[coitus]

Okay, I'm looking into upgrading the Rage 128 Pro that shipped with my G4 450 dual-processor (2x AGP) mac last year. I am considering either a Radeon 32M 2x AGP card or perhaps one of the GeForce cards (though I know very little about them).

Can some one kindly give me the pros and cons, as well as current pricing for such cards? As it stands, I am mainly concerned with performance for gaming as well as web and graphics design. I am not using my mac for any digital video editing...

Many thanks,

Curtis

[Cake]

A lot of people love the Radeon, but if you have access to a PC you might think about picking up a GeForce3 (not a Ti200, Ti500 or 2MX - just the plain old original GF3) and flashing it to work in your Mac.

I did it and I really like the fps that I'm getting in games.

Also, my old Voodoo5 was great too in my G4/533DP, but since 3dfx went under that card is no longer supported. I just mention it because you can get them pretty cheap now for the power they have.

[legacyb4]

I took a look at the nVidia site (amazing how pro-Windows the site is! they mention Linux but nothing Mac) but didn't see any info on flashers for the card.

Is it safe to say that as long as the internal chip is a GeForce3, you don't have to worry too much about the specific card maker when looking for a used PC card?

Cheers.

Originally posted by Cake:
<STRONG>A lot of people love the Radeon, but if you have access to a PC you might think about picking up a GeForce3 (not a Ti200, Ti500 or 2MX - just the plain old original GF3) and flashing it to work in your Mac.

I did it and I really like the fps that I'm getting in games.

Also, my old Voodoo5 was great too in my G4/533DP, but since 3dfx went under that card is no longer supported. I just mention it because you can get them pretty cheap now for the power they have.</STRONG>

[Cake]

Check out this link - it's a huge thread, but people have been flashing PC GF3's since July.

You need the original GF3 that conforms to the NV20 specs. The newer GF3's like the Ti series will not work. Others have flashed LeadTeks, Asus, nVidias and VisionTeks (like mine) with success.

Oh and you won''t find anything on nVidia's site regarding flashing. This has been done by people who just want to save money instead of buying Apple's version of the card and paying through the nose!

[coitus]

Cake,

Are there certain specific models or model numbers for this original GeForce3? I am guessing it is a 2x AGP card or is that assumption incorrect?

I am also curious to know if you've found a site the compares performance of such a card with either a rage pro or radeon.

Lastly, what about price and location? I'm guessing eBay would be a place to look but what should I expect to pay for such a card (original GeForce3)?

Thanks...

coitus

[coitus]

A card such as this???

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1306863801

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI...tem=1305223593

thanks...

[ 12-09-2001: Message edited by: coitus ]

[Cake]

coitus, regarding the eBay links - the first one is the card I have and have successfully flashed. I'm not sure about the second one.
I got mine off of ubid.com back in July for about $250. Mine was advertised as an "nVidia NV20 64Mb DDR w/ TV out" and I got the VisionTek that I'm currently using - same card, same spec, just a different manufacturer. And actually, I believe this card is a 4x AGP.

Again, you do not want the Ti200 or the Ti500 as these have not been sucessfully flashed. Some people have gotten the 2MX to work, but I'd think that a Radeon would be a better choice in that case.

[Cake]

Here's a good link that gives a Summary of PC GeForce3 Cards Flashed for use in Macs.
It's a few months old, but has a lot of good info. Also, click on the Video link at the top of the page for comparisons of various cards.