MacPro1,1 Video Card Update

[wbc]

I have a Mac Pro that is unable to run the new Final Cut Pro X due to incompatible video card:

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4664


What should I look for in a new video card?

 

[wbc]

Didn't see the post below, can't figure out how to delete a thread. Mod can delete.

Going to get the ATI Radeon HD 5770

 

[apple_iBoy]

I've had great luck with a 6870 that I bought cheap on craigslist. Didn't even have to flash it.

 

[perpetualpoet]

Get an ATI radeon HD 4870 on ebay. They are dirt cheap and work really well. I bought mine from apple but realized later that there is no difference if you get it from them or not besides having a mini display port.

Also barefeats.com has done a lot of testing with the 5000 and 6000 series on the 1,1 Mac Pro and there is no comparable speed difference over the 4870 due to bottlenecking, so there is no reason to get anything more expensive.

I've been very happy with mine. Games run very very fast (in windows of course)

 

[perpetualpoet]

Get an ATI radeon HD 4870 on ebay. They are dirt cheap and work really well. I bought mine from apple but realized later that there is no difference if you get it from them or not besides having a mini display port.

Also barefeats.com has done a lot of testing with the 5000 and 6000 series on the 1,1 Mac Pro and there is no comparable speed difference over the 4870 due to bottlenecking, so there is no reason to get anything more expensive.

I've been very happy with mine. Games run very very fast (in windows of course)

Make sure that you get a Mac version of the card (it may say "flashed" for mac, that is what you want)

 

[apple_iBoy]

Get an ATI radeon HD 4870 on ebay. They are dirt cheap and work really well. I bought mine from apple but realized later that there is no difference if you get it from them or not besides having a mini display port.

Also barefeats.com has done a lot of testing with the 5000 and 6000 series on the 1,1 Mac Pro and there is no comparable speed difference over the 4870 due to bottlenecking, so there is no reason to get anything more expensive.

I've been very happy with mine. Games run very very fast (in windows of course)

I had a flashed 4870 in my machine but eventfully ditched it for a bunch of reasons:

• It broke with every point update and I was at the mercy of benevolent tech-heads to come up with patches (never got one for 10.6.8 or Lion)
• It was loud as hell
• It wouldn't allow my Mac to wake from sleep in a usable state

I am getting better performance with the 6870 (extreme setting, all ultra) in SCII (the only game I really play), plus it's quiet and let's my Mac properly sleep.

I know there are a bunch of flavors of 4870 cards and maybe there are some out there better behaved than mine, so I guess mileage on that may vary. Not sorry I gave up on mine though.