new vid for sawtooth?

[MacTurtle]

So I'm about to receive a new to me sawtooth 450.

I've already got the processor upgrade I want scoped out.

now the question is video.

What video cards are you all running? I'd like something a lot snappier than the original card. The only new card that I've found that specifically say's that it supports the sawtooth g4 is the pci ATI 9200. As my sawtooth has a 2x agp slot, I'd really rather go that route.

I've seen conflicting reports about the new ATI 9800 agp card. Some say that it will run in a 2x agp slot, some say it will only work on a digital audio and above. Anybody have one and a sawtooth?

Has anyone used any of the flash FX5200 cards in their sawtooth? They are pretty cheap, but I know that there can be problems with flashed cards in the future...

Anyway, that's my question, what vid cards do YOU run and recommend for a sawtooth!

 

[dsharits]

I highly recommend the 9800 Pro, but that's from my experience with it in my MDD with 4x AGP. I have no experience with the flashed 5200's, but they may be totally fine. However, if you want the most performance, I'd go with the 9800 to max out the video.

Just my $.02

 

[MacTurtle]

I highly recommend the 9800 Pro, but that's from my experience with it in my MDD with 4x AGP. I have no experience with the flashed 5200's, but they may be totally fine. However, if you want the most performance, I'd go with the 9800 to max out the video.

Just my $.02

Yeah, the 9800 looks like a very nice card. My only concern is if it will run on a 2x agp slot. Can you check your book/box and see if it lists compatibility with a sawtooth g4? (assuming that you bought it aftermarket)

Some places seem to say that the 9800 will only work in a 4x agp slot and above, but then I've seen others that say any 2x agp and above will work.

Thanks for the input.
Mitch

 

[Lord Blackadder]

The best video card you can get for your new system would be the new Radeon 9800 256MB Mac Edition. At $259 it isn't cheap, but it will work in your Sawtooth and it is probably the best card that will ever fit in it.

Alternately you can look for the "old" Radeon 9800 Mac Edition, which has 128MB of VRAM - but it is a very close second in performance for most tasks. It is discontinued but a lot of resellers have them in stock still.

Both 9800 cards can run two displays.

The discontinued Radeon 9800 256MB Mac Special Edition won't work in your G4, as it needs an 8x AGP bus.. (don't worry, it is no faster than the current Radeon 9800). Ditto the Radeon 9800XT Mac Edition, which was an OEM card for the G5.

Your next best option is one of the Radeon 9600 cards. Off the top of my head:

Radeon 9600 Pro 64 MB - Originally an OEM card for the Power Mac G5, Other World Computing modified a number of these to work in G4 Macs and sold them for $120, later $105. They are sold out now but you could look for one on the used market (or do the mod yourself with an ebay purchased card; it merely involves taping a couple leads on the card edge connector). It's a good card (I have one) that will work well with any game your Sawtooth can handle. Bear in mind that due to differences between G4 and G5 Motherboards the DVI port works but the ADC port will not without some additional fiddling. But if you only have one display and it's a DVI then you're fine.

Radeon 9600 256MB PC + Mac Edition - A currently available card that works in PCs and Macs. It is faster than the 64MB card above but slower than the 9800's, and it is $200 IIRC. It also supports dual displays.

The GeForce 5200 can be modded to work in a G4 Mac, but I don't think it is worth it since the 9600 is equal to or better than the 5200 in every way (especially the current 256MB version).

If you are planning on using you G4 as your primary system I'd avoid older cards like the GeForce4Ti and Radeon 9000. They're a bit overpriced on the used market and not worth it.

 

[tweakers_suck]

I bought a pc-flashed-for Mac 9200 128 MB AGP card for my Sawtooth (see sig) and it works just fine. iDVD 5 doesn't crash anymore and now I can run games such as Nanosaur 2.

I bought the card on eBay for $99 shipped. I can give you the sellers name if you are interested - they seem to sell lots of these cards.

Edit: Just read your other thread. My card does support Quartz Extreme, but not Core Image. I don't miss Core Image on my Sawtooth, but if you feel you really need it then obviously the 9200 is not for you. If you only need a better vid card to use some software, then this card may be an option for you.

 

[velocityg4]

The 9800 Pro does work in the 2x AGP slot this is directly from ATI's Web Site

System Requirements

* Mac® OS X 10.2.5 or later
* AGP 4x or 2x capable Macintosh®
* 128MB of system memory
* Installation software requires CD-ROM drive
* DVD playback requires DVD drive
* Power connection to the computer
Radeon® 9800 PRO Mac Edition requires connection to your computer’s internal power supply for operation. ATI recommends a 300-Watt power supply or greater to ensure normal system operation where a number of other internal devices are installed.

Don't confuse the 9800 pro mac edition with the 9800 pro mac special edition. The 9800 pro mac special edition is for 8x AGP slots only. That is the 9800 pro with 256 mb of vram. The only model of 9800 that is compatible with your Sawtooth G4 is with 128 MB of Video Ram.

 

[MacTurtle]

The best video card you can get for your new system would be the new Radeon 9800 256MB Mac Edition. At $259 it isn't cheap, but it will work in your Sawtooth and it is probably the best card that will ever fit in it.

Alternately you can look for the "old" Radeon 9800 Mac Edition, which has 128MB of VRAM - but it is a very close second in performance for most tasks. It is discontinued but a lot of resellers have them in stock still.

Both 9800 cards can run two displays.

The discontinued Radeon 9800 256MB Mac Special Edition won't work in your G4, as it needs an 8x AGP bus.. (don't worry, it is no faster than the current Radeon 9800). Ditto the Radeon 9800XT Mac Edition, which was an OEM card for the G5.

Your next best option is one of the Radeon 9600 cards. Off the top of my head:

Radeon 9600 Pro 64 MB - Originally an OEM card for the Power Mac G5, Other World Computing modified a number of these to work in G4 Macs and sold them for $120, later $105. They are sold out now but you could look for one on the used market (or do the mod yourself with an ebay purchased card; it merely involves taping a couple leads on the card edge connector). It's a good card (I have one) that will work well with any game your Sawtooth can handle. Bear in mind that due to differences between G4 and G5 Motherboards the DVI port works but the ADC port will not without some additional fiddling. But if you only have one display and it's a DVI then you're fine.

Radeon 9600 256MB PC + Mac Edition - A currently available card that works in PCs and Macs. It is faster than the 64MB card above but slower than the 9800's, and it is $200 IIRC. It also supports dual displays.

The GeForce 5200 can be modded to work in a G4 Mac, but I don't think it is worth it since the 9600 is equal to or better than the 5200 in every way (especially the current 256MB version).

If you are planning on using you G4 as your primary system I'd avoid older cards like the GeForce4Ti and Radeon 9000. They're a bit overpriced on the used market and not worth it.

Thanks for the input. That has cleared up a lot of my confusion. ATI is almost as bad as Apple when it comes to nameing things the same name.

Again, I think the whole 2x agp vs 4x agp thing is what got my head all on backwards. I appreciate you taking the time to lay it out for me. I'll have to count my pennies and see which card I can justify now.

Thanks!
Mitch

 

[Eidorian]

Unless you need the horsepower I run with the Radeon 7000 and 9000 Pro. I use the 9000 Pro since I like to run dual monitors.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

If you have no use for 3D acceleration but want to run two displays at high resolutions older cards like the GeForce4ti, Radeon 9000, 7000, 7500, 8500 or 9200 may be sufficient. The problem is that they aren't always very cheap - don't buy an older used card that costs more than a new 9200.

As for Core Image..All of the Radeon 9600 and 9800 cards, as well as the GeForce 5200 are fully Core Image compatible, i.e. they can implement all of the current features of Core Image.

The Radeon 9200 and 9000 are not. Nor is the GeForce4ti or Radeon 8500 (which is almost identical to the 9200) or older cards.

By the way, there is one more card I forgot about - the Radeon 9700 Mac Edition. This 128MB card is fairly rare, as it was only offered as an optional OEM card in some of the later G4s. As far as I know it is AGP 2x/4x compatible (I'm not 100% sure on this but I've seen it stated as such) so it should work in your G4, and it's performance should be somewhere between the 9600 and 9800 (as the name suggests). It supports two displays and is also fully Core Image compatible. I've seen them occasionally for sale at ridiculous prices but if you find a cheapish one (i.e. cheaper than a new 9600) snap it up.

 

[solvs]

Go with OWC at http://eshop.macsales.com (go to their configurator and choose video) or eBay. Just choose a reputable seller if you go the eBay route.

 

[MacTurtle]

Go with OWC at http://eshop.macsales.com (go to their configurator and choose video) or eBay. Just choose a reputable seller if you go the eBay route.

I went to macsales, and the only vid card the listed on friday for my sawtooth was the pci 9200. That's when I started looking and asking more questions.

Thanks though, I really do like the configurator over at macsales. They are certainly getting my business for some other parts and pieces.

Mitch

 

[Sweetfeld28]

Personally, i use the Radeon 9000 Pro 128MB Mac card. I haven't had any problems with it. I would also have to say that i read alot of reviews after i bought my card saying that the 9000 64MB card had faster speed tests, but i ended up still buying the Pro version because i found it for a cheap price.

I also thought that accourding to ATIs site the Radeon 9000 is 2x/4x compatable, and that the 9200 was just a 4x card. Not Positive about that though.

 

[solvs]

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/video/hardware/

 

[DZ/015]

I have a sawtooth running an 8500. Works fine for me, but I don't do any gaming. It has dual display support with VGA and DVI connectors.

Just a few things to be aware of:

1. The power supplies are only 237w with no video card connector.
2. There is no ADC support on the sawtooth motherboard.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I also thought that accourding to ATIs site the Radeon 9000 is 2x/4x compatable, and that the 9200 was just a 4x card. Not Positive about that though.

As far as I know the Radeon 9200 has only been sold for the Mac as a PCI bus video card except for the embedded versions in the Mac Mini and iBooks, which are AGP.

Using the PCI bus makes the 9200 run in many older systems but it is slow. However it shines as a second video card for use running multiple displays. generally the Radeon 9000 AGP is significantly faster than the Radeon 9200 PCI.