G5 Radeon 9600 in a G4 PM?

[drj434343]

I'm searching for upgrade video cards for my dual 533Mhz digital audio G4 PM. I've noticed that there are several sellers on eBay selling ATI Radeon 9600's and claim they work on PM G5's as well as PM G4's.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Mac-ATI-R...ryZ25449QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Could these cards just be stock Apple cards pulled from a G5 that happen to work in a G4, or are they altered or flashed PC cards that work on G5's and G4's. Is it common knowledge that you can pull a 9600 out of a stock G5 and use it in a G4?

 

[SuperCompu2]

I am fairly certain up to a 9800 Pro will work in a PMG4, so a 9600 is not too far fetched.

 

[zen.state]

I have the exact same card in my G4 dual 867 MDD and it works perfectly. great performance also.

 

[zen.state]

to answer your question.. it is my understanding that the G5 only 9600's were ati branded cards and the G4/G5 compatible models with adc were apple branded.

 

[yippy]

It is my understanding that the G5 9600s were somehow special to G5s. However, they are easy to convert to work in a G4. I think it is simple as cutting the correct runner on the board. OWC used to advertise (and sell) cards that they had done this to so you might check with them about the details.

 

[drj434343]

It is my understanding that the G5 9600s were somehow special to G5s. However, they are easy to convert to work in a G4. I think it is simple as cutting the correct runner on the board. OWC used to advertise (and sell) cards that they had done this to so you might check with them about the details.

I did some research on the possibility of altering a card. The only information I could find was regarding the mod of a GeForce 5200 from a G5 to a 4X AGP G4. It involved blocking out pins 3 and 11 on the contact insert. Additionally, the extra terminal contacts for ADC power won't connect or work in a G4. I'm guessing that a similar procedure is required on the 9600, to make sure it goes from 8X AGP to 4X. Does anyone know which pins to block on that card, and if that's all I need to do to make it work?

 

[drj434343]

*bump*

I found alteration information on xlr8yourmac.com for making the GeFore 5200 work in a 4X AGP G4, but so far I haven't seen anything on the Radeon 9600. The instructions for the 5200 were to cut off a set of ten pins that were in the way for ADC power and then block pins 3 and 11 to set the card to 4X AGP.

Can anyone comment on which pins need to be blocked on a Radeon 9600 to get it to work in the 4X AGP? Are they the same ones? I've found a link online that claimed to have instructions, but it is no longer working. Does anyone have another link to instructions?

 

[Angrist]

I've got one of the mod'd 5200 cards in my G4, works great.

I'd assume that the conversion from AGP 8x to AGP 4x wouldn't change depending on the card. I can't see a good reason from one AGP 8x card to be different from another.

 

[drj434343]

I've got one of the mod'd 5200 cards in my G4, works great.

Angrist, I actually bought a G5 5200 off ebay, attempted the modification and failed. I blocked off pins 3 and 11 successfully, but I think when I dremeled the extra connectors off the front of the board, so as to fit in the slot, I went up to far and violated another circuit. When I put the board in, the G4 refused show video. I was hoping I would have better luck with a 9600 because it looks like I won't have to dremel, just block pins.

I've already sunk $20 into this project, but I can't stand paying the inflated rates the ebay sellers are charging for the same video cards with just a few pin changes. I guess my question for you is, did you actually block both pins 3 and 11, or just 3? And what special precautions did you take when removing the superfluous pin set near the front of the slot?