QE and FSAA will work with both the Radeon 7000 and the Radeon 9000 Pro. The 7000 will be slower, but it's also alot cheaper than a 9000 Pro. I think you can get one for $100 now.
On the other hand, I you want to do gaming, you'll want a 9000 Pro. I think it's 2-4 times faster than the 7000 depending on which resolution you're using.
Both these cards offer dual diplay support. The 9000 Pro has nicest setup with two digital connectors (one ADC, one DVI). The 7000 has one DVI and one VGA, I believe. Of course, just because the 9000 Pro has all digital connectors doesn't mean you can't use a CRT with it. ATI provides a DVI-to-VGA connector for free.
Some other cards out there are the Radeon 8500 and the GF4 Ti. Both these cards are more expensive, and you should only look at them if you're a hardcore gamer with a really fast Mac.
Apple doesn't sell any stand alone Geforce cards other than the high end Geforce4 Ti, so I think you're suck with ATI.
You can pick up a Radeon 7000 Mac Edition from <a href="http://www.macwarehouse.co.uk"; target="_blank">MacWarehouse UK</a> for £105 (including VAT), or a Radeon 8500 Mac Edition for £223 (including VAT). I'd be tempted to wait until the Radeon 9000 Pro (Mac edition) becomes available in this country, the PC (non pro) version is already available for approximately £65.
Whatever you decide, make sure you get the right type of card in general, AGP if you have an AGP slot, PCI otherwise (which won't support quartz extreme without a hack) and the right version (Mac Edition unless you're confident flashing a PC version). Ideally the card should also contain the connector your monitor requires (ADC, DVI or VGA), as adaptors can be expensive.
There's also the plain Radeon Mac Edition to consider. I have one of those in my DP500 and it's really nice. It has an ADC and a VGA connector. I heard that the original Radeon AGP was faster than the Radeon 7000 AGP because at the time, it was top of the line, whereas the 7000 was lower end when it came out. So you may want to look into an older original Radeon instead of a 7000.
Comments
On the other hand, I you want to do gaming, you'll want a 9000 Pro. I think it's 2-4 times faster than the 7000 depending on which resolution you're using.
Both these cards offer dual diplay support. The 9000 Pro has nicest setup with two digital connectors (one ADC, one DVI). The 7000 has one DVI and one VGA, I believe. Of course, just because the 9000 Pro has all digital connectors doesn't mean you can't use a CRT with it. ATI provides a DVI-to-VGA connector for free.
Some other cards out there are the Radeon 8500 and the GF4 Ti. Both these cards are more expensive, and you should only look at them if you're a hardcore gamer with a really fast Mac.
Apple doesn't sell any stand alone Geforce cards other than the high end Geforce4 Ti, so I think you're suck with ATI.
Thanks you have been very helpfull.
I will start tracking down where to get the cards from here in the UK and compare price/speed etc
Whatever you decide, make sure you get the right type of card in general, AGP if you have an AGP slot, PCI otherwise (which won't support quartz extreme without a hack) and the right version (Mac Edition unless you're confident flashing a PC version). Ideally the card should also contain the connector your monitor requires (ADC, DVI or VGA), as adaptors can be expensive.
[ 10-03-2002: Message edited by: RodUK ]</p>