20" Apple Display Monitor in G4 w VGA card?

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I think we need some more info on your machine because some of the characteristics you list don't fit with others. Mac G4s with only 2X AGP slots and the Rage Pro 16MB video card have much slower processors than 1Ghz. The computer appears to be some sort of hybrid or has some upgrades already installed. It will be in your interest for everyone to understand exactly what you have before they start making recommendations. Here's how:

Launch System Profiler (in Applications > Utilities) and look at the first screen it presents. Copy and paste that info with the exception of the serial number into this thread. The "Model Identifier" line will be a lot of help in figuring out what you have. For an example, this is what that info looks like for my Mac notebook:

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B05
SMC Version: 1.16f10
Serial Number: xxxxxxxx

By the way, you can't download OS 10.5 "Leopard"; it's considered a major upgrade and is therefore "payware."

Hello again! Thanks for the info and the upgrade note. That all makes sense now. 😀

I looked at the specs of the Apple Displays to see if there is a callout for either system compatibility or video card requirements. The specs for the current 20" model do not address any desktop Mac older than a G5 so it's hard to tell if it will work on an older G4 at all. The MacTracker database, a third-party app that lists specs for all Apple products, says of the current 20" display:

Mac with any NVIDIA or ATI Radeon 7500 (or better) graphics card and Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later. Windows PC with DVI ports that support full single link digital bandwidth.

but that cannot be considered "official," although I've not found errors in it for Apple products I have used. Still, your video card does not qualify as "any NVIDIA or ATI Radeon 7500 (or better)" so you would need a newer card with a DVI video-out port.

I can find only one new retail card advertised as being 2X compatible, here:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/ATI%20Technologies/100435068OB/

The "gotcha" is that it needs a 300W power supply in the computer and the G4 AGP graphics is listed as having only a 200W unit. Upgrading the computer's power supply is not a feasible option. That leaves you at the mercy of the used/pulled card market where there are a lot of pitfalls.

You could consider a third-party flat-panel monitor; they are cheaper and many have both VGA and DVI connectivity that might work with your existing card, although your will have some limitations on desktop resolution and color depth. I don't know if your existing card will support widescreen resolutions, however.

You might want to repeat the question in the forum for older G4s here. You are in the forum for the latest generation G4s that have 4X AGP slots and came with DVI connectors on their video cards. Maybe someone in the the other forum has worked out a solution on a machine like yours.

Alan,

I just picked up a 20 inch cinema display and can confirm that it works with the Power Mac G4, well at least my MDD it works with. But, I also believe it will work with all the G4's, even those with sawtooths.

Nadav

Naddav,

Note that the original poster has an older G4 with a 2x AGP slot holding a Rage 128 Pro 16MB card with one VGA port (as I recall). The Cinema display requires an nVidea card or an ATI Radeon 7500 or higher. The only 2X/4X card currently available at retail needs 100W more power in the PS than the OP's machine.

What works in an MDD is not the issue here. I referred the OP to the older G4 forum to see if someone has specific experience with overcoming the system limitations.