gpu options for mac pro 3,1?

[postal service]

i searched, so i apologize if this post is redundant.

i have an early 2008 mac pro that is undergoing it's 2nd gpu failure, and apple refuses to replace it because i forgot to renew applecare and apparently it's my responsibility that their gpu failed again.

anyway, i realize i need to buy a new gpu, but i have a slight problem with paying the ~$350 apple wants for a "new" (5 year old) 8800GT. is there another cheaper gpu i can buy that will work in my computer?

also, i see flashed cards selling for ~$180 on ebay, will these work? are there any other options i have? i'm a broke college student with a $1.78 bank account so i have no restrictions on the card, as long as it has DVI-D.

any help would be greatly appreciated, i haven't kept up with mac pro news over the years so i am somewhat clueless as to what my best course of action is. i'm pretty sure it isn't paying apple another $350 for a gpu that will probably fail in another year or two. thanks again.

 

[ActionableMango]

8800GT is a time bomb.

For official Apple cards, the GT120 is the cheapest I am aware of at about $130. The best deal is probably the 5770 at $200.

Flashed cards from Ebay should work for the most part, but they are not necessarily 100% compatible and may have issues now or after future OS updates.

Your absolute cheapest solution is to bake your 8800GT in the hopes that it will be fixed. I'm not joking.
http://www.gpureview.com/how-to-fix...-1-preheat-your-oven-to-385f-article-798.html

 

[ashman70]

Another vote for the 5770, I had this card in my 1,1 and now in my 3,1 and its rock solid stable, love it.

 

[postal service]

awesome, thanks so much! looks like it's gonna be the 5770, and it's only ~$20 more expensive than the flashed cards on ebay.

i'll try the oven thing and post back if it works, but that is insane. i'm not sure if i can disassemble all the plastic from the card but it's worth a shot!

thanks again for the help! you guys are epic.

 

[TinHead88]

awesome, thanks so much! looks like it's gonna be the 5770, and it's only ~$20 more expensive than the flashed cards on ebay.

i'll try the oven thing and post back if it works, but that is insane. i'm not sure if i can disassemble all the plastic from the card but it's worth a shot!

thanks again for the help! you guys are epic.

I had the 8800GT fail in my 3,1 MacPro. I tried the baking and it did actually work... but only for a little while. I'd recommend not bothering with that. Another alternative (what I ended up doing) is the 6870. It works out of the box for 10.6.8 and above. The only issue is you don't get a boot screen. I have a GT120 in there as well so that's not a problem for me. The 6870 is very close to 5870 in performance but will cost around $200.

 

[tamvly]

Where might one find a new 5770 for $200? I see them at about $250.

 

[gpzjock]

Why buy a 5770 for $200 when you could have this?

Found a peach of a 6870 for $295.
It will tear the head off a 5770 without breaking a sweat, why buy a half speed card when this is only $100 more?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-AMD-Radeon-HD-6870-1GB-Video-Card-Apple-Mac-Pro-Almost-5870-Perfomance-/140623956782?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item20bdd74b2e
An Apple genuine 5770 is a right rip by comparison and as for the 5870.....
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC743ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ

 

[cbott]

Gpu

I put a XFX 6870 in mine and it ran right out of the box on 10.7. As I understand it any 6870 should run out of the box on 10.6.8 and above.

You might look at tonymacx86.com for getting non-apple hardware in your computer but almost any AMD/ATI card should work fine for you.

 

[Cindori]

You might look at tonymacx86.com for getting non-apple hardware in your computer but almost any AMD/ATI card should work fine for you.

absolutely not.

i'll try the oven thing and post back if it works, but that is insane. i'm not sure if i can disassemble all the plastic from the card but it's worth a shot!

from the reports i've seen, it works 95% of the time.
cooler is just attached by some screws. look for "8800gt fan replacement" or something and you wil find guides.