Basic video card for 2008 Mac Pro?

An old question, I suppose, but products change....
The video card in my Early 2008 Mac Pro seems to be flaking out -- hardware crashes and the like. I'm just using it as a server, and don't need a particularly high end (= expensive) replacement. Any suggestions? Thanks!

"PC cards flashed to Mac Firmware do not show a picture until Mac OS X is fully up and running, so debugging, alternate booting, running Utility DVD or Recovery HD are extremely difficult."
Grant is right about many flashed cards. Specifically, flashed 5770 and 5870 cards show no EFI boot screens unless you hapen to use a VGA display connected via lower DVI port. Not very handy.
Many flashed Nvidia cards DO show the boot screens and thus function like a card you bought from Apple store.
There are now flashed GT120 cards available as well. You need to be certain that you are clear on whether your Mac Pro is EFI64 or EFI32. (Mac Pro 1,1 ad 2,1 are 32, all of the newer ones are EFI64)
The EFI64 machines have a much better array of options. If you are unclear, it is always better to ask questions before rather than guess, especially if the ad you are looking at seems ambiguous.
The screens before the desktop shows up are called the "Boot screens" typically and are there due to EFI drivers on card. From desktop on the OSX drivers take over.

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Help with new video card for 2008 mac pro

I was looking to upgrade the speed of my 2008 Mac Pro Video
I currently have a nvidea 8800 512mb
Looking for any suggestions?
I need something that will not block the 2nd 2.0 pci slot?
From my understanding my mac has two 2.0 pci slots and one is used by the video card?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nvidia-GTX-780-3-GB-for-Apple-Mac-Pro-/331071998403?n ma=true&si=TLQfb78DRSdpDaz0cZAp4FFlvP8%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p204767 5.l2557
this Nvidia GTX 780 is the best your mac can handle safely, the card can work on 1 slot at around 95% according to another site:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/3.html
this is what i plan to use in my mac pro 3,1

Video cards for 2008 Mac Pro with 4 20 inch Cinema Displays

I have an early 2008 Mac Pro Quad Core with 16GB RAM. I run a 4 (20 inch Mac Cinema Display) monitor configuration off of it. one of my video cards just failed. They were never very good at handling FX in FCP anyway. I want to upgrade and get good cards for 2 displays each and if possible, video cards that will facilitate FCP X as well. What should I get?

OS X has drivers in 10.6.5
It is the ROM firmware that makes it work though there is help there too now for PC cards and flashing.
OWC is over pricing.
100s of threads asking the same question for the last yr.
5870 also, but costs $200 more.
More about using 6870 and others:
netkas.org
PS: the 'short' url for the Apple ATI 5770 w/o any user/cid - Product /MC742ZM/A
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A
Radeon 5870 vs 5770 GTX 285 4870
ATI Radeon HD 5770 - specs etc

New Video Cards for 2008 Mac Pros?

We have three Mac Pros bought in 2008. It is possible to replace their ATI Radeon HD2600 XT cards with OpenCL-compatibles? The cards are the only things barring using Final Cut Pro X on the Mac Pros.

OS X has drivers in 10.6.5
It is the ROM firmware that makes it work though there is help there too now for PC cards and flashing.
OWC is over pricing.
100s of threads asking the same question for the last yr.
5870 also, but costs $200 more.
More about using 6870 and others:
netkas.org
PS: the 'short' url for the Apple ATI 5770 w/o any user/cid - Product /MC742ZM/A
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A
Radeon 5870 vs 5770 GTX 285 4870
ATI Radeon HD 5770 - specs etc

2nd graphics card for 2008 Mac Pro 3.1

I need to connect a third monitor to my 2008 Mac Pro 3.1 - 2.8/8 core - so I can view and control Logic from my vocal booth. I don't want a monster card. Just the bare minimum. The monitor will only be on when I'm recording by myself. I appreciate suggestions and any warnings of pssible problems.
Thanks for the help.

ATI Radeon 5770
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-ATI-Radeon-5770-MC742ZM/dp/B003Z6QH6M
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/726537-REG/Apple_MC742ZM_A_ATI_Radeon_HD_5 770.html
How To Install and Remove Memory Mac Pro
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4433
2x2GB FBDIMM DDR2 667MHz @ $32http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-PC2-5300-FB-DIMM-APPLE-Memory/dp/B002ORUUAC/
Hardware Monitor
http://www.bresink.com/osx/HardwareMonitor.html

Installing Airport extreme card for 2008 Mac Pro

After some searching I finally found which airport extreme card to get for my 2008 Mac Pro that I just purchased recently . According to the the link below in the Apple archives it is part number MB363Z/A. However the link further down in the thread for the instructions on installing the card doesn't seem to work any more. Anyone know where to find another link for some detailed instructions or pics on installing the card. I haven't found any as of yet. I installed the old extreme card in my G5 pretty easily, but this seems a little more involved in the Mac pro from what I've read so far.
thanks, Craig
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6563623

Ok never mind I found the old link seems to work now with detailed pics and instructions. Sounds like it's a bit of a pain but can be done with patience. Just have to get the card now.
http://meanderingpassage.com/2007/07/18/how-to-installing-an-airport-extreme-car d-in-an-intel-mac-pro/

USB3 card for 2008 Mac Pro

am considering adding USB 3 capability to my 2008 Mac Pro (which still works great ... I had it overhauled last year...)
I imagine the best way to do this would be a PCI Express card? I still have two unused slots in the back.
Can anyone advise which would be be the best card to get?
I'm currently running Mavericks - currently everything is working, including my four e-SATA ports currently on two PCI-X cards...
w

yes! thank you.
a google search would show lots of options, but for someone like me (who is less savvy than most of the contributors to this discussion board) it's hard to know exactly what card will work with my machine.
Looking at the Sonnet cards, this one seems like a very good bargain -
<https://www.google.com/shopping/product/11936350470791125384?q=Allegro+USB+3.0+P CIe&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.59568121,d.cWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.1EneOJbgwUk.O&bi w=980&bih=868&tch=1&ech=1&psi=ikrZUv6xAurlsASmpICgCg.1389972106495.5&ei=k0rZUs-N DOKosASy5ICgCg&ved=0CJcEEKYrMAE>
would this work for me? the price is less than I expected for real true USB 3.0
thanks again
will

Compatible Raid 5 cards for 2008 Mac Pro - Windows bootable

Hi,
could someone be so kind and give me a list of Raid 5 controllers (internal connectors) that are compatible with OSX in a 2008 8-core Mac Pro and that is also able to boot into Windows via Bootcamp?
Thanks!
Tom

Once you look at what is sold, limits the list. None of those listed require Windows though. What specs? I don't see any specs. And of course nothing listed are Windows, that would be strange. Why you pasted notebook and iMac graphic adapters... unless Apple is selling FCPX for Windows.
Forget the GT120 though some use it with FCPX and are okay with it, save a little though I think 5770 has more processing, bandwidth and of course 1GB DDR5.
support for 6870 PC card is looking like a possible option now, too.
It is more mainly just 5770 vs 5870. Or Quadro 4000.
Amazon has PNY Mac Pro edition $790 vs Apple's $1195 for same card
PNY Quadro 4000 2 GB DDR5 Mac Pro
When FCX came out we had a couple threads on same topic.
Apple Graphics Cards
OSX and Graphics Cards
Radeon 6870 3DMark 30% gain on 5870
Flashed PC Radeon HD5870 Mac Pro 2008
Flashed PC Radeon HD5870 Mac Pro 2008 - dual DVI works
I include the above for same reason why when the 4870 came out, PC card was 1/2 price and $450 for 5870? really? when XFX and Saffire are under $199.
Radeon 5870 vs 5770 GTX 285 4870
Three Video Displays one card
Display Adapters Needed

Which New Graphic Card For 2008 Mac Pro?

I'm going to buy Final Cut X, so I'll need a new graphic card for my 2008 MacPro. My current card is an ATI Radeon HD 2600.
I asked AppleCare and they sent me a link to a lot of compatible cards (copied below).
But it turns out that most of these cards need Windows - at least according to specs - and the rest don't have the (2) DVI-D connections I need - so which card should I buy?
The card has to work with my 2 Acer P243W 24" screens at 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz.
Here's Apple's list:
•    NVIDIA
o    GeForce 320M
o    GeForce GT 330M
o    GeForce 9400M
o    GeForce 9600M GT
o    GeForce 8600M GT Note: OpenCL compatible, but does not meet system requirements for Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor.
o    GeForce GT 120
o    GeForce GT 130
o    GeForce GTX 285
o    GeForce 8800 GT
o    GeForce 8800 GS
o    Quadro FX 4800
o    Quadro FX5600
•    ATI
o    Radeon HD 4670
o    Radeon HD 4850
o    Radeon HD 4870
o    Radeon HD 5670
o    Radeon HD 5750
o    Radeon HD 5770

Once you look at what is sold, limits the list. None of those listed require Windows though. What specs? I don't see any specs. And of course nothing listed are Windows, that would be strange. Why you pasted notebook and iMac graphic adapters... unless Apple is selling FCPX for Windows.
Forget the GT120 though some use it with FCPX and are okay with it, save a little though I think 5770 has more processing, bandwidth and of course 1GB DDR5.
support for 6870 PC card is looking like a possible option now, too.
It is more mainly just 5770 vs 5870. Or Quadro 4000.
Amazon has PNY Mac Pro edition $790 vs Apple's $1195 for same card
PNY Quadro 4000 2 GB DDR5 Mac Pro
When FCX came out we had a couple threads on same topic.
Apple Graphics Cards
OSX and Graphics Cards
Radeon 6870 3DMark 30% gain on 5870
Flashed PC Radeon HD5870 Mac Pro 2008
Flashed PC Radeon HD5870 Mac Pro 2008 - dual DVI works
I include the above for same reason why when the 4870 came out, PC card was 1/2 price and $450 for 5870? really? when XFX and Saffire are under $199.
Radeon 5870 vs 5770 GTX 285 4870
Three Video Displays one card
Display Adapters Needed

Top two best video cards for older Mac Pros?

I have some older Mac Pro towers that vary from:
2.66 GHz Quad Core Intel Xeon
..to this:
2 x 2.93 GHz 6 Core Intel Xeon
Looking for at least the top two video cards that are tried and tested that would work best with at least Premiere Pro and AME. I just need to narrow down the unwieldy list that can be found here: http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/tech-specs.html

MikeJamesG wrote:
Looking for at least the top two video cards that are tried and tested that would work best with at least Premiere Pro and AME.
Are you adverse to using aftermarket cards that have been converted to work properly in a Mac? If you aren't, then I'd recommend talking to Dave @ MacVidCards because he can cook you up an nVidia 700-series card that will boot properly in a Mac Pro, run at PCI-E 2.0 speeds, and work wonderfully in Pr/AME.

Compatible video cards for my Mac Pro

Hi,
I have the first generation MacPro. It came with the Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT and that just died on me.
I called someone around here I can buy from, but it's going to cost me about $550.00 through him. He'd suggested I go third party but couldn't really elaborate on what that meant.
I don't mind paying, I just want to check my options first and see if I can do better in terms of cost. Does anyone know of compatible cards I might be able to use for this machine?
Thanks for any suggestions.
-Vincent

Hi Vincent,
I've just upgraded my Mac Pro 2,1 to the ATI 4870.
Couldn't be happier. Fast & Quiet, only problem is it runs hot. Great timing as it's fantastic for playing Steam games at unreal resolutions and levels of quality. I've upgraded from the 8800GT which will absolutely stump your 7300GT if you can get one.
I've done a review on my blog (see link below). Also a few other upgrades on my Mac Pro such as SSD , Blu-ray and RAID all enhancing the machine to such an extent that it benchmarks faster than the new i7 iMacs according to CineBench.
Anyway good luck with the upgrade.
Alan
http://www.theapplechap.com/TheAppleChap/Blog/Entries/2010/4/16The_ultimate_graphics_on_the_earlyMacPro.html

ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 256MB 8x Dual (DVI/DVI) (AGP) Video Card for PC/Mac

We want to be able to use our 30" cinema display from the G4 and was advised in a previous discussion to buy the ATI Radeon 9600 Pro 256MB 8x Dual (DVI/DVI) (AGP) Video Card for PC/Mac. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere. Does anybody know of an alternate video card that's currently available that will get us there? (We had the display running from a G5 that quit / logic board failure).
Many thanks,
Philip

The Nvidia 7800GS is a flashed card, runs a 30" with ease.
BruinMacs on Ebay is a great place to get one, you support the guy who wrote the original ROM for these.
He doesn't seem to have any for sale right now, but if you email him, maybe he will list one.
There are also flashed X800s that work on your MDD and can run a 30". They are pricey but will offer dual DVI while the 7800GS is single DVI with VGA for second display.
There are also flashed 6600GT AGP cards which will work, but harder to find.
Any of the above 3 will run circles around a 9600.

4K Monitor and Display card for a Mac Pro 2012.

I am looking for a 4K monitor and a Display Card for my Mac Pro 2012. Do you guys recommend any that is presently available in market?

<http://store.apple.com/us/product/HA959LL/A/nvidia-quadro-k5000-gpu-for-mac>

Sound Card for the Mac Pro

Hello,
I've searched around but can't seem to find any definitive answer to buying a sound card for my Mac Pro. I want to plug in a guitar and microphone for garageband and voice overs on FCP. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Jake

Best look for usb/fw audio interfaces which can be inexpensive and easy to get up an running.
There are many many cards on the market all depending on how many I/O you are chasing and overall sonic results.
If your in the market for entry level cards - check out
www.m-audio.com
www.focusrite.com
www.digidesign.com
or
if your in the semi-pro market, look at www.rme-audio.com (mainly the fireface series)
My pick if you are an entry level user wanting a great 2in/2out interface, have a look at the Duet by Apogee.
http://www.apogeedigital.com/
(I use all their top end pro kit and can tell you they are a very good company in both product and support)

ATI Radeon 5770 for 2008 Mac Pro

I just bought this card for my 2008 mac pro. According to the Apple store's Q&A, this card should work fine with my computer. I am curious if this is just a simple swap, or if I need to attach any additional power cable to the mother board.
Also, is it possible to use this card and the ATI Radeon HD2600 simultaneously on my computer? I have a USB card and a black magic HDMI in/out card I use for video already installed. Just want to make sure I won't pull too much power and overheat.
Thanks!

I had basically the same problem with trying to run the Mac 5770 with a Mac/PC 3870 in my 2008 Octo 3.1 MP. I was hoping I could use the component output on the 3870 (using the 9 pin ATI adapter that has component, s-video and composite outputs) for my Sony CRT Pro monitor and using the DVI to run a large screen TV for Netflicks, etc, or another smaller digital monitor. Plus, I was keeping my fingers crossed that Apple's "Color" application wouldn't see the 3850 if I had the AV switcher turning the connections off when not in use while editing in FCP Studio (Color will usually not launch if it "sees" two graphics cards connected to monitors).
Apparently the 5770 firmware has a conflict with other ATI cards: 2600, 3850 and maybe even 4870. I thought they would have a better chance of working together being ATI, but apparently not. Another user posted that he was able to get a NVIDIA GT 120 working fine with the ATI 5770 after having the same issues with the ATI 2600, but whether Color will launch is another question. I suppose I can try some older cheaper NVIDIA's maybe even some with analog outputs that the 3870 had if I could find one? Any suggestions or success stories in running a second card with the 5770?
Finally, I removed the 3870 to see how the 5770 would work by itself: the screen start-up time went from several minutes to seconds. Both monitors are very snappy and working fine with one 23" CD in the DVI port and the other23" CD using the mini-display port adapter (just the single $29 one, not dual DVI $99 type).
I don't play games or do much 3D, so I hope it was worth the upgrade price, as the 3870 had a passive cooler, was rock solid in every aspect and ran Core apps fast, but it didn't have OpenCL, so I'm hoping to see some improvement across the board in my graphics, especially the Adobe CS5 Suite.

Basic video card for 2008 Mac Pro?

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