Any suggestion to upgrade my A4000

Tony Landais · 17 August 2006, 19:07

I have an A4000D with a MKII 68060 128Mb, Picasso IV and a fastATA MKIII

I am thinking about upgrading it with a new graphic card.
Mediators sounds like a good idea too but I don t have any tower and I don t know if Prometheus is very compatible...

Any suggestion or experience to share ?

keropi · 17 August 2006, 20:14

mediator eh?
bah! better wait to get some more money, get a MKIII and a G-Rex...
don't know anything though for the Prometheus... a flash update is on the works but still no release...
always remember, nothing beats a g-rex be it on an A1200 or an A4000... the only "disadvantage" is that it needs a bppc/csppc/mkIII accel. to work...

Flashlab · 17 August 2006, 22:22

Losing AGA display prevents me from replacing my PIV. I just love the scandoubler/flickerfixer on it.

keropi · 17 August 2006, 22:29

if you do get a mediator, then you will need a DCE Scanmagic/Flickermagic or an external scandoubler.... no videoslots on mediator...

alexh · 18 August 2006, 13:50

You already have the best graphics card for the Amiga A4000 with an 060 card.

Best buys for you would probably be a "time" investment. Experiment with SFS filesystem to give a performance boost there.

Perhaps consider a kickflash or eFlash to boost boot times and allow the loading of drivers early?

Perhaps a XSURF ethernet card for easy networking to your PC?

Solid State Hard drive? A 2Gig CompactFlash with IDE bridge for fast, quiet loading?

Zetr0 · 18 August 2006, 14:21

Heys Tony,

I completely agree with Alexh wack in an XSURF and consider speeding up the system as a whole.

*might even consider SCSI as the only difference.

but if you want to dabble in the PCI arena, i would recomened building a new system from scratch... as the one you have is pretty difinitive for an 060...

rare_j · 18 August 2006, 14:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Landais

Any suggestion or experience to share ?

You already own a system I can only dream about, you crazy fool!

Smiley · 18 August 2006, 15:58

You could always USB it up

alewis · 18 August 2006, 16:05

I happen to have a spare Prometheus card, boxed, unopened and unused, if you want one. And a spare tower case, c/w Zorro expansion board.

Tony Landais · 18 August 2006, 20:48

Thank you Alewis.
Do you use Prometheus? Is it working with a simple MKII
Does the driver exist in 68k for a soundblaster or any PCI recent GFX card?

I found few reviews but not much information about supported cards...

alexh · 19 August 2006, 11:47

There are some drivers.

Voodoo3 2000
Voodoo3 3000
Voodoo4 4500
S3 Virge
Permedia2
SoundBlaster Live! / Value
RTL8029
RTL8029AS
RTL8139
Catweasel MK4
USB

But you really dont want PCI. It will not enhance your "Amiga" experience. You'll just end up chasing the impossible (and very expensive) goal of making your Amiga feel like a modern PC which isnt possible!

Configuration of what you have (Installing the latest software / speedups / filesystem).
Going ZIII DMA SCSI (reduces the CPU load compared to fastATA MKIII)
Adding a Network card.

These will give you solid returns on investment.

As you already have a great graphics card, PCI wont give you anything except leave your wallet feeling like it has been ass raped.

keropi · 19 August 2006, 11:52

the only pci solution that works nice is the G-Rex. there is no doubt, it is the best, most easy to install software and works as expected.
I had a mediator, and I know... as for prometheus I only heared about bugs, but never saw one...

alewis · 19 August 2006, 13:58

Well, will let y'all know later when I finish the tower, with Prometheus installed too.

keropi · 19 August 2006, 14:09

oh nice!

Zetr0 · 19 August 2006, 14:51

nice to see piccies too

as construction goes...

Secret Vampire · 19 August 2006, 20:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by keropi

the only pci solution that works nice is the G-Rex. there is no doubt, it is the best, most easy to install software and works as expected.
I had a mediator, and I know... as for prometheus I only heared about bugs, but never saw one...

For what it's worth, my Prometheus has been fine with realtek ethernet and some cheap S3 Virge card, we shall see about Voodoo cards next week sometime when mine arrives (if it actually turns out to be a voodoo 3, the seller on ebay thinks it is, and it looks like one, either way, you can't complain for 99p). It didn't work with the Permedia 2 card I tried (Diamond FireGL 1000) but I don't know whether that was down to the Prometheus or the card, the PCI info thing shows it as having twice as much RAM as it actually does.

So, the prometheus is OK, unfortunately some other part of the system is not

it is at least stable in workbench, but hates games.

However, as an upgrade for an A4000D that already has good graphics its value is limited, it will be a pain to fit in the case, and the only really useful thing it can offer is ethernet, which could be achieved more sensibly with an xsurf, or some other Zorro ethernet card.
SCSI might be a worthwhile upgrade, but ZIII SCSI boards are not common, and can be a bit picky about buster revisions and the like. A better option in the case of a system with a Cyberstorm MKII might be the cyberscsi module, which Amigakit conveniently have in stock for about the same price as you'd pay for a fastlane SCSI card.
Ethernet is becoming almost essential these days, now that we all have broadband, so any ethernet card would be a worthwhile investment (or at least those with RJ45 or AUI ports, a coax to RJ45 transceiver will cost almost as much as the card itself, though AUI ones should only cost a few quid)
If you want sound, it's probably best to look for a Zorro soundcard, they aren't too expensive used these days, and should be better than most of the PCI ones on offer (or at least the ones that work with an Amiga, there are plenty of excellent ones that don't)

keropi · 19 August 2006, 20:39

good info Secret Vampire...

alexh · 20 August 2006, 01:09

Having a Picasso IV card means that the best "value for money" sound upgrade is a Concierto. But dont buy one if you see Alexh bidding

Secret Vampire · 23 August 2006, 17:36

Quick update on the prometheus: The Voodoo arrived today, it works without problems, not much more to say about that really.

As far as other stuff goes, it seems that the OpenPCI drivers are all a bit incomplete, I'll probably try to get my hands on a generic USB card and soundblaster at some point to see if they are usable.
OpenPCI itself seems to be dead, and certainly isn't what I think of as open anyway. A better solution would probably be to look at porting the really open PCI implementation from AROS to run on 68k/PPC AmigaOS with a prometheus, but that's a lot of work, and I can't even get the developer docs from Matay's site as they've gone over their transfer limit... Not that I'd have much clue where to start if I could :P It's either that, or write specific Prometheus drivers for individual pieces of hardware (as the ethernet and graphics drivers are), having some kind of generic PCI interface is desirable though, as it allows for cross-compatibility with Mediators and G-rex.

Flashlab · 23 August 2006, 18:14

Finding the Concierto was my first choice too but I couldn't find one. Now I have a Delfina Lite and that is really hard to install on the software front if you don't read some info first

But now that it is working I think it's really great. MP3 playback with it's own DSP works great now!

So my upgrade vote goes to a soundcard with a DSP!

17 August 2006, 19:07	#1
Tony Landais Zone Friend Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: uk Posts: 426	Any suggestion to upgrade my A4000 I have an A4000D with a MKII 68060 128Mb, Picasso IV and a fastATA MKIII I am thinking about upgrading it with a new graphic card. Mediators sounds like a good idea too but I don t have any tower and I don t know if Prometheus is very compatible... Any suggestion or experience to share ?

18 August 2006, 13:50	#5
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,342	You already have the best graphics card for the Amiga A4000 with an 060 card. Best buys for you would probably be a "time" investment. Experiment with SFS filesystem to give a performance boost there. Perhaps consider a kickflash or eFlash to boost boot times and allow the loading of drivers early? Perhaps a XSURF ethernet card for easy networking to your PC? Solid State Hard drive? A 2Gig CompactFlash with IDE bridge for fast, quiet loading? Last edited by alexh; 18 August 2006 at 16:00.

19 August 2006, 11:47	#11
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,342	There are some drivers. Voodoo3 2000 Voodoo3 3000 Voodoo4 4500 S3 Virge Permedia2 SoundBlaster Live! / Value RTL8029 RTL8029AS RTL8139 Catweasel MK4 USB But you really dont want PCI. It will not enhance your "Amiga" experience. You'll just end up chasing the impossible (and very expensive) goal of making your Amiga feel like a modern PC which isnt possible! Configuration of what you have (Installing the latest software / speedups / filesystem). Going ZIII DMA SCSI (reduces the CPU load compared to fastATA MKIII) Adding a Network card. These will give you solid returns on investment. As you already have a great graphics card, PCI wont give you anything except leave your wallet feeling like it has been ass raped. Last edited by alexh; 19 August 2006 at 11:53.

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17 August 2006, 20:14	#2
keropi . Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ioannina/Greece Posts: 5,040	mediator eh? bah! better wait to get some more money, get a MKIII and a G-Rex... don't know anything though for the Prometheus... a flash update is on the works but still no release... always remember, nothing beats a g-rex be it on an A1200 or an A4000... the only "disadvantage" is that it needs a bppc/csppc/mkIII accel. to work...

17 August 2006, 22:22	#3
Flashlab Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 158	Losing AGA display prevents me from replacing my PIV. I just love the scandoubler/flickerfixer on it.

17 August 2006, 22:29	#4
keropi . Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ioannina/Greece Posts: 5,040	if you do get a mediator, then you will need a DCE Scanmagic/Flickermagic or an external scandoubler.... no videoslots on mediator...

18 August 2006, 14:21	#6
Zetr0 Ya' like it Retr0? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United Kingdom Age: 49 Posts: 9,768	Heys Tony, I completely agree with Alexh wack in an XSURF and consider speeding up the system as a whole. *might even consider SCSI as the only difference. but if you want to dabble in the PCI arena, i would recomened building a new system from scratch... as the one you have is pretty difinitive for an 060...

18 August 2006, 15:58	#8
Smiley Amiga-less! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: UK Posts: 1,350	You could always USB it up

18 August 2006, 16:05	#9
alewis Monochrome and 8 bit Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Underbarrow, Gods Country Age: 57 Posts: 600	I happen to have a spare Prometheus card, boxed, unopened and unused, if you want one. And a spare tower case, c/w Zorro expansion board.

18 August 2006, 20:48	#10
Tony Landais Zone Friend Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: uk Posts: 426	Thank you Alewis. Do you use Prometheus? Is it working with a simple MKII Does the driver exist in 68k for a soundblaster or any PCI recent GFX card? I found few reviews but not much information about supported cards...

19 August 2006, 11:52	#12
keropi . Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ioannina/Greece Posts: 5,040	the only pci solution that works nice is the G-Rex. there is no doubt, it is the best, most easy to install software and works as expected. I had a mediator, and I know... as for prometheus I only heared about bugs, but never saw one...

19 August 2006, 13:58	#13
alewis Monochrome and 8 bit Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Underbarrow, Gods Country Age: 57 Posts: 600	Well, will let y'all know later when I finish the tower, with Prometheus installed too.

19 August 2006, 14:09	#14
keropi . Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ioannina/Greece Posts: 5,040	oh nice!

19 August 2006, 14:51	#15
Zetr0 Ya' like it Retr0? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United Kingdom Age: 49 Posts: 9,768	nice to see piccies too as construction goes...

19 August 2006, 20:39	#17
keropi . Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Ioannina/Greece Posts: 5,040	good info Secret Vampire...

20 August 2006, 01:09	#18
alexh Thalion Webshrine Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oxford Posts: 14,342	Having a Picasso IV card means that the best "value for money" sound upgrade is a Concierto. But dont buy one if you see Alexh bidding

23 August 2006, 17:36	#19
Secret Vampire Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Birmingham UK Age: 42 Posts: 214	Quick update on the prometheus: The Voodoo arrived today, it works without problems, not much more to say about that really. As far as other stuff goes, it seems that the OpenPCI drivers are all a bit incomplete, I'll probably try to get my hands on a generic USB card and soundblaster at some point to see if they are usable. OpenPCI itself seems to be dead, and certainly isn't what I think of as open anyway. A better solution would probably be to look at porting the really open PCI implementation from AROS to run on 68k/PPC AmigaOS with a prometheus, but that's a lot of work, and I can't even get the developer docs from Matay's site as they've gone over their transfer limit... Not that I'd have much clue where to start if I could :P It's either that, or write specific Prometheus drivers for individual pieces of hardware (as the ethernet and graphics drivers are), having some kind of generic PCI interface is desirable though, as it allows for cross-compatibility with Mediators and G-rex.

23 August 2006, 18:14	#20
Flashlab Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 158	Finding the Concierto was my first choice too but I couldn't find one. Now I have a Delfina Lite and that is really hard to install on the software front if you don't read some info first But now that it is working I think it's really great. MP3 playback with it's own DSP works great now! So my upgrade vote goes to a soundcard with a DSP!

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