upgrade to nvidia geforce 6800 ultral ddl or keep ati radeon 9650?

[spyderracer393]

Hi, I have a Dual Processor Power Mac G5 (the earlier model, without PCI-X or PCI-Express) and it currently has the ATI Radeon 9650 Graphics card (w. 256 MB of VRAM), I can get the nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DLL (256 MB VRAM) pretty cheap. Is the nvidia card much better than the original ATI card, or is it just good because it can run two 30" cinema displays?

Thanks,
-Brad

 

[Lord Blackadder]

The 6800 Ultra is much, MUCH faster than the 9650 in every way, especially with games.

 

[spyderracer393]

will that card work with my machine or does it need the PCI-X slot?

 

[Eric5h5]

will that card work with my machine or does it need the PCI-X slot?

The card is AGP, right? In that case, yes, it will work.

--Eric

 

[spyderracer393]

The card is AGP, right? In that case, yes, it will work.

--Eric

yup! thanks

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I should also add that the X800XT Mac Edition is a great card, takes up only one slot (the 6800 Ultra takes two), and is faster in some games...but if you can get a good deal on a 6800 Ultra by all means do so.

 

[spyderracer393]

I should also add that the X800XT Mac Edition is a great card, takes up only one slot (the 6800 Ultra takes two), and is faster in some games...but if you can get a good deal on a 6800 Ultra by all means do so.

yeah, I am aware that the X800 XT is faster and only 1 slot, but as I said I can (I think) get a great deal on the 6800, and I am not currently using any PCI slots so it isn't much of a problem.

If I do get the card, is there a problem with selling the 9650 or am I better off keeping it just in case I might need it?

thanks

 

[dartzorichalcos]

How about about a ATI Radeon X1900 G5 Edition. I think it is the best PPC Mac graphics card and I might get it for my PowerMac G5 Quad.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

yeah, I am aware that the X800 XT is faster and only 1 slot, but as I said I can (I think) get a great deal on the 6800, and I am not currently using any PCI slots so it isn't much of a problem.

If I do get the card, is there a problem with selling the 9650 or am I better off keeping it just in case I might need it?

thanks

I'd keep it as a backup, unless you need the cash. It isn't worth a ton, though it could fetch a few bucks from the right buyer.

How about about a ATI Radeon X1900 G5 Edition. I think it is the best PPC Mac graphics card and I might get it for my PowerMac G5 Quad.

The X1900 G5 Edition is a PCI Express card, and the OP has an AGP Mac. (you do, right?)

The most powerful *gaming* card officially released for the AGP Mac was the OEM/BTO-only Radeon X850XT (hard to find), with the 6800 Ultra running second in front of the Radeon X800XT. The super-pricey QuadroFX 4500 is fast in some games but slow in others - it's a workstation card, not a gaming card. The fastest video card ever for an AGP Mac (unofficially) would be a flashed Gainward BLISS GeForce 7800GS...Quite rare, expensive, but fast. It has been flashed into G4 towers as well, but would really only be truly useful in a faster G5 that could push it.

 

[Eric5h5]

If I do get the card, is there a problem with selling the 9650 or am I better off keeping it just in case I might need it?

You should keep it. I sold my 9600 when I got an X800, and now I sort of regret it...if the X800 dies, I'm out of luck until I get it fixed/replaced, and while I got an OK price for the 9600, I think it would have been worth more to me as a backup card. Fortunately the X800 has been reliable. ::screen suddenly goes black:: (I do have a backup computer, but the graphics card wouldn't work in my G5.)

--Eric