Maxpowr G3 card help.

[BGoins12]

So my Power Mac 7600 has a 300MHz Newertech Maxpowr G3 card installed. Problem is....I can't find an owner's manual online anywhere to set the DIP switch settings. They are all set as on or off... I can't remember, and it shows up in the system profiler as a 335MHz card.

Here's the main problem... it causes the computer to glitch on the screen and it occasionally locks up. If I put the original 120MHz card in, it works fine.

I've already tried OWC and Newer Technology's website with no luck. All they have are the drivers. and I still don't know what ones to download. Hopefully someone can help on this so I can get it running stable.

It's this card - http://www.everymac.com/upgrade_cards/newertech/maxpowr_g3_pci/maxpowr_g3_pci_300.html

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

What OS? :?:

Are you running off MoBo Video or a PCI Card? How much VRAM for theonboard Video.

What speed is your RAM? Is it marginal for the un-accelerated system?

I'd test both for quite a few runs with te original ProcCard before going any farther.

It could be a clock multiplier issue that's causing it to run over its rated speed, that could be problematic.

I'd start with a fresh install of a mid-range supported OS with no apps or drivers installed. Start trying the available driver assortment, systematically, with fresh OS installs before every attempt.

2. Speed can be "tweaked" by using an included control panel

When you hit the one that installs this control panel, it'll probably be pay-dirt. Slow it down! :approve:

 

[BGoins12]

OS 9.1. It has 384 megs of RAM, all the slots are filled. Not sure what speed they are... they all came installed in the computer already.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

That's one problem identified right in your link, it supports only 8.0 through 9.0 so knock the OS down to 8.6, 9.0 was buggy.

 

[BGoins12]

Oh poop. Oh well, looks like it's getting 8.6 then.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Good luck, IIRC, 9.0 was buggy, but usable. However I'd nail everything down tight under 8.6 before trying 9.0 on for size. [] ]'>

Edit: Check out the speed of your RAM, it may have been pre-installed on a used machine, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily up to spec . . .

 

[Byrd]

The slight overclock should be OK, try removing and reapplying the thermal paste on the G3, and reduce the backide cache speed. CPU Director should allow you to do so.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Cool, I don't have any experience with these ProcCards specifically, I was just doing the general troubleshooting checklist. I'm used to Sonnet and Radius Accelerators which don't have provision for overclocking, which I've yet to play around with, In a production environment, I figured stock config, reliability was paramount..

Do you know which driver version he needs?

More input on whether 9.0 is usable would be good, I just remember a lot of complaints about its bugginess over on Ars Technica. I wound up installing 9.1 to fix general problems on my DA, but it's still fine on my Sonnetized 6360 plotter server/ex-production machine.

 

[waynestewart]

I have one of those though mine's a 250mhz. I'm not using this card because i have a number of faster ones from Sonnet & Powerlogic.

In my box of G3 cards I have a couple of Newer Tech floppies. Ones titled MAXpower then a number I can't read

the others titled NUpowr G3 version 1.0.3. I don't seem to have the manual. PM me if you need a copy of those disks

I have two links on hand that may be of use to you

http://www.newertech.com/tech_support/support_legacy.php

http://siber-sonic.com/mac/MAXpowrG3.html

 

[BGoins12]

Thanks VERY much for the links everyone! Especially this link -

http://siber-sonic.com/mac/MAXpowrG3.html

Setting it to 3 on and the rest off solved the artifacts problem. Now to install the software to get it working right.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Have you got a large enough HDD available to install 8.1, 8.6, 9.0 AND 9.1 in their own partitions for testing compatibility while you're at it? :?:

 

[IIfx]

I dont understand how something that works in 8.6 and 9.0 would break in 9.1 considering the large swaths of identical code. But of course it could be a matter of an updated extension breaking compatibility...

 

[Bunsen]

IMHO there's no reason at all to downgrade to 8.6. 9.1 is a fine OS, and fixes most of the bugs & crashes in 9.0 of which, in my experience, there were many. It also seems (subjectively, to me) faster and cleaner than 8.6. The only reason *not* to use 9.1 or 9.2 on a compatible machine would be a lack of RAM, which is why I used to run it on my Powerbook 1400.

It sounds to me like someone tried to overclock that CPU, found it crashy, and gave up on it. Lucky for you

Also, OS 9 Helper will allow you to put 9.2.2 on that machine, for even better performance.

http://eshop.macsales.com/OSXCenter/OS9Helper/Framework.cfm?topic=32

/ETA/ I wouldn't 100% rely on the 9.0 cut-off cited at everymac. That may well be the top version listed because it was the top version available at the time the card was issued in 1998. The drivers for Sonnet's Crescendo/PCI should work on the Newer card.

 

[Sonic Purity]

Greetings,

I’m the person who put up the MAXpowr G3 page mentioned in the posts from waynestewart and BGoins12 (the 10:02 post). Curious myself about whether or not the manual had made it online, i came across this thread (about a month ago now). Scanned the photocopy of the manual that a dear departed Mac friend mailed me years ago, cleaned it up a bit (don’t expect miracles), converted it to PDF. It is now available on that self-same page:

http://siber-sonic.com/mac/MAXpowrG3.html

I tried to make the PDF version 1.3 so it would be readable on as many Vintage Macs as possible, but best i could do is v. 1.4. Acrobat Reader 4.05a under OS 9.1+ does successfully display the PDF, though the thumbnails do not work properly in that version. Should work in Reader 5 and newer. Works fine in Preview 3.0.9 on OS 10.4.11 Tiger.

It’s really not that exciting nor informative, though i know that i like to decide that for myself by seeing such things with my own eyes, so thought you all should have the same opportunity.

I also added some troubleshooting information which boils down to this: even if the contacts look pristine clean and even if the card has been in and out of one or more processor sockets a few times, the card edge connector contacts may still require proper chemical cleaning to work reliably. At least mine did!

I dont understand how something that works in 8.6 and 9.0 would break in 9.1 considering the large swaths of identical code. But of course it could be a matter of an updated extension breaking compatibility...

I’ve had no problem with the MAXpowr G3 under OS 9.1, though there is/was a Global Village USB modem (i’ve forgotten which one) whose software worked great in 8.6 through 9.0.4 and totally, irrevocably broke under 9.1 and newer. GV never updated their software to accommodate Apple’s OS changes.

Also, OS 9 Helper will allow you to put 9.2.2 on that machine, for even better performance.

I ran that for awhile on my stock processor 9600/300 with gobs of RAM. It was OK, but the hack needed to get FireWire to keep working was causing problems. So, i restored the stock 9.1 System and Finder Files, leaving the rest of the 9.2.2 stuff in place, and in some cases using pieces from various later updates (all the way through Classic for Tiger pieces). I call the conglomeration OS 9.1+.

))Sonic((