What to do: Mac Compatable ATX mobo!

Crashman

Polypheme
Former Staff
I have this Power Computing Corp. Macintosh compatable system here, I just scrapped the good parts for a PowerPC, I'll be changing the nonstandard backplate for a standard one and using the case for a PC...

What do I do with this Macintosh Compatable board? It's ATX, and has 6 PCI slots (and a processor slot, and a LOT of RAM slots). Why would you need 6 PCI slots when there are virtually no PCI cards available for the MAC?

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>
 
Do quick search on Pricewatch, keywords PCI and Mac. You'll find plenty of cards, mostly firewire and USB 2.0 but you'll also find TV Tuner cards, Wide SCSI, SCSI RAID, ATA133 adapters (I think you need OS X for for ATA133), NICs. I believe many of the old PCI video cards were PC and MAC compatible though I don't see any such claims now.

<b>56K, slow and steady does not win the race on internet!</b>
 
I knew about the video cards, but as far as I know they required MAC BIOS. In fact, I'm fairly certain that all MAC PCI cards are "hardware" cards and require special MAC firmware. What pisses me off is that I can't find a MAC PCI modem, they expect you to go external for EVERYTHING! WTF! Imagine having a dozen boxes scattered across your desk!

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>
 
AFAIK Mac and PC PCI cards are hardware identical. Only the BIOS differs.

Some cards are dual function though. They work in either platform, no BIOS flashing necessary.

<b>56K, slow and steady does not win the race on internet!</b>
 
Ah yes, the problem is I can't find any PCI modems with flash bios except this USR modem, which is a pain due to USR's poor support of their products.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>
 
Buy one for $50? Not the answer I was looking for. I've owned nearly every PC modem known to man, and was hoping one would work in a MAC, by using appropriate software and/or programming it.

If I get a modem that works in a Mac, I'll put it in the PowerPC because the Mac Compatable is more valuable as an ATX case than it would be as a Macintosh.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>
 
So, you have a creative use for this Mac compatable ATX board? Because I really hate to throw out such an uncommon piece of hardware!

Maybe I could put it in an IBM case! Hehehe

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>