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.

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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

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How to delete picture files ( nikon NeF and jpeg ) with Zero KB size that were downloaded onto mac pro osx vers 10.5.8, 2x2.8 quad core intel Xeon
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Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at bootup), run Disk Utility in Applications>Utilities, then highlight your drive, click on Repair Permissions, reboot when it completes.
(Safe boot may stay on the gray radian for a long time, let it go, it's trying to repair the Hard Drive & clear caches.)
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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.

12 core Mac Pro does not improve render time over iMac quad core

I'm rendering the same composition independently on two computers and they are basically rendering at the same rate, which is slightly better than 1 frame per second.
The project settings and preferences are identical in each instance (with the exception of memory and multiprocessing, which I have experimented with ad nauseum). The composition includes no motion blur, no effects, just a couple of layers of chroma keyed .mov files (using keylight 2.0) and some still images. Neither machine is running any other applications, except occasionally Google Chrome, which seems to have no effect on performance.
Both systems are running the latest version of After Effects CC (2014) and using the Classic 3D renderer.
System 1 MAC PRO:
Mac Pro 12 core 2.7 GHz Intel Xeon E5
dual AMD FirePro 500D 3072 MB GPUs
32 GB RAM
OS X 10.9.4
System 2 iMAC:
iMac quad core 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5
AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB GPU
8 GB RAM
OS X 10.9.3
As you can see, system 1 is vastly more powerful, and yet no combination of memory/multiprocessing settings can get the system to render faster than system 2.
It doesn't seem to matter how much or little RAM I reserve for other applications (I have settled on 4 GB), or the number of CPUs I reserve for After Effects. The one setting that has improved performance is turning OFF render multiple frames. And even then it only brings the performance of the Mac Pro up to par with the iMac. I have cleared my cache, rebooted the computer, and read everything I can find online regarding the optimization of render settings.
Here's a comparison of the respective CPU Loads:
iMac
Mac Pro
With such a low CPU load, After Effects is obviously not utilizing the resources available to it on the Mac Pro. What a waste.
Can anyone help?

There's plenty of debate about the new Mac Pro vs a kitted out iMac. Benchmarks show that some iMac After Effects processing can actually be faster than on a Mac Pro, depending on the content and some other factors. If you're using software that has been optimised for the Mac Pro's GPU-centric architecture, like Final Cut Pro X, you will see great benefits.
mac pro vs imac
In my own facility recently we opted out of purchasing Mac Pros this year, and bought top-end iMacs instead. The benefit to cost ratio simply didn't make sense for us right now. Mac Pros are awesome machines, but a significant component of their cost is the dual GPUs, which are simply no benefit to After Effects.
Reports say that the After Effects engineers are working on a major revamp of the After Effects processing system, so I'm betting you will realise far greater benefits from your Mac pro in coming AE versions. For now, you may continue to see performance that is not spectacularly better than a souped-up iMac, depending on the type of processing involved.
I've seen a few benchmarks that suggest the 8 core systems give better bang-for-buck than the 12 cores. Try reducing your processors to 8 in After Effects and see if it makes a difference. With 8 cores, allocate 3GB of RAM per core to leave some RAM for the OS.

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

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

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.

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.]

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.

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.

Sd card reader not working for mac pro, sd card reader not working for mac pro

SD CARD SLOT NOT RECOGNIZING SD CARD?

SD Cards not reading! Read here!
I had the same problem with my MBP-R-15". So I took a look inside the SD Card slot and noticed a contact point on the side. For the SD card to be noticed this needs to be pressed in by the SD Card or it cant be read.
Solution:
Make sure your SD Card read/write selector switch is up away from contacts. This will ensure it makes contact with the internal MBP contact switch.
Now slide your SD Card into the MBP SD Slot, and gently push it towards you (if your facing your MBP to type).
This will allow the SD Card to make contact the internal slot "switch" and it will be recognized.
It is tricky but easy enouph to deal with.
Internal switch is sticking over time.

Leopard/Bootcamp/Mac pro RAID Card

The last two bullets in the "More Info" section of Apple's Mac Pro RAID card read as follows:
• The Mac Pro RAID Card is required when selecting 15,000-rpm SAS drives.
• The Mac Pro RAID Card supports Mac OS X only.
Five Apple tech reps have told me I can run Leopard on a striped array of three 300GB SAS drives and then, via Bootcamp, use the fourth independent 300GB SAS drive to run Windows XP. I ordered a $10,000 G5 tower on this premise and now, today, a sixth Apple tech rep tells me it cannot be done. Each time I've called, I get a somewhat different answer. Does anyone have actual experience with a G5 such as this? Is there a third party RAID card that will work? If necessary, I still have time to cancel my order. Why would Apple build a RAID card that is not compatible with a most important feature of Leopard--Bootcamp? I don't understand their philosophy. They seem to work at biting the hand that feeds them.

Kappy, thanks for taking time to try to answer my question. I'll state it more clearly.
At this moment I'm typing on a 3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon machine with four 500Gb drives. Three drives are configured as a RAID 0 Volume running Leopard. The fourth INDEPENDENT drive is partitioned via Bootcamp into two bootable volumes--one with Leopard and other with Windows XP Professional. For the new machine I would like to purchase, I never intend to run Windows from a RAID volume. My beef with Apple is that their high performance 15,000 rpm SCSI drives require their RAID card to function, whether it be in a RAID set or independently. Their interface to the motherboard is through the RAID card. Apple has not written Windows drivers for their RAID card. Consequently, if I intend to run Windows on their latest Mac Pro, I cannot install the high performance 15,000 rpm drives. I simply would like to configure the new machine the same as the one I have now, which is three drives combined in a RAID 0 array running Leopard, and the fourth drive remaining a stand alone for Bootcamp to partition into two bootable volumes--one with Leopard and one with Windows XP.
In summary, there is no way to use Apple's highest performance Mac Pro in a Windows environment. I think that's inconsiderate of Apple. I would like the performance of 15,000 rpm SCSI drives (RAID or not) but I also need Windows XP. I'm sure many others will face the same dilemma. Apple should give this matter a high priority and churn out the sorely needed drivers. So back to my original question--five Apple tech reps said I can configure the machine as described above and it will work fine--the sixth rep said there is no way it can work, because their card cannot run Windows. Who should I believe. I don't want to make a ten-thousand dollar mistake.
P.S. The configuration shown below is for the machine I hope to purchase, not the one I'm using now. This one is a 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro.

Nvidia 8800GT video card in the First Generation Mac Pro

This message is a bit of advice if you install the new Nvidia 8800GT video card in the first generation Mac Pro. The advice is keep your old video card. The old video card will be needed if you ever need to reinstall the OS X operating system. This new card needs the video drivers (kernel extensions) that are in OS X leopard 10.5.2 or later. With this video card installed, both the OS X original installation disk that came with this computer and the OS X leopard upgrade disks will cause a kernel panic when booted up. This is because they do not contain the kernel extensions needed for this video card. There is a question. Does anyone know how to create and burn a reinstallation DVD with OS X leopard version 10.5.2 on it? This would help solve this reinstallation problem

this is a advisory to whom it may concern
here my latest reply from a apple product specialist how was very good and helpful but only
give me this to my upgrade answer !
i want to upgrade my graphic card to 8800 and run tiger on my 1st gen macpro
here it goes:
"This article indicates what cards are supported in what machines: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305346
Your Mac Pro is the first generation, and did not have PCI-Express 2.0 slot like the current generation does have.
Unfortunately, we don't foresee the release of any drivers for the 10.4 OS on this machine.
In regards to the second issue, we also don't support two video cards in two slots, using a different one for eash OS, there is no supported way to do this."
"Unfortunately, the latest version of the Mac Pro will not run Tiger, as it was manufactured after the release of Leopard, therefore the drivers for the machines hardware will not be available on Tiger."
hope thats cleared some ones Q.
kindly
S.

I want to upgrade my macbook pro's ram from 4 to 6 or 8gb. mine is mid 2010 macbook pro..

i want to upgrade my macbook pro's ram from 4 to 6 or 8gb. mine is mid 2010 macbook pro..
Configuration
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
250GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
i am looking at
http://www.flipkart.com/transcend-ddr3-4-gb-laptop-ram-jm1333ksn-4g/p/itmd2ryprr bhv7qg
will i have any problem like compatibility??
thank you.

A Mid 2010 MacBook Pro supports 16 GB of memory without any problem. Macs are "special" about memory because some brands work without any problem and others don't work. That's why I recommend you to buy the memory from OWC or Crucial in order to make sure that you get compatible memory > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Apple_MacBook_MacBook_Pro/Upgrade/DDR3

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?

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