Will 2 Video Cards Work in A G5 Dual 2.3?

S

SweetDoug

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HdW: G5 dual 2.3 Tiger 3G RAM

I found a Radeon X1900 that will push 2 monitors, which I now have installed and is awaiting at least one of the LCD screens I'm going to buy, along with the old Dell which is actually not too bad.

I'm actually perhaps getting two lcd's which would leave me with the Dell. I think it's on it's last legs as it sometimes just gives a good phoon-ZAP! like it lost power for a moment. I threaten to toss it out the window, and it seems to regain it's sanity. Lucky for it...

Can I/Should I!? install the original video card that came with the G5 in the second pci/x slot so I can run the new lcd monitors off the radeon x1900 and the Dell CRT from the old ATI Radeo 9600 (which worked just fine on it's own?)

I searched around on the net and didn't find a real clear answer. I suspect you can as how does one run mulitple monitors?

Comments?

SweetDoug
 
Your original vid card - in slot 1 - is an AGP card - the ATI 9600, can only run in the AGP slot, so that must stay in that first slot. Your other slots are PCI-X, and a PCI-X card could be used in any of those 3 slots.
You said the Radeon X1900 is working, with video hooked to it?

If you don't really have the X1900 working, you CAN connect dual displays to the 9600. It sounds like you think that you can only use one display on that 9600?
 
Thanks for the reply!

Probably bobbled the specs regarding the slot on the original card.

I pulled the ATI9600, and pushed in the X1900 and it is currently running the CRT. I'm expecting the LCD in a day or two. Maybe another.

I didn't realize the first slot is the AGP slot. I've got to get this straight. (I had to have put the X1900 into the correct slot-- the PCI-X, not the AGP or it wouldn't work, so I must have installed it properly, obviously. It's been 6 months since I've fiddled with it, so it's just a brain lapse.)

So, to recap, there's just the X1900 that is currenly installed, running the CRT. I will add at least 1 lcd to this mix. If I can re-install the ATI9600, in the AGP slot, can I run the CRT off of it as the home video/OSX stuff and then run at least one, if not two LCD's from the X1900 for graphics intensive stuff. (The mac will figure out all of this and I won't fry anything? That's my big worry. I've seen nothing that says this will happen, if I go ahead. I just want to make sure.)

SweetDoug
 
I think each cards can have two displays attached simultaneously - so you could operate up to 4 independent displays at the same time.
When you have more than 1 active display, the Displays pref pane will show another tab called "arrangement".
You won't see that extra tab in the Displays pref pane unless you have more than one display attached, and both connections/graphics cards are also working properly.
Should be interesting to see that all work!
 
The X1900 is in the PCIx (Express) 16x slot, the first one, (the lowest slot) with the power cable plugged in, and everything works, running two monitors.

I have tried the nVidia 6800 into the 8x slot, (the second from the bottom, I think...) but nothing happened when I connected the monitor.

Running Tiger but upgrading to Leopard soon.

Suggestions?

Thanks.

And if clarification is needed, please ask.

SweetDoug
 
SweetDoug said:
...

And if clarification is needed, please ask.

SweetDoug
Click to expand...
This has nothing to do with the version of the OS. It is firmware and hardware issue. The firmware on the graphics card must be Mac-compatible. Windows cards must be re-flashed if they can be re-flashed to run on a Mac. If they cannot be re-flashed, then they can't run on a Mac.
 
Would there be a performance hit for the x1900 card if it it's not in slot 1, the AGP slot and was placed in another, with the nVidia then residing in slot 1?

SD
 
Put the x1900 into the 16x slot and the 6600 into the next and it worked perfectly. 4 monitors. Dell U2412, ASUS PA238 & Dell 19" CRT & Dell 2009W



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