Mac Pro :: Setting Graphics Card Options
Oct 8, 2008
I want to ask about spec-ing a Pro with a decent graphics card for games. While it's not the only thing I will use the computer for, it will be one of it's main uses. Is it better to get one with the default 2600 and then buy a more recent Windows graphics card like an ATI 4870 and use boot camp? If I do this can I buy any PC/Windows card and keep both in so that Vista will use the PC one and OSX will use the 2600? I don't want to have to switch things around internally every time I boot to a different OS. Or should I just BTO the Nvidia 8800GT and keep things simple? As far as I can tell the 8800GT should give decent performance, at least for another few months..
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Aug 10, 2010
I have an original, stock Mac Pro (August 2006), which has performed flawlessly until yesterday. It seems to start up fine (I can hear the usual hard drive spinning sounds, but my display (Apple 23" LCD) is now totally blank (black). The power light on the display is lit (and I've verified that the display still works by connecting it to my MacBook Pro), so I can only assume that the graphics card (Nvidia GeForce 7300GT) has died. What are my options as far as replacing this card nowadays? I don't play games on my Mac Pro, but I do use it for Photoshop and iMovie and also to watch QT videos and DVDs (as well as browsing the internet, of course). I should add that I have zero experience with installing graphics cards, but I'm comfortable with getting into the machine and doing simple things like adding memory and additional hard drives.
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Mar 3, 2009
If I bought the cheapest iMac at base model right now, in a month or two could I buy more RAM for it? Then could I later buy a better video/graphics card and get that put in And could I have these things done by official Apple peoples. Not that I care much - I'd just like to know if official people do this.
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Dec 29, 2009
What would show more immediate quality of graphics and faster on-line refresher rates, a graphics card with more ram or double the memory? Im debating whether to get the 512mb ATI Card or an additional 4 gig or Memory with my new iMac.does Apple not offer the really high end ATI Cards with 1 gig of ram?
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Jan 10, 2010
I'm not a huge gamer, but sometimes my 120GT (in a 2.66 Quad Nehalem) just doesn't cut it.
I'm open to flashing a PC card, but I do need that damned mini displayport for the 24in LED monitor.
Do I have a lot of options?
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Nov 12, 2009
ven an everyday user may consider such a card if the price is within budget which currently isn't. It isn't targeted at gamers who need every ounce of performance though.
It appears to be geared towards Apple since it debuted with onboard DisplayPorts. However, it should be noted on their specs page that the system requirements currently do not list any version of Mac OSes. Matrox do list Linux support though. Do note that they didn't leave out regular DVI users. Direct Link for more details on the specs.
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Nov 30, 2009
This is my first post here, I am looking for some advice on an odd problem.I have a 2008 Macbook Apple MacBook MB403LL/A 13.3-inch, with GB ram and Snow Leopard. The problem being when viewing video the laptop gets hot and the graphic become corrupt and duplicate video and create odd squares on the screen. The problem is temporary resolved by turning the screen off/on but soon comes back.
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Apr 29, 2008
I understand that this question has been asked a million times but I'm just going to be honest and admitt that I really dont understand all the "lingo".
eSATA, RAID 0, 5, or 10?
What does all this mean to me?
Since I'm starting fresh any advice on the best way for me to build internal storage so that I dont waste my money (spent $6K last night).
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Oct 31, 2007
I have a power mac g5. I have been having problems with applications running REALY, REALLY slow. Shutting down and rebooting took upwards of 10 minutes each. I've reinstalled the OS (twice) and it still takes 8 minutes to boot up and applications still run slow. Not as slow as before, but slow none the less. I'm thinking it might be a "going bad" HD and I want to get another one. Do I have to buy a Mac HD or can I buy one from say [URL]? Ive noticed that HD's on the Mac site are about twice as much as buying from a online store like Newegg or tigerdirect. My existing HD is a Maxtor Serial-ATA (thats the same as SATA right?). As long as I get the same SATA drive, will my mac handle it?
Information:
Duel G5
Mac OS X (10.4.10)
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May 19, 2010
I want to upgrade to a apple LED 24" Display or if apple invents a 27" LED one and I want to hook it up to both my MacBookPro 13" And my gaming PC. I know i'll need a KVM but need assurance it will work with all the converters. Can the 3 Apple cables be split up, video, Power ,and usb as I will use Power and USB on the Laptop, I'll need to go from display port to dvi, then dvi to to the KVM video switch box (Whats the TREDNET TK207K KVM switch like) Then from one of then dvi to dvi on my gaming pc and on the other dvi port all the way upto my macbook pro mini display port. Can it be done because I know too many converters will not work
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May 29, 2010
I have an '06 Mac Pro and my Nvidia 7300 just sucks, so I'm looking to buy a new card. I saw this, which uses ATI Radeon 4870. How safe is this, and where can I use any Radeon card for this?
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Apr 11, 2012
I have just finished a seven month fiasco working with a refurbished 3.4 GHz i7 mid-2011 iMac, with the Radeon 6970 graphics card. I had originally purchased it to replace an early quad core 2008 Mac Pro. I had the iMac hot-rodded by the OWC folks to include a Mercury 480 GB SSD and eSATA port. That story involves multiple issues with failed components and a complete inability to install bootcamp, which was needed for work-related software that did not play well in a virtualized environment. So now, with the latest iMac hardware failure (Fire Wire port), I have thrown in the towel and will be going back to Mac Pro. (Takes deep breath.)The iMac is currently being used for work, my second job as a part time pro photographer (Photoshop, Aperture), some videography and transcoding and occasional gaming.I'm looking to hit performance marks for processing and video similar to the i7 and am willing to consider refurb or pre-owned machines. New 8 core Nehalem and 6 core Westmere machines are outside my budget. Definite upgrades I intend to add are:
a. 512 GB SSD as primary drive for OS X
b.256 GB SSD for my Bootcamp installation
c.12GB RAM
d. 2 Seagate Momentus XT 750 GB drives in RAID 0 configuration
So, my questions are
1.For real world performance, particularly with regards to my photography work and video, what core processor combinations (going back to 2008 or 2009 used machines could be considered) are likely to yield EFFECTIVE processing power close to the iMac i7? Among recent vintage machines, it seems that a quad core 2.8 GHz would be reasonably close, but I find it's difficult to translate Geekbench results into my needs.
2.I'm having a real hard time with my video card options. It seems that potential choices include the 5770, 5870 and 6970 cards.I'm not overly concerned about the price differences, but would like to find the best performance/value combination, given my needs.
Info:
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8)
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Dec 5, 2009
recently purchased two Intel X-25M 80GB G2 drives. One will be used as a boot drive for Snow Leopard and the other for Windows 7. I also will have a RAID array of one WD 640GB Caviar Black (on order) and one Hitachi 640GB (stock HDD from Apple) on which I will place my files. In the past I have used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone one HDD onto another. However, this time I have to approach things a bit differently.
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May 15, 2012
I want to change the option to, "higher performance," but there is no way to do so. Is there a way to manually change these settings?
Info:
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4)
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Jun 25, 2012
Macbook Pro 15" Mid 2010
OS X 10.7.4Â
I have a recurring problem where my screen (built in or external monitor/projector) will just go blank at random times. It is an unrecoverable situation and I have to do a hard power reset to get working again.
After testing several theories without success I struck upon one that showed promise. The blanking tended to occur when I was in Lion Fullscreen mode, or using a gesture to start expose - so I figured maybe it was a graphics switching issue.
So I went into System Preferences and disabled 'Automatic graphics switching'. I then ran trouble free for several days (I was typically crashing 1-2 times a day)
Then several days later it happened again and I thought I was back to square one. However, a colleague suggested I check the graphic switching setting to see if something had changed it back, and sure enough it was re-enabled.
Now I find myself in a constant battle with the system to keep disabling the 'Automatic graphics switrhing' in System Preferences.
I have tried setting it and locking it, but sooner or later it reverts. I need to know if it is possible to force it to stay disabled.
Info:
MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.7.4)
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Apr 23, 2009
I bought an early 2008 Mac Pro, and I am wondering if it will have the 802.11G or 802.11N graphics card, is there a way to tell?
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May 1, 2009
I replaced my macbook pro last week with a MacPro 8 core.
For the last few days the GT120 graphics card was connected to two 24" dell monitors (2407 and 2408).
The 2407 is my main display and was connected via the display port to a display port to DVI-D adaptor and then to the DVI-D port on the screen. The 2408 was connected using the DVI-D on the graphics card straight to the monitor. This setup was great as I couldn't even tell if my mac was on or off because I couldn't hear any off the fans.
The only problem was that when running full screen video (EyeTV/Quicktime), the picture would sometimes stutter. After looking at the apple store website, a new GT120 was �99 for students so I picked one up yesterday.
The original GT120 is in slot 1 and is connected to my 2407 (main display) via DVI-D, the second GT120 is in slot 2 and connect to my 2408 via DVI -D. Now the problem is noise! I can now hear my mac whirring away all night (MacPro in my bedroom).
Any idea what the problem could be? When i run iTunes visualizer, both displays average at about 63fps and there is no stuttering of the picture. One thing I have noticed (using hardware monitor) is that when play itunes visualizer on full screen the GT120 in slot one uses 22% and the GT120 in slot two uses 99%.
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May 3, 2009
Like is having a higher end GPU only good if you play games? Will it still boost the computers performance even if I do stuff that doesn't involve videogames?
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Jun 17, 2009
I have two issues with my present X1900: it's not going to be OpenGL compliant come September, and more pressingly on a day to day basis, for some reason Eve Online, the game I'm rather addicted to, doesn't like me using two video cards - a stock GeForce 7300 and the Radeon.
I haven't been able to troubleshoot my way to confirming why I have the issue (and I've posted on Eve online forums - no one else seems to have the issue) but I get really odd graphics glitches when I have more than 2 screens 'detected'. Rather, when I have screens on more than 1 video card. I think it has to do with an ATI/nVidia conflict while running a Mac port of the Linux Port of Eve.
So I was hoping to get the 8800 perhaps, but they're getting pretty hard to find. Any other suggestions? Performance-wise I've been happy with the X1900, don't really *need* to upgrade, but I'd like to maximize OpenGL and solve this confilct issue so I'm not constantly climbing in behind my desk to unplug and replug DVI cables - I now run 3x monitors and a projector.
Price counts for me, I'd like to keep this upgrade as cheap as possible - don't use 'Pro' apps. I'm not afraid to flash a PC card if there's decent instructions around somewhere. This is actually a PC X1900 with a custom fan/heatsink fitted (Xcellero X2 or something? It's been a while).
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Nov 23, 2009
I have a 7300 gt in my Mac Pro 1,1 and I am looking to upgrade. I am planning on getting a pc card and flashing it but am wondering what is the best card the Mac Pro 1,1 can handle. Should I just stick with the Ati 4870 or can I go bigger.
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Jun 12, 2012
i have a EVGA 01G-P3-N959-TR GeForce 9500 GT Video Card - 1GB DDR2Â
my early 2008 mac pro doesnt see it what do i need to do to get it working?
Info:
Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.4)
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Dec 10, 2010
So basically, I bought a Mac Pro in mid 2007 with the following specs:
Two 2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
1GB (2 x 512MB)
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB SDRAM
Anyways, I have just started using it again and would like to use it to play WoW (probably via BootCamp) but the current graphics card is really insufficient.
So what I'm basically looking for is a graphics card that would run in a mid-07 Mac Pro with the 2x2.66GHZ Dual-Core Intel Xeon's (ram is not an issue, I can upgrade this as well) - that will allow me to play WoW on even good settings.
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Dec 12, 2010
I have a mac pro mid 2007. I read the ati radeon 5870 upgrade kit will work. My video card is fried will it automatically recognize the new card and boot up fine?
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Nov 30, 2007
I posted this on the buyers guide forum but got no response. Maybe you guys can help.
I have a G5 dual 2.0 with 5.5 GB ram and an ATI Radeon 9600 pro graphics card.
I have been running Final Cut Studio with no problems. Once I upgraded to FCS 2, it seems to drag with some of the new fetures. Motion 3 seems really slow! So I added 2 more gigs of ram to bring it up to the 5.5.
I am waiting for the new MP like so many of you, but I will keep this computer for off line editing and compressor and for a part time assistant editor to use.
Would it be worth it for me to upgrade the graphics card?
If so what would be a good choice of card for this type of work.
FYI the last computer game I played was Zork, so I don't care about gaming.
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Mar 4, 2008
Can you fit pretty much any graphics card into a mac pro? (Im new to mac so sorry if thats basic) Also say the card only worked with windows, if I plugged in a card and booted to windows would the card run that way? Reason I ask is that some of the work I do requires running high end games but I hate vista and have always wanted a mac. Im fine with dual booting if I have to but I was hoping that high end graphics cards would work on the mac pro so I dont have to buy two machines.
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Apr 1, 2008
Now on my second 2008 MP 2.8 octo and this keeps happening to my screen. I assume its a problem with the standard ATI 2600 graphics card. Anybody experience the same problem, happens with many different apps. Have done all updates, all Apple said was reset the PRAMMy first MP died after a couple of weeks, logic board and both processors failed. Couldn't get replacements as Apple were still waiting for Intel to increase production so I ended up with a new MP.
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Apr 29, 2008
I had recently purchased a 2nd hand G5 PowerMac with dual 1.8GHz processors and PCI-X slots. I think it was released in November 2003. It's a great machine, but suffers from its lacklustre 64MB graphics card. My Mac man told me not to bother, but I would like to investigate the option further. What do you think is available and where would I obtain one of these things? Oh, I should also ask the most important question...is it worth it?
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Jul 3, 2008
What do you think is the most probable future BTO graphics option (eg. for the Nehalem generation) Mac Pro?
I would like to add one of the two new ATI cards (HD 4850 or 4870) in my mac pro to use in Windows.
I would like to replace the 2600XT completely and flash the new card for mac once there will be a version with an EFI-ROM (which probably will happen sooner or later, like the 3870 now) and therefore I want to get the card which is more likely to appear as mac version in about a year.
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Nov 22, 2008
What is the best graphics card right now out there for gaming, movie editing, 3d graphics, and will be able to use the next generation HD monitors? preferably under $300. And if there is a better one coming out soon then what?
I have a late 2008 Mac Pro. 3.0 ghz. 4gb memory. and am looking to upgrade my graphics card.
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Dec 20, 2008
Rite now im trying to install my gtx 280 in my mac pro 1 but it will not fit in the first pcie slot. I know its pretty easy to get it in on the 2nd slot, but im just wondering if it will work? Or do all graphics cards have to be on the first slot? I read here that you can either put it in the first or second. So Im just making sure.
I already took the stock 7300 out of the 1st slot though.
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