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GN
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Joined: 21 Jun 2005
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 Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:22 am Post subject: New Video Card? |
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Would it be possible to install a better video card in the Mini? Say, a 64MB or 128Mb card. It may be possible to get such a video card from a laptop. Any ideas here? 
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roblemmen
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 10:59 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, as long as it aint TOO big, it should fit. But then I hope he will support it. Maybe they customised it that it only supports the GPU it has got now.
But there has to be an update within a few months, because the 9200 SE wont be produced much longer I heard. |
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GadZooks
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Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 2:04 pm Post subject: Re: New Video Card? |
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| GN wrote: | | Would it be possible to install a better video card in the Mini? Say, a 64MB or 128Mb card. It may be possible to get such a video card from a laptop. Any ideas here? |
No. The Mini doesn't have a graphics card. Its 9200 is soldered on
to the bottom of the motherboard. It also has no AGP or PCI slots
so there's no place to add another card.
Cheers,
GZ |
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Susurrus
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Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 1303
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
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| Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Doesn't the Airport Extreme card plug into a Mini-PCI slot? If so, could that possibly be used to add a graphics card? |
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GadZooks
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Joined: 15 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Susurrus wrote: | | Doesn't the Airport Extreme card plug into a Mini-PCI slot? If so, could that possibly be used to add a graphics card? |
That's an interesting idea. I haven't used Airport so I hadn't really thought about it. The Airport/Bluetooth module is made for the Mini only and I wouldn't be surprised if the slot didn't function as a general purpose PCI slot. But, if it's just ordinary PCI then it's possible someone could make a video card in the right form for it.
On the downside it would be PCI video, too difficult for most folks to install themselves (requires fairly major surgery), and it might be expensive since it would probably have to be manufactured specifically for the Mini.
Never say never.
Cheers,
GZ |
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castaway
Senior Member
Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 461
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 3:40 am Post subject: |
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| I doubt a mini PCI video card in the AE slot is even possible, but its an interesting idea none-the-less. |
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Susurrus
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Location: Providence, Rhode Island
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| Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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If someone wants to send me a video card, I'd be more than happy to test out this theory...
I was reading about the Airport Express and the Mac Mini uses the standard one that goes into all Apple's products. |
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TheModWiki.org
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Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Posts: 145
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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even if the said video card solution could connect the the mini PCI... PCI won't provide enough bandwidth for the type of video card performance we all want.... notice how current video cards are AGP and now PCI-Express... it's because they offer more bandwidth than the older Periphery Component Interconnect slot... the highest end solution on PCI can't be much more powerful than the current 9200?
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Susurrus
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Joined: 05 May 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| TheModWiki.org wrote: | | even if the said video card solution could connect the the mini PCI... PCI won't provide enough bandwidth for the type of video card performance we all want.... notice how current video cards are AGP and now PCI-Express... it's because they offer more bandwidth than the older Periphery Component Interconnect slot... the highest end solution on PCI can't be much more powerful than the current 9200? |
Notice how they still make 4x AGP video cards? 8x AGP bandwidth isn't fully realized, neight is PCIe. This is just like SATA and SATA-II; the bandwidth is there for potential future expandibility, not because it's needed now.
Frankly, the kind of performance we want, Radeon 9600/9650, would be easily attainable in miniPCI. They make Mobility x700 and I think x800. Sure they don't run as fast as the desktop versions, but they sure aren't totally limited by the PCI bandwidth.
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TheModWiki.org
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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the mobilities are pci-based?
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Computational Media Major Student @ Georgia Tech
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Susurrus
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Location: Providence, Rhode Island
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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A good chunk of those mobile graphics are a miniPCI card. I think the miniPCI format is a good deal better than the desktop version; for one, it doesn't need to share bandwidth with many other devices, if there are any, because it's a laptop.
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Dual G5 Fireman
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Joined: 13 Jul 2005
Posts: 106
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:30 pm Post subject: 8X AGP |
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I just put an ATI 9800 Pro Mac edition 256 mb video card into my Dual G5. Their documentation states that the card does utilize 8x technology - in fact, you can't put the card into a dual G4 for this reason. I was just playing Halo. Oh, sooooo sweeeet. I love it.
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Susurrus
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Joined: 05 May 2005
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Location: Providence, Rhode Island
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| Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 5:40 pm Post subject: Re: 8X AGP |
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| Dual G5 Fireman wrote: | | I just put an ATI 9800 Pro Mac edition 256 mb video card into my Dual G5. Their documentation states that the card does utilize 8x technology - in fact, you can't put the card into a dual G4 for this reason. I was just playing Halo. Oh, sooooo sweeeet. I love it. |
But it wasn't a Mini....
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iMav
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Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 2172
Location: Columbus, WI
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| Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 7:59 pm Post subject: Re: 8X AGP |
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| Susurrus wrote: | | Dual G5 Fireman wrote: | | I just put an ATI 9800 Pro Mac edition 256 mb video card into my Dual G5. Their documentation states that the card does utilize 8x technology - in fact, you can't put the card into a dual G4 for this reason. I was just playing Halo. Oh, sooooo sweeeet. I love it. |
But it wasn't a Mini.... |
Ya think? 
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Dual G5 Fireman
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Posts: 106
Location: Northern California
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| Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:27 pm Post subject: not a mini |
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ok, ok, its not a mini..But sometimes you just gotta show off yer wheels, know what I mean?
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