Video card recommendations for a Mac Pro 4,1 with Catalina

[DoodyFree]

Hi folks: I UG'd my old Mac Pro 4,1 to Catalina using DosDude1's EXCELLENT upgrader, and everything is humming along. BIG props to him.
I'm now in the situation where I want to UG the old 1/2 Gb GT120 cards that are in it to something newer. I'm using two CinemaDisplay 30" units (yeah, they still run very well, though I did have to replace one brick off ebay) and I mostly do photo editing.

Any suggestions? From what I understand AMDs are off the table, which doesn't bother me because I've been an nVidia guy for a long time.

 

[KeesMacPro]

Hi
There are many possible GPU's that perform way better than the GT 120.
Your choice depends on a few things e.g. the BootRom version of the MP.
Could you post some more details of the specs of your MP ?

Another thing to consider is that with a firmware UG you could install Mojave as a supported OS among other advantages.
Mojave is known as one of the most stable OS.
With a patched OS version (Dosdude) you have to find a workaround for updates...
As you may know another option is to install Catalina by installing OpenCore...

The GT120 is a GPU most MP users keep somewhere save in a drawer in case of e.g. troubleshooting with a minimal hardware setup.
The performance is known as not very good ...

GPU Compatibility List for cMP

Content: 1. Summary 2. Information on common GPUs that can be used in cMP 3. GPU power consumption 4. Color compatibility 5. Flashing nuances 6. What to choose? 7. Useful links. 1. Summary 1.1. There are 50+ GPU types that are compatible with cMP (classic MacPro = Mac Pro 1.1-5.1/...

forums.macrumors.com

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (BootROM upgrade instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[DoodyFree]

My BootROM is MP31.006C.B05 and I'm running Catalina, not Mojave. I know the 120's are NOW not a good card, but it's what it came with at the time, which is why I'm looking to upgrade.
2 x 4Core 2.8GHz Xeons, Samsung 1Tb SSD for boot, 32 Gb DDR2 ECC.

 

[KeesMacPro]

According to the BootRom this is a MP 3,1 .
The title and 1st post refers to a MP 4,1...
I suggest you use the search in this forum for a MP 3,1 .
Although i've had a MP3,1 i never upgraded it beyond High Sierra.

which is why I'm looking to upgrade.

My recommendation about the GPU thread remains, it's for MP1,1-5,1.

I'm running Catalina, not Mojave

I doubt you understood my post.
Supposing as the title and your post claims, you're the owner of a MP 4,1.
The MP 4,1 can run Mojave natively after a firmware update.

 

[r6mile]

You clearly have a 3,1 Mac Pro as you say you have 2*2.8 Xeons and DDR2 RAM. The classic recommendation for the 3,1 MP is the GTX 680, ideally an EVGA. Good balance of performance for the 3,1 and easy to flash so you get bootscreens etc. See the thread about GPUs in the MP subforum.