Mac Pro, 3rd/4th monitor

[Dazecoop]

Hey guys,

Done loads of searching over the Internet and on this forum and I can't find my answer exactly.

I have a Mac Pro at work and I would like a 3rd and perhaps 4th monitor on it.

System Profiler tells me I have an ATI Radeon HD 2600. I tried a random PNY (cheap) PCI-E graphics card, booted the Mac Pro up and it detected it, but no output to the monitor.

I assume Mac Pro's need specific graphics cards, ie like the one I already have? Is the best/cheapest way of doing this just a simple case of buying the exact same card?

Thanks in advance, cheers.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

You either buy a Mac compatible GPU, though depending on your Mac Pro model, not all cards work with every MP, thus you should at least tell us what MP you have.
Or you buy a Windows compatible GPU (a bit cheaper) and flash it to work with Mac OS X.

For both flashing and model specific GPUs there are a lot of threads around.
Either browse this sub-forum, use the Advanced Search or wait to be fed and maybe tell us what model and budget you have.

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[Dazecoop]

Hey sorry for not giving more information, I'm not all that up on the hardware side of things.

On System Profiler, it tells me Model Identifier: MacPro3,1

Budget-wise, if I could find a card for sub £100 that would be great. I am watching some ATI Radeon HD 2600's on eBay (second hand) which are roughly about £20-£40, but unsure if they would work?

Cheers.

 

[MacVidCards]

try installing ATY_Init and you will find that many Nvidia cards will work without flashing

if that unspecified PNY card you have is Nvidia it may work

 

[ClassObject]

I run 4 23+ inch monitors on an MSI 6870 (ATI) flashed. You'll need one dvi, one hdmi, and two active mini display port (MDP) to dvi adapters to make it work. Less than 250 bucks and you'll be up and running.

 

[slughead]

I run 4 23+ inch monitors on an MSI 6870 (ATI) flashed. You'll need one dvi, one hdmi, and two active mini display port (MDP) to dvi adapters to make it work. Less than 250 bucks and you'll be up and running.

He already has a video card in there to drive 1 or 2 monitors, so he doesn't need any active adapters (though you're right that he should probably spring for them anyway). He also doesn't actually need to flash the 6870 unless he wants those extra features.

 

[ClassObject]

He already has a video card in there to drive 1 or 2 monitors, so he doesn't need any active adapters (though you're right that he should probably spring for them anyway). He also doesn't actually need to flash the 6870 unless he wants those extra features.

Not sure the point you are attempting to make. The op wants to add monitors and wants to know cost options. I gave an option. I think it's a much better option than using a crappy hd2600 and buying another card.

 

[slughead]

Not sure the point you are attempting to make. The op wants to add monitors and wants to know cost options. I gave an option. I think it's a much better option than using a crappy hd2600 and buying another card.

I was just pointing out that 1) it's not always necessary to flash unless he wants to use DVD player or see a boot screen (may not be needed if he already has a monitor hooked up to the 2600). 2) He might be able to forgo buying any adapters or maybe just 1 adapter if he wants to use the 2 ports on the 2600.

Flashing is NOT a standard option for people. There's already a post on here from someone who bricked their card because of improper flashing. It's NOT always easy/safe.

If he's not using it for any tasks that require acceleration, he will notice absolutely no benefit from using a 6870 for all monitors. Judging from him stating he bought a "cheap card" to drive some extra monitors, and the fact that he's using a 2600, he may not care about speed.

Also, we never asked his MP model, perhaps he has an older model with 32bit EFI -- in which case there's even less reason to flash the 6870.