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G4 Processor

P

phonemonkey

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 21, 2004
136
0
Virginia
I am currently getting my sawtooth 400mhz g4 a makeover. I have redone most everything I am going to do but am not sure about what processor to use. for about 300 I can find a processor a little over 1 Ghz that will work fine for what I am doing (music editing and recording). I found however a dual 1.2 Ghz daughterboard for around 400. My question is this: since I will be needing the upgrade for mainly ProTools and Garageband, will the duals even make a difference in my work? I am not sure how these applications are optimized to get any more out of a dual setup than a single and the $100 difference can be spent elsewhere like the dvd burner I need to install as well.
Also what is the best video card that the sawtooth will support? Mine is a ati 128pro and it is lacking somewhat.
thanks, phonemonkey
 
whatever you do dont get a radeon 9200 it's a pci card (unless you have a pci g4 in which case get it)

for a nice video card upgrade go to www.macsales.com

if your mac has adc get a 9000 if it dose not get a 8500.

if you can afford it get a 9800

or better yet get this http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=25449&item=5114161549

i can verify the seller is legitimate he posts in a forum i use (www.cubeowner.com)

and he sells geforce 3's every now and again for around $60.

have you checked if you mac is dual compatible? if not get this http://www.powerlogix.com/support/agp_dual_compat/index.html and check

duals are faster even if your not useing dual awear apps because he os sets one cpu for one app and the other fro others it's only when doing a singular thing that duals are not that much faster

but dude where did you find a dual 1.2 card for $400 if your not mistaken then get it it's a great price.
 
phonemonkey said:
Also what is the best video card that the sawtooth will support?
Click to expand...
You need to figure out exactly which model Powermac you have, there were three different models sold with 400MHz G4 processors, "PCI Graphics", "AGP Graphics" and "Gigabit Ethernet".

The "PCI Graphics" will only support PCI video cards, the "AGP Graphics" will support standard AGP cards and the "Gigabit Ethernet" will support AGP card with ADC port. Technically you can install a card with ADC in the "AGP Graphics" model but the ADC port won't work.
 
Finiksa said:
You need to figure out exactly which model Powermac you have, there were three different models sold with 400MHz G4 processors, "PCI Graphics", "AGP Graphics" and "Gigabit Ethernet".
Click to expand...

Right. If you have AGP I would recommend the Radeon 9000 or 8500. The 9800 could be disappointing, I'm not sure. I used a 9600 Pro with my Digital Audio (800 MHz) and while there were noticeable gains, the card's full potential remained untapped.
 
Hector said:
whatever you do dont get a radeon 9200 it's a pci card (unless you have a pci g4 in which case get it)
Click to expand...


No offense but please READ what he wrote first, before you negate my post.

He's running a SAWTOOTH.

9200's are PCI only! That's why I recommended it!

Sheesh... :(


WHOOPS MY BAD!

Yeah, Sawtooth's are AGP.

I was thinking of Mystics that weren't!

But if he has a Mystic, then get the 9200, otherwise go for a 9000 128 Pro.
 
How is a video card going to help you with music production? Ain't no such thing as low frame rates in ProTools.

EDIT: vraxtus--Mystic, aka Gigabit Ethernet, is definitely AGP. It's 1 revision after the Sawtooth, which is also AGP.
 
vraxtus said:
No offense but please READ what he wrote first, before you negate my post.

He's running a SAWTOOTH.

9200's are PCI only! That's why I recommended it!

Sheesh... :(


WHOOPS MY BAD!

Yeah, Sawtooth's are AGP.

I was thinking of Mystics that weren't!

But if he has a Mystic, then get the 9200, otherwise go for a 9000 128 Pro.
Click to expand...

go over to www.lowendmac.com and memorise the entire site
 
Horrortaxi said:
How is a video card going to help you with music production? Ain't no such thing as low frame rates in ProTools.

EDIT: vraxtus--Mystic, aka Gigabit Ethernet, is definitely AGP. It's 1 revision after the Sawtooth, which is also AGP.
Click to expand...

a quartz extreme card benefits because of the strain taken off of the cpu, a core image card would have the same effect in 10.4 so it would be better to get a 9800 now and not worry about it
 
Horrortaxi said:
How is a video card going to help you with music production? Ain't no such thing as low frame rates in ProTools.

EDIT: vraxtus--Mystic, aka Gigabit Ethernet, is definitely AGP. It's 1 revision after the Sawtooth, which is also AGP.
Click to expand...


Its not. I just have to keep this comp. for a while and am going to upgrade it so I can do some lightweight video editing (promo stuff).

By the way guys and gals, thanks for the advice. I will probably break out the plastic this weekend.
Phonemonkey
 
$400 (for the dual 1.2) is a lot of money to put into an old computer, which itself is only worth around $400. I think I saw a single 800 upgrade at OWC for under $200. Remember, if you're thinking about a new computer later, CPU upgrades don't add much to the resale value. Besides, the bus is still going to run 100MHz.

Sawtooth is AGP graphics, but it doesn't have ADC power. It has a 2X AGP slot. Mac graphics cards tend to be expensive. If you can get the Mac (flashed?) Geforce 3 for $60, that's a good card for this machine. You could easily spend $200 or more on a Radeon 7500 or 9000 and not see much difference.

The upgrades I'd recommend are a cheap USB card (to get more ports) and upgrade RAM to 1GB, and get your burner. Garageband will work at 400MHz. iMovie and iDVD will work, just slowly.
 
cubist said:
$400 (for the dual 1.2) is a lot of money to put into an old computer, which itself is only worth around $400. I think I saw a single 800 upgrade at OWC for under $200. Remember, if you're thinking about a new computer later, CPU upgrades don't add much to the resale value. Besides, the bus is still going to run 100MHz.

Sawtooth is AGP graphics, but it doesn't have ADC power. It has a 2X AGP slot. Mac graphics cards tend to be expensive. If you can get the Mac (flashed?) Geforce 3 for $60, that's a good card for this machine. You could easily spend $200 or more on a Radeon 7500 or 9000 and not see much difference.

The upgrades I'd recommend are a cheap USB card (to get more ports) and upgrade RAM to 1GB, and get your burner. Garageband will work at 400MHz. iMovie and iDVD will work, just slowly.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is a good bit, but I got it for next to nothing, and like I said it has to last for a while...Phonemonkey's got plans for it. The video card is kinda whatever to me, but the processor has got to get up there. I got plenty of ram so that aint no worry...
 
phonemonkey said:
Its not. I just have to keep this comp. for a while and am going to upgrade it so I can do some lightweight video editing (promo stuff).
Click to expand...
Dude, it'll do lightweight like there's no tomorrow. Save your money.
 
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