Fully Supported ATi/AMD GPU for MacPro 1,1

[bizzle]

There is so much information out there I am having a hard time getting a consistent message on what works and doesn't work when it comes to 1,1s.

I might pick up a 1,1 and upgrade the CPUs and GPUs and I am looking for the best FULLY supported Radeon GPU. I am seeing a lot of info about AMD 68x0's working but not completely. Is there anything better than the 5770 that is completely supported?

 

[Hellhammer]

Amd 5870.

 

[bokdol]

i am trying to get the same info. so far i got that you need to install some ati drivers from the macbook pro 2011 cd. and then you can pop in off the shelf gpus into a mac pro and it should run. people have gotten the 6870 to work.

 

[Cindori]

1. get a 5870 or 5770 from Apple. it will cost a little more then a PC one, but it will work right out of the box

2. flash a PC 5870 or 5770, you pay less but invest more time

3. get a pc 6870. with recently leaked drivers, you can run it without flashing or anything. however, people have reported that some apps crash. future support is also unknown.



all of these options apply to all mac pro models.

 

[bizzle]

i am trying to get the same info. so far i got that you need to install some ati drivers from the macbook pro 2011 cd. and then you can pop in off the shelf gpus into a mac pro and it should run. people have gotten the 6870 to work.

That's what I am getting too but it's not very specific about how much of the card works, like QE/CI, boot screen working, etc etc.

I want a card that works completely, boot screen and all. I am still having a hard time finding definitive instructions on getting a PC 5870 working.

 

[Cindori]

That's what I am getting too but it's not very specific about how much of the card works, like QE/CI, boot screen working, etc etc.

I want a card that works completely, boot screen and all. I am still having a hard time finding definitive instructions on getting a PC 5870 working.

if you want a card with 100% support, an apple 5870 or 5770 is the card for you.

 

[bizzle]

How about an ATi 4870? I think it'll be plenty fast for my usage and cheap used. Is just any 4870 capable of being flashed and used in a 1,1?

 

[ListedFirst.com]

How about an ATi 4870? I think it'll be plenty fast for my usage and cheap used. Is just any 4870 capable of being flashed and used in a 1,1?

I use a 4890 in my 1,1, works perfect, but I must update the zeus.app every time a Snow Leopard update comes out. The 4870, even flashed, is 100% functional I believe.

 

[TheStrudel]

You'll receive best results with a (now hard to find) card that is most similar to the original 4870 reference design. I flashed one of the early Sapphire cards that was pretty similar and I had no compatibility issues at any point thereafter, but several people found OS updates breaking their otherwise perfect functionality.

 

[goMac]

Note that a 5770 seems to be about the best return on performance. Past that, the cards seem to have poorer performance gains on the 1,1.

 

[DualShock]

Just a quick note on this.

Yes, the Apple ATI 5770 and 5870 will work.

But your thread title says "fully supported". In this case, Apple itself will not support the 5770 or 5870 in anything less than a 2009 Mac Pro if something goes wrong. So even if you have AppleCare or are still under the 1 year warranty of the card, you are out of luck if the card goes bad.

 

[bizzle]

Just a quick note on this.

Yes, the Apple ATI 5770 and 5870 will work.

But your thread title says "fully supported". In this case, Apple itself will not support the 5770 or 5870 in anything less than a 2009 Mac Pro if something goes wrong. So even if you have AppleCare or are still under the 1 year warranty of the card, you are out of luck if the card goes bad.

I am not too concerned about that part, but thanks for pointing that out.