Use any x1900XT?

[nick9871]

can I use any brand x1900XT in the Mac Pro. For instance, can I buy a PowerColor x1900XT pci-e and stick it in there? Or does the one available through ATI/Apple have a specific bios.

Only reason I ask is because Apple messed up my order and I had to cancel it, wait 5 days for pre-verification to drop off (doing this now....) and then re-order. So I will be mac-proless for 3 more weeks. I was going to go to the apple store and upgrade to the x1900 untill I learned they charge $400 as opposed to $250.

 

[Sun Baked]

Only reason I ask is because Apple messed up my order and I had to cancel it, wait 5 days for pre-verification to drop off (doing this now....) and then re-order. So I will be mac-proless for 3 more weeks. I was going to go to the apple store and upgrade to the x1900 untill I learned they charge $400 as opposed to $250.

That is because you end up with the $150 7300GT card in addition to the x1900 card.

With the BTO, you swap the 7300GT card for a $150 discount.

Of course Apple has let people keep both cards in the past and still get a discount, but that was when machines were chronically late.

Edit: Sort of sucks you may not be able to use both at the same time due to some driver conflicts anyhow.

 

[MovieCutter]

Not if you want to use it OSX. If you want dual platform compatibility, you have to go with Apple's flavor x1900.

 

[Digidesign]

can I use any brand x1900XT in the Mac Pro. For instance, can I buy a PowerColor x1900XT pci-e and stick it in there? Or does the one available through ATI/Apple have a specific bios.

The ATI/APPLE X1900XT is the only 1900XT pci-e card that will work natively in the Mac Pro.

There are a few folks who are experimenting with flashing the Apple ROM onto other cards but the successes have been few and far betwen (if at all). I would not consider that a viable solution at the moment.

Also, wouldn't X1900XTs for the PC not fit in the Mac Pro anyway? Seeing as how the cards are mounted from a left-accessed case vs. the Mac Pro's right-accessed case. I would think the whole card would have to be flipped upside down to fit in the MP. With the large fan on top of the X1900XT, I don't think that would work. Curious then, what the folks at Strangedogs.com are doing...

 

[Sun Baked]

Also, wouldn't X1900XTs for the PC not fit in the Mac Pro anyway? Seeing as how the cards are mounted from a left-accessed case vs. the Mac Pro's right-accessed case. I would think the whole card would have to be flipped upside down to fit in the MP. With the large fan on top of the X1900XT, I don't think that would work. Curious then, what the folks at Strangedogs.com are doing...

There is always slot 2, but that would mean running the PCIe Configuration Expansion Slot Utility to reconfigure the slot from a 1x to 8x slot -- and finding a power cable.

 

[Transeau]

Also, wouldn't X1900XTs for the PC not fit in the Mac Pro anyway? Seeing as how the cards are mounted from a left-accessed case vs. the Mac Pro's right-accessed case. I would think the whole card would have to be flipped upside down to fit in the MP.

Um, no.

The X1900 from apple is almost identical to the X1900 direct from ATI.
There is no orientation difference.