Best GPU for Mac Pro 1,1?

[captainfamicom]

I have looked around, and can't seem to find a decent GPU to put in my 1,1. Any suggestions for flashable cards?

 

[Pentaxer]

Best for what process?
How much $ do you plan to spend?

8800GT is a good choice. It is powerful and not hot, can be easely flashed.
4870.
5770.
5870.

 

[captainfamicom]

I want to spend $200 max, but I want metal in El Capitan. Don't you need a 7000 series card?

 

[Pentaxer]

The simplest cards with Metal are:
1) Nvidia GTX 680;
2) AMD/ATI 7950 and 7970. And their clones like 280x.

 

[stampedeadam]

I will soon spring for a R9 280X. I understand that, once flashed for Mac, this is the best GPU that is fully compatible with the 1,1/2,1

 

[captainfamicom]

Ah, thank you for the advice!

 

[flyingmanatee]

Just a few notes:

- Mac Pro 1.1 can't run above 10.11.x so Metal shouldn't be a concern
- Seeing as Mojave isn't possible, there's no reason to worry about the NVidia Web Driver situation
- The RX 580s aren't compatible thanks to the lack of the SSE 4.2 instruction set
- The 1000 series NVidia cards are compatible with 10.12 and above (I don't believe they added support to older versions of the OS) so that nixes modern GPUs.

I'd probably score a used NVidia GTX 780 as those are around $100 on ebay these days and plenty performant if you don't mind a non-EFI card. No reason to get anything less. You could also go for the 970 or 980.