How important is a Graphics card upgrade in this situation?

[Rocksaurus]

Hello All,
I'm upgrading my Parents' computer from a B&W G3 400 w/ 128 MB RAM 6 GB HD and Rage 128 to a 1 GHz G3 w/ 640 MB RAM 80 GB Hard Drive, and keeping the Rage 128 in there...

Since I've only used OS X really on an old slow iMac G3 and then my 1.6 G5 I can't personally attest to how big a part the graphics card plays in overall snappiness/speed in the GUI and web browsing, as the ancient iMac is crippled by insufficient RAM and processor speed and the G5 has sufficient... everything.

So how valuable would upgrading to say a PCI Radeon or PCI Radeon 9200 be to the overall experience assuming I apply the Quartz Extreme PCI hack? I've heard mixed things about it but if someone can impart to me their own experience(s) in a similar situation I would be much obliged.

Happy Non-Denominational Holidays.

 

[Abstract]

I would upgrade. A lot of the graphics processing is done on the graphics chip itself, so getting a better card isn't a bad idea. Otherwise, you'll have a good system that appears to run like mud.

 

[Rocksaurus]

So by appears to run like mud you mean the GUI will be slow? I feel really stupid for not knowing but how much does the card affect HTML rendering speed?

 

[combatcolin]

MORE RAM MORE RAM MORE RAM MORE RAM MORE RAM MORE RAM etc...

 

[cluthz]

640MB ram is good for normal usage, if you are running many apps get a bit more.

As for the videocard:
I've noticed a HUGE difference going from a RAGE 128 to a GeForce4mx in my sawtooth. The GUI was earlier jerky and slow, but after the upgrade it was suddenly smooth...

The HD upgrade will also help a lot.

 

[bousozoku]

I upgraded a G3/400 to a PowerLogix G3/800 and have 896 MB RAM but still have the original Rage 128 video card. It works well enough for 2D applications but could definitely use an extra boost at times when I play some game. If you can find the original Radeon Mac card, you're better off than any other but the Radeon 9200 and the 9200 apparently doesn't have acceleration in Mac OS 9, if that's a concern.

640 MB of RAM should be sufficient, if you're only running web browsers, e-mail clients, and word processing. For anything more adventurous, the extra RAM will keep Mac OS X from digging into the exceptionally slow hard drive.

 

[Rocksaurus]

Thanks for the help guys.
I'll probably install the said upgrades for my parents and see how the GUI goes. If it's rough I'll ask them whether they want to spend a little extra to get it smooth or not. <3 <3 <3