How can I tell a graphite 400 Mhz G4 Mac Sawtooth (AGP) from a Yikes (PCI) without booting it?

August 23, 2004 7:24 PM

MacFilter: How can I tell a graphite 400 Mhz G4 Mac "Sawtooth" (AGP) model from a "Yikes!" (PCI) model without booting the machine (no monitor)? I'm not too technically inclined, so bonus points for answers in layman's terms.
posted by ScottUltra to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Assuming it's still there, the config/serial # sticker on the the back of a Sawtooth should mention "AGP".
posted by jalexei at 7:33 PM on August 23, 2004

Look at the back of the computer. The Yikes! computers have sound ports aligned horizontally, while the Sawtooth computers have vertically stacked ports. A diagram is included on this Apple support doc.
posted by letitrain at 7:38 PM on August 23, 2004

Oh, and the Yikes' video card plug is just VGA - the Sawtooth will have a VGA and a DVI (the white, rectangular plug receptor with lots of flat pins) out.
posted by jalexei at 7:38 PM on August 23, 2004

Thanks a ton! The diagrams were perfect, letitrain. (It's a Yikes! PCI).
posted by ScottUltra at 7:46 PM on August 23, 2004

Forgive if this is too obvious, but if yourself [or, for future reference purpose, someone like you] can open the side door and look at the logic board -- AGP slots are physically smaller than PCI, so on a Sawtooth, the video card's slot will be smaller than the three PCI slots next to it.

If the video card's slot is the same size as the other three, then it's a Yikes.

This is the case with all logic boards, not just Macs -- if the PCI slots have a smaller slot next to them, it's likely an AGP slot. [Of course, there are two new, faster PCI standards on the come-up, and I believe their slots are the same size as the current PCI standard. But for the purpose of this Graphite G4 question, go for the Sawtooth if you can.]
posted by britain at 8:39 PM on August 23, 2004

jalexei: not true. My AGP Sawtooth only has VGA out, because for the first nine months of shipping they all did. Grrrrr!
posted by bonaldi at 9:09 PM on August 23, 2004

britain - Definitely not too obvious. I couldn't tell an AGP slot from a PCI slot if my life depended on it. Thanks.
posted by ScottUltra at 8:31 AM on August 24, 2004

bonaldi - i forgot about that
posted by jalexei at 11:04 AM on August 25, 2004