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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: carvedeye on March 21, 2013, 08:48:17 PM

Title: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: carvedeye on March 21, 2013, 08:48:17 PM
Hi all ive just purchased an ati raceon 9250 pci with 128mb and i am wanting to know if this version can me added to the mediator?
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: utri007 on March 21, 2013, 09:18:03 PM
It should be OK
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: carvedeye on March 21, 2013, 09:42:28 PM
Quote from: utri007;729969
It should be OK


Thats great my next question is....how do i use some of the video ram as fast ram?
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: wawrzon on March 21, 2013, 09:47:23 PM
looks pretty much like mine, ive not been able to convince it to run on my mediator with aos. in aros it gets detected so lets see if it works once. perhaps it needs the voltage mod though. notify me if you ll get it working.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: fitzsteve on March 21, 2013, 10:00:35 PM
The Sapphire version is working with my Mediators, A4000 & A1200.  It's a dual voltage card.

You need to update the Mediator Drivers from the Elbox Website to use the Radeon Ram, there should be readme files and documentation supplied with the drivers.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: carvedeye on March 21, 2013, 11:45:27 PM
Quote from: fitzsteve;729976
The Sapphire version is working with my Mediators, A4000 & A1200.  It's a dual voltage card.

You need to update the Mediator Drivers from the Elbox Website to use the Radeon Ram, there should be readme files and documentation supplied with the drivers.


Thanks fitzsteve thats great to here, once i get the mediator (when amigakit gets them back in) i will give everyone an update when i have done it :)
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: Karlos on March 22, 2013, 12:02:40 AM
I would imagine the Radeon's VRAM would not be particularly fast as general purpose Fast RAM. VRAM is slow to read from at the best of times and then you have the mediator itself in the middle.

I thought the main reason for using VRAM in this fashion was to allow DMA to/from other PCI devices?
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: carvedeye on March 22, 2013, 12:18:33 AM
Quote from: Karlos;729982
I would imagine the Radeon's VRAM would not be particularly fast as general purpose Fast RAM. VRAM is slow to read from at the best of times and then you have the mediator itself in the middle.

I thought the main reason for using VRAM in this fashion was to allow DMA to/from other PCI devices?


Well i have an 030 accelerator w/64mb would this be enough to run a decent desktop with a reasonable resolution?
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: Karlos on March 22, 2013, 12:24:07 AM
Quote from: carvedeye;729983
Well i have an 030 accelerator w/64mb would this be enough to run a decent desktop with a reasonable resolution?

I ran a 1600x1200 with an 8MiB BVision board on a system with 64MiB for a while before maxing out the accelerator card to 256MiB, so I can't see why not. System ram is generally only used for non-displayable image data, otherwise your video cards memory will be used.

The only mediator based system I have right now has only 32MiB of memory and runs a 1280x1024 resolution 3.9 install just fine*

*well, it isn't running right now due to a disk issue, but when it does, it runs fine.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: smerf on March 22, 2013, 02:02:43 AM
Quote from: Karlos;729984
I ran a 1600x1200 with an 8MiB BVision board on a system with 64MiB for a while before maxing out the accelerator card to 256MiB, so I can't see why not. System ram is generally only used for non-displayable image data, otherwise your video cards memory will be used.

The only mediator based system I have right now has only 32MiB of memory and runs a 1280x1024 resolution 3.9 install just fine*

*well, it isn't running right now due to a disk issue, but when it does, it runs fine.


Hi,

@Karlos,

Noticed you have an AX1000, how do you like it?

Have been looking  very heavily at getting one, but right now having to much fun playing with (don't tell  anyone) morphos, and AROS now that  I  am retired  and have time to  waste until  the weather clears up here in Pennsyltucky and then it  will be time for fishing, look at  bass  masters, you have met your master, and I  am not shy to say it.
I am the greatest bass fisherman that ever  threw a pole in the water

smerf
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: Karlos on March 22, 2013, 12:11:54 PM
Quote from: smerf;729988
Hi,

@Karlos,

Noticed you have an AX1000...


Well, that's news to me.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: fitzsteve on March 22, 2013, 08:48:29 PM
Quote from: carvedeye;729983
Well i have an 030 accelerator w/64mb would this be enough to run a decent desktop with a reasonable resolution?

Yeah you can 1680x1050 if you like :pint:

It's really snappy as well, RTG adds so much to the Workbench experience even with an 030.  You might not have much luck with Sound Cards tho, AHI seemed to lockup for me, was fine when I upgraded to an 040.

Network cards are easy to setup and will work well on the 030.

You wouldn't want to run a 3D Game from the Radeon memory as Fast Ram but it's useful as Ram Disk, etc.

Good luck with your project.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: wawrzon on March 22, 2013, 09:44:34 PM
radeon has no warp3d support under 68k so you wouldnt want it for 3d gaming anyway. high res 2d, and this includes workbench is not a problem though even with voodoo.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: Iggy on March 22, 2013, 09:49:00 PM
Quote from: smerf;729988
,,right now having to much fun playing with (don't tell  anyone) morphos, and AROS...
smerf

Smerf uses NG OS' and enjoys it?
Surely the end is nigh.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: Iggy on March 22, 2013, 09:51:23 PM
Quote from: Karlos;730004
Well, that's news to me.

Maybe he has mistaken your A1XE for an X1000.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: fitzsteve on March 22, 2013, 11:20:51 PM
Quote from: wawrzon;730032
radeon has no warp3d support under 68k so you wouldnt want it for 3d gaming anyway. high res 2d, and this includes workbench is not a problem though even with voodoo.

He's using an 030 anyway and the Warp3D driver needs at least an 040 which is why I didn't mention it.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: matthey on March 23, 2013, 12:08:04 AM
Quote from: fitzsteve;730039
He's using an 030 anyway and the Warp3D driver needs at least an 040 which is why I didn't mention it.

The original Avenger (Voodoo 3) Warp3D drivers require an 040 FPU. The ones I modified should work with the 030+FPU (MMU recommended and maybe required too) although they are for big box Amigas. The 1200 Mediator uses special drivers but I know someone with a 1200 Mediator was getting a speedup from my driver (had to be using it) with a certain configuration. The Warp3D.library and most other drivers only need an 020+FPU although the 68881/68882 FPU used with the 020/030 is very slow compared to the 040 and 060 FPU. It's still probably worthwhile speed wise though. Descent would probably be playable but Quake likely not. I never found anyone with an 030+FPU+3D to test though.

The Mediation Voodoo 3 driver is more stable than the Radeon Mediator driver. Some Radeon cards and hardware configurations seem to have problems. There is the OpenPCI driver from Ratte though too.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: fitzsteve on March 23, 2013, 12:15:11 AM
Quote from: matthey;730040
I never found anyone with an 030+FPU+3D to test though.

I tried a modified avenger driver with my old Blizzard 1230 + FPU on my Mediator + Voodoo 3 but the games would not start.
Title: Re: RADEON 9250 128MB with mediator?
Post by: matthey on March 23, 2013, 01:30:26 AM
Quote from: fitzsteve;730041
I tried a modified avenger driver with my old Blizzard 1230 + FPU on my Mediator + Voodoo 3 but the games would not start.


It was Phillipe Bovier (mrodfr) that was using the modified drivers on a 1200 Mediator and was getting a speedup. I don't know for sure what settings and what he installed or renamed to get it to work. He was using MMU=YES and ThoR's Mu 68060.library though.