Video Card

I

ichadsey

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How do I find out what kind of video card I have preinstalled on my Dual G5 Mac?
Also, I am considering upgrading to a more powerful video card. Which is the best bang for my buck (assuming i use adobe photoshop, some video editing, and play video games to its extent)?
Also, just out of curiosity, would it be stupid to hook up my computer to a 55" widescreen HDTV?


thanks
 
System Profiler is what you need to check on your Mac's devices. Check under Applications and then under Utilities.
 
1) Open System Profiler by selecting "About This Mac" from the Apple menu and then clicking the "More Info..." button or opening System Profiler directly from the Utilities folder. Then, click "PCI/AGP Cards" on the left-hand side and report back here with what it says.

2) The best bang for your buck depends on what video card you have now. If you want maximum performance, get the most expensive card, which is the NVidia 6800 Ultra Dual-DVI card available from the online Apple store.

3) Depends. Stupid is relative. I would prefer a 19" flatscreen LCD monitor to a 55" widescreen TV. Would it be useful to you? Also, you have to make sure the TV supports a DVI connection, or some sort of compatible connection with your video card.
 
ATI just announced a X800 card for the G5. Now, more choices to choose from than the 6800 DDL Ultra. The X800 supposedly takes up one slot and still able handle the 30" screens
 
So here's what i have:
"ATY,RV350:

Type: display
Bus: AGP
Slot: SLOT-1
VRAM (Total): 64 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x4150
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-A13601-126

Display:

Type: display
Display Type: LCD
VRAM (In Use): 64 MB
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Depth: 32-bit Color
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes"

how much does this ATI X800 card for the G5 cost, and where can i find it so that it is built for the G5?
 
ichadsey said:
how much does this ATI X800 card for the G5 cost, and where can i find it so that it is built for the G5?
Click to expand...

It' recently announced so it may be some time before it's available for purchase. Typically I buy from MacMall or CDW. I expect the price to be rather high, perhaps as much as the 6800 Ultra DDL. One thing you should realize when buying a card for Mac is the more memory the card has the better the overall responsiveness of the GUI if the Quartz engine doesn't have to use main memory.
 
are you saying i should wait until this new video card comes out? will it bring the other video card prices down?
 
Depends on which X800 comes out. Using PC prices, the X800 Pro goes for about $399, the X800 XT for $499. If ATI is gonna compete with the 6800 Ultra on the Mac they'll more than likely come out the X800 XT model, which wouldn't really require the cheaper cards like the 9800 Pro to be lowered in price. Right now the 9800 Pro with 256MB is going for $359 at MacMall.
 
The X800 Pro is by far a better performing card. The question is how much you wanna spend and how much of that power translates into a noticable difference. You can guess it's going to be in the neighborhood of $400 plus. If saving $50 to $100 bucks is worth it then stick with a 9800 Pro otherwise if it's not much of a financial stretch for you, going with the X800 Pro is the way to go.
These questions always come up and there never really seems to be a resource to turn to on the web, just hearsay and the occasional comparison here or there. The Mac really needs a hardcore review site like HardOCP, Tom's Hardware or Anandtech has on the PC side.
 
ichadsey said:
How do I find out what kind of video card I have preinstalled on my Dual G5 Mac?
Also, I am considering upgrading to a more powerful video card. Which is the best bang for my buck (assuming i use adobe photoshop, some video editing, and play video games to its extent)?
Also, just out of curiosity, would it be stupid to hook up my computer to a 55" widescreen HDTV?


thanks
Click to expand...

Under the Apple, about this Mac should give you the specs you're looking for...
 
Ok... so now i'm leaning towards the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL. Although it is very costly, it does seem to be the best option as of now. I don't see how the X800 Pro is either a) goint to come out fairly soon, and b) be that much better than the NVIDIA. However, it may be cheaper. I do hear rumors that it will be in the price range of $399 to $499, while the NVIDIA is sold at the Apple Store for $549.... Decisions, decisions....
What would you do??

oh, and vote Kerry
 
I purchased a 6800 GT for my PC, which is close in performance to the Ultra. ATI is close in performance to nVidia, but theres no way to know how that performance translates over to the Mac. The one thing ATI does have going for it though is that it is a one slot solution versus nVidia's 2 slot. If having one less expansion slot matters then ATI is the way to go. If it doesn't matter go with nVidia. I've always had nVidia cards so I'm staying with them until I see a clear cut winner from ATI.
 
The apple store is now selling 6800GT's and 6800 Ultras (according to the TEXT. can't find it as a BTO option on g5's though) and they've added a note on the configure g5 page that says both the 6800 Ultra and the 9800XT take up the adjacent slot. wtf?
 
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