On 12 Jan 2005, at 10:44 PM, Robert Patterson wrote:
(While I think the new headless Mac is kinda cool and affordable, I would have trouble recommending it to a Finale user. Finale users might be much better off looking for a used G4 tower at around the same price: comparable cpu speed and vv-capable.
Yeah, well, good luck finding a 1+ GHz G4 for under than $500. Although perhaps now the Mac mini will drive down prices on used G4s (and CPU upgrades for them).
OTOH, the new Mac uses ATI 9200 graphics, and the retail version of the ATI 9200 is vv-capable. If by some miracle vv works in the new Macs, then the new Mac would be a fantastic Finale machine.
I very much doubt it will support VersaVision, but you never know. There's always the possibility of some third-party hack, like the one that enables extended desktop support on eMacs, iMacs, and iBooks with OEM ATI video cards.
The only thing it would be missing is multi-monitor support.)
Actually, Robert, that's *exactly* what I wanted to ask you about. Do you think this splitter cable would let me use two (mirrored) displays with the Mac mini? (I have one VGA and one DVI display, both 17" flat panels.)
http://www.pacificcable.com/Picture_Page.asp?DataName=DVIIY-1
So far, nobody seems to have the slightest idea. I may have to order it and find out. If it works, I will be an extremely happy Mac mini owner! (I'll also let you all know if this is a viable dual-display solution.)
Some PC user even managed to get it to *extend* (not just mirror) his desktop across two monitors with his Radeon 9700 All-In-Wonder! But I have no idea if that trick would work on a Mac with a Radeon 9700, let alone the Mac mini with its Radeon 9200.
http://www.3dgameman.com/reviews/aiw_dual_display/aiw_dual_display.html
In any case, the rock-bottom cost for a graphics card would probably be a used 8500 or 9000, provided you have a Mac that will fit it. (Note that to run vv on these older cards you have to update their firmware. The update is available from the ATI website.) At c. $125, even the 9200 is attractively priced, and it should work in any Powermac that can run OSX. (Darcy knows more about all these cards than I do.)
Not that much more. Anyway, the retail Radeon 9200 is a very attractive card for someone looking to add a inexpensive second video card -- although if you have an AGP Mac, you'd be better off with a used 8500, because the AGP slot is much faster than the PCI slot.
The retail 9200 has 128 MB of memory, which is great. Unfortunately, the 9200 that comes with the Mac mini has only 32 MB of memory -- I know they had to cut costs, etc., but that's pretty stingy by today's standards. Oh well, it's a minor complaint.
Neither the PCI Radeon 9200 nor the Mac mini's stripped-down 9200 will fully support the new Core Graphics features in Tiger 10.4, but those are (as far as I can tell) just more eye candy and bells and whistles that few on this list care about. If you want/need Core Graphics, you will need a Radeon 9800 or a Radeon x800 XT.
Speaking of which, you should add the Radeon x800 XT to your list of VersaVision cards:
http://www.ati.com/products/radeonx800/radeonX800xtme/index.html
That's their new hardcore gamer card. It is also one of only two video cards that are capable of driving Apple's 30" display. I expect the price of the Radeon 9800 to drop a little now that it's no longer top dog.
I should add that the x800 XT costs as much as a bare-bones Mac mini.
- Darcy ----- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brooklyn, NY
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