Does my sister need a video card upgrade?

[Steve]

And do PC video cards work in Macs? I'm guessing not...


My sister has a dual 1.4 PowerMac G4 that currently has a Radeon 9000 in it. She gets this error when she tries to launch Final Cut Pro on it, not sure exactly which version. Then it simply closes on her. This thread is very similar to what's happening with her, except that guy can at least start using FC Pro.


So is there a workaround or fix, or is it time to upgrade? She's interested in the 9800 Pro, but the Mac version is no less than $200 anywhere. I did see this which is in our city, but that's an AGP Pro card and won't work in her G4 system.


Otherwise, can someone recommend an easily available, reasonably priced video card for her system? According to that other thread, the working cards are:


ATI Radeon 9800, 9700 Pro, 9600 XT, or 9600 Pro
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT, 7300 GT, 6600, 6600 LE, or FX 5200 Ultra


And why does that guy in the other thread say the 9800 Pro is the best? Looks to me like a 7600 GT would run circles around it:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_...php?card1=31&card2=435

 

[hiromizu]

What did Apple say?

 

[Steve]

They said to ask the experts here at AT

 

[Parasitic]

Probably because 7600GT is hard to find in AGP variant?

 

[hiromizu]

Originally posted by: Steve
They said to ask the experts here at AT

Somehow I highly doubt that : ) Calling them would be the fastest way to get official info since Final Cut has specific requirements you must meet in order to run smoothly (ie: a known working "cocktail" of FCP version, QT version, video card driver version etc.)

Just to throw this into perspective - video production Mac systems weren't exactly designed to run using cheap $200 3d video cards. Final Cut Pro works a lot better with a supported professional video card like a Matrox RT series.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Probably because 7600GT is hard to find in AGP variant?

And in Mac variant.


Damn Macs

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: Steve
And do PC video cards work in Macs? I'm guessing not...


My sister has a dual 1.4 PowerMac G4 that currently has a Radeon 9000 in it. She gets this error when she tries to launch Final Cut Pro on it, not sure exactly which version. Then it simply closes on her. This thread is very similar to what's happening with her, except that guy can at least start using FC Pro.


So is there a workaround or fix, or is it time to upgrade? She's interested in the 9800 Pro, but the Mac version is no less than $200 anywhere. I did see this which is in our city, but that's an AGP Pro card and won't work in her G4 system.


Otherwise, can someone recommend an easily available, reasonably priced video card for her system? According to that other thread, the working cards are:


ATI Radeon 9800, 9700 Pro, 9600 XT, or 9600 Pro
NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT, 7300 GT, 6600, 6600 LE, or FX 5200 Ultra


And why does that guy in the other thread say the 9800 Pro is the best? Looks to me like a 7600 GT would run circles around it:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_...php?card1=31&card2=435

Honestly, at this point in time, the G4 architecture is so old and out of date that she'd be much better off with any Intel-based Mac C2D system - even the Mac mini for $599. A used iMac with Radeon x1600 GPU and C1D 2.0 setup would run circles around what she has now, and you might find it for $900 or so on Craigslist (20").

 

[Steve]

I'm hoping I can tell her that, but I highly doubt the money is there right now. However, if she can upgrade her current system at a relatively bargain price, and then use it for this assignment she's working on, once it's done she may have the money to upgrade.

 

[Steve]

dclive, don't forget that her software demands certain specific GPUs, not just Intel integrated or X1600. Without it, she can't even launch the application.

 

[fyleow]

..

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: Steve
dclive, don't forget that her software demands certain specific GPUs, not just Intel integrated or X1600. Without it, she can't even launch the application.

Check out the supported list for FCP. She'd have no issues with Intel Macs.

 

[Steve]

She's already put a bid on a Radeon 9600 Mac & PC Edition on the bay, but I may be able to get a 9600 that can be hard-modded:

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=31&threadid=2139282

 

[bearxor]

I would go looking for a use MacMini. Even the integrated cards in them will do FCP and it would be faster that what she's using now. Could probably find one in the $300-350 range if you looked hard enough.

 

[Steve]

The money isn't there yet. She can potentially get a 9600 Pro for $50ish, and once this job of hers is finished maybe she can upgrade her system.

I hope I don't have to repeat myself again, it's really frustrating!

 

[hiromizu]

Originally posted by: Steve
The money isn't there yet. She can potentially get a 9600 Pro for $50ish, and once this job of hers is finished maybe she can upgrade her system.

I hope I don't have to repeat myself again, it's really frustrating!

..that's why you should've paid more for a supported card...

 

[bearxor]

Originally posted by: Steve
The money isn't there yet. She can potentially get a 9600 Pro for $50ish, and once this job of hers is finished maybe she can upgrade her system.

I hope I don't have to repeat myself again, it's really frustrating!

Sorry, I thought you were looking at the 9800 Pro thats still running for like 170-200. 300-350 isn't that big of a gap from that.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: hiromizu

Originally posted by: Steve
The money isn't there yet. She can potentially get a 9600 Pro for $50ish, and once this job of hers is finished maybe she can upgrade her system.

I hope I don't have to repeat myself again, it's really frustrating!

..that's why you should've paid more for a supported card...

Dude, just shut up. She bought this system years ago.

 

[Steve]

Originally posted by: bearxor

Originally posted by: Steve
The money isn't there yet. She can potentially get a 9600 Pro for $50ish, and once this job of hers is finished maybe she can upgrade her system.

I hope I don't have to repeat myself again, it's really frustrating!

Sorry, I thought you were looking at the 9800 Pro thats still running for like 170-200. 300-350 isn't that big of a gap from that.

Nah, we're just looking for something that'll get the job done, hopefully while spending as little as possible. Once this job is done, she'll have made some money out of it, I'll tell her it's time to upgrade.

 

[Kaido]

Definitely check out The Mac Elite - they're a group of Mac video card flasher-hackers:

http://themacelite.wikidot.com/

They also have a forum with a BST section, so you can buy or request mods there. I've gotten some excellent work for my aging Macs from there