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Break through the gloom! Kepler comes to Mac Pro...GTX680!
- Thread starter MacVidCards
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I can't wait until they finally have 3 display outputs working! I'll definitely pick one up as soon as they have that feature! 
Side question for people using the Atlona DP400 adapter (DVI > MDP). Does it work with the dual link DVI ports on the card?
Side question for people using the Atlona DP400 adapter (DVI > MDP). Does it work with the dual link DVI ports on the card?
Hey guys.
First of all, sorry for asking dumb questions maybe...
I'm not that good in upgrading hardware stuff..
I want to buy a 2009 Mac Pro 4.1 for graphic design purposes.
In my spare time, I love playing Battlefield 3 for example.
Now my question: Is it difficult to install that GTX680 in the Mac? If I upgrade to 10.8., do I have to hack some firmware stuff? I don't want to mess up my system.
And which one do I have to buy? The SC one or does a regular one also work?
Thanks very much!
Alex
First of all, sorry for asking dumb questions maybe...
I'm not that good in upgrading hardware stuff..
I want to buy a 2009 Mac Pro 4.1 for graphic design purposes.
In my spare time, I love playing Battlefield 3 for example.
Now my question: Is it difficult to install that GTX680 in the Mac? If I upgrade to 10.8., do I have to hack some firmware stuff? I don't want to mess up my system.
And which one do I have to buy? The SC one or does a regular one also work?
Thanks very much!
Alex
'09 MP is an easy two minute upgrade. Just follow the instructions from Apple for PCI-e card installs. If you go with the 680, make sure it is stock, or one of the few overclocked ones with only 2 SIX pin connectors for power. No hacks required.
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I have a EVGA GTX-680 OC2 in my mac pro and it uses 2 6pin connectors, Ive just done a couple of levels of modern warfare2 at full res 2400 X 1440 max settings and not a glitch in win7 bootcamp. runs smooth as silk.
It looks stunning at full res max settings! next mass effect 3 at max, also the GPU peaked at 68c so not bad will look into a fan control app for windows so i can set it higher to start with. pleased with gtx-680 should last a few years with any luck!
It looks stunning at full res max settings! next mass effect 3 at max, also the GPU peaked at 68c so not bad will look into a fan control app for windows so i can set it higher to start with. pleased with gtx-680 should last a few years with any luck!
well ive just installed the EVGA control software in windows 7, and what i have done is change the fan profile, so for a little more fan speed which you cant really hear, it now has a fan speed of 58% instead of 48% but max temp is now 57c max and the idle temp hasnt changed at 33c same minimum fan speed setting.
you can use upto 8 points of fan speed change upto 100% on a sliding scale against temp. nice software from EVGA
It's really quite easy to install. No firmware hacks needed (in fact they don't exist for the Kepler cards yet), the only thing you need is two 6-pin power cables like these ones:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/9227128/
They have a special smaller connector on one end to connect to the motherboard, you can find them on Amazon as well.
Can you link the exact cards you are looking at buying? I'm not sure what you mean by the SC one.
Thanks!
Why exacltey do I need this cable? I thought there are already 2x6pins available.
There exists a SuperClocked version of the Evga GTX680 - Whatever the difference is, everybody in this thread uses it.
Why exacltey do I need this cable? I thought there are already 2x6pins available.
There exists a SuperClocked version of the Evga GTX680 - Whatever the difference is, everybody in this thread uses it.
Iam doing it so the whole thing is cooler, including my mac as heat rises. thing is why not have it run cooler, cooler is always better for your GPU
Where is the difference between the superclocked and the regular version? Do both of them work in the Mac?
And important for me as a graphic designer: Does the CUDA cores get recognzied by the system?
Anyone of you have Adobe software installed and can give me a little feedback how it works?
I heard the GTX680 is also optimized for PS and stuff, so in theory, it should work fine for me.
Aaaand one more question: If I buy such an external PSU, can I then run the Nvidia GT120 (original GPU) and the GTX680 simultaniously?
And important for me as a graphic designer: Does the CUDA cores get recognzied by the system?
Anyone of you have Adobe software installed and can give me a little feedback how it works?
I heard the GTX680 is also optimized for PS and stuff, so in theory, it should work fine for me.
Aaaand one more question: If I buy such an external PSU, can I then run the Nvidia GT120 (original GPU) and the GTX680 simultaniously?
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Not sure about the first question but you don't need an external psu to run both cards. The gt120 doesnt require any additional power.
In answer to your other question...simply put, clock speed. The SC version(s) with two six pin connectors is maybe 5% faster, depending on application. Pay close attention to the card manufacturer's specs as to pin config. I got burned first time around and ended up returning one that had 8 pins. Two sixes is all you can (safely) do in the Mac Pro without external power.
Okay, thank you guys for helping me!
Is the GTX 680 worth the 200$ more in comparison to a GTX580? Or even a GTX 560 which is even cheaper?
Is the GTX 680 worth the 200$ more in comparison to a GTX580? Or even a GTX 560 which is even cheaper?
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Now that ML is here, I'm ready to order a new graphics card. All these variants of 500/600 cards are a bit confusing. I'm looking for very fast performance in Adobe CS6 and Lightroom. I dont' run windows at all. I don't want any accessory power supply required, and if the new card runs cooler than the nuclear reactor 4870 I have currently that would be great.
My understand is there is currently no way to get a 600 series card that will show boot screen or install OS from scratch. Correct? I hate to buy a 500 series if performance is a big deal, but full EFI support would definitely be nice.
Also this <2GB vs. >2GB VRAM issue is confusing to me in terms of function and support.
So if I want to buy today, which one?
My understand is there is currently no way to get a 600 series card that will show boot screen or install OS from scratch. Correct? I hate to buy a 500 series if performance is a big deal, but full EFI support would definitely be nice.
Also this <2GB vs. >2GB VRAM issue is confusing to me in terms of function and support.
So if I want to buy today, which one?
My recommendations, in order:
1) 2GB GTX 680 or 2GB GTX 670
2) 2GB GTX 570
The 680 is going to be much more future-proof, since the card only just came out this year. However, they are pretty expensive.
If you need stronger CUDA performance and/or money is a concern, then it's really hard to pass up the GTX 570. All of these options work with 2 6-pin power connectors, so no external power supply needed.
Given all of the problems baked into the OS for cards with more than 2GB of RAM, I think it's safest to just stick with no more than that. Netkas found one case where Apple disabled acceleration for cards with more than 2GB of RAM, but there might be other problems and you might not like having to manually edit the OpenCL framework binary with every Software Update.
The GTX 600 series support is still in the early stages, but I think it's safe to assume it'll only get better from here. That is, performance might not be at 100% yet, but according to testing by MacVidCards it's no slower than the GTX 580 right now (just not faster like you'd expect).
You should be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion using your existing card, and then just swap in the Fermi/Kepler card.
Edit: FWIW I'm going to buy a GTX 680 when I upgrade to Mountain Lion in a few weeks, going to give it some time to settle down in case there are any unforeseen problems with the release.
1) 2GB GTX 680 or 2GB GTX 670
2) 2GB GTX 570
The 680 is going to be much more future-proof, since the card only just came out this year. However, they are pretty expensive.
If you need stronger CUDA performance and/or money is a concern, then it's really hard to pass up the GTX 570. All of these options work with 2 6-pin power connectors, so no external power supply needed.
Given all of the problems baked into the OS for cards with more than 2GB of RAM, I think it's safest to just stick with no more than that. Netkas found one case where Apple disabled acceleration for cards with more than 2GB of RAM, but there might be other problems and you might not like having to manually edit the OpenCL framework binary with every Software Update.
The GTX 600 series support is still in the early stages, but I think it's safe to assume it'll only get better from here. That is, performance might not be at 100% yet, but according to testing by MacVidCards it's no slower than the GTX 580 right now (just not faster like you'd expect).
You should be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion using your existing card, and then just swap in the Fermi/Kepler card.
Edit: FWIW I'm going to buy a GTX 680 when I upgrade to Mountain Lion in a few weeks, going to give it some time to settle down in case there are any unforeseen problems with the release.
2 GB 570 from MacVidCards if you actually need a boot screen, or stock 2 GB 670, which is already faster in Win and will be in OS X as drivers mature (we hope). 4 GB only if you are willing to jump through a hoop or two for workarounds to get OpenCL. Get a cheap used GT 120 and you can still have a boot screen on a second monitor. I don't miss the boot screen. The 670 is much cooler and makes 1/10 of the noise compared to the 4870.
PS - As you see in my post above, there are some other potential issues, but nothing too bad.
PPS - Asgorath beat me to it...what he said.
Thank you:
So this EVGA GTX680 give me what I need? Can't see anything about power connectors - I know some are 6 pin and some 8 on some cards.
Edit: 8avtor: didn't see your post. You say 670 vs. 680? Is this a power thing?
So this EVGA GTX680 give me what I need? Can't see anything about power connectors - I know some are 6 pin and some 8 on some cards.
Edit: 8avtor: didn't see your post. You say 670 vs. 680? Is this a power thing?
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The second image from the left shows the standard 2 6-pin power connectors on the top of the card.
The 670 is about $100 cheaper than the 680, and you don't give up that much performance. Many people consider the 670 to be a better deal overall. Check the web for reviews of the 670 to see exactly what kind of difference you'd be looking at.
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Yes and no, it was a price for performance decision for me. Plus, I wanted 4 GB VRAM and no 680 offers that without requiring external power (8 pin).
Pulled the trigger on the 2GB GTX680 card listed above. Seeing some concerns about >2GB ram on these cards I figured I'd just play it safe with less RAM. My current card has 512MB so this is still 4x that. Thanks for the help everyone, I'm excited to upgrade this 4 year old machine.