Is it possible to use any ATI Radeon card (cheaper PC AGP version) by downloading drivers, or do you have to buy Mac specific Radeon (9800, 9600) cards? I'd like to update my 16m card in my G4 tower and move to a faster dual display set up.
Edit: apparently, Radeon 9800 Pros normally require a larger EEPROM (regular PC cards have 64KB ROMs, but the Mac ROMs are 128KB) and removal of resistors to allow the card to see the full 128KB of the replacement ROM. It's not quite as simple as it was for Voodoo 3/GeForce 2 MXs/GeForce 3s (flash only).
As other posters have said, you need a Mac-specific graphics card. It's possible to flash a PC card to work in a Mac, but the only one I'd recommend to anyone would be the Radeon 8500. The hardest part is finding the right version of the Radeon 8500. It has to be built by ATI, 64 MB (not 128 MB), and a full 8500, not an 8500 LE (most of them are LEs). I got one for $50 on a PC buy/sell forum. Then I installed it into my Mac, ran the flash utility (I had to put it in my startup items because you can't see anything when the card is installed prior to flashing), and I was good to go.
Another option is to just buy a flashed video card. Mac 8500s are very expensive, even the flashed ones, but flashed GeForce 3s are really cheap for their performance. Just watch out because GeForce 3s don't work properly in Macs with AGP 2x slots. If your PowerMac is older, you would not be very well off with the GeForce 3 because it'll make your screen flicker. Besides, the GeForce 3 doesn't support dual monitors, so you'll want to go with the Radeon 8500 anyway to get the dual monitor setup.
You can always go for a GeForce 4 Titanium or a Radeon 9800. Both those cards are expensive, but very powerful and support dual monitors. They cost about $200 and $260, respectively. By the way, if you're interested, I have both a Radeon 8500 and a GeForce 3 (both flashed) that I'm selling.
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I forget the details on flashing; surely one of the resident 1337 hardware experts will step forward.
Edit: apparently, Radeon 9800 Pros normally require a larger EEPROM (regular PC cards have 64KB ROMs, but the Mac ROMs are 128KB) and removal of resistors to allow the card to see the full 128KB of the replacement ROM. It's not quite as simple as it was for Voodoo 3/GeForce 2 MXs/GeForce 3s (flash only).
Another option is to just buy a flashed video card. Mac 8500s are very expensive, even the flashed ones, but flashed GeForce 3s are really cheap for their performance. Just watch out because GeForce 3s don't work properly in Macs with AGP 2x slots. If your PowerMac is older, you would not be very well off with the GeForce 3 because it'll make your screen flicker. Besides, the GeForce 3 doesn't support dual monitors, so you'll want to go with the Radeon 8500 anyway to get the dual monitor setup.
You can always go for a GeForce 4 Titanium or a Radeon 9800. Both those cards are expensive, but very powerful and support dual monitors. They cost about $200 and $260, respectively. By the way, if you're interested, I have both a Radeon 8500 and a GeForce 3 (both flashed) that I'm selling.