Hello Scotty.  (I contacted you a while ago about memory expansion).  I have an issue with my current graphics card.  I am trying to install iLife '09 and there is a pop-up that states the following:  

iMovie ’09 requires a Mac computer with a graphics card that is compatible with Core Image. These include all systems with an Intel processor, or Power Mac G5 (dual 2.0GHz or faster) or an iMac G5 (1.9GHz or faster). See www.apple.com/ilife/systemrequirements.html for requirements.  Installation of the other iLife ’09 applications will proceed.

As of now, I have a PowerBook G4 and here is the Graphics Info:

ATI Mobility Radeon 9700:

  Chipset Model: ATY,RV360M11
  Type: Display
  Bus: AGP
  VRAM (Total): 64 MB
  Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
  Device ID: 0x4e50
  Revision ID: 0x0000
  ROM Revision: 113-xxxxx-145
  Displays:
Color LCD:
  Resolution: 1280 x 854
  Depth: 32-bit Color
  Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
  Main Display: Yes
  Mirror: Off
  Online: Yes
  Quartz Extreme: Supported
  Built-In: Yes
Display Connector:
  Status: No display connected


I called Apple and they told me there wasn't anything I could do.  I wanted to double check with you and see if that is true.  Is there someone out there (maybe even you) that can go inside my laptop and install a better graphics card?  If so, what is the cost, procedure...etc.  I will be forever grateful.  The entire reason that I bought iLife was because of iMovie, sigh (since my laptop can't exactly handle Final Cut Pro, lol).

Thank you,

Well I guess I'm the bearer of the bad news. Apple is correct. Due to the video requirements, the new iMovie 09 will not run on your computer. The graphics processor power needed far exceeds the capability of that machine. Secondly, there is no upgrade path for graphics cards on powerbooks or any apple laptop for that matter. The graphics card is embedded into the logic board and there's no way to switch that out. Now, on the bright side, the previous version of iMovie is still a strong application. I wish they had not abandoned it completely. I'm not the biggest fan of the new iMovie. I just completed a few projects in it on a brand new macbook pro and found it sluggish.