Upgrading a PowerMac G5

L

Loxx

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AppleCare Protection Plan - Power Mac (3 years)
.Mac Promotional bundle

Power Mac G5 - DP 2GHz PowerPC G5
Apple Keyboard & Mouse
2GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 4x512MB
Bluetooth Module
AirPort Extreme Card
ATI Radeon 9600 XT 128MB, ADC/DVI
DVD-R/CD-RW
Mac OS X
160GB Serial ATA


I have the software sorted etc, but as I am looking to make this my main machine as been a pc user for the past 10+ years my question is - how is easy is it to upgrade Macs for futureproofing

Example
if I wanted to upgrade the DVD-RW to 16x or higher ?
If I wanted to upgrade the display card to a 256mb ?


I am largely doing video and display work hence the switch to macs, made more sense, stability and raw power :D If anyone could help it would be fantastic



Many thanks


Loxx
 
the dvd drive and video can be upgraded no problem. since you already have a decent video card though it wouldn't be worth upgrading unless you went with top of the line.

the dvd drive will take 5 min to upgrade.
 
A powermac shouldn't be too dificult to upgrade since it's a tower based system. All those things you want to upgrade can be done in under half an hour by even the most incompetent technician (though I don't suggest you try hire one ;)).
 
Coming from a PC background, I think we may need to prepare you for one harsh reality that exists on the Macintosh platform:

Don't expect to be able to replace the graphics card in a Macintosh tower machine cheaply. Typically, graphics cards for Macintosh computers run two to three times the price of comparable PC graphics cards. We can argue up and down all day about the hows and whys of this situation, but the fact of the matter is that Macintosh graphics cards are expensive as all get-out.

Like blue&whiteman said, you've got a decent graphics card already. It'll last you 2 years, minimum, and there's a good chance it'll last even longer. Be prepared for sticker shock come time to upgrade that video card, though.
 
What bugs me is why can't the G4 towers use new cards like the Nvidia 6800, while similar PCs can? It's not even the power supply being the issue, we're being lead to believe the AGP slot in the G4s can't handle it. So the ATI 9800 is the best we'll ever get for the G4 towers? That's the only reason why I haven't bought one yet, guess I'll have to get a G5...
 
I would assume because no aftermarket NVidia 6800 exists for an AGP-equipped Macintosh computer. They're sold solely as pre-installed cards in the new G5s.

Have you heard somewhere that they are incompatible with older G4 towers? I mean, yes, it's silly to have to purchase a G5 just to get a 6800, but where did you hear that they were incompatible?
 
Yeah where did I hear that? Perhaps it's just as you say, there are no after market AGP versions with the Mac ROM.
 
ElDiabloConCaca said:
Apparently I was wrong -- Apple sells the NVidia 6800 for $599 by itself, but before any non-G5 owners get excited about it, I should make it clear that it's only available for the PowerMac G5 computers.
Click to expand...
Yep that's exactly what I meant. I remember reading the announcement for GeForce 6800 released just forgot where. Plus I also read in a different forum of people complaining that it's G5 only.
 
Extrapolating what I know about graphics cards in older machines, I doubt a G4 machine would be able to fully utilize a 6800. Microprocessor speed becomes the limiting factor.

In a comparison between a 9800 and a 9200 in a dual-1.42 GHz Power Mac, would the more expensive card significantly outperform the lesser card? I'm not sure if this particular config. has been tested, of course. But there are puhlenty of similar examples.

Doug
 
I think the issue may be the AGP port. PC crap-pushers.. I mean vendors (such as MSI, Leadtek, etc) who make components based on the big companies chipsets (ie, NVidia 6800 Ultra chipset) dont always necessarily follow the guidelines the chip designers specify. just because nvidia says "it needs AGP8x and a high-speed system bus/memory/cpu to work best, some schmuck will say (sh!t, let's put it on a card with an AGP 2x,4x,8x compatible interface that will work in any pc made in the last 8 years. it maximises sales possibilities. This is one of the reasons PC cards are cheaper: commoditization. Every tom dick and harry makes cards, and how do you know if they've followed the Techie's/NVidias suggestions for AGP/PCI-Express interface type, RAM type/speed, cooling, etc. This is why the PC cards almost all have: 1x VGA, 1x DVI, 1x S-Video out. Basically, PC manufacturers bastardize the products to sell as many as possible.

As for the option of buying the card seperately.

I spoke to a nextbyte salesman two days ago. He said I could either Get my G5 in about 10 days, without the 6800, or wait up to two months for it (he was guessing..)
He then said that he has NO PRICE LISTED for a "spare parts" 6800 Ultra, but that the 9800XT is listed as $A1000.. the 6800Ultra works out to $700 extra if bought with a system. so basically, we'll be looking at well over a grand AU for an "official" apple supported 6800, if bought after purchase of a g5. That is the big reason I simply said:
Order my G5 NOW!
 
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