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Hi all,
I recently bought this nice A4000D from Megamix (thanks m8...:thumbsup:)
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=7796
I haven't received her yet but until she arrives I thought I'd search for a nice ppc board addition...(my goal is to try OS4.1 on this machine :nuts:)
I would like some help to identify the compatible boards for the 4000D and their pros and cons...
Thanks
Michael
@Halkx
Congrats on a wonderfull system =)
now theres only one PPC card for the A4000, and that is the Cyberstorm PPC, it has a couple of varients to incarnation too
in its lowest form you can get one with the following official relases-
PowerPC 604e 150MHz and XC68040RC25 (25Mhz)
PowerPC 604e 233MHz and XC68060RC50 (50Mhz)
you can take that even further with the help of stachu100
PowerPC 604e @ 330 MHz + MC68060@66 (or faster)
heres a nice pic to dool over
http://amiga.resource.cx/photos/phot...erstormppc.jpg
(thanks to amiga.resource.cx)
thank you my friend...I think I'm going to post a thread in the wanted section....are there any problems/known bugs that I should be aware of??
Right now, there is NO os4.1 for the classic Amigas.
This could change, but do not bank on it.
oops...I didn't do my homework...:oops:
so up to OS4.0 I presume?? and MorphOS??
Again the Cyberstorm PPC was built by two companies, first Phase5, then DCE after Phase5 keeled over.Quote:
Originally Posted by halkx
The DCE cards can have problems with the way the PPC chip is soldered to the pcb, but again some talented people some of wich spend time on this board can amend that.
Yes, quite a few pointers for these cards. First off, the Pic Zetr0 has posted is not a Stock card. I wonder if Amiga Resource know this fact. :roll:Quote:
Originally Posted by halkx
The pic shows 3 x X-Tals fitted to the board, meaning it is an overclocked card. A stock card will only have 2 X-Tals fitted as in the top pic of this linky.
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showha...cgi?HARDID=225
If you want to read about Over Clocking your CSPPC card, see here:
http://members.iinet.net.au/~davem2/...ock/csppc.html
If you are lucky enough to acquire one, make sure you flash the Card with the latest Firmware from here:
http://phase5.a1k.org/index.php?id=0
I would also ask why you want to go to the trouble of acquiring a PPC card? - Having owned 2 of them in 2 x A4KD's & one of them in my A4KT (All sold now btw) an 060 @ 50Mhz is faster with iBrowse 2.4 under OS3.9 than a PPC @ 233Mhz under OS4.0 Classic. Everything under OS4 is emulated & it does a terrible job considering the Amiga was the best Emulator in it's day. An 060 Amiga emulating a MAC could out perform the Fastest MAC's. ;)
If you want it just for the nostalgia or even MorphOS, then it might be worthwhile talking to stachu100 as he can upgrade these cards as already explained. However, I doubt it would still be on par with an 060 under OS3.9. I can't vouch for MorphOS as I never had the pleasure, but had the displeasure of seeing OS4 Classic being a load of tosh. Consequently, I sold all three CSPPC cards & switched to a CSMKIII 040 card that was faulty on the socket. The 040 CSMKIII cooks the BGA sockets due to the heat & then you have no contact to the PCB. :| - I did have this card repaired by Anthony Hoffman in New Zealand, along with an 060 upgrade & for not fitting the left most X-tal, killed the cards Logic for overclocking the SCSI III along with the 060. Seeing nearly 40Mb/Sec on the SCSI transfers was my downfall & the cards Logic became fubar, which led to the cards death & the sale of my G-REX 4000D. *sniff*
If you read r0jaws thread here, you'll get some idea of what I'm talking about RE OS4.0 Classic....
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=2816
It all kicks off on page 4 of the thread where r0jaws is barely moderately impressed with OS4. Desktop eye candy is not what a fast Amiga is all about. At the same time though, don't get me wrong here. FPS games such as Quake will run better for the PPC Chip, but the AGA version of Quake on an 060 is very impressive to say the least.
Best wishes to you & hope some of the waffle above is of some help if nothing else. :thumbsup:
Kin
Just to correct Kin: card on the picture is Stock card, not overclocked. I'm 100% sure about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kin Hell
Edit:
AOS4.0 is running nice and fast on CyberVision PPC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngJMQ9U1tow
It's really flying: opening jpeg pictures (about 300kB-500kB is 0,2-0,4sec) as you can see.
I can confirm that running AOS4.0 on Zorro III card is not so nice. Even on Picasso IV. But still acceptable.
Using AOS4.0 on AGA will disappoint you. Never try this.
P.S. - You can see me on this video :-)
Sorry stachu100, but you are entirely wrong. :nod:Quote:
Originally Posted by stachu100Just to correct Kin: card on the picture is Stock card, not overclocked. I'm 100% sure about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kin Hell
<snip>
CSPPC cards & CS MKIII cards only ever shipped in the following configs.
CSPPC middle X-TAL & right X-TAL
CSMKIII 060 Middle X-TAL only
CSMKII 040 Left X-TAL & Middle X-TAL
If you read the Overclocking thread http://members.iinet.net.au/~davem2/...ock/csppc.html , hopefully you'll figure it out.
The rightmost X-TAL is the PPC Chip Speed.
The middle X-Tal sets the clock speed for the SCSI, the 68xxx & the mobo devices.
To use the left most X-Tal socket, you have to move a tiny resistor to the right of the Memory slots. By doing this, it enables the left most X-Tal socket (which is always empty unless the board has been tampered with) & separates the 68xxx clock speed from the SCSI clock speed. This makes the Overclock safer for the SCSI. If you don't move the resistor & just change the middle X-Tal, I guarantee you will fry the boards Logic eventually. - I know this beacause I fried my CSMKIII for the love of 35Mb/s on the SCSI speed. :|
Also, are you aware there is a bug with the 233Mhz PPC boards? If you read the Over Clocking thread, it mentions this at the bottom of the page & there is a fix on Aminet for it. You can read the info here.
http://de3.aminet.net/driver/other/CSPPC233Fix.readme
I don't know if the faster versions of PPC chip that you fit still have this hardware bug, but your modifications to these boards should be tested with WarpOS & PowerUP for this 233Mhz anomally. ;)
@ halkx
Just another must do with these boards....
If you want to see your Amiga really multitask, ditch the IDE devices in your Amiga & replace everything with SCSI. You will be gob smacked at the overall performance for it. IDE on any Amiga is a big hit on the CPU, even an 060. :thumbsup:
Best Wishes.
Charlie
Not exactly...Quote:
Originally Posted by Kin Hell
Waht you wrote here is correct for Cyberstorm PPC 060@50MHz and 040@25MHz.
But it's not true for Cyberstorm PPC 040@40MHz where third oscillator 80MHz is used for 040. ;)
Look closer on the above picture what kind of m68k CPU and oscillators are used.
I know that becayse I bought my first CSPPC as 040@40MHz/PPC@233MHz and re-worked this board after.
That is why I wrote that I'm 100% sure.