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#1 2006-10-27 2:42 pm
Need New Video Card
I need a new video card and I want your recommendations, please.
My video card in my G5 / Dual 2GHz tower purchased in Nov. 2004 has died. I'm getting awful noise on screen that comes and goes. Yes, I've trouble shot the problem and am sure its a bad card.
So I need a new video card. I'm taking recommendations. I don't do video compositing very often, maybe once every six months. It needs to run WoW nicely. Price is not much of a concern.
The stock 256 MB ATi video card is currently in the machine. I've been looking at aftermarket ATi cards though I could be convinced to use nVidia. I have two free PCI-X slots (64-bit, 133 MHz) side-by-side in addition to the AGP X8 (533 MHz, 1.5 VDC) with the current video card.
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#2 2006-10-27 2:59 pm
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: Need New Video Card
PCI-X, being different than PCIe (PCI Express for Graphics or PEG) never went anywhere as a videocard standard, so you're pretty much stuck with AGP.
Too bad you likely need a card now or soon and can't wait for a potential Mac X1950 Pro AGP, such as Sapphire (ATi's main board partner) is bringing out for PC. Hmm... best stock Mac AGP card... opinions? My memory's a bit fuzzy right now, but it seems to boil down to that.
I'll get back to this a bit later after some checking.
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#3 2006-10-27 2:59 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
Just ignore the PCI-X slots for this. 
I would recommend either the Radeon 9800 if you don't really need über power, or the Radeon X800 if you want quite a bit of power. I wouldn't recommend the NVidia 6800 unless you can find one cheaper than a Radeon X800, since it flows over into another slot and is slightly slower than the X800. (and is more expensive, though pricing may have changed)
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#4 2006-10-27 3:07 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
Heh, is it really that simple? I go to ATi's site and buy their most expensive card? The X800 does look mighty nice.
Har, the X800 supports PCI-X! Neener neener 
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#5 2006-10-27 3:08 pm
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: Need New Video Card
Definitely the X800 over the 9800, having owned both. The X850 was/is OEM-only, IIRC?
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#6 2006-10-27 3:13 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
OK, so this card - Radeon X800 XT Mac Edition with AGP is $400 over at Zones. I'll think on this for another day before I order it. Thanks, Bat and akb825.
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#7 2006-10-27 3:19 pm
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: Need New Video Card
That's the one. I had a gloat post all ready, but I'll scrub it now. 
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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#8 2006-10-27 3:31 pm
- dv
- Negusa Negest
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Re: Need New Video Card
Kirk wrote:
Har, the X800 supports PCI-X! Neener neener
No, it doesn't. There are PCI-E version, but the X800 Mac Edition is an 8x AGP card for G5s.
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#9 2006-10-27 3:45 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
Heh, I see the price hasn't gone down since I bought one 1.5 years ago.
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#10 2006-10-27 4:21 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
Yes, the X800 does support PCI-X, at least the PC version I'd linked to originally does.
Radeon X800 Technology Specifications
* 160 million transistors on 0.13 micron low-k fabrication process
* Up to sixteen extreme parallel pixel pipelines
* Six programmable vertex shader pipelines
* 256-bit quad-channel GDDR3 memory interface
* AGP 8X support or PCI Express ™ support
Yeah, the Mac version is AGP only.
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#11 2006-10-27 4:25 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
PCI Express (otherwise known as PCI-E) != PCI-X. They are completely different animals, without any compatibility what so ever.
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#14 2006-10-27 4:48 pm
- LLEVIATHANN
- Itch you can't scratch
- From: 22 Acacia Avenue
- Registered: 2001-03-14
- Posts: 7158
Re: Need New Video Card
DoctorB wrote:
The x800 XT is a nice card. Have that in my G5.
Ditto I have an the AGP version in my PC. I know they're clocked a lil different but close. Plus with the Mac ATI Tool you could clock it back to PC specs.
Let us be thankful for the fools; but for them the rest of us could not succeed. - Mark Twain
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#15 2006-10-27 5:56 pm
Re: Need New Video Card
Wow just saw this on Accelerate your Mac.
-ATI Radeon x800 256MB for PowerMac G5 NEW $279 after rebate, Open Box $249 after rebate (rebate good if purchased by 10/28/06)
This in an add from OWC! http://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Search … amp;sort=a
Last edited by DoctorB (2006-10-27 5:57 pm)
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#16 2006-10-27 6:38 pm
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#19 2006-11-04 8:20 am
- Bat
- Flawless Cowboy
- Royal Wombat
- From: Björk, Björk
- Registered: 2001-05-14
- Posts: 28541
Re: Need New Video Card
We aims to please. 
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion - George Bernard Shaw
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
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