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Upgrading a G5 or Mac Pro

I

iC D

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 8, 2012
24
0
is it possible to upgrade a G5 or a Mac pro so that the processor is better and the graphics card is better. I am aware only some gpu's and cpu's are supported and i know which gpu i want but would there be any point in replacing the cpu already in the Mac Pro assuming i will use it for work and gaming
 
It depends what model of PowerMac G5 or Mac Pro you have, some are upgradeable using faster CPUs and compatible GPUs.
Just know, that a PowerMac G5 might not be the best choice for gaming, depending on the kind and age of games you play.
 
Im into strategy games aka the total war series so it would be a heavy load. The problem is i really like snow leopard so wanted to get an older mac which i could upgrade rather than a hackintosh .

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which g5 are upgradeable
 
If you're into gaming do not consider a G5 at all.

You can't even boot Windows on a G5, and it's likely not going to run any recent Mac games anyway. None of the Total War series runs on PowerPC Macs iirc.
 
iC D said:
Im into strategy games aka the total war series so it would be a heavy load. The problem is i really like snow leopard so wanted to get an older mac which i could upgrade rather than a hackintosh .
Click to expand...

G5's can't run Snow Leopard, which requires Intel processors. You are better off with Mac Pro for your gaming anyway.
 
i could get an older mac pro for 700 pounds.id then ramp up the ram and add an additional graphics card that is supported. Probably 100 for the ram and 200 for the graphics card. Also do any of you know which graphics cards are automatically supported without any tweaking
 
Nameci said:
Mac Pro's are best as a tool for making money. PC's are best for passing away time.
Click to expand...

* enterprise market is DOMINATED by PC's/MainFrames/Data Centers running Windows Server/Linux/Unix and a couple others, Mac has no foothold in that market. So, PCs are for making money. And Macs are cool, I wuv my iMac. Cant help but think I overpaid for it. *

Yeah don't get a Mac Pro for gaming, you'll have to bootcamp and dual boot windows 7 on it, and your pretty limited on hardware choices. Take that 700 and build/Buy a Windows 7 box with tons of ram and a nice video card.
 
If you get a Pro get one of the later ones with the EFI 64 you'll have slightly more upgrade options in future with regards graphic cards and CPU, RAM etc..

I think 2008 versions onwards are EFI 64, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
olemoley said:
If you get a Pro get one of the later ones with the EFI 64 you'll have slightly more upgrade options in future with regards graphic cards and CPU, RAM etc..

I think 2008 versions onwards are EFI 64, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

You would be correct there.

But as a current 2008 (3,1) owner, I find it hard to recommend one over a base 2009 quad. The 2009 quads can be upgraded to Westmere CPUs with a simple firmware flash and have much cheaper memory upgrades.
 
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