Crescendo/PCI G3 & G4
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Driver (1)
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Manual (2)
FAQ (12)
IDArticle TitlePost Date
72 The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD.May-12-09
73 What are the known incompatibilities with the Crescendo/PCI G4 700 and 800?May-12-09
While this new G4 upgrade supports virtually all clones, some PowerTower Pros have a second, very different motherboard design. The problematic version of the motherboard appears to be very rare, based on Sonnet's sales history and the number of related calls. Nevertheless, the Crescendo/PCI G4 700 and 800 are not currently compatible with this version. You can read the entire description, complete with diagram, at:
http://www.sonnettech.com/support/techtips/crescendopci.html

Regarding PCI video cards, most of the Power Computing clones, as well as a couple of the Apple PowerPCs do not have onboard video, and may have come with certain cards (IX Micro Twin Turbo, IX Micro Ultimate Rez, ATI XClaim 3D, and the ATI Mach 64) installed that are not compatible. These cards are legacy video cards and have not had software or firmware updates in several years. The lack of updated software/firmware, combined with the technology of the G4 chips used in these processor upgrades, results in various video anomalies. Because the problems reside in these cards' drivers, a resolution is not expected, and an alternative video solution is required. Recommended cards compatible with these processor upgrade cards include the ATI Radeon 7000 Mac edition.
 
74 Why can't I run Mac OS 9.2 on my computer upgraded with a Crescendo/PCI G4 800 (or 700)?May-12-09
When Apple created Mac OS 9.2, they decided to limit the number of machines supported to make the testing and qualification job easier. To accomplish this, they removed some specific parts of the operating system software that enabled operation on the Power Macintosh 9500 family and earlier machines; beige Power Macintosh G3 models are the oldest systems still supported under Mac OS 9.2.

It turns out that it is possible to add these sections of system software back in, and create a hybrid Mac OS 9.2 that will run with the 9500 family and the Crescendo/PCI G4 800 and 700. There is a web site, www.os9forever.com, which provides tools to do this for Mac OS 9.2.1 and 9.2.2. Unfortunately, Sonnet cannot provide support for this modification, although the Crescendo/PCI G4 800 (and 700) will operate with it.
 
169 May I discard my original CPU after installing Sonnet's upgrade cards? May-07-09
171 The speed indicated on the G3 or G4 chip on my Sonnet processor upgrade doesn't seem to match the speed of the upgrade I purchased. What's the story?May-07-09
175 The Crescendo/Encore installer hangs, or crashes the system; occurs most often when run from the Sonnet installer CD while using Mac OS 9.May-07-09
218 The computer's standard startup process takes noticeably longer after upgrading to any Mac OS 9.x system from Mac OS 8.6 or earlier.May-12-09
228 System will not finish start-up process. Hang or crash occurs before desktop appears.Jun-23-09
229 After installing my new Crescendo/PCI processor upgrade in a Power Tower Pro, I can hear the boot chime when I turn the computer on, but the video display never comes up.May-12-09
230 After installing a Crescendo/ PCI G4 700 or 800 MHz upgrade, I opened Apple System Profiler and it is reporting the processor type as unknown and the speed as 450 MHz.May-12-09
231 After following the instructions and installing both the Crescendo/PCI G4 700 or 800 MHz upgrade card and its included software into my computer, the video is distorted and my cursor is a rectangular block that cannot move more than halfway down the screen.Jun-23-09
Some Mac clones andPower Macintosh computers do not have onboard video, but instead use a separate video card (ATI XClaim 3D, ATI Mach 64, IX Micro Twin Turbo, or IX Micro Ultimate Rez) installed in a PCI slot. These cards are anywhere from 4-6 years old and have not had software or firmware updates in several years. The lack of updated firmware and software, when combined with the G4 chips used on these high-speed upgrades, result in this instability.

Solution 1: If your system is running Mac OS 9.x, turn off the video card's extensions in the Extensions Manager Control Panel.

Solution 2: Replace the video card with one that has current software/firmware or with an older video card compatible with these systems such as the ATI Radeon Mac edition and the ATI Radeon 7000 Mac edition.
 
233 G4 performance drops following Mac OS 9.x system software update.May-12-09