David Aitken Posted August 3, 2000 Author Share Posted August 3, 2000 Ah, you're right about the sound card taking a load off the CPU. However, like a graphics card, I'm not sure if the game needs to be specifically programmed to allow this. On the other hand, as is always the case, the best thing to have is a powerful base machine. Having a not-so-great machine and adding lots of bells and whistles won't get you very far. For example, I have a beige G3 (originally a 233MHz model) upgraded to a 450MHz processor, and I stuck a Nexus 128 graphics card in it. Now, even though this is technically faster than most newer G3s (and even some G4s), and has a better graphics card than ANY of them, the performance isn't so impressive because the motherboard architecture is a bit of a drag. That said, I LOVE buying new bits and pieces for my machine - and hell, I've only had it for less than two years, so I'm not selling it yet! =) Upgrading is much more satisfying than getting a new machine - just don't expect too much. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michael emrys Posted August 4, 2000 Share Posted August 4, 2000 Yeah, it's why I've never been too taken with processor upgrades. As long as you're working through the same system bus and things like that, you're going to be held back. Given the cost of CPU upgrades for the Mac, I'd sooner hold on to my bread until I can just get a whole new machine. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Aitken Posted August 4, 2000 Author Share Posted August 4, 2000 Other World Computing sells Apple's own CPU cards, and they are MUCH cheaper than third-party offerings like Newer Tech or Sonnet. They're also 100% compatible and don't require any software. http://www.macsales.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snagdad Posted August 5, 2000 Share Posted August 5, 2000 I loaded the v.1 sound extensions(?) and they work great! Thanks very much for the suggestion. Here's a question(or actually several) - the new dual 500 mhz machines (not that I can afford one): will a game like CM or others really take advantage of the dual processors ? Doesn't his imply special coding to use the power of this arrangement ? I fear that the dual processors is Apple's very short term fix to not having a greater than 500 mhz processor available at the moment. When a new series of processors does come then these machines will be ill supported dinasaurs ? I am concerned about: comments by the G.O.D. people about Apple support for gaming, the lack of premium graphics capability or expandibility, and the lack of progress with faster processors. Is Apple going to squander the huge leg up that the iMac gave us because of lagging in technology ? It does seem that the games drive the technology somewhat in the consumer market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Aitken Posted August 5, 2000 Author Share Posted August 5, 2000 snagdad - First off, no, CM would not currently benefit from dual processors. The main app you'll see a difference in is Photoshop, because it has special MP plug-ins. However, I understand that OS X takes full advantage of multiple processors, and I assume it would pass this benefit on to all apps - so buying an MP now would set you up nicely for next year. I don't think MPs will cease to be supported, but they might be something of a 'limited edition'. The MP G4s are still, as you say, very much a stop-gap. G4s are bloody fast - quite possibly as fast as a GHz Pentium - but as long as their MHz is slower they've got a PR problem. Apple is aware of this, hence the MPs. Motorola are desperately trying to pump up the clock speed of their chips, so we should see inherently faster processors before the end of the year. It's been too long since Apple released any really impressive new hardware. The new G4s should have packed ATI's Radeon cards (which kick ass, even compared to Voodoo) - but whether or not they were _going_ to, ATI announced they would, Steve Jobs allegedly threw a tantrum and it was back to the old RAGE 128's. Everyone knows Apple hasn't supported games well enough. iMacs shipped with RAGE Pro graphics chips for quite a while, which was absolutely pathetic. Gaming support is one of Steve Jobs's objectives, though (at least it was, and I think it still is) - they just haven't got their act together properly yet. GameSprockets is quite popular amongst game developers, and OS X will feature a whole new set of technologies to assist programmers. And on that subject, everyone is looking forward to OS X, because it's based on Unix, which programmers love - whereas they all hate the currently Mac OS core which is ancient. It won't be a moment too soon, but come next year, we'll get fast G4s (or G5s), Radeon cards and Mac OS X, and the Mac will be as sorted as it's ever been. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Michael emrys Posted August 5, 2000 Share Posted August 5, 2000 A G4 500 will test out at least as fast as a Pentium 1G *provided* that the application is optimized to use AltiVec. Otherwise it's a no-show. This causes problems because developers don't like to go to the trouble and expense of programming to AltiVec unless there is a demonstrable consumer base out there to buy it, and consumers (especially ones not already committed to Mac) are slow to buy a G4 unless there is going to be something to run on it. A Mexican standoff. Regarding multiprocessors: I don't know **** myself, but I've read that it's the wave of the future, especially after OS X gets here. But again, it won't mean much unless someone makes software for it. Especially for gamers, that might take a while. Like everybody else, I think Apple would be doing itself a favor if it began subsidizing game designers in some way or other. Apple should have begun pushing the Mac as the core of a multi-media home entertainment center at least a decade ago. But they saw that as beneath their dignity, and that market got snatched away from them. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aka_Deadline Posted August 7, 2000 Share Posted August 7, 2000 KaBOOM, what an amazing change in quality of sound. Thanks for taking the time to find this out. Deadline ------------------ "My honor is Life both grow as one, take honor from me and my life is done." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elementalwarre Posted August 31, 2000 Share Posted August 31, 2000 unfortunately apple's taken gamesprockets 1.5 offline so you can no longer get soundsprocket 1.0 all that easily you can still get soundsprocket 1.0 from mac os update 8.6 but it's 35M. so, as with ati drivers i will send soundsprocketlib and soundsprocket filter 1.0 to anyone who asks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Aitken Posted September 1, 2000 Author Share Posted September 1, 2000 It's still on the FTP site, just the webpage has gone. Gamesprockets_1.5.smi.bin David ------------------ There's a splinter in your eye, and it reads REACT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Måkjager Posted September 2, 2000 Share Posted September 2, 2000 My ears are only ringing now from the thunder of artillery barrages. Thx for the info David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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