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jay3ld · Jul 31, 2005, 11:22 AM

i was thinking of upgrading one of my macs video cards and its ram so it goes a little faster
just got a few questions so i dont mess up.

anything i need to worry about that would cause the new ram and video card to not work on my mac???
would i need to upgrade my processor?
Would the mac install my video card driver or do i got to install that. shut down. remove old vid card and add new and start it up again?
on ram do i got to get a certain type or can i use any ram i can bye at a store??

i might have more as i research the video card and ram upgrade i want. Any suggestions to the best brands for these are welcome also

angelmb · Jul 31, 2005, 12:11 PM

People would like to know the model of your Mac to give you a better advice

You need certain type of RAM that meets the specifications of your Mac, but is likely you can get it from a pc store.

About the video card, options are more limited due to you have the ATI or nVidia cards. You can buy one video card pulled from another Mac e.g. looking in eBay or, expensive option, buy a new retail video card. If you get a video card from another Mac, the Mac OS includes the needed drivers, if you get a retail one, you must install the latest drivers available.

Of course you can also get a CPU update, but again, give us more info about the model of Mac you have there, a PowerMac is needed to be able to place a new video card.

jay3ld · Jul 31, 2005, 01:37 PM

G4 Mac. Dual 867 Mhz processor.

heres my ram and video card info... i think... i know its kinda bad. i when it was bought we got it at the cheapest price! we shouldnt of.

Ram:
DIMM0/J21:
Size: 256 MB
Type: DDR SDRAM
Speed: PC2100U-25330

Video:
GeForce4 MX:
Type: display
Bus: AGP
Slot: SLOT-1
VRAM (Total): 32 MB
Vendor: nVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0172
Revision ID: 0x00a5
ROM Revision: 1121
Display:
Type: display
Display Type: LCD
VRAM (In Use): 32 MB
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Depth: 32-bit Color
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
NVDA,Display-B:
Status: No display connected

angelmb · 02:51 PM

Easy one, add more RAM

Here you can check the prices of RAM modules for your Dual MDD PowerMac, the computer case is like the one I have in my signature, right?, just to point you in the right RAM model.

I would start just with that, 256 is just not enough, if you put there two 512 MB RAM modules, for a total of 1,25 GB of RAM you are going to feel a speed bump.

This seems to be the best offer, always get RAM with lifetime warranty.

jay3ld · 02:56 PM

ok kool. what about video card. i know mines kinda week so i want to get that. but i got a only so much money set aside for this so im not wanting to go over.

oh ps. is there a shipping fee for that site? i clicked around but i dont see anything about it. just need to make sure so i know how much i am spending in total.

angelmb · Jul 31, 2005, 03:05 PM

The issue with the video card is that it is going to be worth only if you get Core Image support, and with that PowerMac I think the only option is to get this modifie ATI 9600. It is modified because it was natively designed to work with the G5 PowerMac not the G4 models so the card gets AGP 4x support, that is what your model of PowerMac has, like the one I have, AGP 4x is not bad and you woule get Core Image support, that is cool enough because it reduces CPU load. Anyway you have a dual cpu model which is great.

Please note that the modified ATI 9600 is not ADC powered, so if you have an Apple ADC display you are going to need a adaptor to use the ADC port. There is not that issue with a DVI display, if the display is a VGA model, you need a little adapter,you have all the info there at the ATI 9600 page in OWC macsales.

jay3ld · Jul 31, 2005, 03:13 PM

so with this modified ATI 9600 i will need to buy some adapater to get power to my monitor?

i got the monitor that came with the g4 which has no power plug outlet. it gets its from the computer its connected to

what is that adapter called and if you got a link so i may tap in this price also

many thanks

angelmb · Jul 31, 2005, 03:14 PM

About the shipping fee, you can read

OWC Special Online Order Shipping Specials
For merchandise orders of $149.00 and higher that have a shipped weight of 25 Pounds or Less with delivery within the 48 Continental United States - UPS Ground Delivery is offered as a Free, no cost option.
Need it a little faster? For ANY Order weighing 10 Pounds or Less and shipping Anywhere within the 50 United States, a 2nd Day Air Delivery Option is offered at a special rate not to exceed $5.00!
To see if your order qualifies, you need only click on 'Get Freight Estimate' and enter your Zip code after you've filled your basket.
NOTE: These special delivery rates are available only for orders placed via our website. Actual Shipping rate will be listed on your order along with a 'OD' Online Discount line that reduces shipping cost as noted above.

I can not help more there since I live in Europe and had, of course, to pay the shipment

angelmb · Jul 31, 2005, 03:25 PM

Well, your monitor can be powered from the computer, the issue is with the video card being powered or not from the computer, at least that is how I understand it, if nobody here has a better advice the guys at OWC sure can help you.

Is it an Apple display?, do you know the model?, flat LCD panel right? or is it from any other maker?, if it is an Apple Display, it must have a model name at the back, You can download the Mactracker app where you can find every Apple display made.

About the adaptor, you are going to need it depending what kind of display you have there. You can see here the adaptor to run a VGA type display.

jay3ld · Jul 31, 2005, 03:34 PM

my monitor is the Apple Studio Display 15" but the picture it shows dont look like it. looks like the Appple Cinema Display

edit: if you need the model stuff really i will try to find my firesafe in the closet with the apple info

angelmb · Jul 31, 2005, 04:08 PM

Well, so your monitor is listed as 'Apple Studio Display (LCD)', the one that looks like those 20, 22 and 23 Cinema Display models, just smaller, right?, it is an ADC model, so I 'fear' you would need an adapter to power the 9600 card, and I think those are kinda expensive. I am not talking about the little adapters shown in OWC site. It is something similar to the last item shown here DVI to ADC Monitor Adapter
DVI System to ADC LCD Monitor Adapter. That is you would need to attach the ADC display to the PowerMac via the DVI port in the ATI 9600, not the ADC port since that one (the ADC port) is not powered, but since the display is ADC only, you need that adaptor to go from computer-DVI to Apple Display-ADC.

angelmb · Jul 31, 2005, 04:11 PM

Here you can find that adaptor, but it is $90 being honest I don't know if the total cost of adaptor+graphics card is really worthy. Seems too much for me.

jay3ld · 04:36 PM

ok ill just stick with the ram upgrade...
i searched apple store but they got nothing even for there own monitor they made!!!

thank you very much

angelmb · Aug 1, 2005, 02:44 AM

Don't worry, the RAM upgrade is going to do wonders there