"best" video card for dual g4?

[toezter]

i'm looking for a nice card, 64MB perferably, digital out, dual monitor good but not needed.

[Rod Rod]

i'm looking for a nice card, 64MB perferably, digital out, dual monitor good but not needed.

some version of the ATI Radeon 9800 is probably the best 128/256MB card available to you.

if you really want 64MB and no more than that, there's the Radeon 9000 and also the 9200. I'd go for the 9800 though because it's the best bet for good Tiger performance (based on how Motion requires that class of card).

it'll set you back around $300-350.

[grapes911]

i'm looking for a nice card, 64MB perferably, digital out, dual monitor good but not needed.

Before I make my recommendation, what do you want to do with it?

[toezter]

the radeon 9800 doens't support 2x (llrc).

what i plan on doing is mild gaming, photoshop, and possible video editing. just opening up the opportunity for more vram.

[Rod Rod]

the radeon 9800 doens't support 2x (llrc).

you need AGP2x? or is that a reference to dual-monitor out?

[crazzyeddie]

The 9800 Non-special edition supports 2x AGP.

9800 Pro Mac Edition 2x/4x AGP (http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Item.cfm?ID=6048&Item=ATI100435050)

[Sweetfeld28]

I just upgraded my Dual G4 video card. I upgraded it from the factory Rage Pro AGP (16MB), to the Radeon 9000 Pro (128MB) AGP. From a bunch of reading i found out that this is the most up to date Radeon card that will work with the Gigabit G4's. It is the only Radeon card that is 4x/2x compatable. If you were thinking about getting the Radeon 9200 PCI, i'm not sure if it would be as fast as the AGP card even though it is newer than the 9000.

ATI Radeon 9000 (http://ati.com/products/radeon9000me/radeon9000prome/specs.html)

here is an eBay auction, i bought mine from these guys:

geekdeal: ATI Radeon 9000 128MB AGP (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=25449&item=5128048814&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

hope this helps...

[crazzyeddie]

I just upgraded my Dual G4 video card. I upgraded it from the factory Rage Pro AGP (16MB), to the Radeon 9000 Pro (128MB) AGP. From a bunch of reading i found out that this is the most up to date Radeon card that will work with the Gigabit G4's. It is the only Radeon card that is 4x/2x compatable. If you were thinking about getting the Radeon 9200 PCI, i'm not sure if it would be as fast as the AGP card even though it is newer than the 9000.

ATI Radeon 9000 (http://ati.com/products/radeon9000me/radeon9000prome/specs.html)

here is an eBay auction, i bought mine from these guys:

geekdeal: ATI Radeon 9000 128MB AGP (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=25449&item=5128048814&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW)

hope this helps...

*buzzer* wrong, see my above post and link for all relevant info on the 9800. The 9800 will support the Gigabit Ethernet models and up. For some reason, it is not shown as compatible with the Sawtooth G4 models other than the 500mhz, probably due to power supply ratings.

[toezter]

i'm not looking to dish out $300+ for a video card.

that 9000 on the other hand is somewhere in my ball park (sorry, should have stated that before).

would the 9000 benchmarks be similar to PC benchmarks, or are they totaly different? any know of the 9000 benchmarks for apple?

[Sweetfeld28]

my bad. I didn't think that he would be intrested in a $300-350 video card. Also i did a sreach on ebay for it, and found none. I only found the 9800 SE. But anyway, the 9000 has almost the same specs for around $150; take your pick.

[grapes911]

For your needs, I'd go for a 9000 or 9200. Buy the one you can afford.

[maxvamp]

Works in a G4 DA 733 ( I know, as that is what I use it in ).

Includes all cables, but no box or manual.

I have been using it for about 6 months, but I am now trying to gain $$ for a G5 dual 2 GHz. I figure it will sell better alone than with the G4.

Asking $275

Max.

maxvamp@comcast.net

[freiheit]

G4 PowerMacs have definitely dropped in price now that the G5 iMac is out, but dual G4's are still selling on Ebay for as much as $1500 (a lot more than any year old PC would be worth). But if you can sell a used Radeon 9800 by itself for $275 you're definitely getting your money's worth out of it after 6 months of use.

Anyway, I'd agree that for anyone not willing to pay that much, the Radeon 9000 Pro 128MB is a great card. That's what I have in my dual G4 PowerMac and I have no problems with it under Panther (10.3.5). Will wait to see about Tiger, but I honestly don't expect Radeon 9800 level cards to be REQUIRED by Tiger itself and suspect that apps that require such cards will not hit the market for 5-8 months after Tiger is released. By that time I'll already be looking to toss my G4 and get a >2GHz G5 iMac (appropriate for the 1-2 years from now timeframe I'm envisioning).

Still, Radeon 9800 ... makes me drool. =)...

[Rod Rod]

AGP 2X Radeon 9800 from Smalldog:
$329
http://www.smalldog.com/product/12651696/atfgc

same, from academic superstore:
$299.95
http://www.academicsuperstore.com/q/PartNo-qk_srch/f/market-marketdisp/v/702006-RADEON+9800+PRO+MAC+Edition+128MB+Graphics+Card+%28Shipping+Mid+October%29/RADEON+9800+PRO+MAC+Edition+128MB+Graphics+Card+%28Shipping+Mid+October%29/RADEON.html?sourcecode=s10142&promocode=pc11303




[snip]
Will wait to see about Tiger, but I honestly don't expect Radeon 9800 level cards to be REQUIRED by Tiger itself and suspect that apps that require such cards will not hit the market for 5-8 months after Tiger is released.


One such app has been out for more than a month already. If you don't have the required video card, you can't install, let alone run, Motion.

For day-to-day computing I suppose you could do without Core Image / Core Video goodies, like the droplet thing for widgets.


edit: I took another look at Motion's minimum system requirements, and it requires a 4X AGP-equipped Mac. Anyone with 2X AGP is out of luck. It remains to be seen whether Core Image and Core Video require at least 4X AGP. My guess is that it will.