mac softquadro/softfireGL?

[novadude]

No there isn't, for the simple reason that there are no professional graphics cards on Apple computers.

[MCronin]

Such a hack would probably be irrelevant anyway. Because there are no "professional" cards available on Macs, I sincerely doubt the consumer cards are crippled in the same way they are on Windows. Look at ATI's Linux offering. Last I checked there was only one driver available for all their cards and it is a fireGL driver offering the same features whether you run a pro or consumer card.

[MadSkillzMan]

huh i never knew that. I will say, i can run maya just fine on the 5200FX, 64mb ram (doesnt it suck??) and i couldnt get maya to work right on a PC with a 5700le 256mb. i dont game anyways so it doenst matter.

i was just curious. i think it would be easier in mac though, simply because one could use the linux/BSD drivers

[OC-NightHawk]

yeah, uh huh. BS

[MadSkillzMan]

im serious, it will run on my mac, however i havent made a wicked neat scene or anything complex. im not dissin the 5700le card, maya wouldnt run in my dually. I gave it to my bro, hes got it working fine now. i guess it didnt like my board.

[OC-NightHawk]

No thats not what I meant. I call BS on Maya not working with your GF5700. I had it working years ago on nothing but a GF2MX.

[Vertizor]

i was just curious. i think it would be easier in mac though, simply because one could use the linux/BSD drivers
The only official Linux/BSD drivers Nvidia/ATI has released are for x86 platform and in binary format.

And those posts above saying "there are no professional graphics cards for Mac" technically, there are no drivers. You could flash the video BIOS to make it run on a Mac but ultimately it's the drivers that sets these Pro cards apart from the consumer ones.

That said, it goes back to my first sentence. There are not drivers from Nvidia/ATI for the PowerPC platform. In fact, the drivers you normally use in OSX are written by Apple engineers.

[enygma]

I thought the connector on the card of Mac graphics cards are physically different than on the PC, making it impossible to use any PC based video card on the Mac.

[Vertizor]

No they're all AGP, always have been. And prior to that PCI even. It has always been the video BIOS that sets Mac/PC video cards apart.

Your video BIOS kicks in before the motherboard BIOS (just watch as you turn on your PC) and they talk to one another to get basic VGA modes running.

Macs however, obviously don't use the same BIOS software in ROM. They use OpenFirmware, so the video BIOS has to be compatible with that.

[MadSkillzMan]

No thats not what I meant. I call BS on Maya not working with your GF5700. I had it working years ago on nothing but a GF2MX.


Must have not been the graphics card then.


I thought the connector on the card of Mac graphics cards are physically different than on the PC, making it impossible to use any PC based video card on the Mac.


i think he means the output to monitor connector. Older cards yes, you needed a MAC to VGA connector, most cards then had VGA/Apple Digital, which was sweet looking, very very tiny.

HOwever, now all the stock mac cards are DVI and ADC. (apple display connector) Im waiiting now for a ADC to DVI adaptor in the mail, i cant use my second monitor until it gets here ugh. Apple gave me a DVI to VGA with it, so im gonna put ADC-DVI, then DVI-VGA

Most cards you buy now for mac are VGA, DVI, and Svideo, just like the PC users cards

AGP/PCI are changeable between mac/pc, but you do need a bios flash. its just video cards though, i used a USB, TV tuner, firewire cards in pc and moved em to mac.


So wait, its just the driver? What if you did the quadro ID hack, where you move/scratch the resistor to let it ID itself as a Quadro, then wouldnt the mac be forced to use the quadro drivers?'

Hah and i dont hafta update my drivers weekly from nvidia lol.

[Vertizor]

So wait, its just the driver? What if you did the quadro ID hack, where you move/scratch the resistor to let it ID itself as a Quadro, then wouldnt the mac be forced to use the quadro drivers?'
You're still not listening. There are no Quadro or FireGL drivers for the PowerPC platform. Not MacOSX, nor Linux/BSD on PowerPC.

Suppose you take the GeForce 6800 Mac edition, do that hardware mod to turn it into a Quadro, there's still no drivers to run it. When you put it back in your Mac, chances are it will no longer recognize.

EDIT: I assumed Enygma was talking about the internal connectors not monitors, otherwise he'd have said "monitors" and not Mac/PC boxes themselves.

[MadSkillzMan]

ohhhhh ok that all makes sense now.

[OC-NightHawk]

Must have not been the graphics card then.
Possibly. I had problems installing a 5700Ultra in my current machine a while back. I took it back and got my money back. I tried again with the 6800GT and it worked. It's possible that maybe the first few batches of 5700 cards where defecitve or more likely the drivers where unfinished before they started selling them.

[MadSkillzMan]

hah would u beleive the stock ddrivers didnt work at all? the card actually WORKED overall better when it was softquadro, however the hack didnt fully work, as maxtreme wouldnt install.

[OC-NightHawk]

hah would u beleive the stock ddrivers didnt work at all? the card actually WORKED overall better when it was softquadro, however the hack didnt fully work, as maxtreme wouldnt install.
I would believe not working at all. Mine wouldn't even enable and I ended up with that software video display adapter that can only do 8 bit color at a max of 800x600 with a slow frame rate for 2d. I had it in my machine for one night, said f this and took it back the next day. lol

[MadSkillzMan]

yea, my comp died directly after lol. mobo was fried, CPUs just DEAD...lol so its like "here brother!" hes got it running 41.x drivers i think? the 69x and 71.x are WORTHLESS

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