Thursday, April 21, 2011

Early 2000's Mac G5

I'm kinda new to computers, but i have an early 2000's G5, the video card went out, how do I replace it? i have a couple brand new ones that say PCI express will that work?

Reply 1 : Early 2000's Mac G5

and did have a PCI-X slot in there.

Now whether the video cards you have will work depends entirely on what platform they were designed for.
Unfortunately, although the nuts and bolts of a graphics card are identical on both Windows and Mac, the subtle difference is the drivers and the firmware.
Only cards specifically made for the Mac will work.

I guess it would be worth trying if you don't mind opening the box.

P

Reply 2 : Early 2000's Mac G5

What kind of Mac G5? iMac G5 or PowerMac G5? Makes a BIG difference. Then need to know as much as possible about the particular refresh of that system. Within the iMac G5 line there were something like 3 refreshes, and maybe around 4 for the PowerMac G5. That plays a subtle, but very important, part as well.

But long story short, no, you can't just add any random video card to a Mac. Sadly it doesn't work that way. Your best bet, assuming it's a PowerMac, because if it's an iMac you're pretty much SOL, is to hit ebay or craigslist, look for a system with IDENTICAL specs to yours that someone's selling for parts, and get the video card off them.

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