Is Pegasos 2 still usable?
  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    Guys,

    The only MOS machine I have is a Pegasos 2, G4 1GHz. It still works perfectly, but I didn't have much time in the last 4 or 5 years (!!) to put it to good usage.

    I want to register the latest version of MorphOS but would like to know from the more experienced if the Pegasos is still up to the task?

    I know that it won't have any problem with the OS itself, as MOS is really lightweight. But what about the other components and apps that evolved to support the latest OS version? Is the Pegasos still worth it?

    I do have a Radeon 9200 installed as well. Are there better options for the Pegasos with the latest OS version?

    Thanks!
  • »31.10.18 - 17:04
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  • ASiegel
    Posts: 1370 from 2003/2/15
    From: Central Europe
    What version of MorphOS are you using exactly? As long as you purchased a keyfile for MorphOS 2.0 or newer, you can update to the latest and greatest release entirely for free.

    If you do not own any keyfile yet, you might want to consider upgrading to a better machine. The Pegasos 2 is quite a bit slower than a Mac Mini, Powerbook G4 or PowerMac G5, which is most notable when you do things like browsing the internet.
  • »31.10.18 - 17:21
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  • Priest of the Order of the Butterfly
    Priest of the Order of the Butterfly
    KennyR
    Posts: 874 from 2003/3/4
    From: #AmigaZeux, Gu...
    Probably the two circumstances where you'll actually need much CPU grunt are browsing and playing video. Peg 2 G4 is fine. A little sluggish, but fine... as long as you have enough RAM.
  • »31.10.18 - 18:16
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  • Acolyte of the Butterfly
    Acolyte of the Butterfly
    Jeckel
    Posts: 133 from 2007/3/11
    Still using Peg2/G4 everyday as my main dev machine. So yes, it is still usable. :)
  • »31.10.18 - 18:49
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  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    Guys, Thanks a lot for the answers!

    Seems like, even after many years away from the community and the machine, I'm still kind of "up-to-date"! :-D
    Well, I'm not a heavy MOS user. Never been, except for like 6 - 12 months. I would surf the web or play videos only ocasionally, just for fun. My Pegasos is one of my vintage machines, and I use it accordingly.

    I'm still using MOS 1.4!!! I also have MOS 3.x (can't remember the exact version) installed, and I like it very much, but never got around to register because I wasn't sure if I would keep the machine.

    Also, my MOS 1.4 installation is really nice, I like it a lot! Everything is already very fine tuned. The only problem I have is that at the first boot everything is fine, and subsequent boots will come up as a garbled screen. I have to boot it multiple times to have a proper screen, and sometimes I just give up after the 10th or so try. By garbled I mean you can't figure out what's going on. You can see the pointer moving, but can't even recognize it's the pointer, unless by seeing it reproducing your mouse movements.

    I never found a solution, neither know if this is a known issue. But would love to find a fix for it, even if I register and use a more current version.

    I think I'll keep the Pegasos and register MOS 3.x. The team really deserves it, and it's a piece of history I want to keep. My only concern is if the Pegasos die on me.

    I know Mac Minis are dirt cheap these days. Even here in Brazil you can find some at reasonable prices. I may grab one to check how the system performs. But I feel more comfortable with the Pegasos. Even if it's just an ITX board, it feels more like a proper MOS machine.

    Thanks in advance for all the help!
  • »01.11.18 - 22:48
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  • MorphOS Developer
    zukow
    Posts: 642 from 2005/2/9
    From: Poland
    For me, anything below 1.42 GHz is not usable nowadays but i use MorphOS everyday so maybe i'm biased :)

    So Pegasos2:
    - slow USB, problems with PCI usb cards
    - slow AGP (Macs have 4x or 8x)
    - slow Memory
    - problems with extending memory over 1GB
    - lack of SATA
  • »02.11.18 - 11:00
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  • Acolyte of the Butterfly
    Acolyte of the Butterfly
    Jeckel
    Posts: 133 from 2007/3/11
    Quote:

    zukow wrote:
    So Pegasos2:
    - slow USB, problems with PCI usb cards
    - slow AGP (Macs have 4x or 8x)
    - slow Memory
    - problems with extending memory over 1GB
    - lack of SATA


    You statement is a bit hard :
    - PCI USB 2.0 card works nicely here. NEC chipset (fast and reliable).
    - AGP is slow actually, but it is not noticeable in common usage.
    - Memory is slow, it's really the bad point which is actually noticeable (typically gcc is quite slow on Peg2 compared to PowerMac at same CPU speed).
    - I would say that 1GB is more than enough unless you try to recompile gcc. :)
    - PCI SATA card works nicely here (just using a CF-Card on IDE for boot.img, everything else is on SATA).
  • »02.11.18 - 12:11
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  • Order of the Butterfly
    Order of the Butterfly
    vulture
    Posts: 191 from 2008/2/4
    From: Greece
    A couple more points:
    Peg2's AGP is at least fast enough to run Tower57 @1080 full frame (60 fps)
    1GB is indeed enough and someone may be lucky enough to own a 2b5 revision and install 2GB not to mention you can safely oc the G4 to 1.26GHz with some additional cooling.

    [ Edited by vulture 02.11.2018 - 13:33 ]
  • »02.11.18 - 12:32
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  • Yokemate of Keyboards
    Yokemate of Keyboards
    Andreas_Wolf
    Posts: 12081 from 2003/5/22
    From: Germany
    > it's just an ITX board

    Actually, it's microATX.
  • »02.11.18 - 13:01
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  • Paladin of the Pegasos
    Paladin of the Pegasos
    Acill
    Posts: 1914 from 2003/10/19
    From: Port Hueneme, Ca.
    The Peg2 is still great, but if you are going to buy a keyfile I would pick up a cheap G5 machine. Its WAY faster and a lot nicer in my opinion. You can use the Peg2 and run OS4 on it then and even use more up to date video cards from my understanding. Its worth a try at least.
    Powermac Dual 2.0 GHZ G5 PCI-X (Registration #1894)
    Powerbook 1.67GHZ
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    Need Repairs, upgrades or a recap in the USA? Visit my website at http://www.acill.com
  • »02.11.18 - 13:12
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  • Yokemate of Keyboards
    Yokemate of Keyboards
    Andreas_Wolf
    Posts: 12081 from 2003/5/22
    From: Germany
    > You can use the Peg2 and run OS4 on it then and even use
    > more up to date video cards from my understanding.

    The PCI Radeon HD cards supported by OS4 are supported by MorphOS as well (2D-only in both cases).
  • »02.11.18 - 13:51
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  • jPV
  • Yokemate of Keyboards
    Yokemate of Keyboards
    jPV
    Posts: 2028 from 2003/2/24
    From: po-RNO
    My solution, get two keyfiles :) Peg2 is nice "retro" machine and deserves all the love, but for example Mac mini is generally faster and easier to take with etc. I'd get all the interesting machines now when they are still available and cheap... maybe after few years they aren't that common anymore when OSX users have started to trash them without even trying to sell them.
  • »02.11.18 - 16:30
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  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    Well, there's one more reason to keep the Pegasos. AmigaOS 4.1.

    I also have it installed in my Pegasos, and that's the only way it's affordable in my budget.

    No way I'm parting with a kidney for an AmigaOS NG board.

    To be honest I barely use it. MorphOS feels much more complete and smooth, and is more compatible. Unfortunately, because I would like to see AmigaOS to succeed. And what I'm saying is that both OSes could co-habit our lives. I just would like both to succeed.

    By the way, I know MOS can use PCI SIL3114 based SATA interfaces. What about AmigaOS 4? Do someone have experience running such a setup on a Pegasos 2 board?

    Also, what is that little extension on the first PCI slot on Pegasos 2 boards? Is it PCI Express? I don't think so, right?

    Thanks!
  • »08.11.18 - 17:23
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  • Order of the Butterfly
    Order of the Butterfly
    vulture
    Posts: 191 from 2008/2/4
    From: Greece
    Amiga OS4 can certainly use a 3112 and a 3512, not sure about 3114.
  • »08.11.18 - 19:37
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  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    @Andreas_Wolf

    Thank you very much for the answers!

    Regarding the riser port, I'm not sure I understand it. Is it a proprietary connector for a proprietary board that will add extra PCI slots in a daughterboard put perpendicular to the main board? I guess it provides extra signals so the daughterboard can address the extra slots?

    Thanks!
  • »09.11.18 - 12:36
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  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    By the way, I forget to ask: is the SIL3114 also supported by Linux distributions?

    Would it work with MOL?

    Thank you!
  • »09.11.18 - 12:37
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  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    Quote:

    vulture wrote:
    Amiga OS4 can certainly use a 3112 and a 3512, not sure about 3114.


    Thanks for the feedback, man!
  • »09.11.18 - 12:38
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  • Yokemate of Keyboards
    Yokemate of Keyboards
    Andreas_Wolf
    Posts: 12081 from 2003/5/22
    From: Germany
    > Regarding the riser port, I'm not sure I understand it. Is it a proprietary
    > connector for a proprietary board that will add extra PCI slots in
    > a daughterboard put perpendicular to the main board?

    Sorry, my answer was just based on having had a look into the Pegasos II manual. I don't know more about it.
  • »10.11.18 - 14:24
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  • Yokemate of Keyboards
    Yokemate of Keyboards
    Andreas_Wolf
    Posts: 12081 from 2003/5/22
    From: Germany
    > is the SIL3114 also supported by Linux distributions?

    Yes, of course, Linux supports the SiI3114.

    > Would it work with MOL?

    I guess so.
  • »10.11.18 - 14:40
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  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
    mugo
    Posts: 28 from 2005/8/28
    Quote:

    Andreas_Wolf wrote:
    > is the SIL3114 also supported by Linux distributions?

    Yes, of course, Linux supports the SiI3114.

    > Would it work with MOL?

    I guess so.



    Andreas,

    Thank you very much for all your help!
  • »11.11.18 - 11:37
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