[G4] Will a newer video card help?

[csean at poc.it]

on 30-07-2003 14:14, Power Macintosh G4 List at G4 at lists.themacintoshguy.com
wrote:

> Subject: Re: [G4] Will a newer video card help?
> Message-ID: <3DF33AD4.68A1EE2E.00670078 at aol.com>
> 
> I've got a sawtooth 450MP that had the same ATI 128 AGP card.  I run OS X
> [almost] exclusively.  I saw on ebay a nvidia ge4mx(?) (64mb), the same card
> that's in my QuickSilver 1gb MP, and went for it.
> 
> It worked like a champ... overall computer was xbenched @ 20% faster - just
> with the video card.
> 
> The worst part was a couple of weeks later, OWC had/has a comparable nvidia
> ge3 agp card for $65 or $75 bucks!  That's quite a bit less than what I paid
> on ebay for the bigger brother.
> 
> Anyway, go for the video card, you will see an improvement.
> 
> BTW, I'm also running 2, 17" displays without a speed hit.  It's awesome for
> PhotoShop and the like.
> 
> Good luck


Okay, just to nitpick a little here.
The 450MP is a Gigabit Ethernet, not a Sawooth. This makes a big difference
with some video cards, as ADC is supported on the Gigabit, though not on the
Sawtooth.
The Geforce 4 MX is a 64MB 4x AGP card with ADC and VGA ports (though there
may be other versions with DVI ports?). It worked great on my Sawtooth 450
with a VGA monitor.
OWC has had the Geforce 4 MX 32MB AGP card (note the 32MB) on sale for a
while now; it has ADC and DVI ports, which would both be compatible with the
Gigabit Ethernet G4 and provide dual monitor support, IIRC. Only the DVI
port would be compatible on the Sawtooth.

The nVidia Geforce 3 with 64MB is NOT the Geforce 4MX's little brother. It
is actually much more powerful than the Geforce 4MX. I don't think OWC has
ever had the Geforce 3 for $75, probably more like $175 minimum. As I
mentioned, OWC does have the Geforce 4 MX 32MB (note that the Geforce 4 MX
also comes in a 64MB version) for $75 or so. Still a decent deal, especially
if upgrading from the Rage 128 and if you want to get an ADC monitor (NOT
with a Sawtooth, though).

Chris