PowerMac G4 as video controller - upgrade how?
The problem with both these media types is that the PowerMac just can't keep up. At times, it's as slow as a frame every 3 seconds. I'd like to give them a Christmas gift of making the machine work for them, but I'm not sure simple upgrades will do the trick.
I'd start with maxing out the RAM and getting a better video card. As to which kind would be most cost effective, I'm not sure. Below I list the current specs of the machine. As I've seen others ask upgrade questions and get answers, what does this PowerMac need to play non-high-def. videos? High-def video? All suggestions would be appreciated.
Specs:
Hardware:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: Power Mac G4
Model Identifier: PowerMac3,5
Processor Name: PowerPC G4 (2.1)
Processor Speed: 867 MHz
Number Of CPUs: 1
L2 Cache (per CPU): 256 KB
L3 Cache (per CPU): 2 MB
Memory: 896 MB
Bus Speed: 133 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.2.5f1
ATA:
ATA Bus:
IBM-IC35L040AVER07-0:
Capacity: 38.35 GB
Model: IBM-IC35L040AVER07-0
Revision: ER4OA44A
Serial Number: SXPTXJL9663
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Protocol: ATA
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
Low Power Polling: No
Mac OS 9 Drivers: No
Partition Map Type: APM (Apple Partition Map)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Macintosh HD:
Capacity: 38.22 GB
Available: 11.62 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s3
Mount Point: /
ATA Bus:
TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-R1102:
Model: TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-R1102
Revision: 1A18
Serial Number: 8171319486
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
Low Power Polling: No
Audio (Built In):
Built In Sound Card:
CODEC: Texas Instruments TAS3001C
Sample Rate: 44.1 KHz
Number of Inputs: 0
Number of Outputs: 3
Devices:
Output:
Type: Internal Speaker
Output:
Type: External Speaker
Output:
Type: Headphones
Disc Burning:
TOSHIBA DVD-ROM SD-R1102:
Firmware Revision: 1A18
Interconnect: ATAPI
Burn Support: Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache: 2048 KB
Reads DVD: Yes
CD-Write: -R, -RW
Write Strategies: CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw
Media: Insert media and refresh to show available burn speeds
FireWire:
FireWire Bus:
Maximum Speed: Up to 400 Mb/sec
Graphics/Displays:
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX:
Chipset Model: GeForce2 MX
Type: Display
Bus: AGP
Slot: SLOT-1
VRAM (Total): 32 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0110
Revision ID: 0x00b2
ROM Revision: 1055
Displays:
Apple Studio Display:
Display Type: LCD
Resolution: 1280 x 1024
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Software
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Memory:
DIMM0/J21:
Size: 512 MB
Type: SDRAM
Speed: PC133-333
Status: OK
Manufacturer: Unknown
Part Number: Unknown
Serial Number: Unknown
DIMM1/J22:
Size: 128 MB
Type: SDRAM
Speed: PC133-333
Status: OK
Manufacturer: Unknown
Part Number: Unknown
Serial Number: Unknown
DIMM2/J23:
Size: 256 MB
Type: SDRAM
Speed: PC133-333
Status: OK
Manufacturer: Unknown
Part Number: Unknown
Serial Number: Unknown
Power:
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes): 0
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes): 20
Sleep On Power Button: Yes
Automatic Restart On Power Loss: No
Wake On AC Change: No
Wake On Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake On LAN: Yes
Wake On Modem Ring: Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed: No
Thanks in advance for the help.
1.67Ghz - 17 PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.5), 2GB SD-RAMM