Video card upgrade for 30" monitor

Question

Video card upgrade for 30" monitor

I've been told that the ATI Radeon 9600 XT (128MB) in my dual G5 PowerMac will not be able to run a 30" Apple display.

I'd like to confirm if that is the case with Dell's 30" monitor as well, and get some recomendations on which video cards I should consider buying. I won't be running video or games on this computer.

The Apple 30" Cinema Display and Dell's 30" monitor have the same resolution (2560 x 1600), as well as the requirement for a dual-link DVI card.

The Dell website states: " The Dell™3007WFP requires a DVI-D dual-link graphic card that supports WQXGA (2560x1600)."

Any pointers and help are appreciated!

PowerMac Dual G5 2.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6) Machine model: 7,3

Posted on Sep 16, 2006 9:16 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 16, 2006 10:44 PM in response to Omar Filipovic

The ATI Radeon 9600 XT (128MB) supports a maximum of 1920 x 2300. There were optional NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL or NVIDIA GeForce 6800 GT DDL cards for your machine that have two dual-link DVI ports that will support 30" (2560 x 1600). You may be able to fine one of these used. They are double width cards, and use the AGP port and the adjacent PCI slot.

For a new card you can use:
<http://www.ati.com/products/Radeon9600/Radeon9600propcmac/index.html> with two DVI ports. One is dual-link for 2560 x 1600, the other is single-link for up to 1920 x 1200.
For for higher performance
<http://www.ati.com/products/radeonx800/radeonX800xtme/index.html> with one ADC port (up to 1920 x 1200), and one dual-lilink DVI (up to 2560 x 1600).

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Answer 2

Sep 16, 2006 11:15 PM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Thank you very much, Malcolm.

Since I am running mostly applications from the Adobe CS (Photoshop, InDesign, etc.), and not video-intensive applications, is there any reason to consider the more expensive X800 Radeon card over the 9600 PRO? Would I notice the higher performance of the X800?

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Answer 3

Sep 16, 2006 11:33 PM in response to Omar Filipovic

Some Photo editing software (such as Aperture) make heavy use of the graphics card. Future OSX and applications will have the graphics card do more of the work, so better graphics performance may become more important.

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Answer 4

Sep 17, 2006 4:58 AM in response to Omar Filipovic

Omar,
Here is some info for you regarding the ATI Radeon 9600. The Pro series will support the 30 inch display. I am having the same problem and all the posts that I read are somewhat confusing, some say that this will support it and others say it won't. Here is the link.

http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9600/radeon9600propcmac/specs.html

G5 2.0 DP Mac OS X (10.4.7)

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Answer 5

Sep 17, 2006 5:51 AM in response to Mudshuvel

Omar,
Here is some info for you regarding the ATI Radeon
9600. The Pro series will support the 30 inch
display. I am having the same problem and all the
posts that I read are somewhat confusing, some say
that this will support it and others say it won't.
Here is the link.

< http://www.ati.com/products/radeon9600/radeon9600propcmac/specs.html >

At the bottom of that page it lists the Apple 30" display.

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Answer 6

Oct 15, 2006 9:37 PM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Here is an update for anyone contemplating using the ATi Radeon 9600 Radeon PC/Mac edition with the 30" Dell display. This is my experience.

I first tried the 9600 Radeon card. It was cheaper and appeared as if it would do the job. Connected to a new Dell 30" monitor (3007WFP) there were thousands of glowing pixels and other artifacts on the screen. Initially thinking I just got a bad monitor, I asked, and Dell promptly sent a replacement monitor. This didn't help. I then asked ATI for advice and they recommended sending the card back for service.

Since I bought my video card from MacMall, I just asked to exhcange it. Like Dell, MacMall handled the exchange swiftly and sent a new 9600 card overnight. The 9600 has one single-link DVI port and one dual-link DVI port. On the new card, the dual-link port didn't work at all. The single-link port worked, but could only handle a lower resolution.

Thinking that ATi had produced the 9600 cards with poor quality connectors, I decided not to mess with this model any more and called MacMall once again to see if they would ship me a Radeon X800 XT Mac Edition card. They again shipped it overnight and sent a UPS return shipping label for the two defective 9600's. Of course, I paid for the price difference for the X800 since it was more expensive.

It's been about a week since I installed the X800 XT, and so far there have been no issues with its performance.

My advice is go with the X800 XT video card, and don't bother with the 9600. If you search the web for 30" and Radeon 9600, you will see my experience with the card is not unique.

Malcolm, thanks for your advice at the begining of this thread.

Kudos to Dell and MacMall - they both handled my claims promptly and curteously. I am no affiliated with either nor do I own their stock.

Cheers,
Omar

PowerMac Dual G5 2.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6) Machine model: 7,3

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Answer 7

Dec 4, 2006 9:58 AM in response to Omar Filipovic

Here is another update:

The X800 XT died after two weeks. Had to send it to ATI and they replaced it within 10 days. This would have been a major issue if I still didn't have the OEM video card and a spare 20" monitor.

The replacement card's cooling fan rattles from time to time.

ATI ought to have a replacement policy where they can send a replacement card first, and not force the customer to be without one for 10 days.

PowerMac Dual G5 2.5GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6) Machine model: 7,3

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Answer 8

Dec 4, 2006 12:22 PM in response to Omar Filipovic

The X800 XT died after two weeks. Had to send it to
ATI and they replaced it within 10 days. This would
have been a major issue if I still didn't have the
OEM video card and a spare 20" monitor.

They used to have a trade-in deal where they gave you $50.00 for you old card after you bought a card directly from ATI. That would really be bad if the new card needed repair.

The replacement card's cooling fan rattles from time
to time.

ATI ought to have a replacement policy where they can
send a replacement card first, and not force the
customer to be without one for 10 days.

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Answer 9

Dec 4, 2006 10:11 PM in response to Omar Filipovic

Go to http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx1900/RadeonX1900G5/index.html

This is the new Ati Radeon X1900 GT PCI Express (G5 Edition). IHope this helps you with your problem.

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Answer 10

Dec 5, 2006 9:33 AM in response to Brock Suire

Go to
http://ati.amd.com/products/radeonx1900/RadeonX1900G5/
index.html

This is the new Ati Radeon X1900 GT PCI Express (G5
Edition). IHope this helps you with your problem.

He doesn't have a PCI-Express G5 - this card won't work (it won't even fit). The X800 is the best bet for the OP.

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