Hi guys
Just a quick query on how to set up dual monitors on my quicksilver G4- it has two dvi outputs, one of which i understand is an apple proprietery one- are there any adapters that i can use so i wouldn't have to spend an insane amount of money to have to buy an apple monitor? thanks much :)

I think you'll find you have one ADC (Apple Display Connector) and one DVI connector on the graphics card. I'm assuming you're already using the DVI port for a monitor.

Getting an adaptor to go from ADC to DVI should be very inexpensive. I got one at my local Apple Store for about $20.... I didn't think you could get anything for that little in an Apple Store ;-) I'm sure all the mail order places will carry them as well - you can also order from the Apple online store.

One thing to bear in mind - when you plug in two monitors you'll divide your VRAM by two, so if it's only a 64MB card (for example) each screen will only have 32MB available. This may or may not be a problem in certain applications. Something like Apple Motion is very dependent on the graphics card for example, some games and other programs might be as well.

Hmm thanks boyd for the quick response- that's too bad tho as being the base model, it just has 32mb of vid ram- and apple video cards are mucho expensive compared to the rest of them... shucks! know anyone who's selling 64mb vid card cheap? hehe :)

I think you'll find you have one ADC (Apple Display Connector) and one DVI connector on the graphics card. I'm assuming you're already using the DVI port for a monitor.

Getting an adaptor to go from ADC to DVI should be very inexpensive. I got one at my local Apple Store for about $20.... I didn't think you could get anything for that little in an Apple Store ;-) I'm sure all the mail order places will carry them as well - you can also order from the Apple online store.

One thing to bear in mind - when you plug in two monitors you'll divide your VRAM by two, so if it's only a 64MB card (for example) each screen will only have 32MB available. This may or may not be a problem in certain applications. Something like Apple Motion is very dependent on the graphics card for example, some games and other programs might be as well.

Well you might be able to add more VRAM to your graphics card. It also might work OK with 2 monitors as-is, depending on what you want to do with it. You could also try to find a discontinued PCI graphics card like the Radeon 7000 Mac Edition which would let you add two more screens.

Depending on your model of G4 there are options out there if you need a better video card. I just bought the Radeon 9600 which was the most bang for the buck on my old G4 dual 800MHz.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/accelerators/

Cool! thanks guys for your answers and suggestions! appreciate it tons!! i'll definitely look into purchasing these items- :)