Which video card and processor upgrade do I want???

[Otto85]

I have a G4 Dual 867 MDD with 2 gigs of ram.

So that I may let my wife have my Dell M70 I need to upgrade my G4.

I'm a modeler so the upgrade is primarily for using Maya. The added power wouldn't hurt navigating my Lightroom database either.

First of all... are the Sonnet Encore/MDX processor replacements:
a) worth the money?
b) reliable?
c) Also, can you uninstall whatever it installs if it were to bonk out?

Now, on to the video card. You should see it.. navigating around a scene in Maya blows my video card up. If I try to render, the SBBoD mockingly bounces up and down in laughter at me.

I have one Dell 24 inch monitor and I'm getting another one like it. What I would like is to have a video card with dual DVI outputs that can last me another couple of years until I save up for my next system.

Radeon 9800 seems like the winner from what I have read, but I wanted to ask you guys if there are:
a) any better (affordable) cards for graphics and 3D modeling work?
b) less expensive/equal or better performance/easily flashable pc cards that would work?

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[tersono]

Frankly, I don't see the point in spending large amounts of dough upgrading your DP867 (which was a great machine in its day, I used to own one). Your G4 is still a very saleable commodity via eBay - if it was me I'd sell it and replace it with something a bit more recent - even a Mac Mini or low-end iMac will blow it away these days.

 

[Otto85]

Frankly, I don't see the point in spending large amounts of dough upgrading your DP867 (which was a great machine in its day, I used to own one). Your G4 is still a very saleable commodity via eBay - if it was me I'd sell it and replace it with something a bit more recent - even a Mac Mini or low-end iMac will blow it away these days.

Thanks, that's also an option. I just have four hard drives and a canopus video input pci card I'd like to maintain access to. Of course hard drive consolidation is an option, but all the change... argh!!

Are there any used G5 desktop models that would be preferable to upgrade to? I hate that I've gotten this out of the loop. Been a mac nut since 1998 and used to stay on top of most of this stuff.