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Apple Radeon 5770/5870 in pre-2010 Mac Pro's: What We Know So Far

Well, as a 1,1 owner, does the 6900 have the EFI64 ROM? That will make it incompatible with the 1,1 and I think 2,1 Mac Pros.

Steve Jobs is likely waiting for the 6900 to ship so he can get a discount on the 5800 series to start shipping.

For the first time in years, I have the chance to upgrade my computer and I'd like to at least be able to consider the Apple card as well as the flashed card. Maybe they're trying to work out the boot screen issue?
 
Mackeyser said:
Well, as a 1,1 owner, does the 6900 have the EFI64 ROM? That will make it incompatible with the 1,1 and I think 2,1 Mac Pros.
Click to expand...


You are asking this question about a card that is ~10 months from releasing with EFI bios

I think you mean 5870, and the answer is no.
 
Well, considering I'm really needing to make a purchasing decision sooner than later, it may come down to whether I go flashed 5870 or Apple released their version and I go with theirs.

I'm clear that the 5870 doesn't have the EFI64 ROM. I just wish that folks on the Apple Store Q&A section would get it right...

@ovrlrd Okay. I did notice that tooltip. Just wanted to clarify because many folks reverted to OpenGL when 4.0.1 released and the GLL backend had issues with sunshafts and liquid detail and there were really bad random lag spikes that reversion seemed to mitigate a bit. Of course, reversion to OpenGL brought back all the other problems...

I'm really hoping with 10.6.5 that we see the improvements we should see as well as solid functionality with the 5870. That would just be outstanding.
 
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Did somebody found any 5770/5870 tests on a 3GHz 1,1 MacPro (2006)?

I have read almost all you can find via Google but still no reports from users with a 1,1 model with a 3GHz CPU. I'm pretty curious to see differences between these two 1th generation models (quad 2,66 and quad 3GHz) and between 3GHz 1,1 and any 2010 model.
 
NoNameBrand said:
10.6.5 thread (& fist?) bump. Is the performance of the 5770 in Mac Pro 1,1 machines improved with 10.6.5?
Click to expand...

I have a 1,1 machine here with a 5770 that I can sacrifice to the cause. FYI though, I also have a 5,1 machine (hex) here with a 5770 and it's not much faster in Motion than the 1,1 is with the 5770 so I hope both improve.

Will update the 1,1 tomorrow and report back.
 
gpzjock said:
Bought a Sapphire Vapor-X HD5870 1GB PC card back in September for £295 on eBay.
Flashed it to Mac OS using ATIWinFlash in a Win 7 (32bit) build on my Mac Pro 2008. Up and running by 25th Sept.
....WoW running like it's on glass and only the bootscreen missing.......
Click to expand...
What version of the firmware did you flash the Sapphire with?

Thanks!
 
yoink said:
I have a 1,1 machine here with a 5770 that I can sacrifice to the cause. FYI though, I also have a 5,1 machine (hex) here with a 5770 and it's not much faster in Motion than the 1,1 is with the 5770 so I hope both improve.

Will update the 1,1 tomorrow and report back.
Click to expand...

While my testing was cursory, there's no visible improvement.
 
NoNameBrand said:
Thanks for being a guinea pig! I spent my 5770 money on 8GB of RAM (just waiting on Canada Post), but figured I could convince myself to get a 5770 if 10.6.5 made it substantially better than my 3870.
Click to expand...

Since my 1,1 had a 3870 before I can say there's no discernible difference.

BTW I have a passively cooled 3870 for sale or a 5770 if someone wants it. ;)
 
Finally in Stock

As of today the Apple online store has the ATI 5870 in stock - yah!
 
NoNameBrand said:
10.6.5 thread (& fist?) bump. Is the performance of the 5770 in Mac Pro 1,1 machines improved with 10.6.5?
Click to expand...

Didn't run benchmarks under 10.6.5, but I can play WoW on ultra settings and get perfectly decent performance, or I can turn down shadows (which I actually prefer) and get smooth smooth smooth.

I upgraded from an 8800, definitely worthwhile.
 
Does anyone know if the 5870 runs in the 1,1 on the new operating system version (with the normal bios - not the strange one that Barefeats had with their test machine).

I've just upgraded my duel 2.66 processors to quad 2.66 versions so hopping that I might get full performance out of this card under windows - but need it to work under OSX as well.
 
syth said:
Didn't run benchmarks under 10.6.5, but I can play WoW on ultra settings and get perfectly decent performance, or I can turn down shadows (which I actually prefer) and get smooth smooth smooth.

I upgraded from an 8800, definitely worthwhile.
Click to expand...
Syth - what Mac model do you have?
 
lloyd709 said:
Does anyone know if the 5870 runs in the 1,1 on the new operating system version (with the normal bios - not the strange one that Barefeats had with their test machine).

I've just upgraded my duel 2.66 processors to quad 2.66 versions so hopping that I might get full performance out of this card under windows - but need it to work under OSX as well.
Click to expand...

I too would very much like to know whether the 5870 will run on a 1,1 Mac Pro without Barefeat's strange boot rom. Has anyone confirmed?
 
Does anyone know if it's possible to GET the MP11.005D.B00 Boot Rom on my Mac Pro 1,1?

I've ordered a 5870, but I have a feeling it's not going to work with my current Boot Rom.
 
Redneck1089 said:
Does anyone know if it's possible to GET the MP11.005D.B00 Boot Rom on my Mac Pro 1,1?

I've ordered a 5870, but I have a feeling it's not going to work with my current Boot Rom.
Click to expand...

Will be very interesting - I was thinking of taking the plunge and sending it back if it didn't work (I took a close look at Apple's return policy and there seems to be nothing to stop you sending it back as long as it's within 14 days - in the UK anyway).

Will you be using it for games under a Windows BootCamp?
 
GREAT NEWS EVERYONE!!! A poster on OWC has said that they have successfully added a 5870 to their 2006 Mac Pro and it works!


41Squishy Tia*
And the verdict on the 5870 in a 2006 Mac Pro is….:

IT WORKS.

Zero problems upgrading from my 5770 other than breaking the PCIe clip tab trying to remove the 5770 (this HAS to be fairly common – there’s just no wiggle room there with ATI HS/F shrouds).

Still no audio support. I’d kill to get my hands on a Mac Pro 2010 install disc so I could dig the audio drivers out from it. There *has* to be a way to get audio out via the MDPs. I’m even using NewerTech’s MDP to HDMI adapter which is DP 1.2 compliant and no joy.

But the video ….oooooooooh. WoW at 60 FPS in Grizzly Hills. On ULTRA (minus Ultra shadows – shadows brings all cards to their knees due to poor coding ATM).

So yes, the 5870s will work in the Mac Pro 1,1 models, and in fact ALL Mac Pros.
Click to expand...
 
lloyd709 said:
Will be very interesting - I was thinking of taking the plunge and sending it back if it didn't work (I took a close look at Apple's return policy and there seems to be nothing to stop you sending it back as long as it's within 14 days - in the UK anyway).

Will you be using it for games under a Windows BootCamp?
Click to expand...

Mainly for games under Windows, yes. My current problem is that I have both a Mac edition 4870 and a flashed 4890 in my Mac Pro right now. I'm driving three displays. It appears that the flashed 4890 is going to be a pain when it comes to future OS updates. I was hoping the 5870 may solve my problems and allow me to sell both the 4870 and the 4890.

Even though my above post says that a poster at OWC was able to get the 5870 in his Mac Pro, I'm still somewhat skeptical. I still don't know which boot rom he is running or whether upgrading to 10.6.5 has changed anything and allowed the card to run on the .B08 BOOT ROM.

Anyways, I think once I get my 5870 I'll give it a shot. I'm stuck on 10.6.4 currently because of my 4890, but I'd be willing to upgrade to 10.6.5 if someone here can assure me that I can downgrade back to 10.6.4 if worst comes to worst and the 5870 still doesn't work....
 
DualShock said:
UNCONFIRMED:

- audio over MDP and/or HDMI

- Though it should work with no issues, no reports of Boot Camp functionality yet.
Click to expand...

I can confirm the moshi mdp to hdmi adaptor, sold at the Apple Store, does audio for OS X on 2010 Mac Pro, can't confirm Bootcamp though.
 
waiwai said:
I can confirm the moshi mdp to hdmi adaptor, sold at the Apple Store, does audio for OS X on 2010 Mac Pro
Click to expand...

This thread is mainly for pre-2010 Mac Pro's, but thanks!

waiwai said:
, can't confirm Bootcamp though.
Click to expand...

I *can* confirm Boot Camp functionality for at least the 5870 in a 2008 Mac Pro (but not anything MDP or HDMI related).

Been meaning to update the first post for a long time but never got around to it. Hopefully soon! :eek:
 
Can someone explain what the issue with audio support is (or lack of it). Is this something different from the normal sound from the the computer. I'm using a 5770 and I don't seem to have any problem with sound - having said that I think I always use headphones. Do these cards (or at least the 5870) provide a separate sound function (I don't know much about sound!!).

Thanks
 
Upgrade from Nvidia gtx 285

Today my 5780 arrived - replaced my gtx 285. Due to suboptimal Nvidia drivers, even desktop actions like expose or stacks in the dock were a little bit choppy. Now it flies! And Wow is playable again with ultra settings with 2560x1600 resolution.

Plus the card seems to be more silent than the gtx 285. I don't need CUDA and so I'm very happy to be on the official apple bandwagon again. :)
 
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