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Help me pick a new video card for my PowerMac G5

T

Twinkie

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 9, 2005
239
0
Milford, MI
I have a first-revision DP 1.8 with the BTO 64mb Radeon 9600.

It's okay, but I'm starting to notice how limited it is -- especially in some games.

Now, with a PC, the choice would be a snap. I'd just hit Newegg, pick from the sea of video cards, and be off on my merry way. But the PowerMac throws me.

Is there something inherently special about the Mac versions of the Radeon cards that prevents me from getting any old AGP Radeon -- other than that some cards need a molex power connector? If that's the case, I'm not adverse to getting a Y-splitter from the optical drive to make that go.

Otherwise, what's my real upgrade path here? Straight to a 9800 Pro / Mac Edition or the new GeForce card? Is there anything in between? I'd rather not spend $300 just to make Postal 2 look a little better.
 
PC video cards will not work in macs unless they have been flashed which is really hard to do and is nearly impossible for G5 cards.

If you are a hard core gamer a mac is really not for you, so just take the $300 you were going to spend on a video card and save a little longer and get a cheap gaming PC in addition to your mac.

But if you really want to go the mac route you will want one of the following cards: 9800XT, X800XT, 6800Ultra, 6800GT all of which will probably cost you $300+. You could get a 9600XT but your performance would be very little because the 9600XT is based on the same card you have (9600Pro).
 
I had read that about PC cards, but everything I had read seemed to be at least three years old, so I wasn't sure if it was still relevant.

I'm not really much of a gamer, so I wouldn't spend $300 for a video card or a gaming PC. That's why I started this thread ;)

It seems kind of odd that there's no middle ground between the $49 9600 and the $300 9800. And I have to admit, it's kind of discouraging knowing that my PowerBook has better graphics capabilities than my PowerMac :mad:
 
Twinkie said:
It seems kind of odd that there's no middle ground between the $49 9600 and the $300 9800. And I have to admit, it's kind of discouraging knowing that my PowerBook has better graphics capabilities than my PowerMac :mad:
Click to expand...

It does seem kind of odd, and yet it's true. But if you're finding Radeon 9600s for $49 I wish I was shopping where you are when I bought my 9800Pro (it was $250 not $300 but that may have been a sale price). I guess the GFFX 5200 Ultra is the middle ground, but it's a BTO option only.
 
freiheit said:
It does seem kind of odd, and yet it's true. But if you're finding Radeon 9600s for $49 I wish I was shopping where you are when I bought my 9800Pro (it was $250 not $300 but that may have been a sale price). I guess the GFFX 5200 Ultra is the middle ground, but it's a BTO option only.
Click to expand...
The 9600 was a $49 BTO add-on when I bought my PowerMac.

Though... after looking at the CoreImage page on Apple's site, it looks like my 9600 Pro isn't good enough to utilize it :mad:
 
9600pro and core image

Apple's site lists 'recommended' cards and is not considered to be all inclusive.

Many users are reporting the 9600 series as fully supported by core image.
 
same generation

RGunner said:
Many users are reporting the 9600 series as fully supported by core image.
Click to expand...

It ought to be. Technologically the 9600 and 9800 are pretty well on par (they both met DirectX 9 requirements on Windows and the technology that made them so seems to be the same that CoreImage needs). The 9000 and 9200 are not of the same generation and so they may or may not work with CoreImage.
 
About video cards for those new G5s....

So, is the GeForce 6800 Ultra worth it? I hear good things in reviews - but the reviews are a year old. I expect a lot of time with FCP and Motion. Any suggestions on whether to spring for the 6800 Ultra, vs going with one of the less expensive options, and waiting for later upgrade options?

Thanks -

Brian
 
Lets get some facts straight guys... Its gonna be hard as hell to find a 9600 Radeon Mac edition because that model is only OEM.

If you already have a 9600, then I say there is only one logical choice: X800 XT. It's expensive, yes. But it will only take up ONE slot (it won't block one of your expansion slots like the 6800's and the 9800 will), and it is a better value than the 9800 because it has such a performance boost.

The second option, if you have an apathy for ATI for some reason, is to go for the 6800 GT. This model isn't quite as powerful as the Ultra, but it still gives you plenty of gaming power, and will save you a hundred bucks. But, it will block a PCI slot, so I still recommend the X800.
 
"the facts"

are that there are 9600 Radeon Mac editions all over Ebay. As well, www.macsales.com has had them for sale for 6 months (pulls from Apple / or straight from ATI.. who knows). For a reasonable $100 bucks I would add.
 
wait a gosh darn second...

YOU are the one, who said it will be hard to find a 9600.. I feel like I am argueing in circles.

I am quite aware of the thread, as I posted earlier that the 9600 Pro is Core capable. This is twisted and my final post here.
 
How about th GeForce Ti 4600?

I have the above in my recently deceased Quicksilver dual 1gHz. I have a revB dual g5 2gHz enroute that comes with a (64mb) 5200 ultra. Looking at specs, it seems that the 4600 (with 128 mb) is superior (http://www.inno3d.com/support/cards_comparison.html). But, it is not listed as core-image capable. Anyone have any insights?

Thanks!
SD Diver
 
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