11-26-2005, 03:26 AM

I am trying to find out if there is a list of video cards somewhere that are supported by G4 PowerMac (dual processor).
I am hoping to try out Motion 2, but it requires certain video card.
I have tried looking some of them up but each says min requirement is G5.

Thank you for your help

Mark

11-26-2005, 04:25 AM

There aren't that much cards compatible with the G4, and it depends of which G4.
The first PowerMac G4 (Yikes!) has no AGP slot.
The PM G4 Sawtooth and Gigabit Ethernet have an AGP 2x slot
The PM G4 Digital Audio, Quicksilver and MDD all have AGP 4x slot.

To check which one you have, go to www.lowendmac.com and have a look at "Mac Specs".

Now to compatible retail graphics cards:
The ATI Radeon 9000, 9200 and 9800 Mac edition are all AGP 2x/4x compatible, thus will work on every PM G4 with AGP.
The 9800 Mac special edition is G5-only.
The new ATI Radeon 9600 PC&Mac edition works in every PM G4 with AGP 4x.

There are some nVidia cards for Mac too, but they aren't available as retail cards, as far as I know.

But honestly, Motion is a VERY performance demanding application, and it won't run very well on a G4. Anything below a Dual G5 isn't really good for Motion.

11-26-2005, 03:21 PM

Thank you for your reply, this help alot. Looks like the one I have is the DDR model, it is a dual processor 867 with AGP in it, just dont know which agp, it came with a GeForce MX card with 32MB, which is not the greatest card. I will try to dig up more info somehow, so I can at least find out if it is a 2x or 4x AGP. This will help me in upgrading.

I know that Motion 2 needs a big machine, I am looking to sell this one & get a dual G5 soon, I was hoping at least to get it started so I can get familiar with the interface.

Thank you again for your reply.

Mark

Originally Posted by Avalon

There aren't that much cards compatible with the G4, and it depends of which G4.
The first PowerMac G4 (Yikes!) has no AGP slot.
The PM G4 Sawtooth and Gigabit Ethernet have an AGP 2x slot
The PM G4 Digital Audio, Quicksilver and MDD all have AGP 4x slot.

To check which one you have, go to www.lowendmac.com and have a look at "Mac Specs".

Now to compatible retail graphics cards:
The ATI Radeon 9000, 9200 and 9800 Mac edition are all AGP 2x/4x compatible, thus will work on every PM G4 with AGP.
The 9800 Mac special edition is G5-only.
The new ATI Radeon 9600 PC&Mac edition works in every PM G4 with AGP 4x.

There are some nVidia cards for Mac too, but they aren't available as retail cards, as far as I know.

But honestly, Motion is a VERY performance demanding application, and it won't run very well on a G4. Anything below a Dual G5 isn't really good for Motion.

11-26-2005, 06:54 PM

The Dual 867 is one of the MDD models. You can easily recognise them, as they have Mirrored Drive Doors, and the speaker is in the upper part of the front.
Those are AGP 4x. I would suggest the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Mac edition, as it is the most performant card you can get for that Mac.

On Apple's site you can find a Motion compatibility check tool, and you can also download a 30days-trial of Motion 2. That way, you can check how good it will perform.

11-26-2005, 08:38 PM

This is awsome, I really appreciate the information. Now I know what to look for.
Thank you again

Originally Posted by Avalon

The Dual 867 is one of the MDD models. You can easily recognise them, as they have Mirrored Drive Doors, and the speaker is in the upper part of the front.
Those are AGP 4x. I would suggest the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Mac edition, as it is the most performant card you can get for that Mac.

On Apple's site you can find a Motion compatibility check tool, and you can also download a 30days-trial of Motion 2. That way, you can check how good it will perform.