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#1 2002-12-20 1:51 am
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9140
X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n107263
^For the OSX update (51MB I hear)
http://mirror.ati.com/support/drivers/m … m-208.html
^For the Radeon 7000 Update
Just incase anyone misses doing their software updating.
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#2 2002-12-20 8:07 am
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
The OpenGL 1.4 update in 10.2.3 made a big difference on my computer with UTX.
Running Dual 800 G4, Radeon 8500 OpenGL at 1024 x 768
before 10.2.3 = between 30-45 fps in game
after 10.2.3 = between 50-75 fps in game
Keep in mind that this is UTX!
MacOS X 10.2.3 delivers OpenGL 1.4 and 13 new extensions.
* 13 New Extensions
GL ARB shadow ambient GL EXT s3tc texture compression
GL EXT shadow funcs GL EXT stencil two side
GL ARB fragment program GL ARB vertex blend
GL ARB window pos GL EXT multi draw arrays
GL NV light max exponent GL SGIS generate mipmap
GL Apple float pixels GL ATI point cull
GL ATI texture mirror once
OpenGL version 1.4, released on July 24, 2002, is the fourth revision
since the original version 1.0. Version 1.4 is upward compatible with
earlier versions, meaning that any program that runs with a 1.3, 1.2,
1.1, or 1.0 GL implementation will also run unchanged with a 1.4 GL
implementation. In addition to numerous additions to the classical
fixed-function GL pipeline in OpenGL 1.4, the OpenGL ARB also approved
the ARB vertex program extension, which supports programmable vertex
processing. Following are brief descriptions of each addition to OpenGL
1.4:
* Automatic Mipmap Generation - Setting the texture parameter GENERATE
MIPMAP to TRUE introduces a side effect to any modification of the
levelbase of a mipmap array, wherein all higher levels of the mipmap
pyramid are recomputed automatically by successive filtering of the
base level array.
* Blend Squaring extends the set of supported source and destination
blend functions to permit squaring RGB and alpha values during blending.
* Changes to the Imaging Subset to include BlendEquation, BlendColor,
and the BlendFunc modes CONSTANT COLOR, ONE MINUS CONSTANT COLOR,
CONSTANT ALPHA, and ONE MINUS CONSTANT ALPHA (these features previously
were available only in the optional imaging subset in versions 1.2 and
1.3 of the GL.)
* Depth and Shadows - Depth textures define a new texture internal
format, DEPTH, normally used to represent depth values. Applications
include image-based shadow casting, displacement mapping, and
image-based rendering. Image-based shadowing is enabled with a new
texture application mode defined by the parameter TEXTURE COMPARE MODE.
* Fog Coordinates can be used in computing fog for a fragment, instead
of using eye distance to the fragment, useful for more complex fog
models
* Multiple Draw Arrays - Multiple primitives may be drawn in a single
call using the MultiDrawArrays and MultiDrawElements commants.
* Point Parameters support additional geometric characteristics of
points, allowing the size of a point to be affected by linear or
quadratic distance attenuation, and increasing control of the mapping
from point size to raster point area and point transparency. This
effect may be used for distance attenuation in rendering particles or
light points.
* Secondary Color may be varied even when lighting is disabled by
specifying it as a vertex parameter with the SecondaryColor commands.
* Separate Blend Functions allow independent setting of the RGB and
alpha blend functions for blend operations that require source and
destination blend factors.
* Stencil Wrap operations INCR WRAP and DECR WRAP allow the stencil
value to wrap around the range of stencil values instead of saturating
to the minimum or maximum values on decrement or increment.
* Texture Crossbar Environment Mode extends the texture combine
environment mode COMBINE by allowing use of the texture color from
different texture units as sources to the texture combine function.
* Texture LOD Bias may be set to bias the computed lamda parameter used
in texturing for mipmap level of detail selection, providing a means to
blur or sharpen textures. LOD bias may be used for depth of field and
other special visual effects, as well as for some types of image
processing.
* Texture Mirrored Repeat extends the set of texture wrap modes with
the mode MIRRORED REPEAT. This effectively defines a texture map twice
as large as the original texture image in which the additional half,
for each mirrored texture coordinate, is a mirror image of the original
texture. Mirrored repeat can be used seamless tiling of a surface.
* Window Raster Position - The raster position may be set directly to
specified window coordinates with the WindowPos commands, bypassing the
transformation applied to RasterPos.
{ra}atrox
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#3 2002-12-20 3:09 pm
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9140
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
Thanks for the report on the OpenGL Atrox. I read the docs on X.2.3 and saw the GL 1.4. Was wondering if I could get any better performance out of it, even if it would be only minimal. Now I definatly got a reason to take half the day d/ling it
.
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#4 2002-12-23 3:13 am
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9140
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
Well the half a day turned into all weekend. OSX was crashing constantly. I tried d/ling it from everything. SWupdate was running at half the speed and I didnt have the time to wait all day for it. So I went to the browser method, both browsers crashed out before the d/l ended, this happened at least 4+ times. The screensaver was freezing up or something causing it to have to be started over again on other times. So in all I probably had about 8 attempts to d/l X.2.3 until I got smart and rebooted into OS9...played a lil MOH:FL while I waited all evening. It d/led just fine in OS9. So I reboot to X, update it to X.2.3...it says restart then when i click it, it hanged there so i do a hard restart. More waiting for it to boot up, it finally does....
Moral of the story is:...The FPS, they are...so...smooth now!!. Atrox wasnt kidding about the performance boost in the new OpenGL update. I tried it out in itunes, framerates maintained much higher. Then I went to RF and AVP. Both games showed much more stable and faster framerates than previous. And im running with detailing/etc on high so its easy to tell a performance increase from its already low speed
.
All in all, its a worth while update for the extra FPS. Tho for me only time will tell if it has problems or doesnt with my hardware.
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#5 2002-12-25 2:43 am
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9140
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
Well ATI sorta botched it again
. There have been at least 30 reports (more incoming daily) of flash faliures into the xlr8yourmac site. All the cards but one cannot be flashed back...ie: totally dead, wont even boot. The reports have been forwarded to ATI and they are working on fixing the problem and getting the dead cards working again. So I guess there might be another Firmware update coming out for the 7000 card. I dont know who else in here besides Cee and me have one of the 7000s but if you do. Just a heads up
.
I myself have noticed a problem with the Red Faction game after I updated the firmware and got X.2.3. This could be just an issue with the new OpenGL in X.2.3 but I dont know. RF just suddenly quits out for no apparent reason at times now that everything has been updated.
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#6 2002-12-25 8:12 am
- MacZiMiZer
- Jack of All, King of None

- From: US of A
- Registered: 2001-10-25
- Posts: 1551
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
where do you get UTX? or do you need to buy it, I have UT (the one before game fo year edition) 
8/7/04 Wiz, never forgotten
In loving memory of my Grandmum Shirley.
"Are you the one who keeps tellin' me to beware? Cause I'll tell you where to be!"
[MA]BlakBantam [MA]PvtCrim Roncanear -STEAM- -PSN- PrvtCrim
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#7 2002-12-25 8:37 am
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
You can get UT X from macgamefiles.com. I haven't noticed any improvement in framerates since updating to 10.2.3.
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#8 2002-12-26 1:49 am
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
You can get UT X from macgamefiles.com. I haven't noticed any improvement in framerates since updating to 10.2.3.
With a G3 and Rage 128...that will happen.
{ra}atrox
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#9 2002-12-26 2:03 am
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9140
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
Yeah, I cant even get it much over 25fps with a G3 and a Radeon
.
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#10 2002-12-26 11:29 am
- Earendil the Mariner
- Mahjong owns my soul

- From: Minnesota
- Registered: 2001-05-17
- Posts: 4540
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
Well ATI sorta botched it again
. There have been at least 30 reports (more incoming daily) of flash faliures into the xlr8yourmac site. All the cards but one cannot be flashed back...ie: totally dead, wont even boot. The reports have been forwarded to ATI and they are working on fixing the problem and getting the dead cards working again. So I guess there might be another Firmware update coming out for the 7000 card. I dont know who else in here besides Cee and me have one of the 7000s but if you do. Just a heads up
.
My sister's PM7600 with Radeon 7000 works just fine after the ROM update...

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#11 2002-12-27 12:20 am
- NightCougar_37
- For Gallia!!

- From: The back of my Twilight Drake
- Registered: 2001-07-22
- Posts: 9140
Re: X.2.3 update and Radeon 7000 Firmware update now out
Sorry I forgot to say that most of the failures were involving Beige and B&W machines. Tho I remember seeing a few from earlier PowerMacs. 7600 eh, nice
. Thats one of the ones I wanted long before the G3s came out.
On another note, I reflashed mine back to the older version to test it. The other day more games in OSX were acting up and quitting constantly. Now things are working just fine. Im just glad I dont have a dead card. Sucks that some ppl couldnt even boot their systems after they did the update.
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