The 6400 Zone is created to help you gain access to useful software updates and great shareware programs that add functionality to your system. It is also a one stop road map to other informative sites for answering your questions. Most of the info here is geared towards the 6400, but it is useful for all PCI Performa models and even the 6500 and all-in-one Macs based on the same. It's even useful to other MAC systems. I will be referring to my 6400/200 clocked to 220Mhz as just 6400/220, OK.

I will keep it updated as often as I can but I don't have much free time to work on it, so I suggest you check back at least once a week. That should be sufficient. If you don't see something you would like to see here or have your own software / web site that would benefit the MAC community, please write to me at TMK12v@aol.com and I will check it out.

Hot Topics:

• L2 G3 upgrade info for the 6400 -
• Current problems with my system -
• My 6400 Take Apart manual -
• Alternate OS's on a G3 accelerated 6400-
• ATI Rage 128 compatibility?-
• Voodoo3 compatibility?-
• Gaming on the 6400-

Concern over the status of The 6400 Zone web site?: Many people have written with concern on what my intensions are with my web site since I just posted one of my 6400's for sale. Well don't worry, I am staying for a long time :) I only want to sell one of my 6400's to save up some money for a new G4 but probably not until the 450 sawtooth version drops to the $1500 price range. I suspect this will happen around March of next year. Anyway I love hosting this site and being able to help all of you so even if I didn't have a 6400 the site would remain!

Reply from PowerLogix on their L2 G3 cards for the 6400: I know a lot of you are waiting to hear about PowerLogix's G3 upgrades for our computers and so was I. I sent tem an email and got a reply today. Some very good news for 6400 owners too!

[>Hello, my name is Thomas Koons and I host the web site called "The 6400
>Zone" and would like to ask you a few questions on your L2 G3's. I know
>they are not ready yet but could you please try to answer to the best of
>your knowledge.
>
>1. are the CPU's copper or aluminum based? If possible could I get the
>brand name (IBM or Motorola)?

Only 333MHz and faster processors are copper. We use both Motorola and IBM chips depending on availability.
>
>2. does the 400Mhz CPU run at 400Mhz in the 6400? (40Mhz bus)

Yes.
>
>3. do you plan on using the new 10x bus G3's to make a 400Mhz G3 for the
>6400 if not already?

Yes.
>
>4. any known incompatibilities?
>
Not at this time, but the cards are still in beta.

>5. I know this my be a little pre mature but do you have any plans for a
>L2 G4 card?
>
It is doubtful that these machines will be able to run G4 due to the slow bus speeds.

>6. If possible I would like to test your fastest upgrade for the 6400. I
>have tested and reviewed Vimages and Sonnets L2 G3's in the past and
>would like to add yours to my web site. You can read the other reviews here.
>http://members.aol.com/tmk12v/Vpower240_review.html
>http://members.aol.com/tmk12v/Sonnet_L2G3_review.html

I will add you to my list for review cards.
Sincerely,
Robin

Marketing Coordinator
PowerLogix R&D, Inc.
3921 Steck Ave., Ste A-105
Austin, TX 78759
512-795-2978, ext 106
http://www.powerlogix.com]

Just incase you read over it they said the 400Mhz version will run 400Mhz in the 6400 due to the new 10x G3 CPU's! This is great and what is even better is that its only $599 right now! This makes it not only the fastest but then lowest priced fastest G3 upgrade for the 6400. I hope they can send me one soon so I can review it :) Also note they said the G4 would probably not be a wise upgrade path for the 6400/6500. Read on to find out why?

B&W G3 owners in uproar over blockage of G4 upgrade path!: Many of you have probably read by now that many B&W G3 owners are very angry over the fact that it seems Apple may have disabled their ability to upgrade to a G4 CPU. Whether this is true or not you may want to read this article posted on The RMRP that basically says the G4 is just to fast for the current line of Macs. Only the 400Mhz G4 comes slow enough to not make the mother board of thhe B&W G3 a bottle neck. Also if you read reports that others have posted on the web about Apples lowend 400Mhz G4 you'll notice thhey all refer to it as a "tweaked" B&W G3 mother board to run the G4 CPU. I don't know how much tweaking they did but maybe they are using the same mother board design but with some upgraded chip sets on it for the G4? This would make sense as Apple as stated the G3 was not marketed as upgradable and maybe it wouldn't even be worth it unless you were happy with just a 400Mhz G4? These are just my opinions and I too wish they would just let the CPU upgrade vendors worry about G4 uprade failures and returns rather then getting all this negative press. Who knows, maybe it might still be worth it even if you couldn't run the altevec optimised code due to bus saturation?

Apple is taking preorders for Mac OS 9.0!: if you want to be the first to get Mac OS 9.0 then click here. They have it posted for $99 and to ship in about 50 days.

Sound issues with Newers G3: I received this letter from Brent who is having some sound issues with his Newer L2 G3.I'm not sure if these are the same as the Sonnet Sound issues as I would hate to see another G3 with major issues!

[Tom,

I just purchased the Newer Tech L2 G3 upgrade (300/200 w/1MB cache) for my Performa 6360 and wanted to report my findings.

After a very unusual situation in which all of my SCSI devices would no longer be recognized, I think I have everything in working order now. (Reinstalled the card and both DIMMS.)

The speed boost is very evident and I love it. BUT I do have a sound problem that I find unacceptable! Some sounds (like audio CDs, game sounds, etc.) appear to be distorted and overdriven. On "DGen 1.1.6" (a Sega Genesis emulator), the actual pitch sounds like it has been lowered half an octave or so. This is very strange and annoying.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced these problems? I plan on contacting Newer on Tuesday to inquire about these problems. If I find out anything, I will let you know.
Thanks!
Brent
guitarmn@feist.com]

Another web site with tips on speeding up the Geo Modem: I found this web page last night on the MacInstruct web site and thought it might help you in getting that old Geo to move faster :) This site tells you how to improve the performance by improving the Mac rather then using some slick modem initialization string. It has been proven over and over that the only way to increase the performance of the Geo is to increase the performance of your 6400. I didn't see a L2 G3 listed as helping but trust me it will!

G3 processor type update: Steve just sent word that the G3 CPU on his Vimage 240/512k card is a Motorola (aluminum) spec'd at 233 MHz. Thanks Steve. This is in response to Toshiaki's request from my Update 9/3/1999. I guess Vimage just bumped it up 7Mhz to get 240Mhz. This is not a big jump to start worrying about stability though and I bet the other L2 G3 vendors do the same thing.

Mac Equipment for sale: Looks like the 6400's are going to make room for G4's. I have a few new updates so go check it out.

Reader Request page updated: Nicholas is having a problem with his external HD after he updated its driver. Now it seems to crash his 6400. Click here to read his letter and send help if you have an answer. Thanks.

Voodoo3 works with Sonnet G3?: I recieved a letter from Yann who has a French version of OS 8.6 and has the Voodoo3 running with his Sonnet G3. Thanks for the info Yann. I wonder if its more a 6500 G3 issue then a 6400 G3 issue as the reports I got that said the Sonnet G3 didn't work with the Voodoo3 were from 6500 owners. If anyone else has a 6400/6500 with the Voodoo3 I would love to here how its working.

[Hi,
your site is great, i would like to report that i have a 6400/180 with french os 8.6 and sonnet's l2 g3 upgrade (240 mhz)with last crescendo driver and it work well with my new Voodoo 3/2000, with last beta 2 drivers from 3dfx.


To install it, 1st don't forget to delete all other useless drivers,and don't forget to press reset button on the motherboard.


After changing the Rom of the card, i started my computer 1st without 3dfx drivers to test, it worked (without acceleration of course).


Then put drivers, but the way 3dfx drivers are loaded after crescendo drivers.Oh yes and since i removed the modem (useless now)my computer don't crash with sonnet's card (just freeze sometimes at startup, once a day, never during normal use, oh yes one day it freezed for 10 minutes and unfreezed itself ... i don't know how ???)


and it seems to work. 2d acceleration is not perfect (but great in comparison of inboard video, and great for a beta stage), but i could use photoshop, starcraft, word ... 3d is great.
Hope theses information could help someone,
thanks again,
Yann]

G4 has arrived!: Have you seen the new G4's yet? Go to Apple's web site and check then out. They're awesome! I think I may have to get one :) I posted my older 6400/180 on the Mac Equipment for sale list if anyone is interested. I can't afford a new computer without loosing an old friend :(

Don't worry though, I still have another 6400 and will continue this page for some time :)

New 6400 Gaming News page: Well I did it. I just created the 6400 Gaming News page. Go check it out. Don't bookmark it yet as I might change the URL shortly. I have posted a letter from a reader who is not impressed with the new Rage128 card (but he doesn't have a G3 upgrade either) and a clip from another site that has a user not getting the Rage128 to work with his Vimage G3?

More Newer G3 user letters: I added some user letters to my list so go check them out. Just scan down to the 9/2/1999 update. One letter mentions the CPU temp to be about 69 degrees which is well within the spec but kind of high for a copper G3? I wonder if Newer is using non copper G3's?

Newer is offering Tomb Raider II with the purchase of their G3 upgrade: Thanks for the info Derek.

[Hiya!
Just in case you missed it, Newer Technology is now offering a free copy of Tomb Raider II along with the purchase of any of its MAXpowr G3 upgrade cards. The offer is valid between August 21, 1999 and November 30, 1999.

By the way, thank you so much for your website! Every model of Mac should have a page as detailed and as informative as yours. All 6400 users are in your debt.
Aloha,
Derek]

TotalMP Linux: Here is a press release I got from Total Impact, the makers of multi processor cards for Macs, just annouced they will be makeing a multi processor Linux Box thanks to IBM's free release of their reference mother board design. I wonder if the Mac OS will run on it :) Their current MP system they mention is running 604e CPU's

[Total Impact Announces Multiprocessor PowerPC Linux System
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAMARILLO, California, September 2, 1999 ? Today Total Impact announced that it will integrate its TotalMP technology with IBM’s PowerPC Open Platform (POP) motherboard to form the most versatile PowerPC based Linux system available.


The TotalMP Linux system is a module design that will allow users to upgrade to more processors as needed. The base model will include 5 PowerPC processors and will be scalable to 13 processors in a single desktop system. Additional processors can be added via a passive backplane allowing servers to scale to 100’s of processors.


"IBM’s reference design allows us the ability to integrate our multiprocessor technology into the motherboard design as well as add support for the G4 microprocessor" said Brad Nizdil, Total Impact’s president. "We have the have the multiprocessor expertise and are currently running a 128 processor system under the MacOS" he added


Total Impacts expects the systems to be available in the first quarter of next year. Pricing has not yet been determined.


Total Impact, (www.totalimpact.com) headquartered in Camarillo California, designs and markets advanced multiprocessor computing solutions for video conferencing, 3D graphics, desktop video, neural networking, medical imaging and information processing. Additionally, the company provides engineering and custom design services.
--
Sincerely:
Brad Nizdil
Total Impact
295 Willis Ave., Suite E
Camarillo, CA 93010
805.987.8704
805.484.9469 FAX
http://www.totalimpact.com]

Nice reader comment on how useful this site is: Its nice to hear from all of you on how well I was able to help. Here is just one of the letters I have received thanking me for my help. I would also like to thank all of you for being such loyal supporters :)

[Tom,
Thank you for your advice and quick response. I don't know if I have ever told you before...but I have had windows machines since the late eighties. My wife talked me into a performa in 97. I was really happy but along December of 1998 I was starting to get a little disillusioned with the machine, until I stumbled onto your web page. My 6400 has had a rebirth since I started following your web page. I have since added a Global Village Teleport 56K/V.90 and a Sonet 300/1m L2 upgrade card. Once again thanks for all the hard work you do for us 6400 owners
Larry]

Mouse Pause issue update: I moved the USB card to my other 6400 and so far I haven't had any pauses at all? I wonder if the PCI chassis caused the problem? Its possible that the 6400 is too slow to handle so many PCI cards passing data through one PCI slot on the mother board? I am in contact with Magma and they're helping me work this out.

Another thing I noticed was I was unable to play any game with the Voodoo2 card as long as the USB drivers were enabled when the cards were both in the PCI chassis. I got like 5 FPS max! with the USB drivers disabled, games FPS was fine. Now on the other 6400 with no Chassis both cards run fine together which tells me that the data bandwidth on the 6400's PCI slots cannot handle the chassis running more then one card at a time. So it seems I can fill the chassis up with PCI cards as long as I try no to access more then one or two at any given time. An example of this would be to put a video card in the 6400 and a SCSI card in the chassis and set as a boot drive. If both were in the chassis then neither would work to their full potential.

Mac Equipment for sale updated: I added and removed a few items from my list so go check it out.

Another 6400 user web site: Charlie sent me this link to another 6400 users web site with personal experiences posted on his troubles and triumphs on using his 6400. Thanks Charlie

Site full of Mac links!: David sent me word that he posted a link to my site on his. Well his site is so full of links to other Mac sites that I thought I'd post a link to his site here :) Go check it out.

Reader Request: Toshiaki would like to know what CPU vendor is being used on every L2 G3 made now. I'm guessing he is trying to find out which are copper and which are non-copper CPU's plus if any are using the new 10x G3 CPU's yet. Now don't go out and rip that L2 G3 out just to find out but if you happen to have one out of the case handy then please feel free to email the info. You'll have to remove the heatsink in order to see the brand name. Thanks.

[How do you do?
I live in JAPAN and often check your page. I am 6400 user upgraded to 6500's logicboard with Vimage 240 card and TurboMAX with IBM DTTA-371010 as startup disk.

I have some request for your Spec Comparisons on 6400/6500 L2 G3 Upgrades page. I'm gonna buy 400MHz G3 L2 card. But I can't judge which card is the best one. I want to know the supplier of G3 processor on every G3 card(Moto/IBM). So please add to the table.

My Vimage 240 card has Motorola's ARX233 one. I soldered and moved its PLL config. But it couldn't run at 260Mhz/130MHz/40MHz bus clock. Some people suceeded in runnning at 260Mhz in JAPAN.

Thanks for building such a useful page and your great deal of efforts. Good night.
Toshiaki]

Note his remarks on clocking the Vimage G3 and using the TurboMax card with a startup drive. He did not mention any issues with his TurboMax so I wonder if somthing else was wrong with the other readers Vimage/TurboMax setup? Here is more info he sent later.

[Hi,Tom.

TurboMAX with DTTA-371010 is well working on my 6400 as a startup disk now. But I don't use Apple's Drive setup 1.7.3 because shutdown check error which found on startup often occured. Now I use B's CREW 3(BHA) with "write cache disable" settings. And it is very stable and comfort. Do you know B's CREW?

I suppose Apple's one enables write cache and it causes something wrong with shutdown.

The top of the screenshot I sent means clock multiplier settings located on Vimage G3 240MHz.(Japanese letter)

I have 6500's logicboard and I'm going to buy 400MHz G3-L2 card. We have two way to get its maximum speed,changing bus speed or changing resister config.

Moto's G3 have only *8 clock multiplier settings but "NEW" IBM's have *10 If we can get IBM's NEW G3 processor on G3-L2 card as 400MHZ products,we will be able to try *10 or *9 settings.

That's the reason why I want to know the supplier. I 'm sorry,I can't well express in English. Something wrong with my contents and English?

Thank you and OYASUMI(means Good night).
Toshiaki]

[-About TurboMAX...
B's CREW may be only sold in JAPAN. {software he used to format IDE drive connected to TurboMax card - Tom} FWB and Lacie are also sold in Japan but I've never used them. I think they'd work just as well if they can disable write cache.

-About G3-L2 cards...
My Vimage 240 card is also well working on my 6500's LB (225/122.5/50). These resisters are located on the left side of the CPU. Kindly,Vimage printed their resister's numbers on the base. Mr.Itou analyzed settings.(I don't know him well) Normal setting is *6 for 6400 but it works *4.5 on 6500. Some device(or driver) detects "50MHZ" and it forces card to drop its settings. I've even heard that someone dropped or raised systembus speed to 48Mhz and changed Vimage's setting.
And he succeeded in runnninng 264/132/48(5.5*48),GREAT!]

A lot of people with some of the latest extra large capacity IDE drives are noticing that they get some data corruption errors using large DiskCopy images stored on these IDE drives. Maxtor drives don't seem to have this problem so I wonder if Maxtor drives do not have Write Cache technology enabled? Mike of Accelerate Your Mac posted a lot on info on this topic awhile ago. Look for info on the TurboMax card on his site for more details. Below is a table of Vimage G3 resistor settings Toshiaki sent me

I am assuming the "o" stand for resistor needed and the "x" is for no resistor. The numbers across the top represent the bus multiplier setting for each resistor configuration. Now these changes only affect the Vimage G3 and not the stock mother board. Another way to clock up a L2 G3 is to change your mother board bus speed. I suggest only going to 48Mhz max as 50Mhz will cause the G3 to think its on a 6500 and some G3's run at slower speeds on the 6500 then the 6400, also 48Mhz seems to be more stable according to some. Of course if you want a 400Mhz G3 then try a 50Mhz crystal but they are hard to find I hear. Please let me know if any of you are willing to try this. Thanks

Memory Errors with OS 8.6 installed: Jeffrey writes that a clean install may do the trick to clear up the memory errors with OS 8.6. It will be some effort to get all your old prefs and extensions that were not updated dragged back over but if this will fix the problem then give it a try. Thanks Jeffrey.

CD containing the 6400 Zone plus past history for sale: I was wondering if anyone would be interested in purchasing a CD with my entire up-to-date site as well as my 6400 Take Apart manual plus many of the past Just Updates included? I think this would be a great idea for anyone who hasn't been abe to keep up or never saw my site until recently. Also for those of you with Sherlock the CD is even better cause you can tell Sherlock to index the CD and then you can do a search on any topic and if I ever talked about it, you'll find it! I have info as far back as mid 1997. I'm asking $15 which includes shipping for US residents (not sure what the price for international shipments would be yet?) and I will even include a few surprises! To make this offer even juicier I can add some download that you've been trying to get but just couldn't for some reason. Lets put my cable modem to work :)

Surprise! Yep this is me. I thought it was about time I posted a picture of myself. Its not my best picture but it lets you see who the guy on the other side of this site is :) The 6400 pictured is my 6400/180 that has Sonnets L2 G3 in it right now. This was the 6400 used to make all those photos for my Take Apart manual. Its up for sale now so I hope it goes to a good home.

I'll have this picture posted on my Manuals site once it leaves here. By the way, thats not a pony tail in the back, its just some ceramic stuff on the dresser behind me :)

ATI has a patch for the Rage 128 cards and the 6400/6500!: I just saw that ATI has posted a patch that allows their new Rage 128 cards to work again on our 6400's :) I also read on Accelerate Your Mac 8/28/99 that two 6400 users with Vimage G3's also have it working so it looks like a winner! The patch only works with the 4.0 or 4.0.1 drivers but there is no reason for it with older drivers as you need the 4.0.x drivers for the Rage128 cards. This is definitly good news!!!

My Vimage Info page on Vimage's G3 upgrade for the 6400

My Vimage Compatibility page

My Vimage User Letters page

My Vimage install reviews

My Sonnet Tech Info page on Sonnet's G3 upgrade for the 6400

Hack to make Sonnets G3's more stable

My Sonnet Compatibility page

My Sonnet User Letters page

My Sonnet install review

My Newer Tech Info page on Newer's G3 upgrade for the 6400

My Newer User Letters page

My PowerLogix Info page on PowerLogix's G3 upgrade for the 6400

L2/G3 comparison page

I found a great way to earn some money while getting great deals to you on Macintosh books and software plus they have all kinds of other books, music, and more. Please click on the amazon.com link on the top of this page whenever you feel like purchasing something to help sponsor this site. If you're unsure of what you want and wish to get a list of Mac related items, just type Macintosh in the search field on their home page and you will be presented with many choices to select.

Jeff did some digging in to the new code that displays the frames on my site with AOL ads and found a link that can be used which will not show those annoying ads. Here is the address. http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/TMK12v/home.html
Thanks Jeff, for sending this info. PS don't let AOL find out :)

I have been having a pause in all apps and the mouse when using Logitecs USB Wheel mouse on an ADS USB card. I haven't traced it down but one other person had a similar issue but with an ADB trackball which means it may not be a USB issue? Click here for more info.

When I first installed the cable modem I got some crashes when I shut down. I traced it to Farallons COMM II ethernet extension version 2.0. With version 1.1 the 6400 shuts down fine. I emailed Farallon and am waiting for a reply.

UPDATE on Farallons 2.0 extension for their 10/100 COMM II ethernet card not compatible with OS 8.6: Paul emailed saying he had the same problem but it may not have been the Farallon extension causing the problem. All I know is that when I reinstall the older 1.1 version the problem goes away. Thanks Paul.

[I had this same problem when I first installed 8.6. I e-mailed Farallon and got a response that said they had not seen this problem before. I managed to resolve the freezes and it was not due to the Farallon 2.0 extension. I think it was BeHierarchic (3.1.1) that was the offending control panel but I honestly can not remember what I had to do to fix it. I have been racking my brain all day trying to remember the fix. If I do remember I'll post ASAP
Paul]

8/20/1999 Farallons Comm II slot driver may work with OS 8.6 after all?: I just received this from Sheldon who said he found that removing ATI's extensions kept the crash at shutdown from happening with Farallons 2.0 driver. I'll have to try for my self. Thanks.

[Hello!
I was just reading through your site when I noticed that there was confirmation with the Comm slot 2 vers 2.0 driver and 8.6 problem a reader reported.

Well, I've got the Farallon Comm slot 2 card-8.6 and I noticed something that might be very helpful.

I just installed the Voodoo3 card and I trashed every single ATI extension. Cable modem no longer hangs at reboot, restart,3 -finger start. I can shut-down, restart without any problems.

6500/250
I purchased an Orion card that is still sitting on the shelf =(. Voodoo3 runs the same as a Voodoo2 for 3d in my system, same FPS with either card. The advantage is the 2d with the V3 card. Very nice indeed =).

No QT accel though.

The fix is complete for the ATI Orion card and the 603e CPU and should be posted soon according to Chris Bentley- ATI, Mike Breeden-xlr8. IMO. the Rage 128 and a Voodoo2 would be the perfect set-up for the 54-64-6500 systems. Although it will be a tough decision to pull out the Voodoo3 board =).We'll see how the Orion performs when the fix is posted. I will also keep an eye on the ATI vers 4.0 extensions to see if they are compatible with the Comm slot 2 card.
Thank-you for your time
Sheldon]

I hope his comments on the ATI rage128 drivers are true? many 6400/6500 users will be happy with that.

I use a Performa 6400/180 OS 8.6, Performa 6400/200 OS 8.6, PowerBook G3/233 OS 8.6, and a PowerBook DUO 270c OS 7.5.5. All of the software updates posted here are currently running on one or the other with minimal problems. If I do encounter a problem, I will post it for all to read and respond to. If you are having any problems and would like help just email me and if I can answer it I will, or I will post it here for others to read and respond to.