Mac OS X 10.4: Requirements for Quartz Extreme and Core Image graphics
If you're wondering what the video requirements are for Quartz Extreme and Core Image in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, find out in this informative document.
Note: Quartz Extreme and Core Image are impressive video enhancements in Tiger that appear on fast Macs. But even if you have an older computer that can't use Quartz Extreme or Core Image, it can still run Tiger if it meets the system requirements. If you have a third-party video card installed, contact the card manufacturer to determine if it is Tiger-compatible.
Quartz Extreme
Some appealing graphics effects, such as the "rotating cube" effect you see when using Fast User Switching to switch users, are powered by Quartz Extreme. Quartz Extreme uses OpenGL and a supported graphics card to reduce the number of onscreen calculations being performed by the CPU. To take advantage of Quartz Extreme, you need one of the following graphics cards:
ATI: Any AGP-based ATI RADEON GPU, with 16 MB VRAM or better.
NVIDIA: NVIDIA GeForce2 MX or later, with 16 MB VRAM or better.
Core Image
Other graphics effects and optimizations in Tiger, such as the ripple effect that shows when you place a widget on Dashboard, are driven by Core Image. When a programmable GPU is present, Core Image uses the graphics card for image processing operations, freeing the CPU for other tasks. To take advantage of Core Image, you need one of the following graphics cards:
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
ATI Radeon 9550, 9650, 9600, 9600 XT, 9800 XT, X800 XT
nVidia GeForce FX Go 5200
nVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL, 6800 GT DDL
If you have a different card, contact the manufacturer for Core Image compatibility information.
Verifying compatibility with System Profiler
With Mac OS X 10.4, you can use System Profiler to make sure your computer's GPU supports Quartz Extreme or Core Image.
Open System Profiler (it's in /Applications/Utilities, or, if started from the Tiger install disc, open it from the Utilities menu).
Click "Graphics/Displays" under Contents.
In the right pane under "Display," look for the Quartz Extreme and Core Image lines; next to each, you will see either "Supported" or "Not Supported."
Important: Information about products not manufactured by Apple is provided for information purposes only, and does not constitute Apple's recommendation or endorsement. Please contact the vendor for additional information.
