5870vs 7870

[tony3d]

Just wondering first off if a 7870 will run on a 3,1 Mac Pro, and how much faster would it be than a 5870? I gave my son my old Mac Pro after buying a new 12 core 3.06 machine.

 

[DanielCoffey]

A quick Google of "5870 vs 7870" advises no, not worth it. You are paying a lot for about 20% to 30% extra speed.

A direct number-crunching comparison... http://www.hwcompare.com/12258/radeon-hd-5870-vs-radeon-hd-7870/

Opinions (see post #12)... http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18384077

Anantech review... http://www.anandtech.com/show/5625/...-7850-review-rounding-out-southern-islands/11

It looks like the 5870 and 7850 are neck and neck with the 7870 a little ahead for a lot more money.

 

[xcodeSyn]

Just wondering first off if a 7870 will run on a 3,1 Mac Pro, and how much faster would it be than a 5870?

The 7870 will probably run on 10.8.3 and we won't know for sure until it is officially released. Anandtech Bench has a nice comparison between the 7870 and 5870 based on their tests. The 7870 is superior in every category and costs around $220 to $250 currently, not $350 as it was first introduced a year ago.