OSX @ ATI X1900XTX

[ooZberg]

I recently switched my nVidia 7800GT with a ATI X1900XTX. This was almost entierly because of lacking support for nv cards in OSX. Until a month ago I didn't know of X1900 success in OSX, and thanks to Pitr- and this post I decided to ditch my beloved 7800GT and go for a X1900XT.

 

I brought a PowerColor X1900XTX a week later . To get this to work I used JaS 10.4.6 Install DVD and then the borisbadenov driver installer 3.2 (Get it HERE ) and success!

 

I am using a DVI2VGA adapter, and have no TFT monitor so I can't confirm any working/non-working DVI.

 

XBench 1.3 results is something like this:

 

		 Quartz Graphics Test	188.43	
	Line	146.42	9.75 Klines/sec [50% alpha]
	Rectangle	203.85	60.86 Krects/sec [50% alpha]
	Circle	190.28	15.51 Kcircles/sec [50% alpha]
	Bezier	171.12	4.32 Kbeziers/sec [50% alpha]
	Text	270.27	16.91 Kchars/sec
OpenGL Graphics Test	181.23	
	Spinning Squares	181.23	229.90 frames/sec

 

And the my over all gui usage impression is that this works way better then my 7800GT and MacVidia. There are no artefacts, no mouse tearing, what so ever. Everything is working fine,

 

Exept this:

This first keyframe of the ripple animation works, but then it just freeze and fades away later. Quite annoying, and I have not found anyway to fix this yet. (It freezes at this very moment shown in the attached picture.)

 

The widget-flipping effect is working though, after this fix. Thx to aberracus.

 

Video playback works just great. VLC and MPlayer works like a charm. No problem there. But QuickTime seams to get some problem while trying to play HD streams. Everything else works in QuickTime. But it doesn't relly matter, because these files plays fine in VLC and MPlayer.

 

But one thing that I relly miss is TV-OUT. Have not found anywat to activate it. But there mabe is a way to do this? Plz tell me then

 

Gaming

With working OpenGL I just had to try some games.

 

Quake III 1.32 this game works just fine. I also did a little benchmark comparison, OSX vs Win XP.

To do this, open console (F13 or Insert on a PC keyboard) and type:

timedemo 1
demo four

 

After this you can se the avarage framerate in the console. I got his results (Gfx High, 1280x1024)

Windows XP: 430 fps

OSX: 90 fps Well, 90 fps is still playable

 

 

Quake 4 and Doom 3

These games, (same engine) didn't work very well. They started alright, BUT all textures were black. You could only see the sky and some fire, and the light from your gun. Not too good. Maby it is more of a common OSX problem than a X1900 hackingtosh problem. I don't know.

 

 

UT2004

Finally, a game that works flawlessly. I set all gfx settings to highest and it looks perfect. No artefacts or such like. Performance was also nice, felt like I was playing this game in Windows. (Or actually better, knowing Windows wasn't running ).

 

Conclusion

My impression of this card and OSX is relly good. Almost everything seams to work, and that is good compared to many other gfx cards, especially compared to nVidia (at the moment).

 

What's not working?

* Ripple effect on dashboard. (Damn, a want to see that so bad )

* Doom 3 and Quake 4 (Strange... )

* TV-Out?

[cyclonefr]

nice test

ur card is in PCIE right? is it recognized as such in system profiler?

 

im having a X1600PRO and dont experience any graphic bug under DOOM3 and QUAKE4...i have made the neophus installer with him and can confirm it must be a X1900 problem

 

for the rest i suggest u to test COD2 cause i cant explain how u can have so bad performance under Q3...if ur card is recognized as PCIE...let me know!

[munky]

for tv-out you can do what i did - bought an external VGA to TV scan converter / flicker fixer. got mine off ebay for £25, and it does 1024x768 - not bad at all.

[ooZberg]

cyclonefr: It says "PCI" in profiler, see: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?act...ost&id=4347

 

And its a PCI-E, but I don't think thats matter. The "problem" with Q3 is not GPU bottlenecked, I get almost exactly the same framerate with everyhing on lowest

 

munky: Thx for the tip, but I think I use another computer or reboot to windows if I need tvout that bad.

[erikk]

for full support of OPEN GL like Ripple Effect, Spinning Cube and issue fix for FINAL CUT and IMAGE TRICKS, try to use the OPENGL Framework from 10.4.5 I HAVE ATI X1600 PCIE and use neopheus installer which works quite well, but i get opengl issues then i use the named opengl framework and everything works fine.

[xlek]

erikk: how can one get this opengl framework from 10.4.5, bar downloading the whole 10.4.5 iso?

[xlek]

Actually, the solution to this was quite easy. It seems the intel/amd updaters for 10.4.7 put some stuff (extensions/frameworks/etc) into _Disabled folders; I assume to try not to break current drivers and such people are using.

 

All I did was move the /System/Library/Extensions_10.4.7_Disabled/OpenGL* folder back into /System/Library/Extensions (after deleting/moving the old OpenGL folder, of course!), and everything is working brilliantly now.

[ooZberg]

for full support of OPEN GL like Ripple Effect, Spinning Cube and issue fix for FINAL CUT and IMAGE TRICKS, try to use the OPENGL Framework from 10.4.5 I HAVE ATI X1600 PCIE and use neopheus installer which works quite well, but i get opengl issues then i use the named opengl framework and everything works fine.

 

Very interesting, so that is why Final Cut Studio worked like {censored} . I tried to replace my current OpenGL.framework with the one found at /System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGL.framework on MacOSX_10.4.4DVDPATCHED_Myz.iso.

 

I thought this DVD was patched to 10.4.5, but maby not the OpenGL framework

 

Because this is the result I got

 

(Image showing Dashboard, i think)

 

Anyone know if MacOSX_10.4.4DVDPATCHED_Myz.iso got the 10.4.5 OpenGL.framework? Any suggestions of DVDs with 10.4.5 framework?

[xlek]

^ See my post above. Try the 10.4.7 framework.

 

I suspect you'd probably have to roll the Extension (driver) back to 10.4.5 too for that framework to work. Or perhaps not. This is all still quite new to me

[erikk]

@oozberg: when you use the framework from 10.4.5. u have to use also the kext files from 10.4.5. sorry i forgot to say but i think the drivers will not work with your card.

 

 

xlek, did you get dvi to work? or u use a dvi-vga adapter?

i wanna buy also a new card, because my x1600 is to slow for some games.

[xlek]

i'm using vga at the moment; i'd prefer to use dvi though, yes. i haven't tried dvi yet but i'm pretty confident it won't work at the moment because the 10.4.7 updater doesn't update any extensions (rather puts them into a _Disabled folder).

 

i suspect i'll have to roll over the 10.4.7 ATI* drivers into the Extensions/ folder and make the relevant changes for things to work.

 

anybody know if neo's installer makes changes to the files on the fly or just copies in its own kext's (i.e. should i try running it against 10.4.7 extensions)?

[erikk]

here i prepare a installer with 10.4.5 ati drivers and frameworks... i think you have to put you ven and product id in the kexts

www.electrixx.de/atix1600for1047.zip (only for x1600 and x1800)

everything works for me in 10.4.7. with that package.

 

i'm using vga at the moment; i'd prefer to use dvi though, yes. i haven't tried dvi yet but i'm pretty confident it won't work at the moment because the 10.4.7 updater doesn't update any extensions (rather puts them into a _Disabled folder).

 

i suspect i'll have to roll over the 10.4.7 ATI* drivers into the Extensions/ folder and make the relevant changes for things to work.

 

anybody know if neo's installer makes changes to the files on the fly or just copies in its own kext's (i.e. should i try running it against 10.4.7 extensions)?

 

i think neophis use the driver from 10.4.7

because in 10.4.5 is no support for x1900

 

 

oozberg, sorry for confusing... i read that you open the thread and has the x1900

you cant use my uploaded package for your card, because it only support x1600 and x1800.

but try this: use neophis installer and later on you use the disabled framwork in 10.4.7 how xlit says.

[xlek]

mac:~ xlek$ diff /System/Library/Extensions/ATIRadeonX1000.kext/Contents/MacOS/ATIRadeonX1000 /System/Library/Extensions_10.4.7_Disabled/ATIRadeonX1000.kext/Contents/MacOS/ATIRadeonX1000

mac:~ xlek$

 

damn, you're right.

 

ah well, it's only DVI output that's missing. everything else works great!

[erikk]

i remember another thing

it can be possible that amd users has (after copying the disabled frameworks) to patch again the framework files with the amd patcher (because the framework is unpatched on amd_10.4.7 update) thats what i do yesterday, but how i say, i have all functions, but no game start anymore.

[ooZberg]

I tried the OpenGL.framework from MacOSXUpd10.4.7Intel.dmg, and this framework works, but just as good as the one supplied by neophis installer, so I guess I already had the 10.4.7 framework and thats te only one that works with X1900

 

And I don't have this folder: /System/Library/Extensions_10.4.7_Disabled/ , where is it supposed to come from? Is this something you get when you upgrade to 10.4.7, wich I haven't done.

 

Now I have to do some other stuff, I'll try more tonight

[erikk]

you found the framework.disabled in system/library folder

[xlek]

i'm on amd. wow is working perfectly here.

[erikk]

i'm on amd. wow is working perfectly here.

 

which card you have?

which driver u use now?

games still working?

[xlek]

ASUS EAX1600PRO, 512MB (OS X only picks up 256MB, but like hell I was ever going to benefit from 512MB of memory on a card of this caliber anyway).

 

Used the neo (?) installer on 10.4.6, I've now upgraded to 10.4.7 and copied the 10.4.7 OpenGL framework in (as described above). That's it.

[MacApprentice]

My X1900XT works fine with Quake 4, strange. I don't get the deformation effect on the dashboard too but I didn't get it when I was using the GMA950. I don't really care

The only thing not working is Tribal Trouble, wich flash a black screen @ my face in an infinite loop anyone got an idea on how to fix that?

[ooZberg]

My X1900XT works fine with Quake 4, strange. I don't get the deformation effect on the dashboard too but I didn't get it when I was using the GMA950. I don't really care

The only thing not working is Tribal Trouble, wich flash a black screen @ my face in an infinite loop anyone got an idea on how to fix that?

 

So Quake 4 is working, nice. Must have something to do with 10.4.7.

 

Have you:

1. Installed JaS 10.4.6

2. Updated to 10.4.7 with Jas(Intel)

3. Used amd patcher from Semjaza 10.4.7 decrypt

 

right?

 

When I did this It worked but iTunes Preferences (Wich I need) didn't work anymore Does it work for you?

 

And have you tried Final Cut Pro? It didn't work very good for me.

[erikk]

he has an intel

 

my install routine was this way:

1. install jas 10.4.6

2. upgrade to 10.4.7.

3. install neophis 3.2

4. copy disabled framework (from 10.4.7)

5. used semjaza patcher for amd

 

then everything (itunes control panel, final cut... ) works... but no call of duty 2

 

but know the best: (thx cyclone)

install quicktime 7.12 again... and everything works now perfectly with really fast drivers

[graphic Design]

borisbadenov driver installer 3.2 can work with my X850 XTPE (AGP) or not?

Please help...

[Poppis]

Actually, the solution to this was quite easy. It seems the intel/amd updaters for 10.4.7 put some stuff (extensions/frameworks/etc) into _Disabled folders; I assume to try not to break current drivers and such people are using.

 

All I did was move the /System/Library/Extensions_10.4.7_Disabled/OpenGL* folder back into /System/Library/Extensions (after deleting/moving the old OpenGL folder, of course!), and everything is working brilliantly now.

Wow! It worked! Now the OpenGL is fully working. I can use photobooth, iMovie and run games. Thanks a lot! All I did was put the /System/Library/Frameworks_10.4.7_Disabled/OpenGL.framework to /System/Library/Frameworks folder.

[Wayland]

Wow! It worked! Now the OpenGL is fully working. I can use photobooth, iMovie and run games. Thanks a lot! All I did was put the /System/Library/Frameworks_10.4.7_Disabled/OpenGL.framework to /System/Library/Frameworks folder.

 

Does anyone have the DVI output working??