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Help me choose graphics card for use with Yosemite on Mac Pro 1,1

Oh no. I shouldn't be allowed to have the Internet, I've just watched a video on YouTube where someone put two new quad xeons in their Mac Pro at 3 ghtz (5365), it has inspired me. If I do this will Yosemite and everything still work or will I need to install some new firm ware etc, basically what I'm asking is: will it be 'plug and play'.. I know this is off topic but you have been very helpful and seem to know a lot about this topic.
 
sebtacular said:
Oh no. I shouldn't be allowed to have the Internet, I've just watched a video on YouTube where someone put two new quad xeons in their Mac Pro at 3 ghtz (5365), it has inspired me. If I do this will Yosemite and everything still work or will I need to install some new firm ware etc, basically what I'm asking is: will it be 'plug and play'.. I know this is off topic but you have been very helpful and seem to know a lot about this topic.
Click to expand...

You can do it no problem. I am going to be doing the same. Just update your 1,1 firmware to 2,1 and the CPUs will show up correctly.
 
You can download it from netkas' blog: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,1094.0.html

Just register and download the file. The instructions are simple to follow. On my machine, for some reason, the super drive was preventing the update from running. as soon as I disconnected it it ran without a hitch. After the update I plugged it in again and all was well with the world.

I've attached screen grabs of my system report and about screens.

yosemite.jpg
 
Fl0r!an said:
You won't be able to run applications (primarily games, I guess) using the Metal API. At the moment there are exactly 0 of them, so it's no big issue.
Upcoming OS X games might use it, but you have to consider that we're talking about a 2006 MacPro, high-end AAA titles would be a problem either way.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't game in OS X anyway. Install Windows and play games natively. The ports on OS X are almost always terrible.
 
sebtacular said:
Oh no. I shouldn't be allowed to have the Internet, I've just watched a video on YouTube where someone put two new quad xeons in their Mac Pro at 3 ghtz (5365), it has inspired me. If I do this will Yosemite and everything still work or will I need to install some new firm ware etc, basically what I'm asking is: will it be 'plug and play'.. I know this is off topic but you have been very helpful and seem to know a lot about this topic.
Click to expand...

It seems like a lot of money to put into one of these. With a CPU upgrade, you will already have totaled your Mac Pro's value more than once.
 
Fl0r!an said:
You won't be able to run applications (primarily games, I guess) using the Metal API. At the moment there are exactly 0 of them, so it's no big issue.
Upcoming OS X games might use it, but you have to consider that we're talking about a 2006 MacPro, high-end AAA titles would be a problem either way.
Click to expand...

This list of supported GPUs apparently comes from Apple's devs. What's sad is that they seem to be hinting that a machine made before 2012 isn't necessarily supported... but this is about graphics, not system manufacturing date. Of course, it still looks as though Apple is now taking their jerk moves an extra step further and 'outlawing' any Mac that's three or more years of age.


  • Intel HD 4000 from Mac mini (Mid 2012) or MacBook Air (Mid 2012)
  • ATI Radeon HD 5770 from Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M (aka: GK107 N13P-LP) from iMac (21-inch, Late 2012)
 
Fl0r!an said:
You won't be able to run applications (primarily games, I guess) using the Metal API. At the moment there are exactly 0 of them, so it's no big issue.
Upcoming OS X games might use it, but you have to consider that we're talking about a 2006 MacPro, high-end AAA titles would be a problem either way.
Click to expand...

Yeah, hopefully I could steer clear of Metal-based programs. One can still use the OS just fine on their older card. In fact (and as an update to the list from Apple that I gave you), Apple claims that any Mac that can currently run Yosemite will be able to upgrade to El Capitan. Now, we know that the 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pros technically shouldn't have El Capitan on them (Or Yosemite, Mavericks, or Mountain Lion, for that matter); however, if the graphics chip in a 2007 iMac is fine enough for El Capitan, then my Radeon 5770 should be good. This other list was compiled in an article. I don't know if this list is specifically for El Capitan, or if the article simple stated that any Yosemite-compatible Mac would be able to run El Capitan, and simply stuck in the requirements for Yosemite...

  • iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
  • MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
  • MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
  • Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
  • Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
  • Xserve (Early 2009)
I guess it's legit. Here is an excerpt from a Wikipedia article about El Capitan; let's all hope and pray that we don't necessarily need to worry about Metal for some time.

All Macintosh products capable of running OS X Yosemite are supported by El Capitan, which includes all models supported by OS X Mavericks and most models supported by its predecessor OS X Mountain Lion.[18] However, not all features are available for each model. Apple notes that Metal is available on "all Macs since 2012".[19] It is speculated that the GPU must at least support OpenGL 4.3.[20]

The following models are compatible with OS X El Capitan:[21]

  • iMac: Mid 2007 or later
  • MacBook: Aluminium Late 2008; Early 2009 or later
  • MacBook Air: Late 2008 or later
  • MacBook Pro: 13-inch, Mid 2009 or later; 15-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later; 17-inch, Late 2007 or later[18]
  • Mac Mini: Early 2009 or later
  • Mac Pro: Early 2008 or later
  • Xserve: Early 2009

 
Last year I've upgraded to X5355 my MacPro 1,1 and flashed it to 2,1.
It's the best upgrade for a couple of them I found on eBay for $25 (yes both) to have an OctaCore Mac Pro, even a 2,1. :)

The X5365 solution is 3x the price and it's not worth it to me.

I hope this helps.
 
hugoZA said:
You can download it from netkas' blog: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,1094.0.html

Just register and download the file. The instructions are simple to follow. On my machine, for some reason, the super drive was preventing the update from running. as soon as I disconnected it it ran without a hitch. After the update I plugged it in again and all was well with the world.

I've attached screen grabs of my system report and about screens.

View attachment 569137
Click to expand...
I see you're using an nvidia card with Yosemite on your 2,1, is that an 'off the shelf' card or has it been flashed or is it second hand Mac, are you getting a boot screen? I found this card on eBay, is it the same as yours and will it do the job for me? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=171442619101&globalID=EBAY-AU
 
sebtacular said:
I see you're using an nvidia card with Yosemite on your 2,1, is that an 'off the shelf' card or has it been flashed or is it second hand Mac, are you getting a boot screen? I found this card on eBay, is it the same as yours and will it do the job for me? http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=171442619101&globalID=EBAY-AU
Click to expand...

Off the shelf generic PC card. Works perfectly. No boot screen but my mac hardly ever switches off so its not a problem. And besides you can keep the old 7300 or x1900 card in one of the other slots if you need a boot screen for some reason.
 
hugoZA said:
Off the shelf generic PC card. Works perfectly. No boot screen but my mac hardly ever switches off so its not a problem. And besides you can keep the old 7300 or x1900 card in one of the other slots if you need a boot screen for some reason.
Click to expand...
So just to be clear, did you need a boot screen to install Yosemite? Also I have found this card which is in Australia http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_876&products_id=28663

-edit-
did you have to install any drivers?
 
When I install Yosemite, should I have my old card in and put in the new one once it is installed or should I have the new one in. If I have the new one in will I be installing Yosemite 'in the dark' so to speak, or will I see a gui as I boot into it from the USB? This is basically what is confusing me.
 
sebtacular said:
When I install Yosemite, should I have my old card in and put in the new one once it is installed or should I have the new one in. If I have the new one in will I be installing Yosemite 'in the dark' so to speak, or will I see a gui as I boot into it from the USB? This is basically what is confusing me.
Click to expand...

The best way to install Yosemite is from another Mac which is capable of running it. You install it to the drive via USB and then simply pop the drive into the Mac Pro.

The stock drivers in Yosemite work fine, but with my card I had to install the latest web drivers in order for the card to show up as a Gt730.

Yosemity probably wont even boot with the old 7300 or 1900 card installed.
 
Yosemite will work with the Nvidia 7300, but only in basic mode without any acceleration or anything (just what the EFI gives you, no driver support).

If I were you I'd go for a flashable PC Radeon (e.g. what I posted yesterday), but the GT 730 will work fine in Yosemite, too. The advantage of e.g. a HD 5770 would be a) boot screen support and b) support in the the last official OS X versions for your 1,1 (10.6.8 and 10.7.4).
 
Ok, so what I'm going to do is install yosemite simply with the patched yosemite from a usb with my stock card. After it has installed I will use a new graphics card from this site because I'm not made of money and the chances of finding a flashed or second hand mac card for cheaps in Australia is nearly impossible to do. Is there anything wrong with my approach? It would be great if someone could choose a card for me from that site. Thanks for your help by the way, you people are really great
 
That's why I adviced you to get a used PC card (and flash it yourself), this will be the cheapest option. :)
 
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