20" ACD with Ati Radeon 9200?...

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Level 2

171 points

20" ACD with Ati Radeon 9200?...

Can someone confirm for me that this card will work with the 20" Apple Cinema Display...or not, please...It's a Radeon 9200 that's been flashed...it works perfectly with my current, aging, seven year old monitor...

Right now I have it working with a 19" Sony crt, the connection is vga I think...the Sony manual lists it as HD15 Video input...Below are what may be the relevant features of the card to determine if it will work...

Features

Multi-Generational Technology

* Designed for OS X and legacy OS 9 systems for the widest support of Mac systems
* Flexible dual display configurations that reach resolutions up to 2048x1536
* Use VERSAVISION™ to enable hardware accelerated display rotation ? up to 180 degrees
* 128MB of DDR memory ensures stunning graphics for next-generation and legacy games and applications

* RADEON 9200 VPU (Quad Pixel-rendering Pipelines)
* 128MB DDR memory
* Dual Integrated 10-bit per channel 400MHz DACs
* Integrated 165MHz TMDS transmitter
* Integrated TV-Out supports up to 1024x768 resolution
* Multiple Display connections
o DVI-I port
o VGA port
o S-Video port

The guy I bought the card from on ebay had this to say :

"Additionally, this card has been upgraded with a 128KB ROM chip to hold the full v127 Mac ROM.

The only uncertainty is DVI monitors greater than 1280x1024
resolution (i.e., most monitors greater than 19"). VGA or DVI-VGA adapted works fine."

Thanks for the help...

M

g4 450 agp Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2gb ram seritek sata drives

g4 450 agp Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2gb ram seritek sata drives

Posted on Mar 23, 2007 9:24 AM

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Answer 1

japamac

Level 7

24,400 points

Mar 24, 2007 7:35 AM in response to Morris Taub

Hi-

"16:9 aspect ratio monitors are supported on 1920x1080 and 848x480 on Microsoft® Windows® XP, Microsoft® Windows® 2000 and Microsoft® Windows® Me. The complete list of resolutions depends on the driver version and operating system. NOTE: resolutions are limited by the performance of the attached monitor. DVI-I monitors will be limited to 1600x1200."

This is quoted from the ATI site. Note that the DVI-I (the digital) supported resolution is 1600x1200. The optimal resolution for the 20" cinema display is 1680x1050. So, the PC version doesn't seem to support the necessary resolution.
The big question is, what was the ROM that was used to flash the card? Within the ROM lies the key to your success, or failure, with this card and the 20" ACD.
As long as the 9200 Pro Mac version of the ROM has been flashed to the card, the Mac version supports UP TO 1920x1200 digital monitor resolution, which provides support up to the 23" ACD.
Given this, it should work with the 20" ACD.

G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-109,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

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Answer 2

Morris Taub Author

Level 2

171 points

Mar 24, 2007 9:01 AM in response to japamac

Hi japamac...i don't know if it means anything but i get all the monitor resolutions indicated at the bottom of this Ati page :

http://ati.amd.com/products/radeon9200/radeon9200me/specs.html

also, when I started researching these Apple monitors one of the System requirements on the monitor page for a G4 or G5 was an Ati Radeon 7500 or better graphics card and OS 10.2.8 or later so I thought I was ok...

I'm not sure about the ROM that was flashed to the card...all I've got is what the guy who did it, yoyomarv, said..."Additionally, this card has been upgraded with a 128KB ROM chip to hold the full v127 Mac ROM."

It sounds like I'm good to go but I rarely deal with all this so I was trying to verify...I really don't want a nasty surprise when I get the monitor home...

also, at the end of this year or perhaps beginning of 2008 I'm planning on upgrading to a Mac Pro so whatever screen I buy now I'll end up using with that...

Besides the apple screen the only other monitor I've been considering is the NEC 2190uxi...

I'm hoping that coming from my Sony Multiscan G500 I'll be happy with the change...my work is book covers mainly, with photographs and illustration and I've been very happy with the results, I mean what's printed is very close to what I see on screen...

anyway, thanks for your help japamac...

kind regards...

M

g4 450 agp Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2gb ram seritek sata drives

g4 450 agp Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2gb ram seritek sata drives

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Answer 3

Morris Taub Author

Level 2

171 points

Mar 24, 2007 9:18 AM in response to Morris Taub

Also, I keep wondering why there's a double line of my computer and stuff at the bottom of my posts, i didn't type stuff in there twice?...maybe i'll try and wipe it all out here on the message page...hmmm...

signed,

confused...

G4 450agp Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2gb ram seritek & 2 sata drives lots of wires behind my desk...

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Answer 4

Morris Taub Author

Level 2

171 points

Mar 24, 2007 9:21 AM in response to Morris Taub

wow, that worked...forgive my self indulgence here...

m

G4 450agp Mac OS X (10.3.9) 2gb ram seritek & 2 sata drives & lots of wires behind my desk...

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Answer 5

japamac

Level 7

24,400 points

Mar 24, 2007 9:28 AM in response to Morris Taub

Hi-

It's probably because you previewed your message, went back and added/edited, and then posted. If you do that, you need to delete your info off the bottom of the previewed text before posting.

As far as the resolution chart goes- You will note that the "maximum digital resolution" is 1920x1200. The optimal resolution for the 20"ACD is less than that, and should be supported.

G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-109,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

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Answer 6

Morris Taub Author

Level 2

171 points

Mar 24, 2007 9:36 AM in response to japamac

hi again japamac...i think that this is solved, about the monitor and the double line at the bottom of my posts...that's exactly what i was doin', preview, etc...thanks for that...

and it seems like i'll be fine with these twenty inch monitors...

what's weird is i have a choice in my display preferences that goes all the way up to 2304x1728 at 60hz...I've been able to choose as high as 2048x1280 at 90hz but it makes everything on my monitor tiny...

on my 19" sony I've kept it at 1280x960 and 90hz...and been pretty happy with the resolution...

thanks again,

M

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