How To Check Graphics Card?

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Level 1

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How To Check Graphics Card?

I've been trying to figure out what type of graphics card i have on my PowerMac G3, 350MHz... And if i do i can figure out whether i can upgrade to Panther, which will be so much better than Jaguar... Can someone please tell me how to find out what graphics card i have, either physically or through the preferences... I think System Profiler is too old of a version to show the graphics type but i'm not sure... thanx again though 🙂

Power Mac G3, 350 MHZ, 384 RAM, 120GB HD, Mac OS X (10.2.x)

Posted on Apr 14, 2007 8:56 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 16, 2007 11:47 AM in response to NiRoShAn

The stock card has 16 MB of VRAM and a VGA port only. This looks OK to my eyeball.

At auction the prices depend completely on the demand. These cards rarely break, so the demand is for cards to "soup up" a Mac to play High-end games. Gamers would be looking for the PCI-slot versions of the Radeon 7000 or 9200 (or Radeon Mac Edition) in hopes of going a little faster than the "stock" card. They would leave this one for you.

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Answer 2

Jeff

Level 6

12,334 points

Apr 15, 2007 9:51 PM in response to Jeff

For what it's worth, here's Apple's TIL article, describing the Build-to-Order options for the beige G3 series. If you scroll down to the description of the "128-bit 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator Card," you'll see the specs for your card.

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Answer 3

Jeff

Level 6

12,334 points

Apr 14, 2007 9:50 PM in response to NiRoShAn

If your B&W G3-350 still has its original graphics card, it's a made-for-Apple ATI Rage 128 PCI card with 16 MBs of onboard SGRAM. The B&W G3s have a designated 66 MHz PCI slot for the graphics card, which is physically shorter in length than the other (3) PCI slots. Using the "System Profiler" utility, look in the left column under Hardware and click on the "PCI/AGP Cards" heading. The graphics card will be listed by manufacturer and card model. The ATI Rage 128 card is fully-supported by Panther.

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Answer 4

NiRoShAn Author

Level 1

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Apr 14, 2007 10:06 PM in response to NiRoShAn

Thanks for replying. "System Profiler" seems to be too old to have what you said it would have on the side. The Tabs are all set on the top saying System Profile, Devices and Volumes, Frameworks, Extensions, Applications, and Logs. On System Profile i only see Software Overview, Hardware Overview, Memory Overview and Network Overwiew. On Hardware Overwiew it has Machine Speed, Bus Speed, Number processors, L2 cache size, machine model, Boot ROM info, customer s/n and sales order number... I guess ill have to physically search through it... thanks for the help, i'd appreciate it if you could reply to this too.

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Answer 5

Jeff

Level 6

12,334 points

Apr 14, 2007 10:27 PM in response to NiRoShAn

Under Devices and Volumes, all connected hardware is listed. Look at the PCI slot listings and click on the small triangle next to the PCI slot that lists a display card in it. You should see the card manufacturer, model, ROM version, etc.

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Answer 6

NiRoShAn Author

Level 1

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Apr 15, 2007 9:55 AM in response to Jeff

Alright thanks once again, it says Card Type: Display, Card Name:IMS,tt3**, Card Model: ims3d,Vendor ID: 10e0, Device ID: 9135, ROM#: N/A, Revision: 1. Thanks a lot, please help me to figure out if this is compatoble with OS X Panther.

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Answer 7

Jeff

Level 6

12,334 points

Apr 15, 2007 9:30 PM in response to NiRoShAn

The ixMicro (formerly ims) TwinTurbo/Ultimate Rez graphics card was a build-to-order option for beige G3s, so someone swapped it for the original card in your B&W G3. From what I've read, the card is supported in Jaguar, but not in Panther. This tip was posted at the Mac OS X Hints Forum, as a workaround for incompatible hardware. You can always try it, or upgrade your graphics card with something newer, like a Radeon 7000.

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Answer 8

NiRoShAn Author

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Apr 15, 2007 9:48 PM in response to NiRoShAn

****! thanks a lot though, i think you are right my brother took my graphics card to upgrade to Panther on his b/w G3, but i was hoping this would be the same... Well i guess its not worth it, i'm hoping to get an iMac soon I just wanted to upgrade for the time being.... Will it mess up if i try to upgrade?

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Answer 9

NiRoShAn Author

Level 1

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Apr 16, 2007 6:43 AM in response to Jeff

Was that tip to make my graphics card act like its something better? If i did try installing Panther would there be any consequences? Like if i tried and told me i didn't have the right requirements could i back down from there so i wouldn't continue to mess up the OS?

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Answer 10

Jeff

Level 6

12,334 points

Apr 16, 2007 7:58 AM in response to NiRoShAn

The card wouldn't act any differently, the "fix" would make its (unsupported) ROM version recognized. If you read the comments posted, not everyone who tried it had success. To avoid continued compatibility problems, I think you'd be better off pulling the ixMicro card and installing a supported one. The least expensive option would be an original ATI Rage 128 - like this one , or for a little more money, buy a Mac-compatible Radeon 7000 PCI card.

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Answer 11

NiRoShAn Author

Level 1

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Apr 16, 2007 8:25 AM in response to Jeff

Alright thanks again... I'll think about it. I see how the price is quite cheap, i don't know if its worth buying though if i'm going to get an iMac hopefully by the end of this year. Thanks a lot though. I may try to install Panther onto my second HD, so if it doesn't work my other HD is still supplied with 10.2.8

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Answer 12

Jon Smith

Level 4

1,390 points

Apr 16, 2007 10:46 AM in response to NiRoShAn

Hello NRSA,

You should be able to score a Rage Pro 128 video card from eBay for less than $20 - maybe as little as $10. (It's not as if they're endangered - I just gave away a handful)

In my view, Panther is so much better than Jaguar it would be well worth the trouble.

My 2¢.

Jon

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Answer 13

NiRoShAn Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 16, 2007 11:11 AM in response to Jon Smith

Thanks John and Jeff... Now I feel more compelled to buy an ATI 128 card. I think I will, I found one on Ebay for $0.99 and shipping for cheap. I'm just wondering if this is the correct model and if this is reliable and not a scam. Thanks

http://cgi.ebay.com/ATI-128-GL-FOR-A-MAC-L-K_W0QQitemZ130100842394QQihZ003QQcate goryZ40158QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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Answer 14

NiRoShAn Author

Level 1

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Apr 16, 2007 7:53 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks Grant! I'm hoping that card will be compatible when upgrading to Panther, will it? Is there any difference between the ATI Rage Pro 128 and ATI Rage GL 128? All I want this card for is to upgrade, nothing else I just want the features of Panther. I think I only use a VGA Port, and I have another one available is there any downgrades with getting this card, if I only use a VGA port?

-Niroshan

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Answer 15

Apr 15, 2007 11:04 AM in response to NiRoShAn

That sound like the IMS Twin Turbo.

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