Just an idea

[zoran]

Im thinking of getting the MacPro 2.66 with the ATI Radeon X1900 XT grafx card. But i was thinking that the Ati was released in 2006 so it might not be a good idea get it now, should be kinda “old” by now. So whould it be better if i purchase the MacPro with the cheaper NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT it comes with, and then, sometime later, if im not satisfied, i can spend about 250$ to get a replacement (those 250$ would be the price to pay for the ATI now). I take it that, a replacement card at that later time costing 250$, surelly would be better than the ATI Radeon X1900 XT that comes out now!
1. Please tell me what you think about this idea of mine and also...
2. Is this possible with MacPros? To get a grafx card from the market and just plug it in? Are there any matters of cooperation/conflicts with the MacPro?

 

[Jiddick ExRex]

I am currently in the same situation and thinking about the same strategy. However, you need to buy either an X1900 upgrade kit that comes with the correct firmware installed (else it won't run in OS X) or you can buy a normal X1900 and flash the EFI yourself (which takes a little more work but it's cheaper). Also, http://omni.starchaser.org/titan/ has a project going on where you can emulate the drivers for almost any old Nvidia cards.

 

[zoran]

I am currently in the same situation and thinking about the same strategy. However, you need to buy either an X1900 upgrade kit that comes with the correct firmware installed (else it won't run in OS X) or you can buy a normal X1900 and flash the EFI yourself (which takes a little more work but it's cheaper). Also, http://omni.starchaser.org/titan/ has a project going on where you can emulate the drivers for almost any old Nvidia cards.

Thanx for the input Jiddick ExRex, very intresting info... but u know what, i believe that one reason (amonst the many) that mac users, like beeing mac users is not having to spend too mutch time fixing their hardware (like pc users and ive been a pc user also) or overclockings their machines or any other similar stuff.
They want to use the easyest / handy dandy computer ever built free of sutch worries. So now that u say that any other card can be inserted into the pci bus, BUT, with only by using an upgrade kit and correct firmware and all that sh@t i think ill pass and get that Radeon.
Damn it and thought it was gonna be easy.
By the way how mutch does an X1900 upgrade kit cost anyway? And also has the Ati X1900 grown old? I havent checked around whats new in the grafx card dept!

 

[Grenadier]

What would I do if I were you ?
I would get the X1900 for OSX, and get a 8000 series card from Nvida to use in bootcamp (Or just wait for the R600s)
The thing is...I dont see apple introducing a GPU that a new GPU for atleast another 6 months.
And that is t3h sux.

 

[akadmon]

Im thinking of getting the MacPro 2.66 with the ATI Radeon X1900 XT grafx card. But i was thinking that the Ati was released in 2006 so it might not be a good idea get it now, should be kinda “old” by now. So whould it be better if i purchase the MacPro with the cheaper NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT it comes with, and then, sometime later, if im not satisfied, i can spend about 250$ to get a replacement (those 250$ would be the price to pay for the ATI now). I take it that, a replacement card at that later time costing 250$, surelly would be better than the ATI Radeon X1900 XT that comes out now!
1. Please tell me what you think about this idea of mine and also...
2. Is this possible with MacPros? To get a grafx card from the market and just plug it in? Are there any matters of cooperation/conflicts with the MacPro?

I would get the stock Nvidia card. I'm happy with mine. My machine is super quiet (unlike most that have the ATI card installed), and I've yet to run into a situation where I felt the Nvidia card was bogging me down. Then again. I don't know what you will be doing on your Mac Pro; if it turns out you really do need a faster card, you will pay more to buy the ATI card as a stand-alone upgrade than if you go with it at the time you purchase your Mac. For me, the extra $250 was not worth it.

 

[dmw007]

A 2.66GHz Mac Pro with a 512MB ATI Radeon X1900XT should last you for some time to come. Are you afraid that it does not have enough horsepower to handle your needs?

The X1900XT is much faster than the 7300GT, so if you want to play games right away, I would just buy the Radeon X1900XT and be done with it. You can always upgrade later if need be.

 

[dextertangocci]

A 2.66GHz Mac Pro with a 512MB ATI Radeon X1900XT should last you for some time to come. Are you afraid that it does not have enough horsepower to handle your needs?

The X1900XT is much faster than the 7300GT, so if you want to play games right away, I would just buy the Radeon X1900XT and be done with it. You can always upgrade later if need be.

What he said

 

[Transeau]

the X1900 may be "old" now but it's a great card.
I play WoW, full screen, 1920x1200 with everything on MAX. It's beautiful. VERY smooth.

 

[zoran]

1. what is out there faster at the same price than the "old" ATI X1900?
2. is it true that the ATI makes a lot of noise?

 

[Transeau]

1. what is out there faster at the same price than the "old" ATI X1900?
2. is it true that the ATI makes a lot of noise?

1 - With Mac Support? Nothing
2 - It's a bit louder than expected, but an $20 cooler fixed that. (completely silent now)

 

[Fredou51]

1. what is out there faster at the same price than the "old" ATI X1900?
2. is it true that the ATI makes a lot of noise?

It is a bit loud but it's okay. I didn't want to start playing in my computer to change for the Accelero kit so I left it like that. I don't really mind the noise. It is much quieter than my dad's Toshiba laptop which is nearly like a plane taking off.

 

[zoran]

2 - It's a bit louder than expected, but an $20 cooler fixed that. (completely silent now)

What 20$ cooler would that be? And is there lost of guarantee if one tries to fix it himself?

 

[eMagine]

What 20$ cooler would that be? And is there lost of guarantee if one tries to fix it himself?

this $20 cooler:
http://www.techpowerup.com/printreview.php?id=/ArcticCooling/AcceleroX2

you can always put the stock cooler back.

~g

 

[twoodcc]

i thought it's $250 to upgrade it when you buy it, but $400 to upgrade later, correct?