Posts by Tyler Smith40

Michelle Bennett5 said:But those are DVI ports, man. They support VGA, so you really just need to look at those four little holes around the plus sign.

So does that mean I can just plug any VGA cable into it?

Michelle Bennett5 said:Only DVI-I works with VGA. Just look up the pin layouts online if you aren't sure.

To me, they look identical.

redowl32 said:In your situation, upgrading the GPU is going to make a massive difference for your system performance. I’d definitely suggest picking up a dedicated graphics card if you can.

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thanks. First step is grabbing that adapter. My card has two DVI ports—does it matter which one I plug into?

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redowl32 said:Not quite. The dedicated graphics card will take over the heavy lifting for rendering... but it’ll be drawing from its own 512 MB of VRAM to do it. Right now, that chip on your motherboard—your integrated graphics—is essentially hijacking your system RAM. If you're running low on memory, that's exactly why your whole computer feels sluggish.

Adding that card will definitely give your rig a boost... though "how much" is a bit of a guessing game since we don't actually know what else you're running in that machine.

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Found a program for ya, check this out.

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redowl32 said:Even now, you aren't actually using the processor to handle graphics data; it's the integrated graphics chip on the motherboard doing the heavy lifting. It wasn't until more recent generations that they started moving that functionality directly into the processors themselves—what people call APUs. Your CPU doesn't have built-in graphics, so it relies on the onboard chip for any visual output...

That’s why I mentioned you really need to know which motherboard you're running just to identify which graphics chip is sitting there...

And honestly, we should probably check how much RAM you've got installed too...

As for the processor on the board, that'll definitely be working, since the computer won't even boot without it...

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I'm not totally following you. So, you're saying the chip on the graphics card won't help with data processing at all? Like, having more RAM is the only thing that'll make the integrated graphics run any smoother on the main system? (By "main system," I mean everything before you plug in a dedicated graphics card)

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redowl32 said:It’s got plenty of headroom because it comes with its own 512 MB of dedicated memory, so it won't eat up your system RAM—which, judging by how old that machine is, I'm guessing isn't exactly bottomless. These days, you really shouldn't be running anything with less than 4 GB of RAM anyway...

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But wait, doesn't the graphics card handle all the heavy lifting for image processing? Isn't the CPU on the motherboard still gonna be doing the grunt work?

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redowl32 said:It’ll handle basic web browsing just fine. For gaming, though? Not so much. I actually have a similar 6320 processor sitting at home that still manages to get me through my daily browsing without much trouble...

The thing is, you're looking at a dual-core chip running at a pretty low clock speed. If you really want to bump things up a notch on Craigslist, you can usually find quad-core processors compatible with your setup for about $70 or $27. That would give you a decent little build for very little cash if all you care about is surfing the web. Even then, you might need a bit of patience if you're waiting an extra couple of seconds for pages to load...

Of course, you’d need to double-check which specific processors your motherboard actually supports before you try to upgrade...

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Thanks. Is it worth throwing a graphics card in there?

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I've got a GeForce GTX 1050 in there, paired with some old IC2 6300 running at 1.86ghz

Do you think there's any life left in this thing, or is it basically a paperweight at this point?

Hey, so I’ve got this older PC running on integrated graphics straight from the motherboard.
I just dug through my desk drawer and found an external graphics card I could potentially throw into the build. The problem is, the internal one uses VGA, but this external card only has a digital output for the monitor.
If I actually install this external card, do I have to plug the monitor directly into it, or is there any way to use its power while still running everything through the onboard VGA port?
Cheers

Bryan Taylor6 said:Forget about monitors and HDMI unless you plan on scouring YouTube for a workaround.

Try an old-school TV. Use RCA cables via Scart or some other adapter. You could even try the antenna inputs on both the TV and the Macintosh since it has one. It just occurred to me you might be able to plug it into a modern LCD TV through the antenna port too... just turn the Mac on and scan for channels. Of course, that only works if the LCD TV still supports analog signals; it won't work on digital.

So, what's the plan for it? Let me know if you get it working.

You could also try a Scart-to-HDMI converter...

What do you think about this one?

I was just thinking about doing this for the pure nostalgia factor. You know, just getting back into some retro gaming and stuff

Joseph Peterson5 said:Look, you absolutely should not touch that original power supply without testing it first. You really need to grab a multimeter and check those voltages—you’re looking for roughly 5.0 to 5.2V DC and about 9V AC. Just a heads-up, don't freak out if the AC side reads a little higher than 9V; that's totally normal when you're testing it without any load attached.
The pinout for the power supply is here:
http://www.vcfed.org/forum/showthrea...-with-no-Volts

Once you've confirmed the output voltages are sitting where they should be, then you can go ahead and try hooking it up to the Apple II.
Or, if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, just build your own custom power supply, something similar to this setup. I'd highly recommend checking out some videos by John; his stuff is top-tier.

As far as the restoration goes, the absolute baseline is swapping out the capacitors. You can either hunt down individual caps yourself or just order one of those specific recap kits made for the Apple II.
It would also be a smart move to swap the capacitors in the RF modulator while you're at it.

https://www.retroleum.co.uk/c64-capacitors

I've grabbed kits from these guys before for several different Apple II machines, and everything has always worked out fine.

The next thing on your checklist should be the voltage regulators; there are two of them tucked away inside.

The final step is to glue some heatsinks onto all the critical chips.

If you find a piece of cardboard inside the computer case, my advice is to just toss it. It doesn't actually do anything; it was probably just slapped in there years ago as some makeshift EMI shield.

If you run into anything else, just hit me up. There's a massive community on Facebook and a few dedicated forums specifically for Apple II enthusiasts.

Can't seem to track down the exact thread, but this is pretty much the same vibe...

I finally got my old Macintosh fired up, but how the heck do I get it to show anything on a modern monitor or—God forbid—an HDMI display?