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Basic Gfx card question
Hello.
I need some help & advice on getting a graphics card for my system. My main drive actually is to join the Second Life community. There is a local organisation that has set up in there & it would be a great opportunity for me to join, work wise. The minimum specs for that on a card I need are a nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better OR ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better. I have been told by a Mac reseller I need an AGP card or a PCI Express for my system. I am also looking for one that will help me run After Effects.
My system is a Dual 1 GHz PowerPC G4, 1MB L3 cache per processor with 1.5 GB DDR SDRAM running 10.3.9. I don’t have the money to justify getting a better system so I have to work with what I have. Is there somewhere that explains what all the cards mean. I see numbers & letters but I can’t put them into context as I have no GFX card knowledge/experience. Any pointers would be most grateful. I’m not looking for a uber-powerful card, just one that would work for Second Life & give AE a good deal of support.
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2 Replies
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do you know what graphics card is in your system now? by your description, dual 1 ghz and ddr ram, i think you have a mirrored door g4, and i believe the minimum card in that model was either the geforce 4mx or the radeon 9000, either of which should meet your requirements.
if you still need/want to upgrade, i would look at an agp card (check your specs, i think you want a 4x card). the apg slot is the fastest slot on that mac. in addition graphics cards are the only cards that i know of that use the agp slot, thus if you want to add other expansion cards (sata, firewire, video capture/monitoring, etc.) you’ll have all your pci slots available.
if you’re having trouble selecting between the two manufacturers, generally speaking, ati cards have performed better on macs than nvidia, although some apps do work better with nvidia cards (but i don’t think ae shows any preference). actually, i don’t think you’ll see great improvement in ae by updating your graphics card.
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Fantastic info both of you, thanks. I am still non the wiser with gfx cards. I do have that G4, the mirror door version. One card I have in at the moment is used to drive my dual screens a ATY RV250, whatever that means. I’ll ring around a couple of suppliers & see what guidance I can get. I have looked at the Adobe site, relating to AE. Would those cards still work with my old kit?
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