TransIntl Ram/HD Sales: See the sidebar for new lower prices on Transintl.com ram ($128 for 128MB/$259 for 256MB DIMMs - all 222 speed code). They also have large hard drive upgrades for Powerbooks (up to 18.2GB) and iBooks (up to 12GB). Transintl also announced the availability of a 512MB DIMM today, allowing up to 2GB of RAM in a Powermac G4 (however OS 9 currently can address only 1.5GB of RAM).

$1100 'Factory-Returned' SGI 17.3" LCD Displays: [offer valid when posted in Feb. 2000, but now expired.] Although they're not DVI interfaces (a Rage128 PRO AGP won't work with it) - Brian William Jones found an SGI page selling returned SGI 17.3 " LCD Displays for $1100 (no graphics card). These monitors have a 90 day warranty and originally sold for about $2,500. (See the SGI page for details on allowable stuck pixels, etc. on these returned units.) You can order direct from SGI by calling 800-800-7441 (limited quantity). The other card/display bundles listed on the page are for PCs or SGI systems only - so you'd need the Formac add-on option mentioned earlier today or a Mac Revolution IV graphics card (see lists/links below).

John Sikorski wrote with additional information to consider about these displays.

"The catch is the factory seconds may have up to 12 pixels (total) stuck on and/or stuck off [See the SGI page for other possible image quality issues-Mike]
Although the sale page doesn't mention it, SGI does sell a PCI card for the Power Mac for about $330. Catch #2 is that the card is not available till March because it is stock bought from the manufacturer (Number Nine) which is no longer in business. SGI sales said they will hold the monitor for purchasers until the cards clear and ship everything at once.
John Sikorski "

Mac #9 Rev. IV Note: My sources say Formac wrote the Mac firmware and drivers for the #9 Revolution IV card - perhaps those drivers and rom/flasher might be at Formac's web site which  might allow flashing the PC PCI card versions for use with the Mac. (One of the SGI bundles was the PC version Revolution IV card along with the display.) Just an FYI but I'm not sure the PC version of the card has a large enough flash ROM to hold the Mac firmware. (One problem noted in my FAQ with some OEM Matrox Millennium/II cards in the past.) [Update: One reader sent a warning he had several #9 cards fail to work after attempts to flash them with the Mac ROM.]

Note on Formac/#9 Digital Video Outputs: Gordon Bell, formerly of Formac USA wrote in response an earlier post that the Formac and #9 digital video outputs are not compatible with the Apple digital LCD displays. Another reader writes to note that Formac's FAQ confirms their flat panel digital connector is not compatible with the Cinema Display (or the new Apple 15" digital display which uses the same connector):

"A correction is needed on your piece on flat panel cards. The Apple panels us a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) connector. Most other cards feature the older Digital Flat Panel (DFP) connectors. from http://www.formac.com/new/products/graphic/techsupport.html

'Does the ProFormance 3 support the Apple Cinema Display?

The Apple Cinema Display uses a connector called DVI (Digital Visual Interface), which is different from the one used in the SGI 1600SW display. Formac is currently working on an upgrade module that will allow the ProFormance 3 to run the Cinema Display and other digital displays which use the DVI connector.'
Fred Evans "

This would leave the ATI Xclaim 3D+ as the only possible card with an Apple compatible DVI port (at least until Formac releases their new module).

$80 USB to IDE Cases + How-To Guide: George Cole wrote in reply to the earlier post on USB/IDE cases with a far better price from Sponsor Bottom Line, as well as links to articles on how to install the drive and performance tests.

"Mike, Bottom Line sells one for $79.00:
http://www2.blol.com/bld_desc.t?edp=23864

I reviewed it here for theimac.com:
http://www.theimac.com/usb_ide_case/drive_case.shtml

And I also posted a How to installation guide

Performance analysis is here:
http://www.theimac.com/reviews/usbdrive_specs.shtml

It is nice for small drives, but not for 40GB drives!
-George "

Note that despite the *theoretical max* USB transfer rate of 1.5MB/sec, George only saw about 600KB/sec rates with the USB adapted drive.

Beige G3 IDE Upgrades: Several readers asked if the 40GB Maxtor ATA/66 drives on sale noted in yesterday's news would work in a Beige G3. They should work fine and as noted in the update to my 1998 Beige G3 IDE HD Upgrade article, readers have used ATA/66 27GB models in these systems. This article is linked in the FAQ's How-To section, SCSI/IDE/HD topics page and the G3-ZONE (links are above and in the sidebar on this page).

Mac PCI Graphics Cards with Digital LCD Outputs: [Update - as noted above, the Formac and #9 cards digital LCD ports are not compatible with Apple digital LCD displays - and apparently the ATI 3D+ card is also not DVI compatible. Therefore the cards listed below would support only SGI, Radius Artica or other non-DVI digital LCDs] A reader asked about PCI graphics cards that have a digital output connector for use with Apple's new LCD displays. I'm assuming the Apple digital LCD port is the same as used with the SGI LCD display (the first large LCD with digital inputs available for the Mac). There were several 'standards' at least on the PC for digital LCD interfaces so you might want to verify that the cards below work with the Apple digital LCD displays before buying.) I'm not sure all of these are currently available (either card or addon option) but here is the list of all the PCI graphics cards/digital LCD options I know:

• The Formac Proformance 3 has an optional digital LCD output option (addon module). As of today, their 'buy' page lists ProFormance3 SGI TFT Module PNZB90-2 at $89 but is available for $79.95 (incl. free overnight shipping) at Outpost.com (search for Proformance 3 to find the module). The base 16MB Formac Proformance 3 card lists for $269 now. See Formac's Proformance 3 page for more details. For a detailed review of the card and its performance, see my Performance 3 review.

• Number Nine's Revolution IV 32MB PCI graphics card was bundled with the SGI LCD Display and had a digital output. (The SGI display appears to be the same as Radius' Artica model). Their Revolution IV specs page lists digital output connector support for the SGI display (assuming it's the same format as Apple uses with their new LCD). Check www.nine.com for availability.

• ATI made a RageProLT chip based "Xclaim 3D+" card with digital LCD output. Check http://www.buyati.com/ for pricing and availability (as of this morning the price was listed as $99 with no stock). The Xclaim 3D+ Mac PCI card is available at Outpost.com for $124.95 (after rebate price is listed as $94.95). Search for Xclaim 3D+ to find it. The graphics chip of the Xclaim 3D+ is the same one used in the Powerbook G3s so it's not as powerful as the Rage128, but only the AGP Rage128 Pro currently has DVI output (no PCI slot version).

I've added this info to the Displays and Video cards section of the FAQ for future reference.

ATTO U2 SCSI Cards/G4 System Compatibility: A reader and owner of the latest revision of the G4/AGP system wrote that he's not able to boot his new machine if an ATTO Ultra2 SCSI card is installed. (There were reports late last year of ATTO SCSI card issues in new G4s I believe from VAR/Raid consultant Rod Paine here if I remember correctly.) He's verified the card works in a earlier Mac and has the latest ATTO firmware (which noted G4 compatibility). Even ATTO's tech support seems baffled. I suggested he try the old tricks of Zapping the PRAM and make sure the ATTO card is set to reset the SCSI bus at startup (ATTO Tools option). I had one case last year where the ATTO U2 SCSI card would not boot with a Quantum 18GB U2/LVD drive and discovered the card was not set to reset the bus - which solved the problem. If anyone with a rev 2 G4/AGP system is running an ATTO U2 SCSI card please contact me.

USB External HD Cases: [see the later update for better pricing and more info] Terence Lem asked if I had any info on the $119 external ide drive to usb housing being sold by a company called xtradisk in San Diego. I've never heard of that company but from comparing the performance of my IDE ZIP drive to my USB ZIP drive, I would never consider a USB HD for general use. Much too slow. Since the Firewire/IDE cases noted yesterday are only a few $$ more, if you have a firewire port they might be a better choice.

While on the subject, Don Lee wrote that ADS has updated their web page to list their Firewire to IDE drive cases. A sales rep. for ADS told Don the drive kits would be shipping by the first of March.

Quake2 Update w/Better Voodoo3 Support: William Perez posted a note in the forums with some info on the update:

"make sure you read the notes first! fixes Voodoo 3 gamma/brightness problem, improved multi-monitor support, accessing the InputSprockets config dialog, mouse sensitivity, etc.

There is a new ref_gl.lib GL Renderer library included with this update. Please replace any previous ref_gl.lib (normal/MESA/bigmem) with the new 1.0.3 ref_gl.lib. It is a unified release that supports both the ATI and the native (not Mesa) 3dfx OpenGL drivers (b11 or later). You should be running OpenGL 1.1.2 or later. There are a couple new console variables allowing for fine-tuning of the GL Renderer operation. "

Get the update at: ftp.logicware.com/pub/quake2/q2mac103update.sit.bin.

Apple G4/450 Benchmark Analysis Reports: Apple's Tech Papers page has info on the latest Pfeiffer group results of comparitive testing of the Power Macintosh G4/450. You can see excerpts of the report focusing on specific areas of interest (e.g., Photoshop or QuarkXPress performance and productivity data).

Sonnet sent a press release noting they will be exhibiting their G3/G4 upgrades (including their new PB1400 G3 upgrade) at MacWorld Tokyo (Feb 16-19th). Their President and CEO Robert Farnsworth will also be speaking at a workshop conference on February 18, 2000 at 1 p.m on the future of accelerator cards.

If you don't check the news here daily, check the summary of past news below for info/articles you may have missed. The recent features page also lists articles posted (most recent first) as does the sidebar links here. The site topics pages (systems, cpu upgrades, etc. - see top and sidebar links on this page) also are places to check as well as the FAQ.

For a blast from the past see what was on the front page news here one year ago.

Other Net News:

• Apple's latest enews had a story about Mac servers and computers saving over $100,000 in a medical network. (I can tell you from experience cost of ownership of Macs in business is a tiny fraction of the typical PC network).
• Microsoft Mandates Office 2000 Registration Suite will shut down if you don't register, but Microsoft says it will guard your identity. (PCworld)

Thursday's News Summary

• Connectix wins decision in Sony suit over CVGS
• More on OS 9/E100 Powerlogix Novram Fix
• $282.99 40GB/7200PRM Maxtor (OEM) HDs
• $113 Firewire External Drive Enclosure
• $307 Maxtor 40GB/7200 RPM (Retail Box) Drives
• Cheap iMacs in UK
• Yamaha 8X CDR/Toast Support Patch
• Face Intel Site
• Beige/B&W G3 Install Tip
• GaugePro Update
• BTV Video Software Update
• Phase 5 Woes
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews and Mac Game/Video Card Performance databases updated.

Wednesday's News Summary

• Net News: Modem speeds explained, Firewire versions explained, Epson Announces Firewire Scanner, More Acard ATA/66 tests
• My comments on MacWeek's article on CPU upgrade vendors
• Software Updates: iMovie 1.02, Epson 850Ne & 900N printer firmware updates. Wacom' Intuos OS9/iBook update.
• NAMM Audio Show Roundup Issue #1
• G4 Bezels for SuperDisk/Jaz/ORB/Tape Drives
• More Newer Tech ZIF Switch Settings
• E100 Patch Helps Umax S900 Dual 604 CPU System
• Yikes Overclock & Disk Data Errors
• External DVD-RAM Drive Feedback
• Game News page updated w/Quake3 Mod Tutorials info & a tip for Voodoo2 Beta5 drivers/Pod Racer.
• Rate Your CPU Upgrade, Mac Game Reviews and Mac Game/Video Card Performance databases updated.
• Latest topics in G4 Forum and 3Dfx Forums.

Tuesday's News Summary

• G4 iMac?
• Another MS PC USB Keyboard Hack
• PowerLogix Altivec Enabler Update
• IDE Raid First Impressions
• Maxtor 27GB Drive Temps
• E100/PowerForce G3 Beta Enabler
• More LW300/G3 Printing Tips
• More USB Game Controller Tips
• PL Altivec Enabler Update (Beta)
• XLR8 InterView 2.0 Beta Test program.
• Apple releases Carbon SDK 1.0.2
• NEC Mobile quad processor chip uses 1W
• AMD Shows 1.1GHz Athlon
• Reader review searchable databases updated
• Latest topics in Forums.

For links to older news pages see the Archives page.

The recent features page has a lists reviews/articles you may have missed.

For a guide to finding answers to questions - see my Site Guide page.