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no official video card upgrade options for 2008 mp?

M

mackmack

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 3, 2009
67
0
So now that the 4870 and gtx 280 are no longer being sold, does this mean there are no longer any official routes for upgrading the video card for a 2008 mac pro (at least new)?

Is the only option forward to go with a 5870 and deal with any possible issues? I do a bit of photo/video work on my mp so I'm not too keen on any 'hacked' solutions. :eek:
 
5870 and 5770 work just fine on the 2008. ATI designed them to work on the 08.
 
No issues? I read through the 5870 thread and I got a headache. Some people were saying there were issues with audio over the dp? Some people saying no issues? Issues with multiple displays?

Ugh, head hurts. :eek:
 
mackmack said:
No issues? I read through the 5870 thread and I got a headache. Some people were saying there were issues with audio over the dp? Some people saying no issues? Issues with multiple displays?

Ugh, head hurts. :eek:
Click to expand...

Audio over DP on any card only works on the 2010's. The Apple supported 2009's are in the same boat.

There are no known issues. The card was designed to support the 2008. The multiple display issues are in general, not specific to the 5870.

Edit: For reference, I have a dual card 2008 Mac Pro with a 5870.
 
Upgrades my 8800 GT in my 2008 MacPro to the ATI 5770. No issues at all. I even tried a clean install from the SL retail disk. It work fine but you do need to be running 10.6.4 or higher to get the right drivers.
 
dimme said:
Upgrades my 8800 GT in my 2008 MacPro to the ATI 5770. No issues at all. I even tried a clean install from the SL retail disk. It work fine but you do need to be running 10.6.4 or higher to get the right drivers.
Click to expand...

So going from the 8800gt, all the required power cables come in the 5870 kit? How do you handle bootcamp drivers? Can you just install the AMD PC drivers from their site?
 
mackmack said:
So going from the 8800gt, all the required power cables come in the 5870 kit? How do you handle bootcamp drivers? Can you just install the AMD PC drivers from their site?
Click to expand...

Yes, just that simple. I upgraded my 2008 octo with 2600 video to a 5770 in about 3 minutes. After installing latest ATI catalyst drivers, I also got audio over MDP->HDMI on my TV in Bootcamp Windows 7 (which does not work under OS X).

The only glitch I have noticed personally is that occassionally I get a screen of snow after waking from sleep on my DVI-attached Samsung 27" monitor (requiring me to press the "source" button on the monitor to switch inputs back and forth, or cycle the power). Happens once every few days, takes 5 seconds to fix. Worth the upgrade overall, just for good performance in Starcraft 2.
 
mackmack said:
So going from the 8800gt, all the required power cables come in the 5870 kit? How do you handle bootcamp drivers? Can you just install the AMD PC drivers from their site?
Click to expand...

As aqwhiteh said it takes only a few minuets and everything is in the box. Yes I got the drivers from AMD's site. No wake from sleep or sleep issues with my Dell U2410 & DVI. I did try a Mini displayprot to displayport cable and there is a issue if you turn off the monitor while the Mac is on but that a Dell displayport problem.
 
mackmack said:
So going from the 8800gt, all the required power cables come in the 5870 kit? How do you handle bootcamp drivers? Can you just install the AMD PC drivers from their site?
Click to expand...

As long as your Bootcamp drivers are up to date, the 5870 will work just fine. That said, the official AMD drivers will work too, and may perform slightly better.

All the power cables came in the box with my 5870. I even have a spare one now.

One thing to keep in mind with the ATI cards is that the drivers and the cards themselves are done entirely by ATI. While ATI built the card to be compatible with the 08, Apple is selling it and they can put whatever machines they want on their site. That said, ATI still designed the card to run in the 08, Apple just isn't advertising it.
 
Any problems using a DP - DVI converter when using multiple monitors? I have a dell PVA and hp IPS monitor that are all DVI only basically.
 
mackmack said:
So going from the 8800gt, all the required power cables come in the 5870 kit? How do you handle bootcamp drivers? Can you just install the AMD PC drivers from their site?
Click to expand...

The same power cable the 8800 uses works just fine with the 5770.
 
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