Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Need Graphics card suggestions for a 2008 Mac Pro 8-Core

waywardsage

waywardsage

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 22, 2006
282
0
CA
I have a 2008 Mac Pro 2.8Ghz 8-Core and am looking to upgrade from my ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT card that is in the case. I am looking for the following qualities:

2 DVI outs
1 HDMI out

I'd prefer to keep the cost reasonable. I do moderate photoshop, video editing in Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premier and use some After Effects. I'd like to get something that will work with all the modern games that are out or are coming out like Civilization 5, Shogun 2 Total War (with Parallels) Diablo 3, Starcraft 3. I'm not a insane power player. Cost is a very strong concern for me. I'd like to get an affordable card that will last my needs for a few years.

I don't know a ton about video cards so any advice is helpful. It's been a long time since i've been in the tower/video card world.

Suggestions?
 
Hard to say, you want 'your cake and eat it too' it seems. You want a card that meets or exceeds your needs, will last but its not too expensive.

If you can go without the HDMI, I'd say get the 5770, its the best video card in my opinion for a 2008 model Mac Pro.
 
I'm not saying I want the greatest video card available. I know they can get expensive really quickly. I just want a good one that will last me a few years. I'm not the type to upgrade my card every 6 months.
 
waywardsage said:
I'm not saying I want the greatest video card available. I know they can get expensive really quickly. I just want a good one that will last me a few years. I'm not the type to upgrade my card every 6 months.
Click to expand...

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ

THIS IS the card it is $249 it works plug n play


this is the better card it is $449 it works plug n play

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC743ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ.


I would say get this card


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

it does not work plug n play but there is a how to thread on making this work.

Cindori can help you. Cindori is a forum member

try this thread;

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/877441/
 
philipma1957 said:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ

THIS IS the card it is $249 it works plug n play


this is the better card it is $449 it works plug n play

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC743ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ.


I would say get this card


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

it does not work plug n play but there is a how to thread on making this work.

Cindori can help you. Cindori is a forum member

try this thread;

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/877441/
Click to expand...

450 bucks for a 5870 is a complete joke.
 
It's unfortunate, but true: Mac Pro video cards are an enormous ripoff. And so are many other Mac Pro upgrades. The 5870 is quite old. Oh, and for that price, you can buy a screaming HD 7970 for PC which simply blows away the 5870, and the 7970 is, frankly, a wonderful ATI card that you can really overclock. The 7970 will last for several years, imo. 5870 already is outdated and what a waste of money to buy it.

I'm a Mac fan, believe me. But am just about through with the Mac Pro line. Zero updates for extended periods. Aftermarket upgrades are like 3x the cost of their PC equivalent. And PCs prices have really come down. Search my posts here, I recently made my own rig for like $1500 and it is blazing fast.

If Windows 8 is any good, I'm moving to an iMac for my "office light" work. And, unfortunately, a PC for heavy lifting such as video work, data RAID storage, and games.

And if Windows 8 can get the OS functionality that OS X has, such as the integrated Mail, Calendar, Address Book, native PDF printer, solid previewer, and avoid the "driver blowup" that was Vista, I think we professionals are going to have to take a serious look at moving back to PCs. Because this iOS and "Ipadification" of Macs simply does not cut it for power users.
 
  • Like
Reactions: z970
Velin said:
It's unfortunate, but true: Mac Pro video cards are an enormous ripoff. And so are many other Mac Pro upgrades. The 5870 is quite old. Oh, and for that price, you can buy a screaming HD 7970 for PC which simply blows away the 5870, and the 7970 is, frankly, a wonderful ATI card that you can really overclock. The 7970 will last for several years, imo. 5870 already is outdated and what a waste of money to buy it.

I'm a Mac fan, believe me. But am just about through with the Mac Pro line. Zero updates for extended periods. Aftermarket upgrades are like 3x the cost of their PC equivalent. And PCs prices have really come down. Search my posts here, I recently made my own rig for like $1500 and it is blazing fast.

If Windows 8 is any good, I'm moving to an iMac for my "office light" work. And, unfortunately, a PC for heavy lifting such as video work, data RAID storage, and games.

And if Windows 8 can get the OS functionality that OS X has, such as the integrated Mail, Calendar, Address Book, native PDF printer, solid previewer, and avoid the "driver blowup" that was Vista, I think we professionals are going to have to take a serious look at moving back to PCs. Because this iOS and "Ipadification" of Macs simply does not cut it for power users.
Click to expand...


Just about perfect. I am typing this on a diy pc. uses an i5 2500k 16gb of 1600 ram has a hd6870 gpu a pair of 256gb ssds and a 2gb hdd. cost 1.1k i own a base 2011 mac mini with vmware and windows 7 a 128gb ssd and 8gb ram cost 750 so for under 1.9k i get far more then a new 2.8 mac pro.
This mac trend is all about the cloud
the cloud is where the money is at. Having a beast workstation in your home makes many say efff the cloud I have more
control and 10 20 30 tb in my own home I don't want the cloud.my guess to the mac pro delay.
 
Velin said:
It's unfortunate, but true: Mac Pro video cards are an enormous ripoff. And so are many other Mac Pro upgrades. The 5870 is quite old. Oh, and for that price, you can buy a screaming HD 7970 for PC which simply blows away the 5870, and the 7970 is, frankly, a wonderful ATI card that you can really overclock. The 7970 will last for several years, imo. 5870 already is outdated and what a waste of money to buy it.

I'm a Mac fan, believe me. But am just about through with the Mac Pro line. Zero updates for extended periods. Aftermarket upgrades are like 3x the cost of their PC equivalent. And PCs prices have really come down. Search my posts here, I recently made my own rig for like $1500 and it is blazing fast.

If Windows 8 is any good, I'm moving to an iMac for my "office light" work. And, unfortunately, a PC for heavy lifting such as video work, data RAID storage, and games.

And if Windows 8 can get the OS functionality that OS X has, such as the integrated Mail, Calendar, Address Book, native PDF printer, solid previewer, and avoid the "driver blowup" that was Vista, I think we professionals are going to have to take a serious look at moving back to PCs. Because this iOS and "Ipadification" of Macs simply does not cut it for power users.
Click to expand...


You say you are a 'Mac Fan' but are you a Mac user? The blazing rig you built for $1500, is it running Windows or OSX?

Comparing Windows to OSX is, in my opinion, a waste of time, same with comparing Mac's with PC's. Buy what works for you, if you think a $1500 PC will do the job for you great, but then turning around and saying that its better then the $2500 two year old Mac Pro is simply unfair. Yes Apple has let down the Mac Pro community with the lack of hardware upgrades in the past two years while technology has forged ahead and improved in speed capacity and lower prices. People who buy Mac's don't generally care as much about price as PC shoppers do, why?, because they know they are getting quality and a machine that will work. Having worked in IT for twenty years using and supporting PC, I know what I am talking about. I switched to using a Mac Pro over a year ago and its simply amazing how little time I spend supporting my own computer and instead using it for what its intended. I am not saying Mac's don't have issues, sure they do, just no where near as often as pc's. If you want to rant about how expensive Mac's are versus an equivalently spec'd PC, then buy the PC, at the end of the day, its still not a Mac.
 
derbothaus said:
It's always been this way. Can we just all agree that you pay more for Apple stuff ALWAYS. Now can we stop pointing it out little bargain hunters?
Click to expand...

Why do you have to add the insult at the end? There are perfectly acceptable alternatives to a GPU other than buying from apple, that results in more power for your money. So please, if you want to be ripped off for a old GPU by all means continue doing so, but don't belittle those of us who don't feel the same.
 
derbothaus said:
It's always been this way. Can we just all agree that you pay more for Apple stuff ALWAYS. Now can we stop pointing it out little bargain hunters?
Click to expand...

What a laugh. Plainly this is someone who doesn't read, as this has nothing to do with seeking out "bargains." Instead, we're taking a hard look at dollars spent versus performance gained, which matters to serious users. (As an aside, our entire office is outfitted with Macs, including all our personnel, and our server room as well. For Apple products, guaranteed we spend in one year what this guy will spend in a lifetime on Apple.)

And the simple fact is, aftermarket upgrades for Mac Pros are ripoffs. We've spent the coin on Mac Pro for their speed, reliability, and flexibility. But absent updates and support, our continued participation becomes more questionable each passing month.

For example, right now I've got half a dozen Mac Pros that desperately need GPU updates, and several need storage and I/O upgrades. If I could get something akin to the HD 7970 for Macs at a reasonable cost, we'd buy it tomorrow. But no way in hell are we going to spend the same amount of money on tech that's three years old.

Same issue with USB 3.0, lack of thunderbolt, etc., because we're not going to buy a dozen cards to add these features. Let me tell you, ancient GPU plus slow firewire really starts to materially impact the "worth it" equation for Mac Pro the longer we go, especially as PC hardware gets better and better -- which it is. I've specced out the latest 2011 socket mobos for PCs, along with the peripherals, and Apple seriously needs to get its act together in the desktop market. Either this line gets upgraded and there is aftermarket support, or we're abandoning it, period.
 
Velin said:
What a laugh. Plainly this is someone who doesn't read, as this has nothing to do with seeking out "bargains." Instead, we're taking a hard look at dollars spent versus performance gained, which matters to serious users. (As an aside, our entire office is outfitted with Macs, including all our personnel, and our server room as well. For Apple products, guaranteed we spend in one year what this guy will spend in a lifetime on Apple.)

And the simple fact is, aftermarket upgrades for Mac Pros are ripoffs. We've spent the coin on Mac Pro for their speed, reliability, and flexibility. But absent updates and support, our continued participation becomes more questionable each passing month.

For example, right now I've got half a dozen Mac Pros that desperately need GPU updates, and several need storage and I/O upgrades. If I could get something akin to the HD 7970 for Macs at a reasonable cost, we'd buy it tomorrow. But no way in hell are we going to spend the same amount of money on tech that's three years old.

Same issue with USB 3.0, lack of thunderbolt, etc., because we're not going to buy a dozen cards to add these features. Let me tell you, ancient GPU plus slow firewire really starts to materially impact the "worth it" equation for Mac Pro the longer we go, especially as PC hardware gets better and better -- which it is. I've specced out the latest 2011 socket mobos for PCs, along with the peripherals, and Apple seriously needs to get its act together in the desktop market. Either this line gets upgraded and there is aftermarket support, or we're abandoning it, period.
Click to expand...

All this is fine and dandy. My point is that it has been known forever. Mac cards are always more expensive. So why the constant iteration of such? It is just info repetition. That was my only point. You're other regurgitations are nice and all but I am a Mac sysadmin (10+ years) and spend way more on Apple stuff yearly. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent annually. You're fleet that you don't even support or manage professionally is small fries. Stop with the foolish attitude and assumptions. You are preaching to a very experienced choir.
PS- I need a GPU update as well.

----------
fox10078 said:
Why do you have to add the insult at the end?
Click to expand...

Don't take it personal. It wasn't directed AT you. Just the one comment. There are legal reasons why you can't just plop unsupported cards in production Mac's. You do get a passive-agressive win though. Cudo's.
 
I'm not really trying to get involved in the "Is the Mac Pro worth it" quagmire. I would just like to know my best option to get a decent GPU card. My friend says that I need to get an NVidia one due to CUDA support on Premier Pro, (I'm considering leaving Final Cut Pro sometime in the near future.)

Are there any good Plug and Play Nvidia GPU options?
 
waywardsage said:
I'm not really trying to get involved in the "Is the Mac Pro worth it" quagmire. I would just like to know my best option to get a decent GPU card. My friend says that I need to get an NVidia one due to CUDA support on Premier Pro, (I'm considering leaving Final Cut Pro sometime in the near future.)

Are there any good Plug and Play Nvidia GPU options?
Click to expand...

Nvidia has been creating drivers for GTX 570s, I agree getting CUDA support is good, because it does both openCL and CUDA. Using AE and such I wish I had a Nvidia card.

As the thread states you can plug and play one in a mac pro, and the drivers will work, but to get boot screens and PCI 2.0 you need to do some modifications, I myself am considering buying one from the ebay of this guy.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1360927/
 
Problem with the Apple-supplied video cards is they start out at a reasonable price when released, but they NEVER UPDATE THE PRICES so over time they become more expensive (relative to the regular market price of the card) until the price becomes ridiculous.

This has been exacerbated by the long time since the last Mac Pro refresh; normally you'd see a specific video card sold for a year or so, but it's been two years now so the price is even more ridiculous.

Apple should periodically update component prices to reflect reality. $450 for a 5870 is not only ridiculous; it's not even on this planet!
 
I just purchased an Apple ATI Radeon HD 5770 Graphics Card Upgrade from OWC for my 2008 Mac Pro 8-core system to replace the original nVidia 8800GT. The reason for the upgrade was to prepare for a future display upgrade.

I am removing the ATI Radeon HD 5770 this afternoon and returning it to OWC. My issue with the card is with its HDCP hardware. I can no longer unwind by watching HD movies on my 30" Cinema Display.
 
Hi guys, I was Googling and came upon this thread.

I too have the same Mac Pro 3,1 from 2008. Currently running a 570GTX from EVGA and it runs fine for the most part but I'd like to upgrade it to the latest GPU that this machine will take. I'm looking to run 4K monitors for photo editing so the card needs to have at least that capability.

Today I was trying out the game War Thunder and it is horribly laggy.

What's the latest card out now that will fit into this Mac Pro and run? Was thinking of getting the 5K retina as an upgrade but will have to wait after Christmas or possibly until Apple upgrades the GPU to something faster than a M295.

Thanks
 
I have an external power supply & a Gigabyte R9 280x (REV 2) and it works great on my Mac Pro 3.1 with 16gb ram. A lot of newer cards require more power, and eventually you will need an external power supply to run them. I got a 850w power supply for a good deal on Newegg.

I plan on getting an extra side panel, and drilling holes in the side and putting additional cooling fans in it for the video card. (Not Required Just Cooler! :) )

I flashed my PC version R9 280x with the EFI boot screen, and it works great as well. You can pick them up on Newegg for around $250

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=gigabyte_r9_280x-_-14-125-490-_-Product

The external power supply will cost around $99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182072


Here are some benchmarks for comparison (Nice scores for Civilization 5)
http://gpuboss.com/graphics-card/GIGABYTE-Radeon-R9-280X-WindForce-3X-OC-Rev.-2

I'm a designer myself, and use photoshop, aftereffects, premier pro etc... without any problems...

Here is the firmware I posted for it with EFI
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1823424/


Hope this helps
 
Last edited:
Using a nvidia gtx560 on a macpro 1,1.

Really only doing web development. Thought at the time just buy the best I can to get the best performance I can.
 
I picked up a reference Radeon HD 7950 for $60 on craigslist and flashed it with the HD7950MAC.rom file from netkas and haven't looked back. Boot screen and bootcamp both work great on it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back