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Graphics upgrade 5.1 MPt

R

Reclzz

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 8, 2014
53
7
Hi Everyone

I'm about to upgrade my graphics card but after reading multiple threads here and other pages online, I'm still really confused.

I have a 2012 Mac Pro 2.4 GHz "Eight core" which I recently upgraded to 2.8 GHz "Twelve core" (2 Xeon X5660).
I now need graphics to match the CPU upgrade. As I said above, I've been reading alot but can't seem to wade through all the option and arive at any conclusion, which is why I seek help.

I'm a CS major and in my free time i play a little WoW and CivV, I programme, do 3D modeling (for my small personal 3D fantasy game) and video editing.

I live in Europe and can't just buy the Sapphire 7950 og EVGA 660 and ordering from America adds 25% in fees and VAT, which is out of the question.
I would like a recommendation on which GPU would be best at different price points, budget is ~£500, preferably less as I also need more RAM.

Cheers
Bo H. Sørensen aka Reclzz
 
Last edited:
Reclzz said:
Isn't the GTX 570 quite old by now?
Click to expand...

Do you need your bootscreen? Are you using bootcamp aswell, or just OS X?
Also, what version of OS X are you running?
If you don't care about your bootscreen I'd suggest anything from a GTX 680 up to the GTX 970. However, this depends on your OS.

If you are already on Yosemite, the 970 probably is a no brainer.
On Mavericks you could have a closer look at the 6GB GTX 780.
Mountain Lion: GTX 680, GTX 770, GTX 780 3GB
 
MentalVizion said:
Do you need your bootscreen? Are you using bootcamp aswell, or just OS X?

Also, what version of OS X are you running?
Click to expand...


I'm running OS X 10.10 and Windows 7, however windows is only for Visual Studio, I probably could use Parallels instead of Boot Camp now that I have 4 more cores in my system.
 
Reclzz said:
Isn't the GTX 570 quite old by now?
Click to expand...
For regular professional applications like Premiere Pro & Photoshop etc it's still plenty fast enough & faster than the GTX680 for some operations. This is for OS X as I don't have a clue about Windows games. The only criticism you could make is that it runs hotter than newer models.

----------
MentalVizion said:
Do you need your bootscreen? Are you using bootcamp aswell, or just OS X?
Also, what version of OS X are you running?
If you don't care about your bootscreen I'd suggest anything from a GTX 680 up to the GTX 970. However, this depends on your OS.

If you are already on Yosemite, the 970 probably is a no brainer.
On Mavericks you could have a closer look at the 6GB GTX 780.
Mountain Lion: GTX 680, GTX 770, GTX 780 3GB
Click to expand...

Why rule out the GTX570? You can't buy them new any more but used they are cheap & great value for the performance which is much the same as a GTX680.
 
Reclzz said:
I live in Europe and can't just buy the Sapphire 7950 og EVGA 660 and ordering from America adds 25% in fees and VAT, which is out of the question.
I would like a recommendation on which GPU would be best at different price points, budget is ~£500, preferably less as I also need more RAM.
Click to expand...

Just buy a GTX 970 or a GTX 980 in a local shop.

http://www.pricerunner.dk/pl/37-301...ed-ACX-2.0-(04G-P4-2983-KR)-Sammenlign-Priser

http://www.pricerunner.dk/pl/37-301...ed-ACX-2.0-(04G-P4-2974-KR)-Sammenlign-Priser
 
I've been looking at this one from EVGA, it says the total power draw is 145W that wouldn't be a problem in the mac pro right?
 
Pieterr said:
No. Most EVGA GTX 9x0 cards have 2x6-pin which also fits nicely in a Mac Pro. (2x6-pin is 225W max.)
Click to expand...


Sounds great! I think i'm gonna get that one then. Money left over for RAM and maybe eyetv hybrid
 
Graphics upgrade 5.1 MPt

I just have one last question, will the 970 have problems with driving a 27" cinema display in wow for example, i've that the 256bit interface is only good for FHD but the cinema is like 1.6 million pixels bigger.

Edit::
And will there be a problem driving 2 or even 3 cinema displays?
 
Last edited:
Reclzz said:
I just have one last question, will the 970 have problems with driving a 27" cinema display in wow for example, i've that the 256bit interface is only good for FHD but the cinema is like 1.6 million pixels bigger
Click to expand...

What resolution do you want to be gaming in?
 
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