Changing V-Ram on G4 Powerbook

[ulater6000]

My old compaq laptop used to let me change the amount of my RAM I dedicated to the video card, and I was wondering if this is possible to do with an apple G4 powerbook?

Any input would be great. Thanx.

 

[mac_mogul]

PowerBook G4's don't have shared memory. They have actual video cards with built-in memory.
Typically, PBG4's have 64mb, and 128mb cards. You cannot increase this amount.

 

[Brtnboarder495]

^Yup, and the reason you can't change it is because Apple's Powerbook G4's came with actual REAL video cards. More often than not, the memory of a video card will not enhance performance, it's the other features of a video card that determine performance, performance can be bottlenecked by poor memory though, not in this case though.

 

[ulater6000]

Well the powerbook G4 I am buying has a 64mb ATI 9600.

So since they have actual video cards in them could I possibly find a better powerbook G4 video card on like ebay and switch it with the current one?

 

[mac_mogul]

Well the powerbook G4 I am buying has a 64mb ATI 9600.

So since they have actual video cards in them could I possibly find a better powerbook G4 video card on like ebay and switch it with the current one?

I suppose you could, but its very unlikely that you'll find just a video card.
Even if you found it, it would be nearly impossible to replace because of the PowerBook's chassis and layout.

If you really want it upgraded, you'd have to send it to Apple (or some other place that can work on Macs) and have them do it.

It would REALLY help to know what model this PowerBook is.
The 64mb 9600 may be the only card that will fit.