Want to upgrade my Power Mac graphics card

[dougal]

I use my Power Mac G4 466Mhz (Digital Audio) for both OS X and MorphOS.

It currently has the 16Mb ATi Rage card installed.

What graphics card can i get which will be suitable for both OS X and MorphOS?

I need a specific model and what to look for as ill look for one online, but obviously must fit in the G4 and work with MorphOS and OS X

[spihunter]

I just got a ATI Radeon 9000 64mb Mac edition card off ebay for $23 USD. Those seem to be the cheapest and latest. Its seems that people still want $60-100 USD for the 9200-9250 cards for some reason.

You could also find a PC version of these cards and flash them yourself. I just flashed a Radeon 7000 card. It was pretty straight forward.

[beller]

Looks like the ATI Radeon 7500 is the card you want according to Other World Computing (macsales.com).  They're asking $59 for a new one.  I've used OWC for most of my Mac needs and have always had a good experience.

You can see the card at:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ATI%20Technologies/1028342302/

[Piru]

What graphics card can i get which will be suitable for both OS X and MorphOS?

8500 or 9000 are the best (fastest) ones with 3D support in MorphOS.

These typically come with 64MB video memory, however, but for most things that should be enough. 92xx aren't as fast as 8500 or 9000 but typically have more video memory.

7000 series cards are slow and I wouldn't recommend them (unless if you can get 7500 for small money)

[Piru]

Looks like the ATI Radeon 7500 is the card you want according to Other World Computing (macsales.com).  They're asking $59 for a new one.  I've used OWC for most of my Mac needs and have always had a good experience.

You can see the card at:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ATI%20Technologies/1028342302/

That card has 32MB video memory, and thus it wouldn't be much of a upgrade.

[beller]

That card has 32MB video memory, and thus it wouldn't be much of a upgrade.

@Piru

The 7500 was the only card listed to work with the 466 mhz model.  If you have used the other models on this model PowerMac, and it worked, great! I've found some of the older PowerMacs can be picky about video cards.

The 7500 is double video memory and supports Quartz Extreme which was implemented in OSX 10.2.  Quartz Extreme isn't available on his current card so the 7500 would be an improvement.

[dougal]

would this work ?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-Mac-G4-ATi-Radeon-9000-64MB-AGP-Graphics-Card-/250705809533?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item3a5f3b107d

[Karlos]

Aren't there tools that allow you to overwrite the video bios for a vanilla ATI card with a Mac specific one? IIRC, that's the only difference between cards released for PPC macs and their generic PC counterparts.

[beller]

would this work ?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-Mac-G4-ATi-Radeon-9000-64MB-AGP-Graphics-Card-/250705809533?pt=UK_Computing_Computer_Components_Graphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item3a5f3b107d

Looks like it should if your AGP port is working.

[Golem!dk]

Aren't there tools that allow you to overwrite the video bios for a vanilla ATI card with a Mac specific one? IIRC, that's the only difference between cards released for PPC macs and their generic PC counterparts.

This site covers the topic fairly well.

[Iggy]

A Digital Audio Powermac ought to be able to use the same video cards as later Powermacs.
Reflashing a PC 9200 or 9250 would probably be the cheapesyest solution (using a 128MB model as OSX and MOS don't support more than this on those cards).
Of course this process can be intimidating.
First, its easier to do the reflashing on a PC (where the card will boot correctly).
Then, you need to move (or remove) one surface mount resistor (with a soldering iron).
And, finally you have to mask over or cut two leads on the card edge.

As mentioned before, the instructions for all this are on the internet.

It sounds scary, but I replaced a failing  64 MB 9000 with a 9200 in under a hour at less than $20 cost.

And, while the specs of the 9000Pro (or better yet the 8500) should lead to faster performance, in the real world I don't see any difference and the extra memory is very useful under MOS.

[nicholas]

Aren't there tools that allow you to overwrite the video bios for a vanilla ATI card with a Mac specific one? IIRC, that's the only difference between cards released for PPC macs and their generic PC counterparts.

Indeed there are and that's what I shall be doing to my 256MB 9200 once the kids are tucked up in bed tonight.

[Iggy]

Indeed there are and that's what I shall be doing to my 256MB 9200 once the kids are tucked up in bed tonight.

256MB cards are flashable (mine's a Sapphire 256MB Radeon 9200), but like I mentioned in the last post MorphOS and OSX only use the first 128MB.

[Colani1200]

8500 or 9000 are the best (fastest) ones with 3D support in MorphOS.

These typically come with 64MB video memory

To be precise: The 8500 always is 64 MB (there are no Mac ROMs which support more), but the 9000 is also exists as 128 MB version. So a 128 MB 9000 really is your best option.

Aren't there tools that allow you to overwrite the video bios for a vanilla ATI card with a Mac specific one? IIRC, that's the only difference between cards released for PPC macs and their generic PC counterparts.

Well, in fact there are more differences. Most (if not all) AGP Mac cards have a proprietary Apple display connector which features USB leads and other stuff. They also have an additional connector in front of the AGP part. That aside it is true that you might be able to flash your PC ATI card. If it has 128k flash ROM... many PC cards only have 64k. There are also hacked 64k Mac ROMs. But as you can see it is all not that easy, you have to be lucky to find a flashable card and be lucky that it works correctly afterwards.

[Karlos]

256MB cards are flashable (mine's a Sapphire 256MB Radeon 9200), but like I mentioned in the last post MorphOS and OSX only use the first 128MB.

Same story in OS4.1. Only half of my 256MB 9200's RAM is recognised.