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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Desktops > Upgraded graphics card for Power Mac G5?

Upgraded graphics card for Power Mac G5?
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bojangles
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Apr 13, 2009, 11:48 AM
 
My Rev. A Power Mac G5 is still doing great after all these years, but it’s starting to choke on video. Specifically, the video lags behind the audio in a lot of situations, not the least of which is videoconferencing (which I do with both family and clients).

Can anyone recommend a graphics card upgrade? I’m currently using the stock ATI Radeon 9600 Pro in the 8× AGP slot, but I’m guessing there’s got to be something faster/better, by now!

Thanks in advance!
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mduell
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Apr 13, 2009, 08:10 PM
 
A graphics card upgrade isn't going to help with video playback. Sounds like a CPU performance issue.
     
bojangles  (op)
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Apr 14, 2009, 04:06 PM
 
Okay, I’ll believe you, but can you explain this to me a little more? I would think that by having a faster graphics card with more RAM, it would allow the GPU to handle the video more efficiently while the CPUs take care of other things (e.g. audio, other unrelated processes, etc.).

Thanks again!
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mduell
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Apr 14, 2009, 05:44 PM
 
Apple was very late to the GPU accelerated video playback game; only the latest MB(P)/Mm with the nVidia chipsets support GPU accelerated video decoding. So regardless of the video card in your G5, the CPU is doing all the work.

There are some better cards out there for gaming/pro app work (which do take advantage of the GPU), although they're still years old (AGP was deprecated years ago) and the Mac versions are quite pricey.
     
bojangles  (op)
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Apr 15, 2009, 03:24 AM
 
Ah, gotcha. So basically I can get a better card (e.g. the Radeon 9800, which was a BTO option for my machine), but video playback will be affected minimally, if at all. Unfortunate, but logical. Thanks for the tip!
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Simon
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Apr 15, 2009, 04:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by bojangles View Post
Ah, gotcha. So basically I can get a better card (e.g. the Radeon 9800, which was a BTO option for my machine), but video playback will be affected minimally, if at all. Unfortunate, but logical.
The irony is that could go and buy a $599 Mac mini that would blow your PM out of the water. Now obviously the PM has other advantages the Mac mini simply can't compete with, but in terms of raw CPU power (your videoconferencing issue) a 2.0 GHz Penryn Mac mini for $599 would really do the trick.
     
bojangles  (op)
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Apr 15, 2009, 04:56 AM
 
The irony is that could go and buy a $599 Mac mini that would blow your PM out of the water. Now obviously the PM has other advantages the Mac mini simply can't compete with, but in terms of raw CPU power (your videoconferencing issue) a 2.0 GHz Penryn Mac mini for $599 would really do the trick.
Good point, but yeah, I don’t think I’ll be switching to a mini as my main computer, any time soon. Great machine for what it’s designed for, but definitely not for my needs.

Still, you’re right: once Snow Leopard comes out, it’ll all be downhill from there. The software I need to do my job will quickly go Intel-only, and I’ll have no choice but to upgrade. Now the question is: Mac Pro or MacBook Pro? Hmmmmm….
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mdaillie
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Apr 22, 2009, 02:42 PM
 
I have a G5 Dual 2 GHz PowerPc and last year I changed the original graphics card for an ATI Radeon X800 XT. It was in rather short supply in France where I live and I don't thing the Mac version was produced in very large numbers but it is certainly a vast improvement over the previous card. I am mainly involved in photos but have noticed an overall improvement in performance. The only drawback is the noise of the extra fan on the card, but I don't really notice it anymore.
     
bojangles  (op)
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Apr 22, 2009, 02:49 PM
 
Thanks for the real-world scenario, mdaillie. I really appreciate it! :-)
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