@hey, You are right. iLife & iWork don't work without Quartz Extreme & Core Image. And unfortunately there are many more applications which don't work.

But think about it. It's not possible to use Cover Flow in Finder, it's not possible to see any Graphic Rendering, it's not possible to use many Applications, and after all, the system doesn't run smooth.

If you are looking for a cheap & perfectly working graphic card, buy a GeForce 7600 GT. It's cheap and one of the best choices for Osx86 use.

You could also consider to buy a GeForce 8800 GTX/GTS/GT if you need the best performance. :-)