Do I need a specific Mac Pro video card or will any do?

Hi, I had a quick question. I'm looking at purchasing a 2010 8-core Mac Pro and was wondering about the video card. Is there a specific video card needed for the Mac Pro or can I purchase just a typical ATI 5870 from ebay and install that? Is there really a difference between a PC graphic cards and a Mac graphics card?

Stick to the Apple cards. There is an important difference, and that is non-Apple cards do not work until the startup sequence is completed unless you use them on VGA. That means you cannot use any normal startup keyboard shortcuts unless the card is in VGA mode. This is because non-Apple cards do not have the Apple bootable ROM.
Apple sells the 5870 directly on their website. And, there's nothing wrong with the 5770 card that comes with the Mac Pro. Be sure you really need the performance of the 5870 before spending the extra money for it.

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Mac Pro video card in a PM G5 dual 2.0?????

Will the stock Mac Pro video card: NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT, work in a PowerMac G5 Duallie 2.0 (mid 2004 model) with the pci-x slots? Thankx! And would a Cube G4 Rage 128 video card work in thePM G5? (I bought a G5 without a video card and I need to test it and find a cheap video card for it). Thx again!

No. It is PCI Express card anyway.
head over to OWC and look there www.macsales.com

Upgrading a 2007 Mac Pro Video Card

So Steve Jobs said that the mac pros would offer greater expansion when they were reased a couple years back.
Its been 3 months since the Geforce 8800 GT has been 'available' on the 2008 mac pro and 3 months since it hasnt been available for the mac pros which jobs referred to as 'expandable.' I'm in need of a new monitor, and will be needing a better video card, I have a 2 x geforce 7300 overclocked setup for gaming in windows. This experience will be painful once I step up to 1920x1200 resolution some time SOON.
So I have a few questions:
1) How does the ATI 2600 XT perform compared to my setup? Is a single 2600 XT going to outperform my SLI setup?
2) Would a Crossfire 2600 XT outperform it?
3) Is the 3870x2 compatible with my computer? Can I at least boot into windows with it, but boot into OS X with my 7300 without physically removing the video card from the PCIe slot? I suppose a KVM switch would be needed unless I bought a dual input monitor?
4) Are there any video cards made for PC that will work in windows on my mac BUT still allowing me to boot into OS X without me having to remove the card out of the PCIe slot?
Thanks for all your responses in advance!
ps. funny how steve jobs got deals with EA to produce games for the mac os platform while doing nothing about offering a required component to play games at decent settings and framerates. this is going to be a failure guaranteed if apple doesnt do anything (or, at least acquire PROPER ported games)

You can find benchmarks for the ATI 2600GT at Bare Feats.
You cannot use a third-party card to boot OS X, but you can use any compatible video card for Windows as long as you install the Windows drivers. A third-party video card simply won't boot OS X because it does not have an EFI compatible ROM. It will, however, work fine for booting Windows.
ps. funny how steve jobs got deals with EA to produce games for the mac os platform while doing nothing about offering a required component to play games at decent settings and framerates. this is going to be a failure guaranteed if apple doesnt do anything (or, at least acquire PROPER ported games)
As the Discussions are not intended for complaints, you can omit comments like these in the future.

I want to upgrade my Mac Pro video card. I am using a mac quad core 2.7 GHz 8 megs of ram and an ATI Radeon 3870. Where do I start?

I am using a mac pro with a 2.7 GHz processor 8 gigs of ram and a Radeon HD 3870 video card with 512 megs of vram.
I want to upgrade to 1 gig of vram if possible.
Can anyone tell me where I can begin looking, what brand to buy, and what options I have?
I want to be able to use the Element 3D plug in After Effects.
Also, would I need to upgrade my operating system?
Thanks,
Faucheux

Shop for them at the Apple Online Store. I would suggest the ATI 5770 or 5870 or one of the new Nvidia GTX models - 650 Ti, 660, or 680.
Note that unless your Mac Pro has PCIe 2.0 slots you should stick with the ATI 5770.

Mac Pro video card flaky?

I have a Mac Pro 5.1, the mid-2010 model. Recently the display has been acting flaky, and now it doesn't seem to work at all.
The problems started intermittenly for some time ago. I would switch the computer on and the monitor (a Samsung) would not receive a signal. I would get the picture by turning the monitor off and on again. I thought that maybe there was something wrong with the monitor, but since it always received the video signal after flicking it off and on again, I didn't think too much about it.
Two weeks ago the monitor suddenly lost the signal while the computer was on. The monitor and computer were still both powered, and the video cable was fine. But the flicking off and on didn't work this time. I had to turn off and on the Mac Pro itself to get the video back.
Yesterday it happened again twice and this morning again. The signal from the card disappears after the computer is on for 10-15 minutes or so. When I was at the computer as it happened, I thought that the computer became more silent when the video vanished. Switching the computer off and on, does not help. I might get a signal, but for 30 sec or so, then it is gone again.
I do not think the problem is the monitor, although I have not tried attaching another computer to it. I have the Mac Pro also hooked to my AV-receiver and LCD projector. When the Samsung loses the video signal, so does the LCD projector. My guess is that the video card is at fault here.
The card is an ATI RAdeon HD 5870. Any advice how to make sure that the video card is the culprit, and not for example the motherboard? If it turns out the card is faulty, what would be a recommended replacement for it?
Edit (addition): There is nothing wrong with the picture before it disappears. No distortions or anything. The video signal is simply gone.

Have you tried blowing the dust out?
Also the suggestion about running machine with side off and seeing if fan is running.
Video cards are cooled by an array of small metal fins connected to the GPU chip. The fan blows air through these fins. Over time, the fins build up a layer of dust. This is especially true if you have animals, keep your Mac on the floor, live in a dusty area or if you smoke.
The symptoms you describe are similar to an overheating card. They have thermal overload protection which simply shuts the card off when it reaches a temp above 100 C or so. If you are lucky, you just need to blow some compressed air BACKWARDs through the fan to knock the dust off the front face of the fins. I have seen these fins completely covered with dust, at which point the fan can only do so much to cool the card.

Benefits of upgrading the 2008 mac pro video card?

I have the 8800 video card in my 2008 2.8 mac pro and am considering getting the radeon 4870 video card as an upgrade.
Will this card provide any real benefits to my system for things like Photoshop and FCP or is it a waste of money?
Also, might snow leopard make better use of the 4870 card as opposed to the 8800 card in my situation?
Thanks for any advice.

Give 10.6 a year, along with CS5, and maybe. I wouldn't bet my life on it but ATI does tend to be better written for OpenGL.
The 8800 isn't too shabby in some tests.
http://www.barefeats.com/nehal06.html
And the 4870 does better in 2009s.
http://www.barefeats.com/nehal05.html
Where the 2009 8 DIMM / 8-cores can shine is not just more efficient processor, but also more bandwidth to memory, too, which if you think you need more horsepower, do you have hard drives and memory to do so?
http://www.barefeats.com/nehal04.html

Expanding Mac Pro video card with (non-stock) GeForce 7300 GT?

OK, I've done some Googling and can't really find what I'm looking for, so I thought I would pose the question here as I continue to search around. Here's the situation:
I have a late 2007 Mac Pro with a GeForce 7300GT graphics card that has been working just fine
I wanted to add an additional card in order to output to a TV in my office, so I figured I'd just look for another 7300GT
Found one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/121062296751?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m149 7.l2649
Bought it, installed it. Nothing.
I feel like I should know this already, but does it really matter who the manufacturer is as long as the chipset is the 7300GT? Is there anything I can do to get this situation working or was I a little hasty in buying a card that I didn't fully understand?
Like I said, I'll keep searching around, but any help that anyone could provide would be much appreciated.

The card you have already has two ports on it, and can support two displays at once, according to Apple:
PCI Express graphics
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single-link DVI and dual-link DVI)
To convert DVI to HDMI for a TV, all you should need is a DVI --> HDMI cable.
If you are going to buy a new card, the Apple-firmware 5770 (as hatter recommends) can replace your current 7300 card. Works in all models of mac Pro. Accelerated drivers in 10.6.5 and later.
• Only genuine Apple cards are guaranteed to show a picture at power on.
• PC cards flashed with Apple firmware may not show a picture until the login screen, making debugging difficult when your Mac will not boot right up.
• PC-only cards will not show a picture under Mac OS X.
• Note: [This may be changing with some advanced NVIDIA cards in to 600 and 700 series, but they are overkill for this application.]

Upgrading mac pro video card questions

I want to upgrade my video card, I currently have a 7300 gt, and my mac pro is a 2007. Will any video card that uses the same type of pci slot work or does the card have to be specially made for macs. Also what would be the best upgrade for my mac, i read the 8800 gtx wont work, will radeon 2600 work?

Yes, the video card has to be made to work with Mac Pros and I upgraded my 2007 Mac with the 2600 XT and it works great. A version of the 8800 is suppose to be in the works, but a release date is unknown.
Keith

1st gen mac pro video card

So, I'm looking to upgrade the video card in my mac pro from the stock nVidia 7300 GT to something else. I've basically ruled out the 1.5GB Quadra fx 4500 (because it's a bit above my price point), so looking at the other options, I have the following questions.
1. I've heard you can put 2 of the same video cards in a computer and get an increase in performance in that way. How hard is this to do and will it be comparable in performance to a 512 mb card? Additionally, can this be done with 2 different cards or does it have to be 2 of the same cards?
2. The 3 512 cards I'm looking at, based on what I've heard are compatible in this forum, are the ATI X1900 XT, the ATI 4870, and the nVidia 8800GT (I know this has to be apple part number MB560Z/A). What are the differences between these cards (prices are all fairly similar)? What should I be looking at besides the card's memory size?
3. Someone in my other question thread mentioned "flashing" a video card. What does that mean?
Thanks in advance for the help. I've never really tried upgrading a video card before and so really don't know much about them.

1. I've heard you can put 2 of the same video cards in a computer and get an increase in performance in that way.
Not with Macs.
2. The 3 512 cards I'm looking at, based on what I've heard are compatible in this forum, are the ATI X1900 XT, the ATI 4870, and the nVidia 8800GT (I know this has to be apple part number MB560Z/A). What are the differences between these cards (prices are all fairly similar)? What should I be looking at besides the card's memory size?
The ATI 4870 is the only one currently being sold. Be sure to get the Apple version.
3. Someone in my other question thread mentioned "flashing" a video card. What does that mean?
That means making a non-Apple card work in a Mac. Don't try it unless you know what you are doing.

Firefox cannot play tutorials at Mac Pro Video, but Safari can

For 3 months I could watch tutorials at Mac Pro Video in Firefox, but now they do not play, they just briefly flash on then go to a blank white screen. When I switch to Safari the videos do play normally.
My Firefox plugin check gives erroneous versions for Shockwave Director and Java Applet. I updated both but the plugin check says I still have the older version

I wasn't going to use it anymore until I got a new one, but I need to get video editing done in the meantime, so I have been keeping the card cool and only working on the computer for short amounts of time. Is this smart to do?
Smart or not isn't the question, it's a matter of need.
Prolonged or repeated overheating will kill the card.
Also why would the video card fan break like that?
Abuse, a freak accident, bad plastic, etc.
What model card is it? Some cards have a history for specific ills, like the Radeon X1900, Geforce 7300 GT, Radeon 2600, Geforce 8800........
And finally could you suggest another video card to purchase.
Radeon HD 5770:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ&mco=MTg2OTU0NzM

Mac pro video questions

I'm thinking about getting one or more of the mac pro videos to supplement the logic manual in my attempt to get a better grasp of the program and its capabilities and am looking for some advice. Although I'm partially temped to just buy the whole bundle, adding $200 to the amount I'm spending on music gear in the next couple months (I'll be buying monitors and a firewire interface) is probably not a good idea, and there are some videos that I don't expect I'd use at all (at least not any time soon). Addionally, I am aware that a great deal can be learned through experimentation, but that a good course or reference guide will provide a much faster learning process for me, and teach me things I won't figure out on my own.
Basically, I'm trying to decide whether to simply get the 101 video or the producer's bundle. Here's a basic overview of what I've used Logic for so far, and what I expect to do in the near future:
-primarliy small projects--only a few minutes in length, no more than 12 tracks
-exclusively Logic's plugin instruments and effects thus far, but intend to start using some live audio as well (though VIs will still make up the majority of the music)
-I've started to work on a couple short student film projects, and plan to do more in the future--for right now, I'm content with scoring for smaller instrumentation while still developing compositional skills.
My big question is about use of the environment and whether or not I should get the corresponding video. I know that this is an extremely useful tool, and yet with what I've been doing so far, I haven't needed to deal with it. Perhaps I'm missing things that I could be doing using it for, but so far I've found that everything I've needed can be found in the audio mixer. I'm sure that somewhere down the road I'll want to be familiar with the environment's functions, but I'm not certain that I need it now with my current setup. If someone could clarify some of the environments uses that would be beneficial to my current needs, that would be super. This may determine whether or not I go for the producer's bundle.
I know the obvious answer is most likely "the bundles are worth the added expense," and would certainly agree, but I'm going into poor/in debt student mode soon, so I need to be careful. Thanks.

I guess the main issue here is whether I should get them all now or get them gradually. Obviously, the general feeling here is that I should just go for it, and given the money I'd save all around by getting the main bundle, it makes sense. However, I feel that, for the projects I've been working on until now and will have in the near future, there are videos I could do without. And given my financial situation (aka I work at a video store and will soon have massive student debt), it might be best to wait on those.
So I'm wondering how essential certain elements are to general versatility in using Logic, so I can decide whether or not I need them right away. For example, I'm planning on using the native instruments bundle for samples, so I'm not sure that I really need the EXS tutorial. And I've just realized that I do actually use the environment all the time, I just forgot that the audio mixer is technically part of it--so that tutorial would probably be very useful.
Hypothetically, if I were to choose 1 or 2 tutorials (in addition to 101) to buy, and given the general overview of how I've been using Logic, which ones should they be?

Video capture driver for MSI GeForce 2 Pro video card

Hi,
I am in need of the nVidia WDM video capture driver for my Geforce 2 Pro video card. Model #M-8831. I was able to download it from the MSI/TW website over a year ago just fine. My computer crashed from a game bug a couple of months ago and MSI/TW does not list the capture driver I need any longer. I did email the company asking for help with no response back yet (after 2 weeks). You people may be my last hope.
I do have the cd that came with the video card, but I've never been able to install the capture driver from it. There is a button to install it, but it never gets loaded. I've tried browsing the cd and also tried installing it using the windows wizards with zero results. My only successful install was from the MSI home website.
If you need more information, please let me know.
Thank you,
Bruce ?(

If you followed the second link it says this:
Windows XP/2000/Me/98SE - WDM Driver v1.22
Version: 1.22
File Size: 1.1 MB
Release Date: December 9, 2002
Downloads
» Primary Download Site «
» Mirror Site 1
» Mirror Site 2
» Mirror Site 3
Release Highlights:
First stand-alone WDM driver release for Personal Cinema and VIVO-enabled products.
Right there at the end it says Release Highlights and says specifically that it's what you want...
Read my man, read...
Cheers!! 8)

Mac Pro airport card boot issues

I've taken an old airport card from a Mac Mini, and installed it in an Early 2009 Mac Pro.
The unit should be fully compatible, but when I boot, it just hangs at the 50% mark on the startup screen.
If I remove the card, the machine boots just fine.
Is there a firmware update I need to make to the system, to tell it about the new wireless card?

What makes yo think it is compatible? It seems not to be.
Also these do not list a Mini card being compatible with a Mac Pro desktop card
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/AR5BXB112/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/6615048K/

Mac Pro Graphics Cards

I am using an early Mac Pro 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon with an NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT Graphics Card. I am thinking of upgrading my monitor to a 24" model with high resolution.
Can anyone give me advice on whether I need, or could benefit from, a new Graphics Card?
Any advice would be most appreciated.
YAGOM

The NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT graphics card has one dual-link DVI port that can handle a display up to 2560 x 1600, and one single-link DVI port that can handle up to 1920 x 1200, so unless you need more graphics speed, such as for games, you don't need a new graphics card.
Note: there is currently no way to use the new Apple 24" LED display with any Mac Pro graphics card.

ATI Radeon X1950 Pro video card and Quicktime Pro

In an earlier thread, I found out that the reason Quicktime Pro was not working on my new computer is that Apple has not yet worked out incompatibilities with QT Pro and new nVidia video cards. Since I need the QT Pro to do my movie editing work, I am going to switch to another high end video card. Does anyone know if an ATI Radeon X1950 Pro video card works with QT Pro? If not, is there another high-end card that someone can recommend?
Thanks

Sounds like you need a bigger case.
Or
External hard drive enclosure to house your drives.

Do I need a specific Mac Pro video card or will any do?

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