new iMac vs. Graphics Card+New Monitor for Mac Pro?

[Aeolius]

One of the displays on my Mac finally died. Apparently the new Apple monitors do not work without a proper graphics card, and those cards apparently do not support my Mac Pro's generation.

My Mac Pro:
3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB had drive
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT

New iMac:
3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, 1TB hard drive
AMD Radeon HD 6970M with 1GB
(I bumped up to an i7. More hard disk space and more memory on the Radeon available in BTO)

So, best case scenario it boils down to $999 for a Mac 27" display, plus a graphics card and adapter, if such a thing was feasible.

Or.... double my money for a new iMac.

I will need a few beers to think this through.

 

[hifoo45]

Well you can probably sell your Mac Pro for at least a $1000 (and thats probably low) which will cover half of the imac. So technically you are spending less than what you would for a new display and video card on and old mac pro.

 

[Transporteur]

Pop a 5770 or 5870, or if you're on budget a GT120 in your Pro and you're good to go for a 27" Cinema.

 

[alust2013]

Even though the newer graphics cards don't officially support older models, they will work. So you can pay less if you really want an apple display. Or you could buy a really expensive adapter.

Personally, I'd buy a 27" Dell, so you don't have to get a new GPU or have a super glossy screen, unless you really like that.

 

[Aeolius]

Pop a 5770 or 5870, or if you're on budget a GT120 in your Pro and you're good to go for a 27" Cinema.

Do those work with DDR2? My MacPro is a 3,1 (2008).

 

[Icy1007]

How does the 6970M in the new iMacs compare to the 5870 in the Mac Pro?

 

[Mackilroy]

The 5770 and 5870 will work perfectly fine in your Mac Pro, Aeolius.