Upgrade the G4 733Ghz Digital Audio

I have a G4 733Mhz Digital Audio and I wanna add what ever I can to it to increase the performance. I know these things won't increase the performance but just to let you know what I have added....I just bought an extra 3 port firewire pci card and a 5 port usb 2.0 pci card they work great I also have 1.25 GB of Ram (Max is 1.5GB)
what else can I do with it? as far as graphics card if I need it or not? and if so which one?
Thanks,
Raffi

Hi Paul-
Your G4 is a 4x AGP. You can only use a 4x AGP compatible graphics card. The 8x AGP will not work, unless, like the ATI Radeon 9800, it is 2x, 4x, 8x compatible.
The FX5200 is an 8x card, so, unfortunately, you won't be able to use it in the G4.
As far as upgrade suggestions, a new ATI Radeon 9800 Mac Pro, a used ATI Radeon 9000 Mac Pro (eBay), a flashed (PC ver. converted to Mac) Ati Radeon 9800 Pro(eBay, Strangedogs), or a flashed GeForce(eBay, Strangedogs).
G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-109,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

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When requesting assistance, please provide the complete model name and/or product number of the HP computer in question. HP/Compaq makes thousands of models of computers. Without this information it may be difficult or impossible to assist you in resolving your issue.
The above requested information can be found on the side, back, or bottom of your computer. Please do not include your serial number. Please enter the model/product information into HP's Online Consumer Support page and/or post it here for our review.
Depending on the exact model, the digital audio connector may be Coaxial S/PDIF or Optical TOSLink.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Please click the white KUDOS star to show your appreciation
Frank
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The Mother of All G4 Digital Audio Project?

Alright, my apologies right from the get-go: I'm new to this user-friendly and intuitive world of Macs. So if this post is long-winded and excessive, please excuse my bad manners and blame it on living in the world of PCs and M$ for far too long.
To start, the one thing I've found that is consistent no matter what computing world I've explored is the cost of upgrading... but first, let me explain a couple of things.
For one -- I'm finished with my PC. I'm fairly computer saavy, and have never bought a pre-built system in my life. My first computer I built in the 8th grade from spare parts and a Pentium 90 chip. Although I've enjoyed my time playing around and working with PCs in the past, I've recently become a father (and my wife is now at home 24/7). Suffice it to say I don't have much time to troubleshoot my PC as often as I use to, and with my wife using the computer more and more, I really would like to be able to offer her something intuitive and easy to use (unfortunately, this usually isn't a common description of anything related to the world of M$ and PCs).
Anyways, her entire extended family has been Mac based for awhile now, and I've grown more and more desirous of owning a Mac at home. Well, about 4 months ago I was given an old G4 Digital Audio for free. This gift, coupled with my increasing frustration with the PC, has lead me to contemplate ditching the PC (selling it off), and trying to fully pimp out the G4 to its maximum capacity. FOR CHEAP.
I realize that a Mac Mini would be pretty cheap and cost effective, or perhaps just selling the G4 and putting that money towards something else (like a Mac laptop) might make more sense... but I'm limited on a couple of fronts.
1) There is the issue of some money having already been invested into this G4.
2) I need to keep costs down, while also retaining the ability to expand (my PC currently has 3 HDDs at a total capacity of 800gb)... and it just doesn't seem feasible with a Mac Mini.
3) I already have the G4 -- and in my wife's eyes, expanding this rig is cheaper than buying a brand new Mac (this point is clearly debatable).
4) We really just need a solid system at home, easy for her to use, while having enough muscle for me to use the Adobe/Macromedia/Final Cut software packages.
So... I'd like to start pushing this G4 to its limits performance wise, while not breaking the bank unnecessarily. I've looked into upgrading the logic board and CPU, maxing out the system memory, purchasing a SATA controller board and new HDDs, and finally springing for a new video card. My question is this:
Can anyone shed some light on upgrade options that would suit my needs, without giving my wife reason to leave me?! For example, when looking to upgrade the G4 to a wireless system, I opted to purchase a Belkin Wireless G (F5D7000) instead of a official Airport card. It works flawlessly, is G compatible, and was only $25. Are there similar options when looking at SATA controller cards (the Sonnet cards are really pricey)? PC133 memory -- should I buy new or look for sticks in older PCs? Buy a pc video card and tweak it to work in a Mac, etc? Should I buy a single cpu upgrade, or spring for the pricey duals (is the performance benefit in OSX and the various design software packages worth it? - I've seen varied reports on this)? 1.6ghz vs. dual 1.4ghz??
Any help in this endeavor to build the Mother of All G4 Digital Audios would be wonderful. I know this post is lengthy, but I needed to vent some frustrations, and ask for a helping hand in this transition from PC to Mac! Thanks to all who've read this beast of a post -- and if anyone has anything to contribute (either suggestions or directions to some relatively cheap upgrades - new or used), it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again!

Hi-
I'll keep things brief.
CPU- The following will give you the most bang for the buck-
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MEG42M1500/
Memory- Doesn't have to break the bank, but, you must buy quality-
http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upgrades.cfm?model=163&type=Memory&TI=1047&shoup grds=Show+Upgrades
http://www.datamemorysystems.com/viewcat.aspQ_C_E761
Graphics- a flashed PC 4x AGP card will give you the most for the cheapest
Sata Controller Card- the following is hard to beat:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAPCI2P/
Or, get the bundle:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAM500GPCI/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SATAM10TBPCI/
If you need cheaper, or used, check:
http://groups.google.com/group/lemswap
or, eBay.
Good Luck!
G4 AGP(450)Sawtooth Mac OS X (10.4.8) 2ghzPPC,1.62gbSDRAM, ATI9800, DVR-109,(IntHD)120&160,LaCie160,23"Cinema Display

Upgrading CPU G4 Digital audio???

I want to upgrade the CPU on my G4 733MHz digital audio machine. Any suggestions?
I want to use the Machine to run Protools and a Digi 002 interphase. I know I need to boost the CPU to at least 1.5GHz.
I would appriciate any suggeations or advise.
Thanks

Thanks I realised I was posting in the wrong area
Thanks

Upgrade Digital Audio or buy Used MDD G4?

I have upgraded by Digital Audio (933 Quicksilver CPU, 1.25 GB RAM, Radeon 9000 video card). It is reasonably fast for basic applications, but the only way to get a significant speed increase at this point would be a decent upgrade processor ($250- 300 currently for something above 1.2 GHZ). I am wondering if the money (which is tight) would be better spent getting something like a single (or dual) CPU MDD 1.25 GHZ or faster, which I might be able to find on eBAy for $150- 175 more than I could sell the Digital Audio for.
In other words, how would a stock 1.25 GHZ MDD compare with my Digital Audio if I put in the OWC 1.5 GHZ upgrade w/ L3 cache (currently $260 at OWC)?
I'd like to stay with the G4 because I don't care for the look of the G5's (nor the price at this point).
Steve

I would vote for the G4 MDD. What do you use your G4 for that the increased speed would be a benefit?
 Cheers, Tom

Upgrade the G4 733Ghz Digital Audio

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