Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Should I wait to buy a new graphic's card?
- Thread starter awer25
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
So I currently have a ATI 4870 card installed on my 2.66 Quad core 8 gig mac pro. I was looking at the ATI 5870 but am wondering if there is going to be any new cards coming out soon for mac's. I'm kind of ignorant when it comes to graphics cards and have read of people "flashing" pc cards to work with mac's, I have no interest in even attempting this for certain fear that I may mess it up
If someone could shed some light on how often mac's get certified graphic card updates I would much appreciate it.
I use my Mac for Final Cut and Motion work. I also play some games in bootcamp and have been noticing more recent games beginning to chug a bit with my 4870.
If someone could shed some light on how often mac's get certified graphic card updates I would much appreciate it.
I use my Mac for Final Cut and Motion work. I also play some games in bootcamp and have been noticing more recent games beginning to chug a bit with my 4870.
Your next gpu update will be when the mac pro gets updated..
So july to jan should be the time frame for the ati 6970 edit meant 6970
I used to be a betting man So I would say my guess above is about 60 to 70 percent chance of true.
think new mac pro = new gpu
So july to jan should be the time frame for the ati 6970 edit meant 6970
I used to be a betting man So I would say my guess above is about 60 to 70 percent chance of true.
think new mac pro = new gpu
Last edited:
5870 is a powerful card and has only very slightly less juice than this year's offerings (6950/6970). I would go ahead and buy it, better cards aren't going to come out until next year at least ;-)
Very true. I think a lot of people underestimate how much power the 5870 has; despite its age, it has held up very well.
Thanks for the input guys, i think i'll pull the trigger
Just curious...on my screen my answer to your OP shows up as the first post, with your original question below my answer. Is it that way for you too? If so, what the heck happened?
I dread to think how expensive the 6970 will be, so I think my options are to either get the 5870 or a 'PC' 6970 and flash it. I'll probably wait to see how expensive the 6970 is, maybe they'll keep it at the same level as the 5870, but I get the feeling Apple will use the fact that it's new to charge £200 more for it even though it wasn't anywhere near that much more for a PC user. Call me cynical, but, I am.
lol, yeah it's like that on my end too, don't know how that happened.
One last question, where is the best place online to buy a 5870, it's not like the apple store sells a special one just for macs or something right? I'm new to this and just want to make sure I get the most competitive price out there. I live in Canada if anyone knows any good online Canadian retailers.
Well, being that in Windows, the same driver works for any brand of the same card, I would assume that you can get any 5870.
I only had a minute to check, but I didn't see any in stock online.
There is actually a specific one for Macs, as the ones you buy elsewhere are designed for BIOS, rather than EFI, so you have to figure out how to flash it with Mac-compatible firmware first. If you are only using it for windows, then any of them would work fine, you just wouldn't be able to boot into OS X with it.
Flashing is easy if you feel comfortable using DOS (it's similar to terminal so don't freak out.) Just make sure you get a "stock" 5870 - the specs should be identical to this:
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...5870/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5870-overview.aspx#2
Otherwise, the maker doesn't matter.
http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...5870/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5870-overview.aspx#2
Otherwise, the maker doesn't matter.
I don't normally say this but maybe you should buy it from Apple directly. They charge $450 ($404 w/ edu discount), but it seems the going rate for a standard 5870 is over $400 anyway.
The 5770 is $250 btw ($225 w/ edu discount), so if you don't need the most extreme GPU, that may be a better buy for now.
The 5770 is $250 btw ($225 w/ edu discount), so if you don't need the most extreme GPU, that may be a better buy for now.
Did you see one in stock for that price? I searched Google Products and didn't see anything remotely close to $200.
Exactly.
The final product may not be made in Japan, but components are still made there, and if they're needed to produce the item, the board maker (PCB assembly plant) may be sitting idle for that particular product.
For example, if you look at newegg for an HD5870, they don't have any at all (could be due to a lack of Japanese manufactured parts or EOL, as the 6xxx series is out).
AS it happens, the cheapest HD5870 I saw was a used unit on eBay for $275 (Buy it Now price, but there's also the ability to make an offer). Cheapest new was $330 USD.
I have had to act like a nun and slap myself with a ruler as my mouse has crept dangerously close to the "order now" button for a 5870.
I want a card that supports 3 monitors robustly and has great OpenGl. I'll wait and pray to the Nordic gods will reward a little patience. Perhaps we'll soon see some better Mac GPU options with the release of Lion and/or the next MacPro.
But hell, I might just buy the new Mac Pro!
I want a card that supports 3 monitors robustly and has great OpenGl. I'll wait and pray to the Nordic gods will reward a little patience. Perhaps we'll soon see some better Mac GPU options with the release of Lion and/or the next MacPro.
But hell, I might just buy the new Mac Pro!
IceMacMac, looking at your sig, you really, honestly, truly think you could benefit from a new Mac Pro?!! I mean unless you just have cash to spend, that machine in your sig is already beyond epically maxed out and powerful, I doub't it'd be a good idea to burn cash on a new rig.
Unless you mean the new refresh that will be coming out?