Ron MacQueen
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Can I use a flat screen monitor with my Power Mac G$?

Can I connect my Power Mac G4 (model M5183) to a modern flat screen monitor? I already tried it with a small flat screen TV which works fine with my MacBook Pro but couldn't make it work with the G4. I only need the G4 for a SCSI slide scanner that I use occasionally, and would love to get rid of the mostrosity of a monitor that came with the G4. I've updated the processor in the G4 to 1 GHz and run it with OS 10.5.8.

G4, Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Apr 15, 2012 10:15 AM

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Ron MacQueen

Q: Can I use a flat screen monitor with my Power Mac G$?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 15, 2012 12:12 PM in response to Ron MacQueen
    Level 10 (123,720 points)
    Apr 15, 2012 12:12 PM in response to Ron MacQueen

    Hi Ron, what ports are on the G4's Video card? VGA, DVI, or AGP?

     

    Which Video card?

     

    At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac.

     

    Then click on More Info>Hardware>Graphics/Displays and report like this...

     

    NVIDIA GeForce 7800GT:

     

      Chipset Model:          GeForce 7800GT

      Type:          Display

      Bus:          PCI

      Slot:          SLOT-1

      VRAM (Total):          256 MB

      Vendor:          nVIDIA (0x10de)

      Device ID:          0x0092

      Revision ID:          0x00a1

      ROM Revision:          2152.2

      Displays:

    VGA Display:

      Resolution:          1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz

      Depth:          32-bit Color

      Core Image:          Supported

      Main Display:          Yes

      Mirror:          Off

      Online:          Yes

      Quartz Extreme:          Supported

    Display:

      Status:          No display connected

     

    What Monitor & Ports does it have? What is the native rez of the monitor?

     

    Power Mac G4: Display Compatibility...

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1825

     

    Then, it may be possible to enable Screen Sharing on the G4 & control it all through the MBP.

  • by Ron MacQueen,

    Ron MacQueen Ron MacQueen Apr 16, 2012 12:06 PM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 16, 2012 12:06 PM in response to BDAqua

    The book that came with it says it has a VGA port. When I connected it to a new flat screen TV with a VGA input nothing showed up on the screen. I worked fine with the output from my MacBook Pro.

     

    Video card info:

     

    ATY,Rage128Pro:

     

      Chipset Model:          ATY,Rage128Pro
      Type:          Display
      Bus:          AGP
      Slot:          SLOT-1
      VRAM (Total):          16 MB
      Vendor:          ATI (0x1002)
      Device ID:          0x5046
      Revision ID:          0x0000
      ROM Revision:          113-72701-130
      Kernel Extension Info:          No Kext Loaded
      Displays:
    Apple Studio Display:
      Resolution:          1024 x 768 @ 99 Hz
      Depth:          32-Bit Color
      Core Image:          Software
      Main Display:          Yes
      Mirror:          Off
      Online:          Yes
      Quartz Extreme:          Not Supported

     

    It is connected to the Apple Studio Display that came with it.

     

    The book does mention an Apple to VGA adaptor needed if connected a monitor to the VGA port or a DVI to ADC adaptor if connecting it to DVI. Could the solution be as simple as that?

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 16, 2012 1:22 PM in response to Ron MacQueen
    Level 10 (123,720 points)
    Apr 16, 2012 1:22 PM in response to Ron MacQueen

    If it's hooked VGA to VGA that should work, try booting from an OSX Install Disc & see if the Monitor shows up, might be that it's set in the Past tto the DVI port.

     

    Also try holding the Shift key at bootup to set a default rez.

     

    What is the native res of the monitor?

     

    Apple advertised that the Rage 128 can support "up to 1600 by 1200 pixel resolution at 32 bits per pixel (millions of colors) and up to 85-Hz refresh rate." The Rage 128 Pro can support up tp 1920 by 1200.

    But may have trouble with Widescreen displays.

  • by Ron MacQueen,

    Ron MacQueen Ron MacQueen Apr 16, 2012 1:44 PM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 16, 2012 1:44 PM in response to BDAqua

    Thanks. That gives me something to work with. I haven't purchased a flat screen monitor yet, but I'll use this info to help choose one and see if I can make it work. I might be back with more questions if I encounter more mysteries.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 16, 2012 2:14 PM in response to Ron MacQueen
    Level 10 (123,720 points)
    Apr 16, 2012 2:14 PM in response to Ron MacQueen

    Great, looking forward to hearing good news... or questions.

  • by japamac,

    japamac japamac Apr 17, 2012 3:01 AM in response to Ron MacQueen
    Level 7 (24,390 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 3:01 AM in response to Ron MacQueen

    Apple advertised that the Rage 128 can support "up to 1600 by 1200 pixel resolution at 32 bits per pixel (millions of colors) and up to 85-Hz refresh rate." The Rage 128 Pro can support up tp 1920 by 1200.

    <smirk, scoff> Yeah, right..... <end smirk, scoff>

     

    Stay away from 1920x1200 screens with that graphics card.

    I have yet to see the Rage properly support a monitor at that resolution.

     

    Stick with 17" or smaller, 16:10 or 4:3 perspective monitors.

    The larger you go, the greater the chance of issues/non-support.

    16:9 perspective resolutions are not part of the Rage ROM.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 17, 2012 10:59 AM in response to japamac
    Level 10 (123,720 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 10:59 AM in response to japamac

    Thanks, I thought that claim was a bit strange myself.

  • by Ron MacQueen,

    Ron MacQueen Ron MacQueen Apr 18, 2012 5:09 PM in response to BDAqua
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 18, 2012 5:09 PM in response to BDAqua

    Problem solved. I bought the flat screen display and got it up and running with my MacBook Pro. Then I used screen sharing to contol the Power Mac from the laptop. It works! I don't expect I'll be able to boot the Power Mac into System 9 without a display, but it's been a while since I've had a need to do that. However, the SCSI scanner works fine, which is all I was concerned about.

     

    Thanks for the help.

  • by BDAqua,

    BDAqua BDAqua Apr 18, 2012 5:44 PM in response to Ron MacQueen
    Level 10 (123,720 points)
    Apr 18, 2012 5:44 PM in response to Ron MacQueen

    Great to hear Ron, thanks for the report!