GeForce 7300 GT in Quad?

[pl1984]

My new quad G5 is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. It was purchased without a graphics card so I will need to find a suitable one (recommendations welcome, not looking for anything actively cooled...it won't be used as a graphics workstation so low end is fine) for it.

While I am searching for an appropriate card I'd like to test is in order to ensure everything is in working order. I have a number of G5 specific cards but they're all AGP based (this will be my first G5 with a PCIe bus) so I was thinking maybe I could pull the GeForce 7300 GT from my Mac Pro 1,1 for testing purposes. Anyone know if this card will work in the quad? It seems reasonable it would as they're only a generation apart but with Apple one never knows. I can always just try it but thought I would reach out to the group for some feedback.

 

[casperes1996]

Pretty certain it'll work, yes. Though I'm not sure about boot screen, seing the two machines run very different firmwares. But within the OS I'm quite certain it'll work.

 

[weckart]

Won’t work. The G5 requires an Open Firmware compatible card, the 7300GT has a 32bit EFI and only works with the MacPro 1,1 or 2,1.

I have one. It won’t even work in the MacPro 3,1 or later because of the latters’ 64bit EFI.

 

[casperes1996]

Won’t work. The G5 requires an Open Firmware compatible card, the 7300GT has a 32bit EFI and only works with the MacPro 1,1 or 2,1.

I have one. It won’t even work in the MacPro 3,1 or later because of the latters’ 64bit EFI.

I thought that only affected the pre-OS environment?

 

[weckart]

I thought that only affected the pre-OS environment?

It depends. I have a Radeon HD5770, which came with my MP5,1 and it worked fine in my MP1,1. The 7300GT not so much the other way around. The G5 has a different architecture and needs a bios it can work with, the Intel firmware isn't compatible with PPC machines at all.

 

[pl1984]

Hmm...it appears as if there are mixed opinions on this. Since I do not have a PCIe specific graphics card for the G5 I have no other choice but to try the 7300 GT. I'll let the forum know what I discover.

 

[casperes1996]

Well, I was making assumptions, whereas it sounds as if @weckart knows what he/she's on about - but sure .

 

[0248294]

Spoiler alert: It won't boot. It really is as simple as that, putting the 1,1's 7300 GT in your Quad is going to be a waste of time.

 

[pl1984]

Well, I was making assumptions, whereas it sounds as if @weckart knows what he/she's on about - but sure .

A reasonable assumption, one I was making myself as I planned to install it in the G5.
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Spoiler alert: It won't boot. It really is as simple as that, putting the 1,1's 7300 GT in your Quad is going to be a waste of time.

Bummer. I have a few other video cards which I can try but if the Mac Pro card won't work I don't get a warm fuzzy about any other, non G5 specific card, working either. Of well, at least it's easy to try.

 

[weckart]

Unlike the Intel Macs, you really need a Mac graphics card to work in the G5 because of the PPC architecture. Trying some PC cards in the hope that some may work 'as is' is a waste of time. Some PC cards can be flashed with a suitable Mac bios.

See here:

http://themacelite.wikidot.com

As an added complication, there are differences between G4 AGP and G5 AGP cards due to the way they are powered through the AGP slot.

You may need to tape over some of the card's pins or you may find your G5 will not boot with a G4 card in. As yours is a PCIe based G5, that narrows the field somewhat and you won't have that problem.