New to the Mac Pro 8 quad questions

I am looking to buy a new mac. the Mac Pro looks good.
I need a computer that i can still put imovie HD6 and run it?
Can you do that on a mac Pro?
I use canon hv30 for filming in HD and capture into imovie HD 6 which i really enjoy using even though i do have the others. imovie 9
Sometimes even thought i have filled up my RAM on my imac, sometimes i still get the blue screen when capturing video onto the HD
I also use Creative suite 3 and would that be able to run on a new Mac Pro
I use dreamweaver for my web design stuff--although i am a beginner and i use photoshop and others.
I also ue ot to work on music recordings of bands
so i guess in summary
1. does the new mac pro be able to run imvoie 6 HD
2. will it run creative suite 3
3. or is it too much computer and stick with a imac
Is the mac Pro too much computer for what i use it for
thanks so much
scott

The Mac Pro is top of the line. If it won't, what pray tell would? What most want to know is how far to go in build to order options or stay with base model is all. And budget.

Similar Messages

IMac 27" or Mac Pro Quad-Core?

Hello all,
I understand that this topic has been covered before although I am still unsure and I am looking for some help please!
I am currently looking into purchasing a new computer to complete my architectural post-graduate degree. I currently use a PC, which I have done so for many years and initially I was thinking about buying a customisable Dell XPS sticking to using PC’s. Having recently been sent an email from Apple regarding student discounts offered on the Mac range I thought I'd look into getting an Apple having heard nothing but praise and also that it can also run Windows XP (via ‘Bootcamp’). This would mean I would effectively get 2 “computers” for the price of one, however, after hours of research, scrolling through web pages I am torn between the Mac Pro Quad-Core and the iMac 27” (Intel i7) !
I mainly use Microstation V8/AutoCAD, Maxwell Render, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign, SketchUp, etc, and require a computer which can run programs quickly and efficiently, including some rendering. I will be switching between both operating systems, but will heavily use Windows to run most of my software.
I was first hooked onto the iMac due to its sheer simplicity, elegance and also the specification (Intel i7) which was on par with the Dell I was considering. Although reading deeper on various forums, articles, I found that the Mac Pro Quad-Core might be a better alternative for future proofing (IE. Upgradable hardware) but it costs a little bit more than the iMac plus no monitor included. I feel that the iMac will suffice for what I need but I am not sure how about its longevity. I will be using the computer intensely for the next year, however, after I graduate I will see the computer being used casually.
Another question is, if I were to use Bootcamp how would I share drivers (printers and scanners) between both Windows & Mac OSX? Also, when running Windows OS, would I need to install anti-virus software just like a PC?
I am wondering if anybody could shed some light, assistance, experience and guidance to help me with my purchase please.
Many thanks in advance!

I would say a lot of it depends on just how extensively you expect to be using it after you graduate. Either system should carry you through a single year easily, but the Mac Pro obviously has the expandability advantage that will help extend the tail of its useful life.
IMO, a reasonable expectation for an iMac is 2-3 years, while a Mac Pro is 3-4 for the quad core, 4-5 for the 2x4-core, and if you're buying one of those 12-core systems, odds are you're doing some serious number crunching and you'll be replacing the thing pretty quickly.
So, if you think there's a better than 50% chance of needing to keep this computer for a longer than 2-3 years, go for the Mac Pro, otherwise you can get the iMac now and see where life has taken you in 2-3 years.
As for bootcamp... Think of it like dual booting on a PC. Bootcamp does NOT allow you to run both operating systems at the same time, it's one or the other. Think of it like a time share. Programs like VMWare and Parallels let you run Windows in a virtual machine, but odds are you won't want the performance hit the emulation brings with it. So, there's no need to share drivers, because you'll need to install drivers for all hardware on both operating systems. You'll just need to make sure that any hardware you buy will work with both Mac OS X and Windows. When you're running Windows, it's no different from as if you had bought the Dell you were contemplating. Everything you would have done on the Dell as far as security software, you should do on the Mac with bootcamp. Mac OS X doesn't necessarily need AV software (yet), but Windows absolutely does.

Fileshare between my Mac Pro Quad Core Intel Xeon (64-bit) & Power Mac 9600

I want to make my Power Macintosh 9600/233 (Mac OS 9) a shared computer with my Mac Pro Quad Core Intel Xeon (64-bit)(Mac OS 10.6.6). I am using a Netopia Model 3346N-VGx DSL Ethernet Managed Switch to network with my Samsung printer and the Mac Book Pro.
I also have a Power PC G4 (Mac OS 10.5.8) connected (via a Ziplinq 48" Retractable Crossover Network Cable) to a Farallon EtherWave 10 Base-T AAUI Transceiver, which in turn is connected to the Netopia, from which I can share files. All of this is ethernet connectivity.
I thought I could connect my 9600 using the same method as for the G4 or by connecting the ethernet cable from the 9600 directly into the Mac Pro Quad Core. However, neither of these methods work.
An additional stumbling block is that I have not used this 9600 for several years and am not sure of its account name. I'm fairly certain of its password. But because I don't have a second monitor for this machine, I can't muddle my way in.
My questions:
1. What might be a network solution to this dilemma?
2. Or, do I need to get another monitor for this computer and leave it un-networked and just transfer files manually?
3. Or, would whatever hard drives are in the 9600 be transferable into the networked G4 or the main Mac Pro? (not sure what they are.)
Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Oh man, what a dilemma...
1. What might be a network solution to this dilemma?
Without a monitor on the 9600, almost none. At the very least you'll need to configure the server with appropriate network settings for your environment, and that can't be done headless.
You might only need a display for long enough to setup the network, but you'll need one all the same.
Once the network is configured your options are either AFP or FTP, but I'm not even sure the old version of AFP is supported anymore, which means you may need to fire up an FTP client on the 9600 and push the files to your MacPro.
2. Or, do I need to get another monitor for this computer and leave it un-networked and just transfer files manually?
As mentioned above, you're going to need a monitor at the very least to configure the network settings. I'd be inclined to say at that point you might as well copy the files off any way you can and put the 9600 to rest. If you're really, really fortunate and the 9600 has a CD burner I'd probably use that and count myself lucky
3. Or, would whatever hard drives are in the 9600 be transferable into the networked G4 or the main Mac Pro? (not sure what they are.)
The 9600 shipped with SCSI drives, which no current Mac support (at least without a SCSI card), so there's no way to remove the drive from the 9600 and attach it directly to the MacPro.

Is the MAC PRO right for me?

I am in the market for a new MAC since I need to upgrade to CS5 and my old MAC is not INTEL Based, which I found out I need for CS5 and Snow Leopard to work. I would like something at least similar to my old MAC but with enough juice that it keeps me moving and up-to-date. I currently have a PowerPC G5, Processor: Dual 2 GHz, Memory: 2.5 GB DDR SRAM (2004 Model). It would need to be able to run CS5 (InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, Dreamweaver, Bridge & QZID version 5). I am a Graphic Designer mainly creating print design with a small amount of web design such as photo galleries etc. Would the MAC PRO Quad-Core or 8-Core be a suitable replacement? See link: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_pro?mco=MTg5MTY5NDQ
I appreciate any suggestions you can offer.

One of the big differences between a MacPro and all other desktop Macs is the abiltiy with a MacPro to add fast/big external storage.
An iMac, a Mini, MacBook or even the MacBookPro, all have limitations in that regard. The MacPro is able to take a PCIe card for very fast and diverse types of external storage from simple and robust eSATA storage on up through SAS, hardware RAID, Fiber Channel and so on. The sky is the limit.
The afore mentioned iMac, MacBook or Mini all have Firewire as the storage limitation. Or USB, except I would never recommend USB over Firewire. Firewire 800 is slower than a single hard drive. So if you move a lot of data files you will find that Firewire is a performance choke point.
MacBookPro has Thunderbolt, and it will one day fullfil the promise for fast externals storage plus other stuff - and at reasonable prices. Choosing a MBP is a viable alternate as we start to see products come out for Thunderbolt. Going to have to wait for Thunderbolt to go mainstream before much in the way of choices.
I personally recommend MacPros for photographers and videographers with large databases. Also, with multiple internal drive bays it is easiest to maintain a true backup of every drive, including/especially your boot drive, when you can just drop another drive inside.
Rick

Mac Pro Quad Xeon 2.66GHz

I'm just sold my Power Mac G5, and am getting ready to order the Mac Pro Quad 2.66GHz, and was wondering will I have to update on FCP5, DVD Pro, etc. Also what does everybody think of the Mac Pro?
Thank You,
Bob.

You will need to verify any 3rd party plug-ins you use are UB compatible as well as any system level programs like Diskwarrior.
Photoshop, Illustrator, AfterEffects are not yet UB though, Adobe has indicated they will be released in 2nd (or 3rd) quarter 2007.
Good luck.
x

HELP !! I have a Mac Pro Quad dual 2.66 with Ram disfunction juntion

ok I woke up this morning after putting my mac to sleep last evening and went to power up to find the light blinking and no start up. I then looked into it and pulled a bunch of Ram figured out that something is going on with my risers, but the risers are working with both original 2 gig chips on the top riser slot and thats it nothing is working otherwise so I basically went from 10gb of Ram to 4gb. I tested both of the original ram chips in the top riser slot on both risers and they work. but only in the top slot. So i am left thinking the logic board is not working correctly or something but I am not sure. I am tech savvy but new to the mac pro with this setup. Any suggestions?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You have an Early 2008 Mac Pro. You have the specs that your Mac Pro needs for more memory > https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4433#4 As you can read, that computer should have come with 2 GB of memory.
You can buy memory at OWC or Crucial > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory#800-memory Those sell compatible memory with all Macs. You can use another memory, but you can be sure that the memory that these brands sell are compatible

Just purchaed a new 2.66ghz mac pro, have a few questions

Hey guys, i've been finally reading the forums a bit trying to wet my appetite for the new mac pro arriving today via fedex.
I bought the 2.66 quad with the 7300 video card, 1gb ram and 250gb hd. I bought this from apple refurb for $2100. I already purchased an addition 500gb perpendicular hd. I can get ram cheap, so im not to worried about that. Here are my questions:
1) I have a westinghouse 37" lcd 1080p monitor (1900x1080 res) Will the 7300 be enought to drive this monitor?
2) i had a standard logitech surround sound witht he 3 wire setup, i know the mac pro has toslink, so i bought logitech z5500 setup that has the dolby digital and toslink built in. Will this work witht he mac pro without any problems and is it a good set of speakers?
3)My needs for the mac are pretty simple, music, photos, video conversion and editing, internet, and light gaming. Do you think the 2.66 will be enough, or should i go with the 8 core? I think the 8 is overkill, but i am new to macs so thats why im here!!
Thanks,
Frank

Hi Ultravox. I just got the same rig as a refurb, tax free no less due to this being my state's tax holiday. Good call on the memory as I just ordered my extra from Crucial a few days ago and it's already here - and WAY cheaper than Apple's.
My 2 cents, the nVidia card gets a pretty bum wrap. While it's true the ATI would be better for gaming, I don't think it will make any difference for straight video editing that is, without a lot of realtime motion effects. To the extent you have such you can just render to view, which will be really fast with these CPU's. I've looked at all the benchmarks and what it means for games is to get playable frame rates on some of the 3D titles you will have to lower the resolution. Not ideal, but I think acceptable for a light duty gamer. I have to do this now on my G4, which has an even less capable video card than the 7300. I considered buying a new 2.0 GHz machine and getting the ATI as a custom option (if new) or add-on kit (if a refurb), but decided I could live with the 7300 for a year or so and upgrade later. To get the 2.66 with the ATI would have busted my budget. For long-term use, the processor upgrade is worth more, since graphics cards change constantly and can be upgraded easily. It may also be that Apple comes out with some more graphic card options going forward, as I'm not that thrilled with some of the complaints I read on how noisy the ATI can be. It would be nice to have an option in between the nVidia 7300 and the ATI. Here is a fairly positive review of the 7300, although, admittedly not being used for any gaming.
http://www.architosh.com/features/2006/reviews/macpro/macpro_1.html
Steve

New Mac Pro - some questions about setup and RAM

After debating between iMac and Mac Pro, I decided on a refurb SINGLE 2.8 quad-core Mac Pro.
Somewhere in these discussions (can't find it now) I thought I saw recommendations to zero out the hard drive and re-install the system when it arrives. Is this necessary?
Also, I plan to use the single processor savings to buy RAM. When I go to the Crucial site, they have a choice of RAM for 4-core or 8-core. Mine is only 4-core, but would I choose the 8-core option to get the correct RAM for 2008 models?
In general, when it comes to buying and installing RAM, should I follow the 8-core directions? Will having a single processor change anything to do with upgrades or expansion?
Thanks. Hope I didn't ask too much in one post.

Somewhere in these discussions (can't find it now) I thought I saw recommendations to zero out the hard drive and re-install the system when it arrives. Is this necessary?
No, that really isn't necessary. If you were prepping a new bare drive that had never been used or you were installing OS X on a drive that had once been used for Windows, then zeroing the drive is quite appropriate.
All the Mac Pros use the same type of RAM. The Late 2008 models use the faster PC2-6400 800 MHz RAM, but the other specs are the same - ECC, Fully buffered, heat sink. The RAM and installation is the same regardless of cores.
RAM should be installed minimally in matched pairs, optimally in matched quads. The following illustrations show how it should be installed:
Mac Pro memory arrangement photos
Mac Pro Memory Configuration

Should i buy a 2010 mac pro quad core 2.8 never been used at the price of £1350

i know someone selling a mac pro 2010 model they say its still got 1 year warranty the specs are
Introduction Date:
July 27, 2010*
Discontinued Date:
N/A
Details:
The "Introduction Date" refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The "Discontinued Date" refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended. *On August 9, 2010, Apple began accepting orders for this model.
Also see: All Macs introduced in 2010.
Processors:
1 (4 Cores)
Geekbench:
8673/9715*
Processor Speed:
2.8 GHz
Processor Type:
Q. Core Xeon W3530
Custom Speeds:
3.2 (4), 3.33 GHz (6)*
Architecture:
64-Bit
Details:
*Via custom configuration, this model also can be equipped with a single 3.2 GHz Quad Core "Nehalem" Xeon (W3565) processor for an additional US$400 or a single 3.33 GHz Six Core "Westmere" Xeon (W3680) processor for an additional US$1200. As requested by readers, EveryMac.com also has documented these custom configurations as their own models.
Processor Upgrade:
LGA 1366 Socket
FPU:
Integrated
Details:
Also see: How do you upgrade the processors in the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models? How are the processors mounted?
System Bus Speed:
4.8 GT/s*
Cache Bus Speed:
2.8 GHz (Built-in)
ROM/Firmware Type:
EFI
EFI Architecture:
64-Bit
L1 Cache:
32k/32k x4
L2/L3 Cache:
256k (x4), 8 MB*
RAM Type:
PC3-8500 DDR3 ECC
Min. RAM Speed:
1066 MHz
Standard RAM:
3 GB
Maximum RAM:
48 GB*
Motherboard RAM:
None
RAM Slots:
4*
Video Card:
Radeon HD 5770
VRAM Type:
GDDR5 SDRAM
Standard VRAM:
1 GB
Maximum VRAM:
1 GB
Display Support:
Up to 6 Displays*
Resolution Support:
2560x1600*
2nd Display Support:
Dual/Mirroring
2nd Max. Resolution:
2560x1600
Standard Hard Drive:
1 TB (7200 RPM)
Int. HD Interface:
Serial ATA (3 Gb/s)
Standard Optical:
18X DL "SuperDrive"
Standard Disk:
None
Standard Modem:
None
Standard Ethernet:
Gigabit (x2)
Standard AirPort:
802.11a/b/g/n
Standard Bluetooth:
2.1+EDR
USB Ports:
5 (2.0)
Firewire Ports:
4 (800)
Expansion Slots:
4 PCIe 2.0*
Expansion Bays:
4 3.5", 2 5.25"
Incl. Keyboard:
Apple Aluminum KB
Incl. Input:
Magic Mouse
Case Type:
Tower
Form Factor:
Mac Pro
Apple Order No:
MC250LL/A*
Apple Subfamily:
Mac Pro Mid-2010
Apple Model No:
A1289 (EMC 2314)
Model ID:
MacPro5,1
Battery Type:
N/A
Battery Life:
N/A
Pre-Installed MacOS:
X 10.6.4 (10F2521)
Maximum MacOS:
Current
Minimum Windows:
XP SP2 (32-Bit)*
Maximum Windows:
7 (64-Bit)**
MacOS 9 Support:
None
Windows Support:
Boot/Virtualization
Dimensions:
20.1 x 8.1 x 18.7
Avg. Weight:
39.9 lbs. (18.1 kg)
Original Price (US):
US$2499
Est. Current Retail:
US$2499
they want to sell it for £1300 and this would be my first mac im going to use it for maschine traktor scratch pro 2 and ableton vst s plugins etc i needed to know if this would be a good buy for me or not if u coulld all please help tell me the pros and cons
if possible answer as quick as u can as if it is a good buy i need to get it today or tommorw as he might find someone else to sell to
thanks

You are due for a new build or pre-built, most definitely.
you should be able to hit score of 14k on 6-core w/o trouble.
And for what you can get for £1799 - £2099 I think you could build one, but start with quality parts and go with a solid foundation that will be supported for years. As long as you don't need OS X as it stands.
the mac pro use to shine when it came to dual processor setups. Custom built dual PCs can be another matter, and not for faint of heart.
Choose current socket support, processor, and motherboard and you really are set for years and can upgrade from there.
Take a look at this for a start:
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-LGA-2011--X79-Motherboards/dp/B006L6ZIU4/

New Mac Pro quad 8 - This is great! PS CS3 at 200 MPH

Well, I have my new quad 3.0 Mac Pro up and running - and it is great.
I purchased the quad 8 3.0 at an Apple Store - with 2 optical drives, 1 GB (4 X 512), the Radeon X1900 video card, and a single 250 GB hard drive. It was a bundle and the only way to get a quad 3.0 at the store.
I ordered 8 GB of RAM (4 X 2 GB) from Crucial - bringing me up to 10 GB. I used the VERY helpful information here to install the extra RAM:
http://peloche.smugmug.com/photos/91752872-O.jpg
I added a FW 800 PCI Express card to run some LaCie external hard drives. They booted up fine.
I also purchased 2 Raptor 10,000 RPM 150 GB drives and a 500 GB maxtor hard drive. They were all easy to install and I set up a Raid 0 with the Raptors for a Photoshop CS3 scratch area. The 500 GB drive will be for internal image storage.
Everything was easy to install. The Apple designers have done a fantastic job of making internal expansions of drives and memory a snap.
I hear no beeps - everything is whisper quiet - there are no crashes or spinning beach balls.
I installed the Photoshop CS3 Creative Suite 3 Design Premium software and it is very happy with the new machine.
Compare to my old dual 2.7 G5 and PS CS2 this machine/software combo just plain blows me away.
Start up of PS CS3 is in seconds. Applying layer adjustments or filters to 300 MB images is so fast I cannot believe it!
My next task is to get my 3 wide format Epson printers (7600, 9600 and 9800) up and running. I'll update if there any problems there. I also need to calibrate the 20" and 23" cinema displays wtih my X-Rite eye one system - and make some new paper profiles for the printers.
So - I want to post this simply because almost everything one can read on this Mac Pro discussion is from the handful of people who experience some kind of problem. The thousands of users who are happy and even ecstatic do not show up here.
If you are contemplating getting the Mac Pro for PS CS3 - just take out that credit card and do it!
Life is good.
Dick
Mac Pro 3.0, G5 2.7, 2 intel iMacs, 1 MacBook, 1 Powerbook, 18 G4 Macs, 3 iPods Mac OS X (10.4.9) I teach Digital Photography clases - on Macs

Dick,
Your machine sounds great. You'll love it!
I purchased a 2.66 with 2GB RAM and the geforce7300 floor model from Bestbuy 2 days before the final closeout.
I went into the store to see if I could buy a work bench from their rear lab since there wasn't anything left, and amazingly I saw the Mac Pro among a pile of old computers and other junk with the keyboard and mouse tangled on top of it. It looked great with no scratches -- just great -- but there was not even a working monitor to try it and see if it was working.
I opened the lid to see if anything was missing or something and it looked so clean -- no dust -- that I don't think they ever plugged it in (If you look inside the floor models at an Applestore they have so much dust from being ON 24/7 or 12/7).
The price was just so amazing that I gambled and bought it. From there I went straight to my Applestore and had it install the Airport+BT cards and asked the genius to plugit in to see if it was working. He said it was OK. I also updated the date of purchase with Apple to get the full one year warranty.
Got home, connected my 23" Cinema and fired it up. I did all the software and firmware updates since it had none. It was working perfect! Next day I ordered 2 more Gigs from crucial and 4 HDDs.
It's my first Mac desktop since I always used PowerBooks/MBPs. The difference in speed with CS3 is just incredible. It takes less than 10 seconds to apply a filter that on my MBP 2.16 takes 35sec.
I'm blown away with this machine; it's design, easiness of expanding, build quality, ect.
Looking at some benchmarks from Barefeats comparing the 8-core with the 4-core, you will see that the 8 blows the 4 away in many video apps, but amazingly with PSCS3 the diference is 0%. I use it mainly for CS3 and Aperture and it changed my whole experience.
Like you say: Life is good
Bests!
-pablo

Question about the Mac Pro's Video Abilities

Hi, I'm strongly considering buying a new Mac. I've looked at the iMacs, but I am more used to Tower PCs. The Mac Pro's design and expandability is what I am used to. My question I have is concerning the graphics ability of the Mac Pro. Currently, I have a HP vs17e LCD monitor and an old Envision EN910 CRT monitor. I am very pleased with both of these monitors. Recently, I hooked up the HP monitor to this old 400MHz G3 8MB Video iMac, and it looked really good except the text sometimes looked a little blurry. I figure that the 8MB video might have had something to do with that. I do not care that much about widescreen displays or high performance $700 displays. I like to use simple, old style monitors. Would I be able to use either one of these screens on the Mac Pro with a GeForce 7300 card? Also, my next question is concerning the use of a TV as a secondary display. Our TV is a big Toshiba that has the old style CRT format. It accepts the yellow video connector and another connector that I think is called the S-Video (black connector). Can I buy adapters that will allow me to use the TV as a second display?

I would venture to say that if the monitor has a digital input capability, then the cable that would be used, is not like the output from the Mac. But, if you want to use the digital to analog adapter that comes with the Mac Pro, or is a purchased item for some of the lower priced Macs, the monitor will work as an analog VGA monitor. The gal that cuts my hair was telling me the horror story abount how they had to spend $200 to connect their Apple Cinema Display to their PC. I am pretty sure you won't have to spend that kind of money. So, if your monitor will accept an analog input, it should work. Many LCD monitors were only analog when they first came out years ago. I took a short look at yours. It appears to only have an analog input. My Mac Pro manual says to use the adapter if you want to hook up an analog VGA monitor. You can verify this at an Apple store before you purchase. I don't see any issues, but it is always best to "get it from the horses mouth".
Michael

Better video cards for the new 8-core Mac Pro...?

I don't know a ton about video cards. I did some research and the internet says that the Nvidia GeForce GTX 295 video card is the best card out right now. Will it work in the 8-core macpro? If not, or if it's not the best, what is the best video card that will work in the 8-core macpro?
P.S.
Does anyone know how to tell exactly whether a video card is better from another? I mean I can guess a video card at 1792MB is going to be better then one at 512MB, but I've also heard that, for example, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB is better then the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB, and apple charges more for it so it probably is better, but all that tells me is the name of the cards, and that they are both at 512MB, so from that without any other information I would assume they're exactly the same just made by different companies, but there must be some other details that would explain why it's better right? Thanks in advance

Well I found out the Quadro FX 4800 works on it, that looks pretty good.
It's a good card, but it has a different application focus.
What applications do you use?
Answering that helps determine what the best card is.
The 5800 is better though, will it work?
Better, how?
The spec's read better?
How about real world performance?
Benchmarks?
They are very similar in shape and such.
Shape has little to do with anything.
The ROM is the key.
If the card is not produced as "OS X compatible", it does not have Mac ROM and cannot be used.
If there is a Mac edition that is similar (same GPU series, similar architecture) the ROM may be flashed to Mac ROM.
Especially in Geforce cards, the ability to edit ROMs and even write portions of the ROM is necessary to be able to flash a card.
Even then, no guarantees.
Often a port on a flashed card won't work after flashing.
Seems the 5800 has a 10 bit display port, so if the card were flashable, the display port wouldn't work.
The ROM chip size of a card is also of concern.
Many cards require either a new, larger ROM chip to accept the Mac ROM (soldering), or, require a hacked, "reduced" ROM to be written to allow flash.
Invariably, there will be some feature loss with a reduced ROM, but a good hacker usually gets rid of superfluous stuff.
Cards with more VRAM than the Mac counterpart will often times lose the extra VRAM- it won't be read by OS X.
Then there is the EFI question, which often creates a final stumbling block for converting a card.
There are many pioneers who flash cards.
If a card is flashable, it has already been done.
The Quadro 4500, 4800, and 5600 have all been worked out.
As of yet, the 5800 hasn't been sussed out for flash (as far as I can find).
Flashing the card is easy.
Finding a physically compatible card and a compatible ROM are the hard parts.
The two best retail cards for the Mac Pro are the Geforce GTX 285 and the Radeon HD 4870.

I have mac pro quad can i upgrade from leopard to lion on one of the hardrives and then drag all my protools sessions into from the leopard hardrive to the lion hardrive thanks

i run a commercial recording studio since 2009 and purchased a mac pro quad core with os x 10.5.8 and record with protools, it has now got to the point where i can no longer purchase plugins for protools because the operating system is to old i need at least snow leopard ,i have never upgraded and am concerned about losing any previous protools sessions and plugins ,it has been suggested to me to upgrade just one of the hardrives to snow leopard or lion or the latest system and then just open a protools session on the old osx hardrive and save to the new upgraded hardrive , is this possible? or has anyone any suggestions ,many thanks

You should seriously consider establishing a Boot drive, with only System, Library, Applications, and the hidden unix files (including Paging/Swap) on it. User files are moved off to another drive.
This makes maintaining the System and maintaining your User files much easier, and it makes your Mac faster in every way.
How to Move the Home Folder in OS X - and Why - Chris Pirillo
Japamac's Blog: Make Space for Performance-- Moving the Home Folder

Adding new hard drive to Mac Pro (quad core)

I've just ordered a new Mac Pro quad core (2.66 GHz) with one GB HD. Since Apple is charging £240 for a second drive I decided to get it from somewhere else. I found a 1GB Western Digital Caviar Green but I also noticed 1GB WD Caviar Black. I wonder if anybody has any experience of those drives and would they work with the latest Mac Pro ?
Does anybody knows what make of drive is Apple using in their latest Mac Pros ?
Tom

*WD Caviar Black 640GB*
HD Tune: WDC WD6401AALS-00L3B2 Benchmark
Transfer Rate Minimum : 59.1 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 118.1 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 96.4 MB/sec
Access Time : 11.8 ms
Burst Rate : 125.3 MB/sec
*Black Caviar 1TB:*
HD Tune: WDC WD1001FALS-00J7B Benchmark
Transfer Rate Minimum : 53.9 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 108.7 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 86.1 MB/sec
Access Time : 12.9 ms
Burst Rate : 111.5 MB/sec
+(note the slower average to the smaller 640GB model)+
*Green Power 1TB*
HD Tune: WDC WD10EADS-00L5B1 Benchmark
12-23-2008
Transfer Rate Minimum : 41.6 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 95.6 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 74.3 MB/sec
Access Time : 14.0 ms
Burst Rate : 117.2 MB/sec
*WD Caviar Blue 640GB*
HD Tune: WDC WD6400AAKS-00A7B Benchmark
Transfer Rate Minimum : 55.6 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Maximum : 113.3 MB/sec
Transfer Rate Average : 90.2 MB/sec
Access Time : 11.8 ms
Burst Rate : 112.9 MB/sec
the 32MB cache did not make a real or noticeable difference in benchmarks
http://www.barefeats.com/hard112.html

New purchase - iMac i7 or Mac Pro Quad Core

I'm planning to purchase a new mac and most of the work i do revolves around Aperture. One option is the 27 inch iMac i7 and the other option is the 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem".
I'm hoping to get some advise on the speed aspects of both processors. Not so concerned about the expansion options and any advise or benchmarks on the speed of the processors.
Cheers.

Hi msa,
In my opinion the Mac Pro is a much better buy than an iMac. Much more flexibility for the future, and a real "workhorse"! If you buy an iMac, I am pretty sure that you will regret your decision in the long term.
If you have not already done so, then I recommend that you should read Lloyd Chambers very thorough review (31 pages) of the latest Mac Pros:
http://macperformanceguide.com/Reviews-MacProWestmere.html
With particular emphasis on this page:
http://macperformanceguide.com/Reviews-MacProWestmere-iMac.html
Regards,
Bill

New to the Mac Pro 8 quad questions

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