Help with decision - Ways to increase my fps in GW2

[Arkados]

I'm trying to figure out a way to increase my fps in GW2 without breaking the bank. I have


2X 2.0ghz dual core xeons
4X 1gb RAM (not sure on brand came with computer)
Nvidia 430GT (used out of dell, does not require 6pin power cord)



I was thinking of just a simple go to Best Buy and overpay for a gpu cause I hate waiting but will my cpu/RAM bottleneck it?

 

[ActionableMango]

I don't even know what GW2 is, but unless it is a game that's well-known for being CPU bound, then a GPU upgrade should help a lot.

If you have a MP1,1 the AMD6870 is about as good as it will ever get. You will need 10.6.7 or newer and you won't have boot screens.

You will need power cables:
http://www.svideo.com/x1900.html

There is a lot more information in this thread.

I don't know if 4GB is enough, so with "GW2" running check your memory utilization.

 

[Arkados]

Sorry probably should've spelled it out. GW2 Stands for Guild Wars 2. an MMO that just released a Mac Beta Client. Is this a card I can plug in and play card I can purchase from, say, newegg? Or does it require some flashing/"hacking"?

 

[paulrbeers]

Sorry probably should've spelled it out. GW2 Stands for Guild Wars 2. an MMO that just released a Mac Beta Client. Is this a card I can plug in and play card I can purchase from, say, newegg? Or does it require some flashing/"hacking"?

Theoretically you can use any Nvidia card from 9000 series newer (Which you apparently know since you are using the GT430 already). First off, there aren't a lot of cards out there that are much more powerful than the GT430 without getting the Mac Pro Video card cable that runs from the motherboard to the 6pin connector on any graphics card. I have a GT440 in my Mac Pro and that's about as fast as Nvidia goes without the need for the mini 6 pin to 6 pin cable. Even the GTS450 or the GTX550 TI require 1 6Pin cable. If you don't have the cable, you probably wouldn't find one locally so any way you look at it you will need to wait... (and no the GT610, GT620 and GT630 aren't much faster).

You might also be maxing out the CPU. The 2.0ghz processors in the original 1,1 Mac Pro are as slow as they come for Mac Pros. You wold be better off with either Dual 5160's (Quad Core 3.0ghz) or dual 5355's (Octo 2.66ghz) to get you additional CPU power. If in the USA, you can get a set of either of these for around $100 (if not less) on eBay. Not sure how much these will help, but 50% more horse power couldn't hurt.

 

[Arkados]

Theoretically you can use any Nvidia card from 9000 series newer (Which you apparently know since you are using the GT430 already). First off, there aren't a lot of cards out there that are much more powerful than the GT430 without getting the Mac Pro Video card cable that runs from the motherboard to the 6pin connector on any graphics card. I have a GT440 in my Mac Pro and that's about as fast as Nvidia goes without the need for the mini 6 pin to 6 pin cable. Even the GTS450 or the GTX550 TI require 1 6Pin cable. If you don't have the cable, you probably wouldn't find one locally so any way you look at it you will need to wait... (and no the GT610, GT620 and GT630 aren't much faster).

You might also be maxing out the CPU. The 2.0ghz processors in the original 1,1 Mac Pro are as slow as they come for Mac Pros. You wold be better off with either Dual 5160's (Quad Core 3.0ghz) or dual 5355's (Octo 2.66ghz) to get you additional CPU power. If in the USA, you can get a set of either of these for around $100 (if not less) on eBay. Not sure how much these will help, but 50% more horse power couldn't hurt.

So with the 5355's, is there anything extra that needs to be done? Or can I just remove my current cpus and plop this suckers in?

 

[ActionableMango]

Sorry probably should've spelled it out. GW2 Stands for Guild Wars 2. an MMO that just released a Mac Beta Client. Is this a card I can plug in and play card I can purchase from, say, newegg? Or does it require some flashing/"hacking"?

AMD 6870 does not benefit from flashing on a MP1,1. It will work out of the box and boot up, but for full compatibility you need to install ATY_INIT.

If you want to go the Nvidia route, there is a great thread about it here. That's probably better actually because the Nvidia drivers essentially do the ATY_INIT for you, so it's one less hassle.

Whatever card you get, just be aware you might have to get either one or two of those power cables I linked to earlier.

 

[paulrbeers]

So with the 5355's, is there anything extra that needs to be done? Or can I just remove my current cpus and plop this suckers in?

Just drop them in. There are threads about this with a few recommended tools to make it easier. Took me all of a half hour on my Mac pro

 

[Arkados]

Just drop them in. There are threads about this with a few recommended tools to make it easier. Took me all of a half hour on my Mac pro

Do you happen to have links to these threads? I don't know if I might be blind but I can't find them ><

 

[paulrbeers]

Do you happen to have links to these threads? I don't know if I might be blind but I can't find them ><

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=15422182#post15422182

 

[Arkados]

Before I jump in just in on some from ebay, quick question, while gaming, how big of a temp difference is there? Is it enough to be concerned about? also do i need new heat syncs or fans?

 

[Snowshiro]

Before I jump in just in on some from ebay, quick question, while gaming, how big of a temp difference is there? Is it enough to be concerned about? also do i need new heat syncs or fans?

I just posted this in another thread, but after cleaning out a load of accumulated dust from the heatsinks and applying new cpu paste, my quad cores actually run a degree or two cooler than my dual cores used to.

 

[Arkados]

Nice, I found a pair for $130 on eBay I might jump on, do I need anything special? I assume old heatsink and fans will work, and decent thermal paste