Power Mac G4/AGP graphics/video card upgrade?

[zen.state]

Sorry for insisting, but... doesn't the fact that it is a 8x card causes a compatibility problem? How did you manage it?

Also, what kind of cooling does it have, since it has no fan?

The pre-flashed ones like that from that seller have certain connectors covered so that these will work in AGP 2x and 4x.

It is passively cooled. The heatsink is the cooling system for it combined with the system fan. This is not exactly a screaming card so it doesn't get hot enough to warrant a fan.

Trust me.. that 6200 card from that seller will work 100%. It will make your upgrade CPU even faster as it supports core image, core animation and core video which takes load off the CPU and uses the GPU to compute a lot of the desktop graphics. Making your GPU almost like another CPU. With the stock video in that you have no graphic options at all other than a basic video feed.

EDIT. Another idea.. you can always message the seller directly and hear it from the horses mouth as they say rather than a 3rd party like myself. He clearly shows the Sawtooth is compatible and even specifically mentions it's the best upgrade option for the Sawtooth. What more can I say to convince you? haha

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Sorry for insisting, but... doesn't the fact that it is a 8x card causes a compatibility problem? How did you manage it?

I know that this 6200 can be flashed to work with the Sawtooth, and it's listed as a 4X/8X card, so I imagine that cards that work at 4X can work at 2X as well once you tape over pins 3 & 11.

Also, what kind of cooling does it have, since it has no fan?

The 6200 is a relatively low-powered card by today's standards, so it requires only passive cooling - just a heat sink. This has the big advantage of making the card silent (my GeForce 6800 creates audible fan noise).

 

[666sheep]

(...) so I imagine that cards that work at 4X can work at 2X as well once you tape over pins 3 & 11.

http://themacelite.wikidot.com/pins-3-and-11

To clarify, the ONLY G4 which doesn't require pin disabling is the AGP 2x, pre-ADC Sawtooth (10/100, not Gigabit Ethernet). If your G4 doesn't have the ADC power tab near AGP slot, you can skip worrying about this. ALL OTHER G4s, Cube included, NEED these pins disabled.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

http://themacelite.wikidot.com/pins-3-and-11

Good catch. I've never done flashes for a Sawtooth, so I forgot that little nugget. I've never seen a 6200 listed as AGP 2X though, but they can be flashed to work in the Sawtooth, so I assume that all or most AGP 4X cards can run at 2X.

The Sawtooth has a substantially different logic board and PSU than the AGP 4X G4s. Of course, if you do tape pins 3 & 11, you can use the card later in an AGP 4X Mac.

 

[666sheep]

I assume that all or most AGP 4X cards can run at 2X.

Exactly. That's how it is. Any double keyed AGP card should be able to run even at x1.

Keying is the key to compatibility

http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/agpcompatibility.html

 

[canhoto]

Trust me.. that 6200 card from that seller will work 100%. It will make your upgrade CPU even faster as it supports core image, core animation and core video which takes load off the CPU and uses the GPU to compute a lot of the desktop graphics. Making your GPU almost like another CPU. With the stock video in that you have no graphic options at all other than a basic video feed.

Well, I upgraded the card (to the flashed Geforce 256 MB from the ebay seller), but I didn't notice a great difference. At least when viewing Youtube videos, I still have the bumps, the frozen images. And Mactubes isn't very practical if you are viewing a Youtube video directly from Facebook, for instance.

Anyway, I had some visual problems with Pages and Numbers which I don't have anymore. Also, my screen was always black during the booting process (I never saw the apple and the spinning wheel) and I can see it now.