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Radeon HD 3870 for Mac coming end of May

barefeats

barefeats

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 6, 2000
1,058
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I have received confirmation from a reliable source that ATI will definitely offer a retail version of the Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB DDR4 that will boot OS X Leopard on both current and legacy Mac Pros. It will be "on the shelves" by the end of May.

It will, of course, boot Windows XP or Vista in your Boot Camp partition. And, like the 2600, I expect it to support CrossFire mode under Windows if you have two installed and jumpered.

My source also confirmed that the Radeon 2600 (and 3870) drivers in Leopard 10.5.3 will provide surprising performance enhancements for 3D gamers. And just in case 10.5.3 gets delayed, they will ship the enhanced drivers with the card.
 
That's good. I'll bet they run the hardware-accelerated non-3D apps faster than the other ATI cards too, further separating it from the 8800 GT in this regard.
 
So all my concerns regarding which card to buy with my upcoming mac pro purchase are out the window now? Does this mean I should just get the stock and wait for this bad boy to come out and get it instead of getting the 8800 and waiting [hoping] for the 8800 to get an "upgrade"?
 
From a pure performance standpoint, NVIDIA's card is the victor. For the more price-conscious, ATI's HD3870 is an excellent deal.
If it is the single card we are talking about and not the double one. But since you claim it is a 512MB card, it must be the single one.

However, IF it does support Crossfire, you can get two of these and it will smoke the 8800GT. But that is unconfirmed, and it wont work in pre 08 Macs.


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I think you get it :)
 
Hope they offer 1GB version...

Pretty unsure situation when high-end iMac now has 8800... will they update FCS2 support for that very soon... and if they do, which card is then better?
 
Okay. so in gaming nearly, but not quite as good as the GeForce 8800 GT.

But two good things to conclude here:

- ATi delivers another retail card for the Mac! Gives us extra options!
- The Radeon HD 3870 will probably be the best "Mac OS X" card for your Mac Pro. A gr8 deal, and presumably a far better performance than the GeForce 8800 in the Pro apps.... unless Apple / nVidia does something drastic about the drivers for the GeForce card.
 
barefeats said:
I have received confirmation from a reliable source that ATI will definitely offer a retail version of the Radeon HD 3870 with 512MB DDR4 that will boot OS X Leopard on both current and legacy Mac Pros. It will be "on the shelves" by the end of May.

It will, of course, boot Windows XP or Vista in your Boot Camp partition. And, like the 2600, I expect it to support CrossFire mode under Windows if you have two installed and jumpered.

My source also confirmed that the Radeon 2600 (and 3870) drivers in Leopard 10.5.3 will provide surprising performance enhancements for 3D gamers. And just in case 10.5.3 gets delayed, they will ship the enhanced drivers with the card.
Click to expand...

I love how long this thread has gone blindly on about possible features without someone asking for proof. History states that Apple leaves the professional Mac line to die for want of graphics until the next processor update. What should make me believe that they're actually doing this?
 
I have the 3870x2 installed in my Mac Pro for Windows gaming alongside a failing x1900XT for Mac OS X

Questions, questions:

1. Currently the 3870x2 is not recognised in 10.5.2
2. Is this a stock ATI card or specifically engineered for Apple?
3. Can the Apple/ATI 3870 ROM be copied and flashed twice onto the x2?
4. Will the 10.5.3 drivers also support the x2 version?
5. Happy days..:D
 
Cindori said:
From a pure performance standpoint, NVIDIA's card is the victor. For the more price-conscious, ATI's HD3870 is an excellent deal.
If it is the single card we are talking about and not the double one. But since you claim it is a 512MB card, it must be the single one.

However, IF it does support Crossfire, you can get two of these and it will smoke the 8800GT. But that is unconfirmed, and it wont work in pre 08 Macs.

I think you get it :)
Click to expand...

Stealing bandwidth is just rude!

People will get the Radeon HD 3870 for professional applications where the Radeon X1900XT still is king.

Even the Radeon HD 2600 holds it own agains the Geforce 8800 GT in professional applications.

If this rumor is true it will make Motion cry with joy :D

EDIT:

It's a shame though as the R700 and RV700 is coming a month later, in june. Hopefully they make an EFI version :D
 
I hope they decide to put a 3870X2 or give the 9800 series a try. How many would love a 9800 GX2 in their sexy mac pros. Now that's one pwerful setup. Apple's most powerful desktop powered by the world's most powerful graphics card. Gee i'm starting too like that thought. :):):):apple:
 
Tallest Skil said:
I love how long this thread has gone blindly on about possible features without someone asking for proof. History states that Apple leaves the professional Mac line to die for want of graphics until the next processor update. What should make me believe that they're actually doing this?
Click to expand...


Agree. Totally un-Apple like. Wishful thinking with no Apple history (as you pointed out) to offer multiple "options" for buyers. Too confusing. Too PC like.
 
Actually I have a strong feeling that Apple wants to start selling video cards to people because when they offer high end ones people get real interested.
 
ildondeigiocchi said:
Actually I have a strong feeling that Apple wants to start selling video cards to people because when they offer high end ones people get real interested.
Click to expand...

And what can you point to that supports your strong feelings that "Apple wants to start selling video cards......."?
 
So I take it this will be an OEM card sold by ATI?

I wonder if Apple only wanted to offer the 3750 and 34x0 as BTO options (based on the leaked data in the 10.5.3 seeds) and thus ATI has decided to enter the market themselves?
 
Roy said:
And what can you point to that supports your strong feelings that "Apple wants to start selling video cards......."?
Click to expand...

They've never done it before and Apple is all about surprises. Heck when's the last time we thought they would stick a high end video card like 8800GS in the iMac? Apple is on a mission to make the dreams of its customers come true.
 
Tallest Skil said:
So... xMac at WWDC, then, you think?

No, Apple is on a mission to make His Jobsness' vision for computing come true. Whether or not that involves a mid-range gaming Mac has already been seen.
Click to expand...

I thought the xMac was something people not currently owning an Apple computer wanted. I see many contend Apple owners out there currently.
 
If the 8800GT is only $270 there doesn't seem much call for a cheaper option. Good luck to them anyway.
 
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