Are there any comparisons between the Midas3 and PCX1? Or a games compatibility list or best games to run in a Midas3?

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-06-30, 12:17:

Are there any comparisons between the Midas3 and PCX1? Or a games compatibility list or best games to run in a Midas3?

It's been many years ago since I tested my Midas3, but from what I remember the SGL compatibility with later titles weren't great. The performance is also better on PCX1, but the image quality/features are the same. For Direct3D the compatibility is a tragedy, I could only get really early titles like Monster Truck Madness, Hellbender and HyperBlade to work.

The main issue for the Midas3 was that the drivers were not developed beyond early 1997, while PCX1 received updates together with PCX2

Makes sense, I believe PCX1 was just a die shrink/integration of Midas3 into a single, higher clocked chip.

DrAnthony wrote on 2023-06-30, 13:39:

Makes sense, I believe PCX1 was just a die shrink/integration of Midas3 into a single, higher clocked chip.

So far I saw no PCX1 clocked faster than Midas 3.

If it was just a die shrink shouldn’t it run the same PowerVR games as the PCX1/2? I’m reading that several games don’t run on the Midas.

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-02, 21:44:

If it was just a die shrink shouldn’t it run the same PowerVR games as the PCX1/2? I’m reading that several games don’t run on the Midas.

I don't know for sure about the hardware aspect, but I believe the main issue for compatibility for the Midas3 is poor and undeveloped drivers.

vetz wrote on 2023-07-02, 21:59:

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-02, 21:44:

If it was just a die shrink shouldn’t it run the same PowerVR games as the PCX1/2? I’m reading that several games don’t run on the Midas.

I don't know for sure about the hardware aspect, but I believe the main issue for compatibility for the Midas3 is poor and undeveloped drivers.

Could you not use the PCX1 drivers?

It's not a DIE shrink. It's slower than the PCX1 while running at 66MHz.

JustJulião wrote on 2023-07-04, 15:31:

It's not a DIE shrink. It's slower than the PCX1 while running at 66MHz.

I don't know why, but I read that in the voice of Arnold ala "it's not a TUMOR"

Lol, I can see it. Do we know if Compaq Included any pack in games with the Presario it was shipped in?

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-04, 17:12:

Lol, I can see it. Do we know if Compaq Included any pack in games with the Presario it was shipped in?

Yes, Flight Unlimited and Mechwarrior 2

The drivers up untill 3.0.x supports both PCX1 and Midas3. After that its PCX1 and PCX2 only. No idea if drivers can be hacked, maybe someone could look into it.

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Attempt repair? Just got a Midas 3 in the mail, unfortunately there are some bent pins on one of the IC’s. Before I attempt to power it up or send it back, should I attempt a repair or is this a lost cause?

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-08, 20:45:

Attempt repair? Just got a Midas 1 in the mail, unfortunately there are some bent pins on one of the IC’s. Before I attempt to power it up or send it back, should I attempt a repair or is this a lost cause?

That doesn't look that bad. I would use a exato knife to gently straiten the pins but dont try to get them perfect. The razor of the exacto blade is sharp enough to go inbetween the pins.

corsaira wrote on 2023-07-08, 06:51:

My PowerVR game

Nice ! Have you tried it ? I'm curious to see if menus in japanese would work. If you have a non-japanese Windows of course.
3D Shooting Maker needs a japanese system for example.

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-08, 20:45:

Attempt repair? Just got a Midas 3 in the mail, unfortunately there are some bent pins on one of the IC’s. Before I attempt to power it up or send it back, should I attempt a repair or is this a lost cause?

Did you purchase it as in a working condition ? Was it expansive ? My move, if I was you, would depend on these factors.
Hardware wise, this is not that bad. My first PowerVR PCX2 found in a former shop's stock looked similar.
Now it's my PowerVR PCX2 card running at 90MHz !

I used a magnifier and a x-acto blade. The pins were still soldered to the board, try to fit a thin paper under the pins to check that.
Even in the worst case it should be repairable in a laptop repair shop.
I wouldn't power it on without a datasheet making it clear that damaged pins are not related to power.
If you can find one or if someone can confirm those pins are not bent, then I'd check just to make sure "something happens", that at least it's worth the pain. On my PCX2 it showed "rainbow textures".

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-08, 20:45:

Attempt repair? Just got a Midas 3 in the mail, unfortunately there are some bent pins on one of the IC’s. Before I attempt to power it up or send it back, should I attempt a repair or is this a lost cause?

Do not power it on with bent pins. In case of attempting repair do it very carefully and gently as you can easily break pins making more damage compared to the state it currently is.

If you are going to send it back to the seller due to the damage or planning to sell in the future - please let me know, I can buy this card from you for reverse engineering purposes. 😉

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-08, 20:45:

Attempt repair? Just got a Midas 3 in the mail, unfortunately there are some bent pins on one of the IC’s. Before I attempt to power it up or send it back, should I attempt a repair or is this a lost cause?

I've done repairs like this before. You need to be extremely careful that you don't break the pins and apply minimal force, otherwise you will separate the leg from the PCB or crack the solder joint.

It's possible that one or more of the solder connections is cracked already. There is no way to know for sure without inspecting it under a microscope.

The legs are already extremely thin. I do not recommend using an xacto knife, as you can very easily slice through them or slip and sever a trace.

Well, thought I had the pins seperated, maybe I do. I can’t seem to get anything running on it so far. Can anyone recommend a specific driver and the simplest test I should be able to run to confirm functionality? This is the Midas3. The hardware is detected, so a bit of a good sign.

So I got this to load once but not since. Maybe it still needs additional work on the pins.

Chadti99 wrote on 2023-07-10, 01:21:

So I got this to load once but not since. Maybe it still needs additional work on the pins.

You couldn't run it again at all ? Was there an error message ?