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Release Notes for Mac OS X ( 10.1.3 to 10.2.1 Required )
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Warcraft III with Mac OS X 10.2 and RADEON (7000) Fix
This updated release addresses an issue found with the initial October 2002 RADEON release which caused a texture problem with Warcraft III and RADEON 7000 PCI cards. The game should now be working as expected and as seen on other RADEON products.
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NewTek LightWave with Mac OS X 10.2 Fix
This updated release addresses issues with LightWave introduced with the initial October 2002 RADEON release. Missing/flashing/corrupted texture problems have now been corrected. The problem potentially affected all RADEON series cards.
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Mac OS X Update 10.1.3 Minimum Required
The RADEON Mac Software Update requires at least version 10.1.3 of Mac OS X (version 10.1.5 or 10.2 Jaguar is strongly recommended). Do not attempt to run this installer with earlier versions of Mac OS X - the software is not designed for earlier versions and will not work. Free Mac OS X updates are available from the Apple web site (note that 10.2 Jaguar is a purchased upgrade).
This release is designed to work with releases up to, and including, Mac OS X 10.2.1 (Jaguar Update). If you have a newer release of Mac OS X, you may need an updated ATI installation. Any updates will be available on the ATI web site.
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Installer Password Request
The RADEON Mac Software Installer for Mac OS X will prompt you for a System Administrator password during the installation process. Only someone with system administrator privileges should be installing device drivers under Mac OS X. This password verification ensures security for these actions and allows the installer to access your System folder.
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Mac OS X 10.2 Kernel Panic on G4 Systems with More Than 1GB of RAM & RADEON PCI with Third-Party AGP
Using a RADEON PCI card in a G4 system, with a third-party AGP card and more than 1024MB (1GB) of memory, may cause a Kernel Panic at boot time or while installing 10.2. This is currently a known issue with Mac OS 10.2 Jaguar and memory addressing.
As a temporary work-around, you may use any one of the following configurations:
- Remove some of your system memory, bringing the total down to 1GB or less.
- Replace the third-party AGP card with one that does not exhibit this problem (RADEON 8500, RADEON AGP).
- Remove your RADEON PCI card.
- Run Mac OS X 10.1.5 instead of 10.2 Jaguar.
Please see the Apple web site for any software updates to address this issue. As of this writing, the 10.2.1 update does not resolve this problem.
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Mac OS X 10.2 Quartz Extreme and PCI Cards
Mac OS X 10.2 has introduced an accelerated window manager called Quartz Extreme, which uses the 3D acceleration features of supported AGP graphics cards to render the desktop.
PCI cards, such as the RADEON 7000, do not use Quartz Extreme. This is not a bug in the software nor Mac OS X 10.2, rather it is a design choice in Mac OS X to maintain the best overall performance for such products. Though some specific sub-tests may show higher benchmark scores using Quartz Extreme, the comparatively slow transfer speed of PCI, when compared to AGP, will cause unacceptable slow downs in critical areas such as QuickTime and DVD acceleration and playback.
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ATI Displays - Supported Cards
The current version of ATI Displays supports all retail RADEON, Rage 128 and Rage Pro series cards. ATI Displays will also identify Rage II and older products, but will not provide Mac2TV or other settings.
ATI Displays will also identify a number of Apple's built-in ATI graphics products using the above chipsets. This functionality is for informational purposes only and does not constitute retail-level support for Apple-supplied graphics products by ATI. Users should continue to contact Apple for any issues regarding their computers and built-in graphics.
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ATI Displays - 3D Memory Feature
The 3D Memory feature from ATI Displays in Mac OS 9 is not applicable when running Mac OS X. Mac OS X treats 3D memory in such a way that it is not possible to display its layout in a simple bar graph as in Mac OS 9.
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ATI Config Menu Not Available
The ATI Config Menu is currently a Mac OS 9-only feature. A similar applet has not been developed for Mac OS X at this time.
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Apple DVD Player and Mac OS X 10.1.3 (or 10.1.4) - Invalid Configuration Reported
When running with multiple graphics cards installed or certain single-card configurations, Apple DVD Player may complain that the configuration is invalid and will not start. The problem does not occur when running only a single AGP card in an AGP system.
The 10.1.5 Mac OS X Update should resolve this problem. You may download the update from the Apple Web Site.
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Adaptive De-Interlacing for DVD Playback (Mac OS X 10.1.3 to 10.1.5)
This feature applies to RADEON series cards. The de-interlacing feature may be enabled from the Multimedia pane of ATI Displays. You must restart the Apple DVD Player application for this setting to take effect.
This feature is intended for use with interlaced DVD content; often material that was originally shot on video, such as TV programming or deleted scenes and documentaries included on many DVD titles as extras. Turning it on while watching non-interlaced movies may slightly degrade certain elements, such as static text displays. An interlaced source can easily be identified on a monitor; you will be able to see horizontal stripes in the video (easiest to see with fast moving subjects and high contrast areas).
This feature preserves its setting within Mac OS X, even after reboots. It is currently a global setting. Turning it ON/OFF will affect all RADEON cards installed in your computer.
NOTE: Mac OS X 10.2.x Jaguar features a brand new DVD Quartz Extreme compatible display engine for which the current Adaptive De-Interlacing feature has no effect.
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Mac2TV (Video Output) with RADEON Cards
TV modes on all RADEON cards are only available when booting with a TV connected. If you have just connected a TV, you must reboot to see the new modes. All newer ATI cards allow access to TV modes directly from the System Preferences Displays Pane and Displays Menu List (labeled either NTSC or PAL) as well as TV settings through the ATI Displays program.
On Dual-Display cards (RADEON 8500 and 7000), connecting a TV at the same time as another display will give you two displays in an extended desktop layout. Previous RADEON Mac Edition cards and Xclaim cards were single display only and used a shared mode list to select TV resolutions.
NOTE: The RADEON 7000 does not support a configuration with both a TV and analog display connected to the DVI port (example: a VGA monitor connected to the DVI port with an adapter and a TV also connected).
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Mac2TV - Simulscan (Monitor & TV within the same mode list with the same image - NOT Mirror Displays)
Simulscan is the display of the same image on a TV and CRT when both appear within one mode list (sharing one frame buffer). To enable this feature, choose a mode labeled "simulscan" in the Displays Panel of System Preferences. Note that simulscan only works with NTSC TV Out - Both CRT and TV must support the chosen refresh rate of 60Hz.
Simulscan mode is not supported when ONLY a DVI flat panel and TV are connected on any RADEON card.
- RADEON Mac Edition (PCI or AGP) and earlier cards: simulscan is only possible when a CRT and TV are connected.
- RADEON 7000 & 8500 Mac Edition: simulscan is only available when a DVI panel is connected along with a CRT and TV. Otherwise, TV and CRT each receive their own frame buffer and you must use Mirror Displays. Please see Mirror Displays notes below for discussion of that feature.
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Misc. Game Notes
This release of RADEON and Rage 128 drivers address issues and provide performance improvements with some existing games, as well as new games just made available or about to be released. Please be aware that some games will require that these newest ATI drivers be installed if they are to be run at all.
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FSAA (Full Scene Anti Aliasing)
FSAA is available at resolutions up to 1280x1024 on RADEON 8500 and 1024x768 on RADEON (AGP & PCI). A control to enable this feature and its level (2x or 4x) should be available from within any specific game supporting this functionality.
Anisotropic Filtering has been fully enabled for RADEON products. Control for this feature, as with FSAA, is available from within games supporting it.
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RADEON 8500/7000 Dual Displays and 3D Games - Available Video Memory
When using two displays on the RADEON 8500 or 7000, the total video memory is divided in two, giving each display half of the total video memory (32MB for each display on RADEON 8500 and 16MB for RADEON 7000). This number will be reported in tools like ATI Displays. However, unlike OS 9, 3D textures for a scene on either display are not limited to using only the memory for that display. Textures can be stored anywhere within the full memory of the graphics card. This allows for maximum 3D quality, regardless of display configuration.
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Mirror Displays - 3D, 2D and DVD Acceleration Support
Using the Displays panel of the System Preferences or the Resolution menu item, it is possible to set two independent displays to show an identical desktop (useful for presentations). This is not to be confused with the Simulscan TV output mode which uses only one frame buffer.
- 3D & RADEON 8500 & 7000 with two displays: This is a "Hardware Mirror" mode. When using this mode, 3D hardware acceleration is fully supported when both displays are set to the same color depth (3D acceleration requires Thousands or Millions of colors). Each display is still running from its own frame buffer.
- 3D & two cards (any model) with one display each: This is a "Software Mirror" mode. 3D hardware acceleration is available, but will perform very slowly compared to non-mirrored displays. This is true when mirroring the displays of two separate cards, regardless of card model/brand. To maintain optimum acceleration and associated features do not enable video mirroring and continue to run in a standard extended desktop configuration.
- 2D & any card combination: 2D (desktop and window) hardware acceleration is supported when running either display at any color depth on all RADEON and Rage 128 products.
- DVD & any card combination: Please see the section below ("Apple DVD Player and Mirror Displays")
NOTE: In Mac OS X, each display must be at the same resolution and color depth to enable Mirror Displays. The OS may switch modes on one display automatically to match the other, or it may disable the Mirroring check box until the display modes are in sync.
NOTE: Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar's Quartz Extreme uses 3D hardware acceleration for much of its desktop & window rendering.
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iTunes with Multiple Displays & Mirror Displays
You will not be able to turn off Display Mirroring after running full-screen visuals in iTunes. A reboot will be necessary to return the OFF functionality for Mirror Video.
If you are running Apple DVD Player and iTunes at the same time, you may see some corruption in the DVD window when turning off iTunes' full-screen visuals. This corruption may clear when the video frame updates, when the DVD window is moved or by restarting the DVD player. In some cases, turning off visuals may corrupt the entire desktop.
It is not recommended that iTunes' full-screen visuals be activated while playing DVD video.
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Apple DVD Player and Multiple Displays
The DVD window will only display, and support dragging, within the Menu Bar display. At this time, Apple DVD Player for Mac OS X does not support moving nor stretching the video window between displays.
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Apple DVD Player and Mirror Displays
Mac OS X 10.1.3 to 10.1.5 (all card models): With some versions of Apple DVD Player, the DVD window will only show video on one display; this is expected behavior. Currently, only a single Video Overlay may be active at one time. However, newer versions of Apple DVD Player (3.0.1) do not allow Mirror Displays to be activated at all while it is running. ADP will show an alert stating it does not support the current configuration. Starting DVD and then enabling mirroring will cause the player to quit in this configuration.
Mac OS X 10.2.x Jaguar (all RADEON series cards): The newest version of Mac OS X introduces a new presentation method for DVD playback, using ATI's 3D engine instead of the standard video overlay. This allows for a number of Mac OS X display features to better interact with DVD, including display mirroring.
Mac OS X 10.2.x Jaguar (Rage 128 series cards): The same limitations as outlined for Mac OS X 10.1.3 to 10.1.5 exist for older ATI graphics products supporting DVD. For optimal playback performance, these products continue to use the video overlay.
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Apple ColorSync 20" Display (aka 850/ M3705) 1280x960 85Hz Mode
When connected with an appropriate adapter, this monitor will show 1280x960 85Hz as an available mode. This mode falls within the specifications reported by the monitor at boot time, however, it may cause the screen to toggle on/off. This is a limitation of the monitor. Simply select the 75Hz mode of this resolution or a different resolution at any refresh rate for a stable display.
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Apple Legacy Displays with Apple 15-Pin connector and No DDC (Display Data Channel)
Please note that Non-DDC Apple monitors, requiring Apple Sense Line codes, are not fully supported by the RADEON 8500. These monitors, when connected with a standard Apple-VGA adapter, will be viewed/treated as a standard VGA monitor. The default safe booting resolution is 640x480 60Hz in this scenario.
On Multi-Scanning models, the available list in the Monitors control panel will show a variety of modes. Be aware that not all will work for your given display. These are simply default VGA & VESA modes. These monitors may be better supported if using a third-party monitor adapter that provides some sort of DDC information.
Most fixed frequency models will not operate properly because the initial startup resolution of the card will be 640x480 60Hz. Most Apple fixed frequency displays do not support this mode. Fixed frequency models include Apple's Two-Page Mono and Color displays, as well as the Mono Portrait Display. Third-party adapters may be available to allow usage of these older products.
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