Advice for gaming on a 5.1 Mac Pro? (Six core)

[h9826790]

Not sure if that key you got is real or fake, I know there are a lot of fake ones on eBay as well for very cheap.

However, the link I sent you was posted on a really popular website and no one had a problem with it, so....

I did a little bit study, end up choose this one. Some others are phone activation, or KMS, etc. This one is just a key, use like a normal key does. I did think about if it can be a fake key, but I intentional upgrade my windows 10 pro to the latest insider version (which kill the AppleHFS support) before I enter the key (via the normal activation page). I don't have a good definition of "real key", but if it can work like a real key in a official latest insider Windows 10 which connected to the MS server. I think I can consider it is real.

 

[SDAVE]

I'll keep checking new egg, and that site seems very useful.
I'm from the UK so prices vary somewhat here, but the 980ti isn't as much on those sites as I've seen it on amazon and eBay, so that's good.
It was double the 970 most of the those on those sites.

Thanks
[doublepost=1468716095][/doublepost]The 1060, 1070 and 1080 look interesting too, I've seen a couple of people mention them here.cnit sure weather they'd be over kill for me and my machine, however.
No drivers yet though, any idea when they'd be comeing out? As an estimate from previous releases with cards?

Always sucked that Europeans have VAT tax and have to pay way more than U.S. people. Sorry for that.

I lived in the UK for a while, how about getting a used one from somewhere like Gumtree? Or eBay UK? Or Amazon UK used (If they do have it?)

I think a used 980TI, if you can get it for super cheap would be an awesome choice. It will make you want to upgrade later to a 1080 since you're getting a used item. i buy used GPUs all the time, never worried. Just blow out the dust from the fans and use some alcohol wipes and it's as good as new. Also a lot of teenagers are dumping their 980Ti's on sale because they think a 25-30% increase in performance in the 1080 is a huge difference, so you can get bargain prices

I have the GTX1080 in my H*ckintosh and there are no drivers yet, so I use the integrated Intel GPU under OS X, but the 1080 works fine under Windows. I actually got an HTC Vive the other day and have been messing around, it's so much fun (and a nice time killer). It's one of the best "single" and fastest card I've ever used, patiently waiting for OS X nVidia WebDrivers.

The 980Ti works well under OS X already.
[doublepost=1468749988][/doublepost]

I did a little bit study, end up choose this one. Some others are phone activation, or KMS, etc. This one is just a key, use like a normal key does. I did think about if it can be a fake key, but I intentional upgrade my windows 10 pro to the latest insider version (which kill the AppleHFS support) before I enter the key (via the normal activation page). I don't have a good definition of "real key", but if it can work like a real key in a official latest insider Windows 10 which connected to the MS server. I think I can consider it is real.

Whatever works

Microsoft has been giving Windoze 10 out for free for a while, I assume they have sold OEM keys to a bunch of places and want everyone to be on it rather than Windoze 7 and 8.1.

Windows 10 has so much spyware, I used a few tools to clean it up a bit and remove unnecessary stuff, it's looking ok...it's still Windows tho :\

 

[Ethosik]

Keep looking, saw it on NewEgg for $369 just a few days ago.

http://www.nowinstock.net/computers/videocards/nvidia/gtx980ti

Keep checking this link.

Um I have been looking since the 980ti has been available. It's never less than $450 for the good models when I can get the 1080 for $600 and get almost double the performance as my current 980.

 

[blut haus]

Hi,

I've been looking into the idea of using my Mac Pro as a gaming platform.
It's the 2009 model, and I've upgraded the firmware from 4.1 to 5.1, and also upgraded the CPU from a quad core to a six core setup since I bought it.

I was wanting to build a gaming PC initially, but then with the ability to use Windows with boot camp and the countless people I've seen on this site throwing some really beefy cards in there (albeit the ones with a higher CPU count) I thought I'd rather use my Mac.

I've seen a lot of cards used, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on which would be recomended.
I'd presume given the rest of the specs with the six core that there's a point where a more powerful card is overkill, so I was wondering what's the most powerful card you could put in there to maximise performance?

I was thinking GTX 970?

Thanks a bunch

Not worth it. get a $750 XPS and you'll be happier.
[doublepost=1468810011][/doublepost]

Always sucked that Europeans have VAT tax and have to pay way more than U.S. people. Sorry for that.

I lived in the UK for a while, how about getting a used one from somewhere like Gumtree? Or eBay UK? Or Amazon UK used (If they do have it?)

I think a used 980TI, if you can get it for super cheap would be an awesome choice. It will make you want to upgrade later to a 1080 since you're getting a used item. i buy used GPUs all the time, never worried. Just blow out the dust from the fans and use some alcohol wipes and it's as good as new. Also a lot of teenagers are dumping their 980Ti's on sale because they think a 25-30% increase in performance in the 1080 is a huge difference, so you can get bargain prices

I have the GTX1080 in my H*ckintosh and there are no drivers yet, so I use the integrated Intel GPU under OS X, but the 1080 works fine under Windows. I actually got an HTC Vive the other day and have been messing around, it's so much fun (and a nice time killer). It's one of the best "single" and fastest card I've ever used, patiently waiting for OS X nVidia WebDrivers.

The 980Ti works well under OS X already.
[doublepost=1468749988][/doublepost]

Whatever works

Microsoft has been giving Windoze 10 out for free for a while, I assume they have sold OEM keys to a bunch of places and want everyone to be on it rather than Windoze 7 and 8.1.

Windows 10 has so much spyware, I used a few tools to clean it up a bit and remove unnecessary stuff, it's looking ok...it's still Windows tho :\

lmao. "Windoze". What, are you stuck in 1995??? Get real.

 

[SDAVE]

Um I have been looking since the 980ti has been available. It's never less than $450 for the good models when I can get the 1080 for $600 and get almost double the performance as my current 980.

http://slickdeals.net/f/8843563-msi...n-edition-399-or-369-ar?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

Here's the one from a few days ago.

Keep checking that site, they usually have good deals.

Also there's no way to get the 1080 for $599 MSRP. Currently only Founders Edition is available for $699 and 3rd party ones from EVGA, MSI, Zotac, etc. I highly recommend a 3rd party one like the EVGA 1080 FTW (which is what I have). It has a better cooler, more silent, has 2x8pin connectors and is overclocked out of factory and can overclock more. It's $679. The FE is a blower style cooler and it throttles when you try to overclock. Would not recommend.

Note: No webdrivers available for 1080 yet, but word around town is it will be here in either August or September, or around the time when Sierra is released, which is September.


[doublepost=1468819653][/doublepost]

Not worth it. get a $750 XPS and you'll be happier.
[doublepost=1468810011][/doublepost]
lmao. "Windoze". What, are you stuck in 1995??? Get real.

Nope, 2016. It's still a clunky OS with ugly fonts, UI, and terrible animations and idiotic mistakes in the UI. It's also a spyware machine, thankfully I removed a lot of it. You're telling me how good it is, but I'm running Win10Pro right now and prolonged use is impossible for me, I feel dirty after using it and need to take a shower. I only use it for VR and some games, and some applications that require CUDA but are not usable under OS X. For productivity I'm always under OS X.

 

[Squuiid]

I highly recommend a 3rd party one like the EVGA 1080 FTW (which is what I have). It has a better cooler, more silent, has 2x8pin connectors and is overclocked out of factory and can overclock more.

Surely you want the SC version which has 1x8pin if you're using it in a Mac Pro.
2x8pin will require additional power from somewhere whereas 1x8pin can use the Mac Pro's 2x6pin with the included EVGA adapter.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Additionally, tests have shown that 1x8pin provides more than enough power for even the highest of overclocks when air cooling a 1080. Unless you're going to water cool 2x8pin is pointless IMO.

 

[frou]

Surely you want the SC version which has 1x8pin if you're using it in a Mac Pro.
2x8pin will require additional power from somewhere whereas 1x8pin can use the Mac Pro's 2x6pin with the included EVGA adapter.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Additionally, tests have shown that 1x8pin provides more than enough power for even the highest of overclocks when air cooling a 1080. Unless you're going to water cool 2x8pin is pointless IMO.

Damn, nice card and good fit for the MP. I'm making a note to pick one up from eBay in 2020 for £100

 

[Ethosik]

Surely you want the SC version which has 1x8pin if you're using it in a Mac Pro.
2x8pin will require additional power from somewhere whereas 1x8pin can use the Mac Pro's 2x6pin with the included EVGA adapter.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Additionally, tests have shown that 1x8pin provides more than enough power for even the highest of overclocks when air cooling a 1080. Unless you're going to water cool 2x8pin is pointless IMO.

I have had absolutely horrible experiences with SC and FTW cards. A lot of people have similar issues as well. It seems to only affect Blizzard games for me though, but I play those all the time.

And that $350 980ti has expired. When you have a job, you can't really stay on a site all day long. I was able to find a 1080 for $619 but it was out of stock. Still, it is a major improvement over the 980 and even the 980ti.

Here is a post regarding the issue:

http://forums.evga.com/Evga-gtx-980-sc-display-driver-crash-m2438100.aspx

I was in contact with EVGA support when I started having issues and that is the ONLY thing that fixed it - downclock the video card. So I will never buy a SC or FTW or stock overclocked card again. It is not worth it.

I am planning to get it directly from NVIDIA and get the founders edition as overclocking is never a good idea (even factory overclocked cards are absolutely horrible with the games I play).

ALL Blizzard games have that same issue. I constantly get crashes all the time. Yet I play other games for hours and hours and not have an issue. Downclocking my stock OC'ed card fixes everything.

 

[SDAVE]

Surely you want the SC version which has 1x8pin if you're using it in a Mac Pro.
2x8pin will require additional power from somewhere whereas 1x8pin can use the Mac Pro's 2x6pin with the included EVGA adapter.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Additionally, tests have shown that 1x8pin provides more than enough power for even the highest of overclocks when air cooling a 1080. Unless you're going to water cool 2x8pin is pointless IMO.

FTW is much higher in terms of clock speed out of the box.

I did not say I recommend the FTW for the Mac Pro, I just said I recommend a 3rd party nVidia card with a better cooler (AND better customer support, and EVGA is one of the best, if not the best).

 

[Ethosik]

FTW is much higher in terms of clock speed out of the box.

I did not say I recommend the FTW for the Mac Pro, I just said I recommend a 3rd party nVidia card with a better cooler (AND better customer support, and EVGA is one of the best, if not the best).

Well I play at 1440p, so I am not pushing 4K. I think the stock cooler is fine for my case.

 

[Squuiid]

Well I play at 1440p, so I am not pushing 4K. I think the stock cooler is fine for my case.

Fine, but somewhat louder in comparison. EVGA 1080 SC has a 0db fan mode which operates when using 2D/desktop and in idle. Essentially it turns the fan off when not needed. FE doesn't do this unfortunately.
0db mode nicely complements an already quiet Mac Pro.

The 08G-P4-6181-KR is the same as the SC but without the factory overclock. If I could get this card from Amazon in the UK I'd probably forgo the factory overclock for the reasons you mentioned.
http://eu.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=08G-P4-6181-KR

UPDATE: Ha! After all that I just bought an FE card from NVIDIA. Couldn't wait any longer for Amazon, or anyone else for that matter, to receive stock of EVGA units.
http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/10series/geforce-gtx-1080/

 

[Ethosik]

Fine, but somewhat louder in comparison. EVGA 1080 SC has a 0db fan mode which operates when using 2D/desktop and in idle. Essentially it turns the fan off when not needed. FE doesn't do this unfortunately.
0db mode nicely complements an already quiet Mac Pro.

The 08G-P4-6181-KR is the same as the SC but without the factory overclock. If I could get this card from Amazon in the UK I'd probably forgo the factory overclock for the reasons you mentioned.
http://eu.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=08G-P4-6181-KR

UPDATE: Ha! After all that I just bought an FE card from NVIDIA. Couldn't wait any longer for Amazon, or anyone else for that matter, to receive stock of EVGA units.
http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/10series/geforce-gtx-1080/

Yeah I don't mind if it is a bit louder. And all the issues with thermal throttling seem over blown. I watched a few videos and it drops it to the base clock. Still much better than my existing card. And I want to get rid of my SC card since it is giving me a lot of issues .

 

[LMR80]

Always sucked that Europeans have VAT tax and have to pay way more than U.S. people. Sorry for that.

I lived in the UK for a while, how about getting a used one from somewhere like Gumtree? Or eBay UK? Or Amazon UK used (If they do have it?)

I think a used 980TI, if you can get it for super cheap would be an awesome choice. It will make you want to upgrade later to a 1080 since you're getting a used item. i buy used GPUs all the time, never worried. Just blow out the dust from the fans and use some alcohol wipes and it's as good as new. Also a lot of teenagers are dumping their 980Ti's on sale because they think a 25-30% increase in performance in the 1080 is a huge difference, so you can get bargain prices

I have the GTX1080 in my H*ckintosh and there are no drivers yet, so I use the integrated Intel GPU under OS X, but the 1080 works fine under Windows. I actually got an HTC Vive the other day and have been messing around, it's so much fun (and a nice time killer). It's one of the best "single" and fastest card I've ever used, patiently waiting for OS X nVidia WebDrivers.

The 980Ti works well under OS X already.
[doublepost=1468749988][/doublepost]

Whatever works
:\

Yep - it sucks indeed haha.
I've tried eBay and Amazon but not allot of luck yet. Didn't think of gumtree so I'll try there, thanks for the suggestion.
Good idea on getting a used card, I was afraid something might go wrong with it but I guess not.

The 980ti is a tempting card indeed...

Thanks for the post!

 

[LMR80]

Just out of curiosity, any estimate as to when the drivers for the newer nvidea cards will be available for Mac?

 

[SDAVE]

Just out of curiosity, any estimate as to when the drivers for the newer nvidea cards will be available for Mac?

From what I've seen so far:

1) August/September for El Capitan AND Sierra
2) August/September for Sierra only (Sierra is officially launching in September)

I talked to nVidia about this and they're pretty mum about it. But they did tell me that a lot of people are asking for it, so I assume it makes business sense for them to keep developing drivers for OS X.

 

[Squuiid]

From what I've seen so far:

1) August/September for El Capitan AND Sierra
2) August/September for Sierra only (Sierra is officially launching in September)

I talked to nVidia about this and they're pretty mum about it. But they did tell me that a lot of people are asking for it, so I assume it makes business sense for them to keep developing drivers for OS X.

Folks, if you already have, or want a Pascal GPU to use in macOS then contact NVIDIA and make an 'official request' for web drivers for Pascal GPUs.
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/chat.php
I just did this over chat and I think the more that do this the more likely NVIDIA will act. Worth a shot anyway!

Me: Hi - I have a GTX 1080 and need Mac OS X web drivers. Can you tell me when NVIDIA will be releasing their web drivers for Mac for Pascal GPUs?

Yugendar: I am sorry we do not have any future release information. GTX 1080 is not a compatible with MAC OS X

Me: I would like to submit an official request for macOS support for Pascal GPUs. Can you make this request please?

Yugendar: I will have this requested forwarded to the concerned team. Please help me with the OSX version, Mac model.

Me: Mac Pro 2010. OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Yugendar: May I know the MAC Pro Generation please is that 3,1 or 4,1

Me: 5,1

Yugendar: Thank you. I will have this forwarded to the concerned team.

 

[LMR80]

From what I've seen so far:

1) August/September for El Capitan AND Sierra
2) August/September for Sierra only (Sierra is officially launching in September)

I talked to nVidia about this and they're pretty mum about it. But they did tell me that a lot of people are asking for it, so I assume it makes business sense for them to keep developing drivers for OS X.

Interesting, thanks for the information. We'll have to wait and see.
[doublepost=1469207959][/doublepost]

Folks, if you already have, or want a Pascal GPU to use in macOS then contact NVIDIA and make an 'official request' for web drivers for Pascal GPUs.
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/chat.php
I just did this over chat and I think the more that do this the more likely NVIDIA will act. Worth a shot anyway!

Me: Hi - I have a GTX 1080 and need Mac OS X web drivers. Can you tell me when NVIDIA will be releasing their web drivers for Mac for Pascal GPUs?

Yugendar: I am sorry we do not have any future release information. GTX 1080 is not a compatible with MAC OS X

Me: I would like to submit an official request for macOS support for Pascal GPUs. Can you make this request please?

Yugendar: I will have this requested forwarded to the concerned team. Please help me with the OSX version, Mac model.

Me: Mac Pro 2010. OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Yugendar: May I know the MAC Pro Generation please is that 3,1 or 4,1

Me: 5,1

Yugendar: Thank you. I will have this forwarded to the concerned team.

Good idea, I'll do that. Thanks for the info

 

[LMR80]

Folks, if you already have, or want a Pascal GPU to use in macOS then contact NVIDIA and make an 'official request' for web drivers for Pascal GPUs.
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/chat.php
I just did this over chat and I think the more that do this the more likely NVIDIA will act. Worth a shot anyway!

Me: Hi - I have a GTX 1080 and need Mac OS X web drivers. Can you tell me when NVIDIA will be releasing their web drivers for Mac for Pascal GPUs?

Yugendar: I am sorry we do not have any future release information. GTX 1080 is not a compatible with MAC OS X

Me: I would like to submit an official request for macOS support for Pascal GPUs. Can you make this request please?

Yugendar: I will have this requested forwarded to the concerned team. Please help me with the OSX version, Mac model.

Me: Mac Pro 2010. OS X El Capitan 10.11.6

Yugendar: May I know the MAC Pro Generation please is that 3,1 or 4,1

Me: 5,1

Yugendar: Thank you. I will have this forwarded to the concerned team.

Tried the chat twice.
Didn't really get anywhere, though.

Both times they said the same as you as I expected, however, when I asked to submit an official request they said that I'd have to "take it up with apple and ask them".
[doublepost=1469562807][/doublepost]Just been looking into the 1070.
There's only like a £10 difference between the 980ti and the 1070 here in the uk.