Fastest Best Graphics Card for G5 Quad

Only three certified cards exist from Apple.

6600 - door stop
7800 - first reasonable card
Qudaro fx - high-end card, £1k+

The problem you will face though is apple sells none of these as an aftermarket upgrade. ie you need to buy your card at time of system order. This is Apple's new Dirty Little Secret !

Since you have cash to flash try getting in touch with a local Apple reseller and bribe them into getting a service spare card. However this will come with a huge premium assuming they can get one.

As for suitability for maya or c4d, sorry - just painting some colours onto the video upgrade canvas!

Checkout the Apple store speil on the graphics cards for the quad as this may have more application background data.

To use a video card in a Mac, the card must be Mac-specific (i.e., it has a Mac ROM on board) so you can't use just any off-the-shelf card.

Apple isn't selling replacement video cards for the dual-core machines (including the Quad) at this time, and ATi hasn't released a PCI Express video card for Macs either.

If money is really no object, you can order a "replacement" nVidia 7800GT from WeLoveMacs.com here. Because it's a replacement part, and not really meant to be sold at retail, the price is more than double what you would've paid had you ordered one as a BTO option on the Quad.

Some people have also had success with having the strangedogs.com people flash the ROM of a standard PC 7800GT.

The Quadro might be a little bit faster than the 7800GT, but I don't know of any place you can find one...

When i ordered my quad the only video card available was the 6600. Turns out this is useless in Aperture and was subsequently removed from its "reccommended" video card list. So i though as you did, go to an apple store/webstore and Add-to-cart....Syntax Error!

This is a shocking state of affairs for Apple to leave its Customers high and dry like this. What hurts more is these machines are their 'top-of-the-line' ! If i ordered a new quad today i could choose the 7800 or quadro fx card, they are available to new system orders only - is this screwed-up or what ?

Apple is the only one who sells nVidia cards for the Mac, which is why many people are in your situation.

ATi sells Mac compatible cards at retail, but they've not yet released PCI-Express Mac cards.

If you ordered your Quad in its absolute stock configuration, you can return within 14 calendar days. If it was a BTO, you're out of luck.

Since you said you were ready to plunk down the change to get the Quadro FX if Apple sold it separately (which would have cost you in the neighborhood of $2,000), why don't you get the 7800GT from WeLoveMacs.com at the link I posted above? It'll save you lots of cash, and it's the official Apple version. Plus, the 7800GT doesn't block the adjacent PCI-Express slot like the Quadro does.

somebody pointed me to a website strangedogs who reflash pc cards, but their cost is rather excessive. Joe Schorr the Aperture Product Manager has posted a comment that he is looking into this. So far he's been going for nine weeks now and nothing to report. I've said i will wait until 10th June. If there is no news after that then its time to get creative and viral and embarass Apple for this intolerable mess. I have been through many anger cycles over this.

I am so sorry for you. Its really rather rotten and there is nothing me or Apple can do to make you feel better. Is that not shocking ?

Oh just remembered if you bought within the last 2 weeks then take your quad back and re-order with a quadro. A pain to do, but your should be out zero cost to exchange. Try this.

One other thought on the quadro, some people were successful in using a hacked HP version of the card. Search these forums for quadro for more.

If you're still under the 14 days and it was not a BTO I would return it and order the Quad with the Quadro FX, but before that I would get an extra SATA drive and put it in the open slot on your current Quad and carbon copy the hard drive for your new Quad.

In an attempt to get more from Apple i posted a strongly worded thread in Aperture, only for it to be killed - sick. Then i rewrote in a rather spiffing way to cause no offence, still waiting for Aperture Product Manager to comment. I've waited 234 days to get this sorted by Apple - they don't seem to give a dam. Now trying to buy a 7800 as a 'service spare', last time i asked i was told its only available as a replacement...

If you find this person , lets form an 'interrogation' queue!

This is a Video card trap, few people know about, especially after spending £k on your system. Words don't express my comtemp for this.

why o why,

I finally got a price for a 7800 Service spare, a terrible £582 (possibly plus 17.5% VAT) can u believe it ?

I tried email, but i don't know your address, try me on

jeyell at mac.com.