MP 1,1-5,1 Mac Pro 2,1 - graphics card help for a total newbie.

[BritishApple]

Hi,

I must have 20 tabs open on my iPad, I’ve had various DM’s with very helpful people, but I’m still at a loss.

I have inherited a Mac Pro 2,1 which has 2 x 3GHz Quad Core Xeons and 32GB of RAM.

I’ve updated it to El Capitan using Pikify but it only has the old stock GeForce 7300 which means the OS is too much for it, so I need to upgrade the GPU.

From what I’ve found out so far, I can’t use a 8800 GT (Apple version) unless it’s the one that is PCIE1, becauae the other PCIE2 variant uses 64bit EFI and my Mac Pro is 32bit.

I don’t care about boot screens, and I don’t have the means or expertise to “flash” a card.

Can anyone recommend a PC card, either nVidia or ATI, that I can just plug in and have it work (I understand I’ll lose the boot screen), because I’m on eBay and there’s so many cards with the same name but with different designs from different companies (the nVidia version looks different to the BFG, as an example).

I’m looking to spend £40-50 at most and will be using the Pro for audio editing via Audacity and recording podcasts.

I’d just like to know a brand/model of card I can go out and source.

Does the brand matter? Is there a limit to the memory of the card? Does the type of RAM (DDR3/4/5) even matter on a system that old when it’s only got PCIE 1.0 and the card is 2.0?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[velocityg4]

Have you looked through the GPU compatibility list? It's probably the most comprehensive list of workable GPU. It lists the range of OS supported, outputs which work, basic power consumption/pins, if the unflashed version works without boot screen and other notes.

GPU Compatibility List for cMP

Content: 1. Summary 2. Information on common GPUs that can be used in cMP 3. GPU power consumption 4. Color compatibility 5. Flashing nuances 6. What to choose? 7. Useful links. 1. Summary 1.1. There are 50+ GPU types that are compatible with cMP (classic MacPro = Mac Pro 1.1-5.1/...

forums.macrumors.com

As far as I'm aware. The EFI 32/64 issue is only if you want a Mac/Flashed version. Not with the no boot screen PC version. As the PC version is expecting BIOS or UEFI anyways.

 

[BritishApple]

Have you looked through the GPU compatibility list? It's probably the most comprehensive list of workable GPU. It lists the range of OS supported, outputs which work, basic power consumption/pins, if the unflashed version works without boot screen and other notes.

GPU Compatibility List for cMP

Content: 1. Summary 2. Information on common GPUs that can be used in cMP 3. GPU power consumption 4. Color compatibility 5. Flashing nuances 6. What to choose? 7. Useful links. 1. Summary 1.1. There are 50+ GPU types that are compatible with cMP (classic MacPro = Mac Pro 1.1-5.1/...

forums.macrumors.com

As far as I'm aware. The EFI 32/64 issue is only if you want a Mac/Flashed version. Not with the no boot screen PC version. As the PC version is expecting BIOS or UEFI anyways.

Thank you for that, it is very comprehensive but adds to my confusion ...the PC version 5770 is listed as not working out the box (Unflashed) yet lots of forums I’ve come across have said the PC 5770 works out the box, it just lacks the boot screen.

 

[velocityg4]

Thank you for that, it is very comprehensive but adds to my confusion ...the PC version 5770 is listed as not working out the box (Unflashed) yet lots of forums I’ve come across have said the PC 5770 works out the box, it just lacks the boot screen.

From what I recall. I lot of the older Radeon cards didn't work in hackintoshes either. Even if there were Mac variants. GeForce cards were the preferred choice up to High Sierra. It's probably the same for non-Mac/Flashed versions in the Mac Pro. I'd probably focus on the GTX 700 series. The 500 if you think you may go back to Lion. A lot of the 600 also work but you'll probably find the most info and help with the 700 series.

I'd also expect a lot of the cards from the Tonymacx86 lists to work. Probably best to stick with the 10.7.5 and 10.8.5 lists. Then if you find a likely match in your price range on eBay. Check to see if someone has it working correctly in their Mac Pro.

Build Recommendations for older versions of OS X/macOS using older Chipsets

New chipsets and graphics cards are not backwards compatible with many older OS X versions. The Evolution of Core-i Processors http://www.tonymacx86.com/376-evolution-intel-s-core-i-processors.html The table in the post above shows the CPU and motherboard combos that are compatible with each...

www.tonymacx86.com

Appartently, the 900 series will even work in the 1,1 and 2,1 Mac Pro with Yosemite or later.

Install an Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 TI in Your Mac Pro 1,1 or 2,1 | Low End Mac

The GTX 760/770 seem to have a high degree of compatibility (macOS 10.9 and later). Regardless of manufacturer. The 780 gets pretty power hungry.

Installing a GeForce GTX760 (GeForce GTX770/GTX780) into a 2006-2008 Mac Pro

Update March 29th, 2018A quick heads up, I've added a new article on the GeForce GTX 1060 / 1070 / 1080 series, the information is still true but a bit dated...

blog.greggant.com

 

[BritishApple]

Thanks guys, more to chew over. Appreciate the input and advice.

 

[passmaster16]

I have an unflashed XFX 6870 PC card in my Mac Pro 1,1 (flashed to 2,1) and it works fine, just no boot screen. I had bought it from Newegg back in 2011 and it's still kicking https://www.newegg.com/xfx-radeon-hd-6870-hd-687a-znfc/p/N82E16814150506?Item=N82E16814150506