G5 graphics card upgrade? or not

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"Cypher" Powermac G5 2.3 DualCore QuadroFX4500 23" cinema display
hi guys
i have a late 2005 2.3 dualcore G5 that i'm just getting used to (recent switcher) & i'l be using it mainly for photography/editing etc
i'm in the process (or will be after christmas is paid for) of converting a spare room into an office so it hasn't really got a home yet & isn't in regular use so i'm not totally au fait with it yet.
i'll ideally be running 2 fairly big monitors & was wondering if the card i have fitted will be up to the task (Nvidea Geforce6600) or should i get the 7800GT?
apparently these cards are few & far between nowadays so it might be a good idea to get it anyway. do video cards fail on these machines?
apparently the 7800 GT is quite a bit better but can anyone explain in laymans terms how & why or even how much better & why?
sorry if i sound like a dumbass but i'm trying to get the best out of what i have & if this card is worthwhile then in it will go :Blushing:
also what would i do about a driver for the card? as a switcher i'm used to needing drivers for things like this. would my Mac just go online & find a driver? would it work out of the box? actually if it didn't work i'd have a hard time trying to download one :\
 
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Silver M1 iMac 512/16/8/8 macOS 11.6
Here is a link to the card and hold your breath when you check out the price:-

661-3835-R Power Mac nVidia 256MB GeForce 7800 GT (PCI Express) Video Card, Apple Mac and iPod Accessories

You will also need the power cable to get power to the card. Be aware that many sellers on auction sites are selling flashed PC cards which are not the same as the Mac manufactured model. Any card you see now will be advertised as 'refurbished' or 'pulled from a working machine', which in short means second hand as the cards are now getting on for three years old, older in some cases.

Personally as a user of the identical machine, yet to find anything the Ge Force 6600 card cannot do.
 
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sabot
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well i got the card the other day & it is the correct Mac card with the extended tail support ;)
got it in a sealed antistatic bag with the powercable for less than the price of a nice bottle of wine :eek:

i'll pop it in over the holidays & see how it goes
am i right in thinking i can use my 6600 in one of the other slots for support of up to 4 monitors??
 
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Yes. Consult your owners manual before deciding which slot to install it in.
 
OP
sabot
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second card goes in slot 3 springs to mind:\

i might just keep the 6600 as a backup because i haven't got 4 monitors at the moment. also i'll probably never ever need 4 monitors so having it in there powered up would prob be a waste of time & electricity

i don't want to have to put Another power supply in there :(

got some more ram too after i had some go bad the other week, back up to 7G again now :Mischievous:
 
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Our machines are very fussy about memory so make sure you buy from a Mac supplier. Always find OWC the best to deal with - cheap and arrives here in Australia within 7 days. The main problem is it must be low density memory and most PC shops and eBay dealers sell the cheaper high density modules which fail after a few weeks, or sometimes months.
 

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