A Chassis Question...

[proxy]

A friend of mine might sell me his 7-slot PT-branded expansion chassis.

I've read up on posts, but am still not sure. I'm not a PT newbie, but I've never owned a chassis and the info is a bit confusing.

Lots of variables that I'm not 100% clear on...

- G5 vs G4
- PCI vs PCI-X (I don't need it to work on PCI-e, since my HD cards are the earlier ones -- that much I know)
- 64bit vs the-other-thing-that-isn't-64bit


I need the chassis to work in my G4 (QS dual 1gig), AND allow me to run my HD & HD Process cards in it.

What do I need to make sure that it has...?, er, is called?, uuuhhh, does...?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! =)

- proxy

[Tiago Silva]

Good luck. We have a 7-slot ATX Magma expansion box, and NOTHING we could do made it work properly. Not even the trick of running an old hard disk connected to the Magma's power supply (just power, not data) just to make sure that the 5V line was loaded properly.

I still haven't tried swapping in a new power supply, but the computer is a G4MDD with 4 slots, meaning we can fit all the Digi cards we need right now.

[DigiTechSupt]

These pages may help:

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...5&itemid=22756

http://archive.digidesign.com/compato/osx/hd/expand.cfm

[Jeff Ulmer]

You are correct that there are many variables, and there are also many different versions of chassis, each with its own compatability issues. If you can avoid using a chassis, do. They are the last thing to be qualified, and the first to lose support. They are notorious for being unreliable. The only way I would go back to a chassis is if I could set up a system that worked (a challenge in itself) and was never going to be upgraded. They are not worth the hassle IMO.

[proxy]

Thanks for the responses. That was what I was afraid of. I definitely have seen a lot of Magma problems in the archives.

I read through the documentation, and it helped, although I'm curious about something...

What was the benefit of the 64bit over the 32bit version? They both seem to accommodate HD Cards, and they both seem to work in the earlier G5s and later G4s.

Am I missing something?

Was the 64bit chassis an unfulfilled idea?

- proxy

[Andre Knecht]

[…] Was the 64bit chassis an unfulfilled idea?

All I know is that it fulfills me (professionally, that is) every day. Digi, not Magma.

[ripple FX]

For what it's worth, this system runs flawlessly, day after day, in a commercial music and post facility.

Mac G4 MDD dual 1 GHz, 1.75GB RAM, OSX.3.8, PT 6.9.1cs4, Reason 3.0.4
Atto ExpressPCI-DC SCSI card (audio), Miro DC30 video (Xact driver)
SBS DD23 13 slot expansion chassis with HD3accel + 1 process, 96io, 1622, C24

It was approved for my old 9600/24MIX rig, and although not officially approved, works great with the MDD/HD3.

VERY stable, VERY reliable, VERY paid for.

[proxy]

Thanks Andre and Ripple.

Thanks Ripple for posting the details of that setup! So yours is the 32bit one and Andre's is the 64bit. Both positive experiences, although both NOT the Magma version.

My hope is, to add a 7 slot chassis to my G4 and continue to add Process cards as they show up quite affordably (I have Core + 3 Process now). Ideally, I could eventually upgrade my computer to a used, early G5s (not PCI-e) and use the same chassis.

The one he has has the Digidesign Logo on the front (so I don't think it is Magma), it's definitely 7 slot, and I'm pretty sure it's the 32bit version (I'll find out).

Is there a reason I would be better off with the 64bit? I can still run the 32bit one with a G5... what's the catch?

[Jeff Ulmer]

The Digi logo doesn't mean anything, the older chassis were built by Magma, I'm not sure whether they still are or whether they are getting them from SBS now. 64 bit means a wider data path, which should be better in theory, but there are other areas for bottlenecks than just the bus. If you were going to buy the chassis from someone you know, I would only do it on the condition that it works on your system. As for adding more processing, just remember that you still have limitations on PCI bandwidth and timeslots which you may run out of long before you use up all your DSP power.

[proxy]

Ohhh - interesting about Digi outside, Magma inside. Gotta check that.

Regarding timeslots, I guess I don't know how to answer that. I envision growing my system to...

HD Core
HD Process x 4
HD Accel x 1


Something like that would be perfect. Maybe I can give it a test-run before buying since it's someone I know.

Thanks for the help guys,

- proxy