Screen dims unexpectedly on Dual 867 MDD

So, I have no idea what's causing this, but I just got a Dual 867 MDD today through Craigslist here in San Francisco...
Everything seems to be working great - boots up fine, apps launch fine, etc, etc. I'm running OS X 10.4.5 with 512MB of RAM. Using a DVI-to-VGA adapter, I have the computer hooked up to an OLD NEC MultiSync XV17+ (it's from 1996, I think - still works). The picture is phenomenal on this monitor until I increase the size of any given window to a certain point. Once the window fills more than 25% of the screen, everything gets a little bit dull and decidedly less sharp in appearance. I find this very odd because it's quite dynamic - very real-time. Grab the bottom right corner of a window (any application, including the Finder), and start dragging to make it smaller or bigger and you can see the quality of the picture change.
The monitor was free, and I hope that's the cause of the problem.
Video card: ATI Radeon 9000 Pro (64MB)
Chipset Model: ATY,RV250
Type: Display
Bus: AGP
Slot: SLOT-1
VRAM (Total): 64 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x4966
Revision ID: 0x0001
ROM Revision: 113-99702-127
Displays:
NEC XV17+:
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 75 Hz
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Not Supported
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Rotation: Supported
Display:
Status: No display connected <-- that's the ADC port, I believe
Changing the resolution doesn't help. I haven't tried changing the color depth (thousands vs millions).
I also have not tried removing the SCSI card that was already in this computer just in case it might be causing some kind of problem.
Again, everything else works fine. Internet access, video playback, hard drive read and writes, applications, etc. But when windows are too big, the picture quality is pretty much unacceptable.<br>
PowerMac G4 (MDD) Dual 867 MHz Mac OS X (10.4.5) 512MB, 60GB, AirPort (b), SCSI card, Radeon 9000 (64MB)

By the way, the replacement 17" loaner I have right now (I'm most likely getting the 21" later tonight) has a problem I've seen before. The screen is also greenish and blurry - sign of a shot monitor, right? Well, then why is that when I play World of Warcraft in full screen, the picture quality DRASTICALLY improves? Also, if I then back out into windowed mode, the picture is better than when WoW is not running.
Unlike the previous monitor, this bad 17" doesn't magically dim when large windows are open, nor does it magically improve in the presence of things like photos loaded up on the screen.
Ah, someday, when I'm not broke from buying computer parts, I'll just be able to afford a true DVI display. : )
(Also, I got a pair of used Apple Pro Speakers, and they're great!)

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Dual 867 MDD won't sleep after memory upgrade

Since yesterday my PowerMac G4 Dual 867 MDD has become insomniac. What changed since yesterday is that I installed an additional 512MB of RAM. So far as memory is concerned, there's the factory-installed 512 Infineon module; a second 512MB Kingston module (installed about a couple of years ago, and has been working fine ever since); and a third 512MB Kingston module (the one I installed yesterday) for a total of 1.5GB.
I am aware that sleeping issues can arise for all sorts of reasons (inc. USB peripherals) but it is pretty obvious that in my case the problem is caused by the memory upgrade.
The symptoms: Once I click Sleep on the Apple menu, I can hear the sound of the hard disks spinning down, but the rest of the box remains fully powered. The screen freezes and the computer has to be manually switched off, as the mouse cursor disappears from the screen and the keyboard becomes completely unresponsive.
So far I have tried the following: I have reset the PRAM (no luck there), and have tried switching memory modules to different sockets (basically, the single remaining free slot). I apologise in advance if that second troubleshooting routine might portray me as an ignoramus; I have a good understanding of things but cannot claim to be an expert.
I am a extremely frequent user of the sleep mode, and this issue has taken away from me all the pleasure that comes with a coveted (and long overdue) memory upgrade. I would deeply appreciate any help in resolving this.
Many thanks

Dear Dave,
Many thanks for your prompt response. I ran Rember (Amount of memory to test: "All". All other boxes unchecked - I was running other apps at the time). I cannot understand the results from the log, but I didn't get any feedback at the end of the testing. I attach the contents of the log below:
Memtest version 4.13 (32-bit)
Copyright (C) 2004 Charles Cazabon
Copyright (C) 2004, 2005 Tony Scaminaci (Macintosh port)
Licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 only
MacOS X (Darwin) running in multiuser mode
POSIX version 200112
Pagesize is 4096
Requested memory: 18MB (19693568 bytes)
Available memory: 18MB (19693568 bytes)
Allocated memory: 18MB (19693568 bytes) at local address 0x02008000
Attempting memory lock... locked successfully
Creating test buffers...
Buffer A: 9MB (9846784 bytes) at local address 0x02008000
Buffer B: 9MB (9846784 bytes) at local address 0x0296c000
Running 1 test sequence...
Test sequence 1 of 1:
Stuck Address : ok
Random Value : \ ok
Compare XOR : ok
Compare SUB : ok
Compare MUL : ok
Compare DIV : ok
Compare OR : ok
Compare AND : ok
Sequential Increment: ok
Solid Bits : setting 1 of 64ok
Block Sequential : setting 1 of 256testing 224 of 256setting 225 of 256testing 225 of 256setting 226 of 256testing 226 of 256setting 227 of 256testing 227 of 256setting 228 of 256testing 228 of 256setting 229 of 256testing 229 of 256setting 230 of 256testing 230 of 256setting 231 of 256g 238 of 256setting 239 of 256testing 239 of 256setting 240 of 256testing 240 of 256setting 241 of 256testing 241 of 256setting 242 of 256testing 242 of 256setting 243 of 256testing 243 of 256setting 244 of 256testing 244 of 256setting 245 of 256testing 245 of 256setting 246 of 256testing 246 of 256setting 247 of 256testing 247 of 256setting 248 of 256testing 248 of 256setting 249 of 256testing 249 of 256setting 250 of 256ok
Checkerboard : setting 1 of 64ok
Bit Spread : ok
Bit Flip : setting 1 of 256ok
Walking Ones : setting 1 of 64ok
Walking Zeroes : setting 1 of 64All tests passed.
Thanks again,
Alex

Upgrading dual 867 MDD

Hey there, recently picked up an MDD Dual 867 G4 with 1GB RAM and an ATI 9000 64MB.
I'll get to the point, I'm going to be playing a few games with this machine as well as using it everyday as my main machine. Would i notice the performance difference from the ATI 9000 to a GeForce4 Ti 4600? I was able to track one down locally, I'll mainly be playing games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Ghost Recon etc. I assume an ATI 9800 would be overkill in this machine.
Also would an extra 512MB stick of RAM be use full or kind of redundant (topping it out at 1.5GB)?
Thanks ahead of time.

Douggo wrote:
The GeForce Ti is one of the better cards that you can drop in with having to flash a PC card or lay out big bucks for a new compatible AGP card. The 9800 is solid, especially the 256MB version. You couldn't really go wrong either way, running Tiger or Leopard..
Extra RAM is never going to hurt. No sense in letting a 512MB stick just lie around if it's doing nothing else. If you're buying new, drop the extra funds and up it to a 1GB chip - you won't regret it.
-Douggo
He'll regret it when he finds out that the dual 867 MDD only supports up to a 512 MB chip.

DUAL 867 MDD AND HDV

Just wondering if anyone knew if my computer can handle HDV footage from a Canon XH-A1...Footage (HDV 1080p24) was able to be captured and brought in from camera itself (via firewire... ) but when i dropped clip into timeline video lagged a second behind audio...sequence settings are all correct..( no render bars at all ) also...clip plays perfect in quicktime player...captured footage onto external GRAID2 drive via firewie 800....ram is maxed out...i was always under the impression that i wasn't even able to capture HD footage at all according to FCP 5.1.4 specs ..to my surprise it did...any help from you people out there would be wonderful...

that was my next question to you..and again much thanx...i was always confused by the technical side...so my dual 867 is like having a 1.73 single processor...??? is that really correct...??? i was always looking for an answer to that....if so..KOOL...didn't realize that...FYI...i have exported HDV clip to DVCPRO HD in qucktime conversion and clip plays in sync now...still get drop frames from time to time..again much thanx for your quick responses

Radeon 9200 upgrade to dual 867 MDD

Anyone have experience with the Radeon 9200 Mac video card? I’m looking for something that’ll run a 32” HDTV monitor at 1366x768 or 1280x720, I can’t currently do widescreen. I realize an AGP card would probably be better, but I also have an Apple monitor that I use with the machine that requires an ADC connection, and the 9600/9800 cards won’t do that; I’d need to get a $100 adapter from Apple. I just want to use the 32” to run iPhoto slideshows and look at some EyeTV videos, no gaming or fancy graphics work. Macsales said it would work, although ATI said no.
Rob

For what it's worth, ATI's web site does not show the Radeon 9200 as discontinued as of this morning, and OWC (macsales.com) does sell the 9200 (here: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ATI%20Technologies/100436014/).
I have a retail RME 9200 in a Beige G3 and it does not have a ADC connector. It has VGA, DVI and S-video, so would not solve your problem. You're better off trying to find an OEM card with ADC that someone pulled from a working Mac when they upgraded the card.
Also, the lack of PCI graphics card support in some OSX functions (like Quartz Extreme) mean that 2D function is rather sluggish with the 9200. It's a great card for 3D apps but not so great with 2D functions like scrolling, OSX eye candy, and photo editing.
Allan

No audio device found=no sound on OS9 (MDD Dual 867)

Hello,
i have a serious problem when running OS 9.2.2 on my dual 867 MDD. There is no sound ! In the "sound panel" i have a message like this ( i translate from french ):" Can't use audio device because it seems that another application use it". That is for "in" and "out" sound. When i try to play a movie in QuickTime, i have a message like this ( approximatly ): " you maybe can't hear the audio of the file because there is no audio device". I don't understand because there is no application running. I try everything: disable all preferences, disable all non-apple extensions, reset the pram, reinstall a clean system on other partition. Always the same problem. It's like that computer don't see an audio device - i mean the internal audio of the mac ! On OS 9.2.2 i'm running QuickTime 6.0.3 of course. When i boot on Mac Os X 10.3.9 and -for example- running "Classic QuickTime" i have sound.
So i don't understand. Someone can help me ? Thanks !
( sorry for my english
elzef

To make sure we understand:
when you boot your system direct to OS9, you have no sound.
When you boot to OS X, you have sound.
When you run classic from inside of OSX, you have sound.
Do you have anything like an iMic, 3rd party sound card (there are a couple of complanies that make surround sound cards for Mac), USB speakers, USB headset, or MIDI device connected?

Dual 867 vs. Single 1gig MDD

I have both systems and I'm wondering which would be a better to run Pro Tools 6.4?
The obvious says the dual to me, but with the difference bus speed, who really knows without testing.
The single seems faster when booted up, but again????
Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with these systems in audio production.

I have a dual 867 and I plan on using it for some serious audio projects once I get the right software. Now I'm using an old self-made PC, AMD 1333Mhz. I'm still using Win2K and that means I can't use any of the latest softwares with it (I'm cheap and Win2K was the last Windows OS that lets you use it on multiple computers without problems). I still produce a really decent sound and have yet to utilize even this older software to it's potential, I'm still learning new tricks (Sonar 3, Sound Forge 7, Mixtreme and more). The Mixtreme will work on the Mac too. My cousin is still using his Quicksilver Mac and makes some amazing music using DP4, Waves and more (he has ridiculous outboard gear, Radar,Studer 16 Track,large format console). I was hoping you've tried out both the MDD's now and could post some of your findings. I think the only difference is you'll be stuck using older software (they keep upping the requirements) and just have to wait a little longer for files to process. From what I've read the Single 1Ghz will be faster but That's only what I've read. Looks like you the man now!

Powermac G4 MDD Dual 867 vs Powermac G4 Single 1.0 FW800

Hello, I have been a mac user since 2004. I had an iMac G5 1.8 that crashed and I want a replacement for the next year until I can save for a Mac Pro. I saw a great deal for the above Powermac G4's: MDD Dual 867 for $200 and Single 1.0 FW800 for $150. My friend was going to give me his 23" Apple Cinema HD ADC. I will be doing email, internet, about 90% of the time, and sometimes use Photoshop and Lightroom the rest of the time. I will max out the RAM at 2.0Gb, upgrade the Video to 9700 or 9800, and install 10.5 Leopard. What do you guys think?

C24, welcome to Apple Discussions.
A great price for both. Several considerations. Here's a link to the specs on both. http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g4/index-powermac-g4.html
1. Are you currently using OS 9 in classic mode. If so, you can use either Mac in Tiger. (same as your G5).
2. Do you want to be able to boot into OS 9. Only the MDD will do this.
3. The MDD Dual might be slightly faster if you use multiple applications at the same time and if you do extensive graphics/audio.
Unless you want to boot into OS 9, I would choose the 1GHz. Note: If you upgrade to Leopard, you won't be able to use classic mode.
 Cheers, Tom

Power supply in MDD dual 867 shot?

I arrived home today to find that my Dual 867 G4 was powered down, though I had left it on when I left this afternoon. Not only that, but it won't turn on at all - the power button doesn't light up, there's no spinning of the disks, no chime, nothing. I've unplugged and re-plugged the power cord, switched out surge protectors, plugged it directly into the wall socket - no dice. One thing I did notice, though, is that when I plugged the power cord into the back of the G4 after I had disconnected it, I hear a very faint and periodic short noise, maybe every one second, from the back of the G4. Almost like a short buzzing noise, but too quiet and brief to really be called that.
Does this sound like the power supply is shot? Like it's shorted or burnt out in some way? Thankfully I have two iBooks to use in the meantime, but most of my daily used files and such are on the 4 hard drives in the G4, and there's no space for them (particularly my music) on either of these laptops.
If I do need a new powersupply, does anyone have recommendations for sources? It seems sellers on ebay want the sell them for over $100.
Thanks,
Anthony

Hi,
Yes, that does sound like a power supply issue. It could also be a bad CPU card, or even the motherboard. To isolate the problem, I'd take out the power supply and measure the voltages across the different pairs of wires in the plug that feeds the motherboard. If the voltages don't equal what they should, as per the G4 MDD service manual, then you're in the market for a new power supply. And yes, the ones on eBay will go for 100-150 or so. Make sure it's stated to come from a working system. Untested power supplies could be dead ones from a similar dead machines.
If the power supply voltages are OK, then to isolate whether or not the motherboard, or CPU card is bad will require a spare motherboard, or CPU card, to swap with yours.
Sources for new, or rebuilt, power supplies include WeLoveMacs , DVwarehouse, HarCoreMacs , among many others.
Here is a good set of pictures and step-by-step instructions on taking the MDD power supply apart.
In my case, I had a spare motherboard and power supply to test with. The machine, which I got cheap off of eBay because it didn't work, did not turn on at all. Swapping first the Power supply with a good one didn't bring it back to life. Turns out the CPU card and the power supply were both bad. Once both were replaced, the MDD machine has worked fine.
Good luck!
Ed

Upgrading my G4 MDD dual 867 with Gigadesigns dual 1.33 upgrade; worth it?

I am updgrading my PowerMac G4 dual 867 and doing most of the usual; ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB AGP video card, more internal hard drives, still debating on SCSI hard drive; then maxing out memory at 2GB (missing anything else to upgrade?)
I am also considering on upgrading the processor to Gigadesigns dual 1.33 processor upgrade (btw, is this the only processor upgrade available for me?). First, is it worth it? Second, will this force me to change out my PC 2100 DDR SDRAM memory modules? Any other foreseen problems with upgrading to the dual 1.33 processor?
I am hoping to get a response from someone who has actually upgraded their MDD dual 867 with Gigadesigns processor and see what they have to say about it.

MDD upgrades were complex, challenging, and there are 6 different configurations and versions of MDDs out there. And the supply of 7455Bs may be a limiting factor.
If you need OS 9 or don't want a G5 (2.0's for $1699 making it affordable "upgrade") and $499 seems acceptable, and your applications will benefit, AND you don't need more than 2GB RAM (which is limiting also)...
The 9800 Radeon adds more heat and noise and $249 to costs, and the fan is loud but also can fail (poor designed product?).
yes for SATA 10K Raptor over SCSI! Less heat, fast, SATA cables are easy to use and don't cost $100 for good stuff.
But you want to spend how much? $1000 - 1200? a pair of Raptors or something? Seriously, get a G5 from Apple Specials. Your MDD can offset the cost later too.

Beefing Up a Dual 867 Mirrored Door

Hi Gang
I just picked up a used G4 Dual 867 Mirrored Door. I'd like to have it around as a backup for my G5 Single 1.8 - I'm about to get a new Hard Drive for it. Was wondering about the Seagate 500 Gig below. After I successfully install the new drive, was wondering if I should add some other features?
Think it might make sense to get the OWC Processor upgrade? With this upgrade, even though it might be faster than my old G5 single, it still can't go above 2 Gigs of RAM.
G4 Dual Specifications;
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP63
500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Ultra ATA/100
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Seagate/ST3500630A/
Sonnet Encore/MDX G4 Duet Dual 1.8GHz Processor Upgrade
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?sort=pop&model=169&type=Processor&T I=3140&shoupgrds=Show+Upgrades
ATI Technologies RADEON 9800 PRO MAC EDITION
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ATI%20Technologies/100435068/
Thanx for your opinions
Mike

Hey Kenichi - ole wise one
Restraint is a great idea especially when your're broke. I really didn't want that processor upgrade when I saw how much it was. I will however pick up that Seagate 500 Gig HD, and maybe I'll spring for the Radeon 9200. That's a reasonable upgrade for still under $200.
I also have a G4 733 Quicksilver with this upgraded processor;
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MEG42M1200/
It works great, but I think the Dual 867 I just picked up may still beat out the Quicksilver even in it's current configuration?
I never cared for the iMac design, (with it's hardware built into the screen housing)
Thanx
Mike

Putting DUAL 867 in Quicksilver

Hey everyone, first time poster!
I recently upgraded my MDD dual 867 CPU and wanted to know if I could put that in a Quicksilver PPC? The Quicksilver is currently a single 867.
Thanks ahead of time for your help.

OK, thanks for the sound reasoning

Dvd player screen dims while playing a DVD

It is happening on both my iMacs (a G4 and the new dual Intel. while watching a movie the screen dims a bit every so often and then brighten up again. Any suggestions?

Hi,
thanks for checking in. I have had the other screen dim issue where the mouse needs to be moved to power the screen up full. It is not this issue. The screen dims for one second and then brightens up again on its own, too quick to know if moving the mouse would also restore the brightness. The issue happens on all movie dvds, home made or professional.
I have not tried another dvd player as this iMac is in the living room and it is front row, with it's sweet little remote, that makes the iMac our replacement for a TV. (It happens in both front row and dvd player.)
I am hoping to solve this problem rather than switch players, but fdor laughs, when I get home Monday I will download another player and see what happens, it will be an interesting experiment.
I will keep you posted!

ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 mb on Dual 867?

I have been reading up on doing an upgrade to my system. I was looking at a Mac version of the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 mb video card for it.
For this particular machine if I find a Mac version of the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, it will fit into the board won't it?
Also, I currently have the 64 mb ATI Radeon 9000 Pro. I should see a definite performance boost shouldn't I?
I am not a power user, and have 1 gig of memory on here, but since installing Ilife '08, it seems slower than it used to. I would like to move up to 10.5 and want to do what I can to make it run decently.

I'm using this card in my MDD Dual 867. First installed it with Panther and saw an improvement in some things. Nothing stellar for day to day work but it was noticeable. I then downloaded some game demos I was not able to play before (frame rates and all) and suddenly I could play them. It's worth it, especially when moving up to Tiger or Leopard with all that Core technology.

Dual 867 and leopard

After completing an upgrade installation of Leopard
my g4 dual 867 will not shut down.
it says it will shut down but just hangs with a blue screen and the dial that turns for ever.

Every installation always has people here with issues. The question is can you prepare yourself following my FAQ*?
http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html
If you are prepared, yes, you can upgrade without issue.
- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Screen dims unexpectedly on Dual 867 MDD

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