Power Mac Dual Displays

[macbaseball]

I don't know if this had already been covered but I couldn't find it with a search. All the threads I searched just talked about having dual monitors, not anything about how to do it.

I have a 20 inch Apple display and I'm looking to buy a Power Mac. I'm going to get the 256 MB Graphics Card. I'm not going to get htis montior for a while, but I just want to have the option.

I was just wondering how exactly do I get dual monitors. I've read something about using a converter to VGA, but I was just wondering if this is the only way. I want to run two monitors using DVI. The 9650 graphics card has dual dvi, so does that mean I can have 2 DVI monitors hooked up to it. I'm thinking no, because that's for the 30 inch, right? Also could I just add another 128 MB graphics card. Anyways, could someone explain this to me...

[Macmaniac]

As long as the graphics card has two outputs you can do dual monitors. Some cards have DVI and ADC, for those you can get an ADC to DVI adapter. ADC and DVI have equivalent quality while VGA has much less quality. When a card has dual DVI it can handle a 30in display, if a card does not have dual DVI that means it can't handle a 30in display but if it has two outputs it can do dual displays if they are smaller. Any of the cards Apple offers can do dual monitors.

[macbaseball]

As long as the graphics card has two outputs you can do dual monitors. Some cards have DVI and ADC, for those you can get an ADC to DVI adapter. ADC and DVI have equivalent quality while VGA has much less quality. When a card has dual DVI it can handle a 30in display, if a card does not have dual DVI that means it can't handle a 30in display but if it has two outputs it can do dual displays if they are smaller. Any of the cards Apple offers can do dual monitors.

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I pretty much understand now. I have two more questions - If I wanted to have two 20 inch monitors, then would I need a second 9650 graphics card, or would the quality be just a good with a single card 9650. Or would I be better off with a single high quality graphics card, such as the 6800.

[tuartboy]

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I pretty much understand now. I have two more questions - If I wanted to have two 20 inch monitors, then would I need a second 9650 graphics card, or would the quality be just a good with a single card 9650. Or would I be better off with a single high quality graphics card, such as the 6800.

any card that comes in a PM is designed to run dual spanning displays. you do not need, nor really want, another card.

the visual quality between the various levels of cards is not noticeable. the difference is in the speed at which it can run graphic-intensive apps, eg. games.

[macbaseball]

Ok thanks. Will I be able to tell the difference with video?

[Mord]

the faster the card the better frame-rate things are rendered at and the size of the vram determines the size of the textures which the card can handle at a time.

5200<9600<9650<9600XT<6800ultra

[macbaseball]

the faster the card the better frame-rate things are rendered at and the size of the vram determines the size of the textures which the card can handle at a time.

5200<9600<9650<9600XT<6800ultra

Ok thanks. Now I completely understand. What happened to the X800. I noticed you didn't mention it?

[Mord]

those are the bto cards, there are other choices like the 6800GT the x800 XT and the 9800SE (not slow edition special edition it's an XT)

[tuartboy]

Ok thanks. Now I completely understand. What happened to the X800. I noticed you didn't mention it?
It isn't offered on the PM line.

Just to clarify: If you aren't playing games you will really not notice a difference in the different graphic cards. The nicer ones are more future-proof, but core image and all the OS X niceties run perfectly right now on the lower-end ones as well. Any non-graphic apps will not see any increase in speed from a better graphics card.

[tuartboy]

Ok thanks. Will I be able to tell the difference with video?
by video do you mean you will be working with final cut or do you just mean quality display rendering?

[macbaseball]

by video do you mean you will be working with final cut or do you just mean quality display rendering?

I guess both.

[risc]

When a card has dual DVI it can handle a 30in display, if a card does not have dual DVI that means it can't handle a 30in display but if it has two outputs it can do dual displays if they are smaller.

This is incorrect the Radeon 9600 supplied by Apple has dual DVI ports but it wont power a 30" display, the cards with dual-link DVI can power the 30" only. The 9650 has a single dual-link DVI port while the other port is single-link so it can power 1 30" (like the Radeon X800 XT available from ATI), the nVIDIA 6800 range of cards from Apple have dual dual-link DVI to power 2 30" monitors.

BTW I know you meant dual-link DVI when you said dual DVI but this needed to be clarified.

http://apple.com.au/powermac/specs.html

[tuartboy]

I guess both.

some filters in final cut 4 should see a benfit using a better graphics card with some of it's new core video support (I'll have to check my facts on the support, but I think I remember right). video quality is the same across the line; what you see on screen will be just as bright and pretty no matter what.

The question is: do i need the extra power or will it be a waste of cash? If you don't edit regularly or do lots of filters and layer modes, then I think you will be fine with a lower end card.

If you don't know what I am talking about, then you will be fine with a lower-end one.

Games change everything though... you want nice gaming, spend all the money you can.