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Tanzania motherboard video card advice!
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Senior User
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Status:
Offline
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I've just successfully replaced the measley 1GB hard drive in my Power Mac 5200 with a 30GB Western Digital drive (thanks, finboy!), and in the course of doing so, noticed that I had a PCI slot. I was wondering if anyone here uses a video accelerator card with their older Tanzania-achitechture motherboard (Power Mac 4400, 5400, 6400 and TAMs, I think) and what you use and why. Over the past 2 years I've upgraded everything else on my old machine (G3 processor, extra RAM, now the HD) this is my final step to avoid having to buy a new machine for another year or two. Please let me know what your expreiences and recommendations are. Thanks!
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Senior User
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Status:
Offline
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Senior User
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Status:
Offline
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One last thing. It's a 5400, not a 5200 that I have--sorry!
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PM 5400/G3 400
Performa 6116CD
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GR
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I've had a VooDoo3 3000 in mine for the past year. It's made some previously unplayable games very playable now. Very smooth on the Sims, as well. No improvement in Quicktime, though (as expected).
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
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You're welcome, T. Did you see my other posts about partitioning? I put a Maxtor 20G in my 5400 after the WD, and it needed to be partioned [3.5G/8+/8+] because as one big drive it was SLOW. How is your WD partitioned, when you get a chance? [my 30G is now in a MacAlly USB-IDE box as my backup drive, in 3 partitions -- fast in the 5400, but slow in the converter box]
You can use a 7" PCI card, but you'll have to have an external monitor that hooks to that card. I've tried to find the internal monitor connector in the 5400, but I couldn't find it in the diagrams (and I'm not gonna look unless I can figure out the pins). If one of mine ever blows a picture tube, I'll look into the PCI video thing.
I think I'll probably use my PCI slot for a combo USB/Firewire card, so I can backup to a Firewire HD eventually, or use a FW CD-RW on a network.
I'll eventually set the 5400 as a network server, probably with the WD 30G drive back in it, and use it with Retrospect or something to keep everybody backed up in near-real time. Backup is a priority with me. In fact, that's why I got the (two) 5400/200s. My primary machine at home is a 333 imac, but the 5400 is just as fast for most tasks, esp. making floppies from images!!!
I was kidding -- the imac can't do that at all.
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Shop smart, shop S-Mart! You got that!!?!!
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
Status:
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AND.......
the 5400 has the Alchemy motherboard (basically same as 6400) and the 4400 has the Tanzania MB. The 5500 (oh, I can dream!) has an Alchemy MB with a Rage II video circuit (so a few more video modes) and the 5500/6500 machines (most of them) are designed to use EDO RAM and not fast page mode RAM.
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Shop smart, shop S-Mart! You got that!!?!!
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
Status:
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AND......
You can find a GENUINE APPLE SERVICE manual for your machine here:
<A HREF="http://www.traffictrak.com/ServiceManuals/</A>
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Shop smart, shop S-Mart! You got that!!?!!
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Senior User
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Status:
Offline
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Thanks for all the advice. I aven't partitioned my drive at all--in fact I find it *faster* than my old 1.6 gb. Perhaps it is the sonnet 400mhz/1MB daughter card at work there, or the fact that I'm at maximum RAM....
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PM 5400/G3 400
Performa 6116CD
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
Status:
Offline
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That could be (RAM I mean). I think the WD is probably more compatible as far as older standards are concerned. It was probably designed to adjust better when put in an older machine.
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Senior User
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan
Status:
Offline
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It is a 5400 RPM not a 7200 RPM drive--I'm not sure if that makes a difference. There was a Maxtor 15gb drive that I almost purchased, but it didn't mention Mac compatibiity and I didn't really trust the staff at CompUSA after they wiffed on my test question. Are they in fact compatible? or just certain ones. It is a special deal ($40 after rebate) so I might just want to stock up...lemme know what you think!
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