still blame the ATI X1900 drivers for the source of customer pains.

Can't wait for the obligatory ATI and Apple fingerpointing sessions, where they will sit and wait for the other to fix the problem.

 

[THX1139]

Solution to problem: don't use iTunes to watch video. Use Quicktime or any other media player instead.

Next!

 

[StealthRider]

That's my question - if the X1900 is from Apple, you can't use it in your PowerMac, sorry...

 

[pdpfilms]

That's my question - if the X1900 is from Apple, you can't use it in your PowerMac, sorry...

Nope, it was the recently released X1900 specifically for the G5. And yes, the card is working superbly, other than that small flaw.

And thanks THX1139 for your oh so valuable comment and helping attitude.

 

[StealthRider]

THX1139
iTunes is nothing more than a fancy front-end for QuickTime, so your theory doesn't stick. It's probably a driver problem.

 

[trainguy77]

well with the mac pro it says that you can't use a nvidia card and a ATI card at the same time. Did apple mention this for the G5?

 

[pdpfilms]

well with the mac pro it says that you can't use a nvidia card and a ATI card at the same time. Did apple mention this for the G5?

Not that I've seen anywhere.

Ant to reiterate, the displays funtion perfectly, other than in iTunes. It's not that the two aren't working together, it's that iTunes for some reason can't handle them.

 

[trainguy77]

Not that I've seen anywhere.

Ant to reiterate, the displays funtion perfectly, other than in iTunes. It's not that the two aren't working together, it's that iTunes for some reason can't handle them.

So does it work fine when both displays are plugged into the x1900?

 

[pdpfilms]

So does it work fine when both displays are plugged into the x1900?

Yup, everything works that way. I was thinking that connecting each monitor to a separate card would make the best use of my available resources... 256mb VRAM per display, you know? I just figured why leave the card that i already have unused... but if it doesn't work properly, it doesn't work properly.