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Mac Pro 8800GT died. Need replacement.

L

lostless

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 22, 2005
490
104
Well after 3 years, my Gforce 8800GT on my 2008 mac pro has died on me. Mac OS Barely boots before red dots come up and crashes. Windows just shows red lines, then crashes. I'm looking for a replacement and was wondering what would be a good equivalent that won't cost me that much. I'm looking at the RadeonHD 5770, but would like to know if it'll be as good as the 8800GT. Any recommendations welcome
Thank you
 
The 5770 is considerably faster than the 8800GT. A 5870 would be even faster, but also quite a bit more expensive.
 
Time to play Betty Crocker.

Put on your cooking apron and BAKE THAT BABY !!!

More than 50% of dead 8800s can be "baked" back to life.

Google is your friend.
 
Bubba Satori said:
Wow, upgrading to a soon to be two generation old GPU.
That's thinking different for you.
Click to expand...

First of all, that's not Flatfoot's fault. These are the latest available cards from Apple.

Secondly, OP needs a replacement for a dead card now. Can't wait for some future 7xxx series.

---------

OP, it's really true that baking your card might fix it. As for buying a new card, here is the basic rundown:

The least expensive official Apple card is Nvidia GT120 for $110.
The next step up from Apple is 5770 for $190.
Next step up again from Apple is 5870 for $430.

Alternatively you can buy certain model PC cards. These may require extra work to get running and future OS updates may cause problems. Of PC cards, the 6870 seems to be the best bet right now. These run around $180.
 
Bubba Satori said:
Wow, upgrading to a soon to be two generation old GPU.
That's thinking different for you.
Click to expand...

If OP was fine with the 8800, not sure what the issue would be moving to an even faster "2nd gen old GPU" ... he's not focused on benchmarks, etc just on what his needs dictate.
 
Upgraded to Radeon 5770 in a 2008 MacPro and so far works fine. Though I could comment and compare it with the 8800GT as I never got to use this card. The 5770 is quiet and I think it's an adequate card at that price level. DVi or Mini-display port works fine on the 5770.
 
if you can find one, a cheap gtx 285 is also a good card
Click to expand...

Operative phrase: if you can find one cheap. ;)

Most used (official) GTX 285s I've seen cost a lot more than they really should. They get price gouged because they're the fastest CUDA cards available for Mac OS by most measures. Even the firmware hacked ones that pop up on eBay are pretty steep.

Outside of CUDA, the 5770 is a much better value, IMHO. It's also faster and generates less heat.

Wow, upgrading to a soon to be two generation old GPU.
That's thinking different for you.
Click to expand...

Ummm... And this is news? Perhaps the OP wants to avoid flashing ROMs for that "current-gen" 6800 series card to work.
 
Replaced my 8800 with a 5770 OP, and haven't looked back. Have a 1,1 Mac Pro, so the 5870 was overkill for me, even though I use it mainly for AE and Maya - price dif was too much.
 
Hi All,

I'm in the same boat as OP (well not quite, my 8800GT hasn't died yet, but I'm considering options for my 2008 MP).

Does anyone knows if any of these cards can be fanless'd? I've installed a big fanless radiator on my 8800GT (works fine), and would like to do the same on its replacement (lack of noise is important to me). Are the radeons compatible with fanless radiators? (or better, are they any builtin fanless compatible cards out there?)

Thanks,
 
I'm in the same boat as OP (well not quite, my 8800GT hasn't died yet, but I'm considering options for my 2008 MP).
Click to expand...

My 8800 GT is still ticking along as well, but it's a really an EVGA 8800 GTS 512 (dual-slot) flashed with the Apple 8800 GT firmware. I've read that the dual-slot G92-based cards are lot less prone to failure than the single-slot counterparts, due to their more robust heatsinks and fans.


Does anyone knows if any of these cards can be fanless'd? I've installed a big fanless radiator on my 8800GT (works fine), and would like to do the same on its replacement (lack of noise is important to me). Are the radeons compatible with fanless radiators? (or better, are they any builtin fanless compatible cards out there?)
Click to expand...

Actually, the Accelero S1 PLUS is a passive cooler and it lists the 5770 on its compatibility list, provided that the card is a reference design or somewhat close to it. The official Apple card is a reference design.

But I'm not quite sure whether this heatsink will block the next slot over, if that matters to you.
 
I really like the Apple 5770, it's a very quiet card most of the time. I don't know where ActionableMango found Apple 5770s for 190 bucks, but if he can hook you up with that I would go that route. Great card for the Apple buck.
 
AngryRedTicTac said:
I really like the Apple 5770, it's a very quiet card most of the time. I don't know where ActionableMango found Apple 5770s for 190 bucks, but if he can hook you up with that I would go that route. Great card for the Apple buck.
Click to expand...

Sorry, $220 is more realistic. There is a vendor listing new at $190, but I have no idea if they are real or not.
 
I was seriously pondering a second 5770 at that price! Even at $224, the education price, it's a good buy in Apple terms on the 5770 value wise. It won't be obsolete for normal use, including most gaming, for a few years. And it will be a massive upgrade from the 8800. Go for it!
 
@MacVidCards can you tell me what baking a video card mean? Do you really bake it as put it in an oven or it's just a geek metaphor? Should I pre heat the oven to 350 degrees?
 
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