Upgrading QS G4 1GHz DP with ATI Radeon 7000 (PCI) PC?

[sarthak]

I have a QuickSilver G4 1GHz Dual Processor with 896mb of RAM and plenty of drive storage.

It currently has a GeForce 4MX in the AGP Slot which I use to drive a 1080p monitor (VGA). I am looking to upgrade to a second graphics card to drive another 1080p monitor.

I currently have a few cards lying around.
- ATI Radeon 7000 PC version, this is an ATI brand card with 64MB memory.
- ATI Radeon 9800 Pro from PowerMac G5. This card will NOT work since it is Blue-PCB and is AGP Pro and does not fit in the AGP slot in the G4.
- NVIDIA GeForce 2 MX. This will obviously not work since there is only 1 AGP slot and besides, it's not as powerful as the existing 4MX.

So far, the Radeon 7000 seems like something I could flash except I cannot get any of the utilities or 64k ROM files (dead links).

Anyone know if this can be done or have any other ideas for a cheap card?

 

[666sheep]

Flash a PC 9700 or make an offer to this guy

 

[Swampus]

If you just want to go with what you already have, These links still seem to work:

http://themacelite.wikidot.com/wikidownloads2
(scroll down to "reduced ATI PPC ROMs")

Download Graphiccelerator here:
http://thomas.perrier.name/graphiccelerator.html

However, if you have a few bucks, you should seriously consider the link in the post above mine. That's a much more powerful card and will bring you into the world of Core Image and give you significantly better performance on both displays. That's a very good deal for one of the best possible options for your machine.

 

[sarthak]

Flash a PC 9700 or make an offer to this guy

I guess I'll try to look for that card but I'd prefer one that is already Mac Flashed/Mac Edition.

The one on eBay that you linked is quite expensive to ship to Canada (adds $24.87 shipping, $8.97 Import Duties). But I'll look to see if anyone has it in Canada.

The goal is to get the system upgraded with 1.5GB ram and a nice video card so I can run Leopard and run two 1080p monitors. I am currently on Tiger with a single 1080p monitor which is quite fast for a machine of this age.

Leopard on G4 is quite slow if you lack sufficient memory or graphics performance.

If you just want to go with what you already have, These links still seem to work:

So I download the ROM file, load it into GraphicsAccelerator and then open ATI Flash and it would flash the card to work in Mac. I don't need a boot screen since this card will be driving a second display.

 

[Swampus]

Leopard on G4 is quite slow if you lack sufficient memory or graphics performance.

Yeah, but a Radeon 7000 isn't an upgrade. A PCI graphics card isn't an upgrade. Depending on your use, it might be adequate, but it isn't an upgrade. A dual head Core Image capable card, driving both displays from the AGP slot, would be an upgrade. Leopard would like that.

So I download the ROM file, load it into GraphicsAccelerator and then open ATI Flash and it would flash the card to work in Mac. I don't need a boot screen since this card will be driving a second display.

Pretty much. Do it under Tiger. There can sometimes be problems using the flasher under Leopard. If anything goes wrong, you'll need bootable DOS disk and a PC with a PCI slot in order to recover the card.

I was under the impression that you had done this before and were just having trouble finding the ROMs or I might have given more cautious advice in my first post. Things can go wrong. If you don't mind risking your Radeon 7000, it might be worth a shot, though. You might find that it meets your specific needs (I have one to drive a 3rd display on occasion. It's not terrible. Better than a Rage 128 under Leopard!). If you end up wanting a better card, it will also be handy to have a working PCI card if you decide that you want to try flashing an AGP card.

A more cautious approach might be to purchase a Radeon 9800 Pro that has already been flashed. It's a nice dual head card that can often be found on eBay for less than $50. I don't see any at the moment, but they still pop up once in a while. Or a 9700 as suggested above.

 

[666sheep]

Yeah, but a Radeon 7000 isn't an upgrade. A PCI graphics card isn't an upgrade. Depending on your use, it might be adequate, but it isn't an upgrade. A dual head Core Image capable card, driving both displays from the AGP slot, would be an upgrade. Leopard would like that.

Second this. Currently you have only QE, no CI. 7000 supports QE as well. If it would be Tiger - no big deal. But Leopard's GUI relies heavily on CI. Now all CI accelerated things are computed by CPU what eats its power, so less is available for other tasks. CI capable card speeds up whole computer noticeably when you're on 10.5
I've seen one FGL X3 on eBay.ca for ~20 CAD - my apologies - it was 40, my bad.

 

[sarthak]

Pretty much. Do it under Tiger. There can sometimes be problems using the flasher under Leopard. If anything goes wrong, you'll need bootable DOS disk and a PC with a PCI slot in order to recover the card.

Thanks! Got the Radeon 7000 working in OS X. Now running on two 1080p monitors, one from NVIDIA GeForce 4MX and the other from the Radeon 7000.

Had to drop down from 896mb (512, 256, 128) ram to 640mb (512+128) as one of my DIMMS (256mb one) failed causing KPs.

A lot of software is meant for Leopard and above so I should really upgrade to a FireGL X3 and 1.5GB of RAM. I'll keep an eye out for a great deal. For now, it is working just fine.

 

[Swampus]

Thanks! Got the Radeon 7000 working in OS X. Now running on two 1080p monitors, one from NVIDIA GeForce 4MX and the other from the Radeon 7000.

Had to drop down from 896mb (512, 256, 128) ram to 640mb (512+128) as one of my DIMMS (256mb one) failed causing KPs.

A lot of software is meant for Leopard and above so I should really upgrade to a FireGL X3 and 1.5GB of RAM. I'll keep an eye out for a great deal. For now, it is working just fine.

Good job! The working PCI card will come in handy if you decide to flash an X3. Here is a direct link to the ROM that you'll want to use for a FireGL X3. I'm sure you've read by now that you'll need to tape pins 3 and 11 (or remove the corresponding surface-mount resistors).

One more thing: Way off topic, but I'll mention it since you're obviously planning to get some use out of this machine. Those dual 1GHz Quicksilver modules seem to be the worst hit of all the G4 daughtercards when it comes to heat related damage. The combination of age, poor quality factory thermal compound, and the tension of the springs holding the heatsink to the card is resulting in a lot of these cards becoming warped (they overheat and become curved in the direction that they're being pulled by the springs). Spend a few dollars on a small tube of MX-4, and follow these simple instructions, and you'll likely be able to use this machine as far into the future as you want.

Also, since you'll still have plenty of MX-4 left over, you might as well do the same thing to the GPU when you get your FireGL X3. All of the ones that I've seen can be easily disassembled with a small Phillips screwdriver. Also, if do you get the FireGL, note that the cooling fins are known for collecting dust. It's a good idea to blow them out with compressed air every six months or so--A little more often if you happen to live with a 100 pound Alaskan Malamute.

 

[sarthak]

Waiting on 2x 512MB DDR 133 sticks to arrive for a total of 1.5GB memory after upgrade. Also waiting on a FireGL x3 card.

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NOTE: The 9200SE does NOT look like it will fit in the AGP slot of the QS 2002 since this card is AGP Pro like the 9800 Pro 256mb card I have.

I pulled out a ATI Radeon 9200 SE 128mb AGP video card. It is a PC card and probably better than the current setup I have.

- NVIDIA GeForce 4MX
- ATI Radeon 7000 PCI Flashed to Mac

The Radeon 9200SE 128 is the TV version including VGA, S-VIDEO and RCA. Any possibility of flashing this card? I found a 128k ROM on the WikiDownloads2 page that someone mentioned earlier. Would a 128k ROM work or does anyone know where I can grab a 64k ROM for the 9200SE.

The card looks like it's made by ATI as there are no markings from any other vendor besides ATI logos.

Is it even worth trying this card over a GeForce 4MX.

 

[666sheep]

NOTE: The 9200SE does NOT look like it will fit in the AGP slot of the QS 2002 since this card is AGP Pro like the 9800XT 256mb card I have.

Please post a picture of this card. From what I know, there wasn't 9200 on AGP Pro.

 

[sarthak]

Please post a picture of this card. From what I know, there wasn't 9200 on AGP Pro.

Attached a picture. My mistake, it doesn't look like the same connector that the GeForce 4MX has nor is it the same connector as the 9800 Pro 256 card I pulled from a G5.

Besides, if it does fit, it is quite hard to find a 64k ROM for this card and doesn't look like there is very good driver support either.

I guess I'll have to stick with the GeForce 4MX until a FireGL x3 arrives.

 

[666sheep]

It's regular AGP. This particular card most likely isn't even flashable, judging by its port layout. Even if it would be, it wouldn't be much of an improvement (if any) over your current card.

 

[sarthak]

It's regular AGP. This particular card most likely isn't even flashable, judging by its port layout. Even if it would be, it wouldn't be much of an improvement (if any) over your current card.

I guess I'll hold off on the flashing of any cards until the FireGL X3 arrives.