AMD R9 285 in 2009 Mac Pro

[scotttnz]

Forgive me, I am a Mac Pro noob.

I am looking for a new GPU for my refurbished 4,1 Mac Pro and I spotted this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-285-tonga,3925.html

Sounds ideal, with good performance and reduced power consumption, so it will run off the 2 onboard 6 pin power connectors.

But I'm wondering if the revised architecture means we will be out of luck when it comes to OSX drivers? Thoughts?

 

[Zwhaler]

AFAIK you're still best off going with the MSI R9 280X Gaming 3G, as far as OOB cards go. External psu recommended if you're going to be pushing the card for extended periods to avoid drawing too much power thru the 8 pin (many opt for an 8 to 6 pin adapter but runs the risk of exceeding the 6 pin's 75W rating as 8pin is rated at up to 150W).

 

[666sheep]

285 should work in Yosemite only (there's support in drivers), but no one has tested it yet AFAIK.

 

[scotttnz]

I'd prefer to avoid risking drawing too much power, otherwise I would just transfer the 770 from my PC. I'd rather have a slightly lower spec card that I know won't cause any problems.

If the 285 is going to be supported in Yosemite, I'll hold off until somebody has tested it.