68kMLA Classic Interface

This is a version of the 68kMLA forums for viewing on your favorite old mac. Visitors on modern platforms may prefer the main site.

Click here to select a new forum.
Possible Wallstreet VRAM Upgrade?
Posted by: frdrck979 on 2026-03-16 14:00:23 Recently, I stumbled apon this personal website, "www.Alksoft.com", in which they talked about their various exploits regarding Powerbooks, however one sections caught my eye. On one page, they described potentially utilizing a set of empty solder pads on the motherboard of a Wallstreet II PowerBook G3 for a SGRAM connector that may be able to supply the laptop with 4 extra megabytes of VRAM. While that sounds really swell, it appears they never attempted this themselves and the page hasn't been updated since the mid-2000s. I looked online and can' really find the proper SGRAM connector sold separately, but I think some ATI Rage PRO cards do have the required connector which could potentially be desoldered and attached to the PowerBook. Has anyone tried this before or have any information on why these pads exist? I don't want to risk damaging my Powerbook and I feel like there would be some other type of modification needed for it to properly be recognized on the software side of things.
Posted by: croissantking on 2026-05-06 22:18:23 This is pretty cool, I’d put my money on it working.
Posted by: Trash80toHP_Mini on 2026-05-06 22:24:29 @alk knows his stuff! Apparently inactive for a few years, but a very creative boffin from the day. 😉
Posted by: croissantking on 2026-05-07 07:04:49 My first thought is whether you’d be able to close the powerbook with the ram expansion socket installed, but I guess it just takes up the space where the modem normally resides. I don’t think any software or firmware would need to be adjusted, since the Rage Pro does support up to 8MB. I have a spare one of those sockets sitting around but no Wallstreet, alas.
1