ROM Identification

8 posts / 0 new
Last post
-Wallstreet-'s picture
Offline
Last seen: 16 years 9 months ago
Joined: Dec 26 2003 - 16:21
Posts: 148
ROM Identification

Hey, I recently got a Beige G3 All-in-One from a friend and I'm interested in figuring out what ROMs it has (A,B, or C). How do I do it?

Thanks!

G4from128k's picture
Offline
Last seen: 17 years 10 months ago
Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 71
Two ways to identify the vers

Two ways to identify the version are: 1) Run Apple System Profiler, look at the ROM version listed and cross compare that to the list at LEM; 2) pop the top, look for the graphics chip; the three rev levels used a RageII, RagePro, and RagePro+DVD chip.

Offline
Last seen: 6 years 12 months ago
Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 455
One note about using apple sy

One note about using apple system profiler. I used it once in OS X and it gave me some odd rom revision. I figured out that you have to actually use the apple system profiler in os 9 (or lower) to get an actual reading of what your rom revision is. I have a rev 2 rom in my beige, but when I run apple system profiler in os x, it told me that my rom was the same one that is in the B/W macs.

rael9's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 years 12 months ago
Joined: Dec 26 2003 - 16:21
Posts: 216
Original ROM

The video chip isn't reliable, though, unless you're 100% certain that it is the original ROM chip.

G4from128k's picture
Offline
Last seen: 17 years 10 months ago
Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 71
Re: Original ROM

The video chip isn't reliable, though, unless you're 100% certain that it is the original ROM chip.
So true, but if the graphics chip looks Rev B or better, its unlikely that anyone put a Rev A ROM in a newer machine. It only if the graphic chip looks Rev A that one can't be sure.

I guess one other method is to pop in a slave IDE drive and see if the machine recognizes it. If it doesn't, then its got a Rev A ROM.

rael9's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 years 12 months ago
Joined: Dec 26 2003 - 16:21
Posts: 216
My Beige

The previous owner of my Beige put a Rev.A ROM into the Rev.C board that was in it. His ROM died supposedly and he got a new one off of e-bay. He didn't know any better, so he put the Rev.A in there. It works fine for my purposes (I don't have a slave drive) but annoying nonetheless.

alk
alk's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 years 10 months ago
Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 369
OS X doesn't work with the on

OS X doesn't work with the on-board ROM like OS 9 does. Naturally, when you boot OS X, it uses the ROM-in-RAM ROM image on the disk instead. That ROM version will be the same as virtually any other machine running OS X.

alk
alk's picture
Offline
Last seen: 2 years 10 months ago
Joined: Dec 20 2003 - 10:38
Posts: 369
You could do that...

... or you could read the part number on the ROM SIMM.

If it is 820-0954-01 (or is it *-1?), then it's a Rev A ROM.

-A or other endings indicate Rev B or better. Supposedly.

My 820-0954-A reads as $77D.45F2 (rev C) in ASP, but some websites say that 820-0954-A should be a rev A rom ($77D.40F2) and some say it should be $77D.45F1 (rev B).

There's a lot of FUD out there about motheboard/ROM revisions anyway. Supposedly, you need a rev C board and rev C ROM to support 256MB RAM modules. Bollucks. My Rev A board w/ Rev A ROM works fine with 256MB RAM DIMMs. As does my Rev A board, rev C ROM and rev B board, rev C ROM. (I haven't tried the other combinations.)

As far as I can tell, the only REAL rom/board limitations are that rev A ROMs don't support 2 devices (master/slave) on the IDE bus. The Rev A board has a cruddy ATI Rage II+DVD and doesn't support DVD playback or OpenGL. The Rev C board does have DVD playback support, supposedly. Rev B/C ROMs support master/slave. Rev B/C board support OpenGL.

Peace,
Drew

Log in or register to post comments