Nvidia 4000 and ATI 5870 together?

[IceMacMac]

I've been going round and round about GPUs...

Would this combo work, assuming I add the required power with splitter or such?

ATI 5870 AND
Nvidia 4000

I've got a MacPro 2009 4,1 and would be using a 30" and 2 23" inch displays on the 5870. The Nvidia 4000 might sit unconnected and only be used for its CUDA power.

 

[mac666er]

Hi!

ANY ATI 5870 card version requires TWO power plugs.
ANY Nvidia 4000 card version requires ONE power plug.

Usually, PC video card versions come with cables with LP4 male power plugs and Apple versions come with cables with male 6-pin PCIE versions.

Mac Pro logic boards, including your own version, includes TWO card power plugs (PCIE female).

You can therefore, connect one card without any hassles, at least at specified power requirements. As for how to power the extra one, you have options including, but not limited to:

1. Get an extra power supply. Which can go into the 5.25 inch drive bays in front of the computer.
2. Change the Mac's power supply to a more powerful version.
3. Use only one powerplug for each card. I don't believe this would work with an ATI 5870, but people have used just one plug for cards that required two in the past in Mac Pros, and I haven't read anyone yet try to pull this off. Might as well try.
4. Use a splitter or one of the optical drives power plug. However, this solution has been questioned as the power draw of a Quadro 4000 is higher than a DVD drive, so you may risk your hardware by doing this. However, it is your hardware after all, it doesn't mean you can't try it.

Good luck!

 

[goMac]

What apps will you be using CUDA with?

I do CUDA development, so I have a GT 120 sitting alongside my 5870, but depending on what you do that may not be powerful enough.

 

[IceMacMac]

What apps will you be using CUDA with?

I do CUDA development, so I have a GT 120 sitting alongside my 5870, but depending on what you do that may not be powerful enough.

goMac...I already have a GT120 sitting in my Mac...but I want more juice.

 

[IceMacMac]

Hi!

ANY ATI 5870 card version requires TWO power plugs.
ANY Nvidia 4000 card version requires ONE power plug.

Usually, PC video card versions come with cables with LP4 male power plugs and Apple versions come with cables with male 6-pin PCIE versions.

Mac Pro logic boards, including your own version, includes TWO card power plugs (PCIE female).

You can therefore, connect one card without any hassles, at least at specified power requirements. As for how to power the extra one, you have options including, but not limited to:

1. Get an extra power supply. Which can go into the 5.25 inch drive bays in front of the computer.
2. Change the Mac's power supply to a more powerful version.
3. Use only one powerplug for each card. I don't believe this would work with an ATI 5870, but people have used just one plug for cards that required two in the past in Mac Pros, and I haven't read anyone yet try to pull this off. Might as well try.
4. Use a splitter or one of the optical drives power plug. However, this solution has been questioned as the power draw of a Quadro 4000 is higher than a DVD drive, so you may risk your hardware by doing this. However, it is your hardware after all, it doesn't mean you can't try it.

Good luck!

Great stuff, mac666er. Thanks! I had planned on option 4...but you've given me reason to consider.

So your 5870 is pushing pixels for all three of your 30" bad boys?

I may get the 5770 and minimize the hassle when I add the 4000. I'm also thinking about upgrading my 2 23" Displays to 2 27" Cinemas. (My main monitor is 30".) In addition to wanting lots of screen real estate I'm hungry for CUDA AND good OpenGL performance. It's hard to meet all my needs with limited slots and power.

----------
MacPro 2009 16 thread 2.66GHZ; 32 GB RAM; 12TB RAID; ATI4870, NvidiaGT120 30" ACD + 2 23" ACD

 

[notabadname]

Does anyone know if GT 120 able to handle PhysX task when paired with 5870 in Mid 2010 Mac Pro for games like Batman AA in Bootcamp. That avoids the power issue.

 

[goMac]

Does anyone know if GT 120 able to handle PhysX task when paired with 5870 in Mid 2010 Mac Pro for games like Batman AA in Bootcamp. That avoids the power issue.

It used to, but I believe at some point NVidia blocked this feature if you had any ATI card in the machine. Dunno if this has changed, but I haven't noticed this option being available in a bit in my same setup.

 

[notabadname]

It used to, but I believe at some point NVidia blocked this feature if you had any ATI card in the machine. Dunno if this has changed, but I haven't noticed this option being available in a bit in my same setup.

Thank you for the response! Seems to be what I have seen on other sites too now. They block the Nvidia GPU use for PhysX if another competitor's card is used to run the game. Apparently some hacks/work arounds, to mess with the drivers. But sounds like it isn't worth the effort. Wondering how Batman AA will run with my 5870 and my 12 core CPU used to run the PhysX. Supposedly the game/PhysX code is intentionally de-optimized - no multi-threading - so you are driven to buy Nvidia GPUs. Not like my CPU can't handle game physics calculations. But apparently frame-rates drop significantly when the PhysX runs off the CPU.

Sure wish Apple would just open up the platform to use of all those GPUs out there. Love to get a couple of 580s or a 590. Hate having my pricey Mac Pro (loaded with Intel chips and Windows-ready) intentionally hobbled as a gaming computer. Some hints this may change in the coming year with next Mac Pro. I'm going to wait and see. Thanks again