Which video card to buy for Mac Pro and AE CS3

I am about to purchase a new Mac Pro and am curious which video card to buy - particularly when it comes to rendering speed.
Apple offers the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 as a standard option, with the NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT with 512MB of GDDR3 as a $150 BTO option.
I primarily use AE CS3 using adaptive resolution in lieu of Open GL. The projects are very 3d intensive. My initial thought is that the NVIDIA card has more VRAM and would be a better pick - but would my $$$ be better off toward more RAM? Does using CS4 make a difference?
Any thoughts would be appreciated. And yes, I have searched the forums but have not found anything definitive.

Personally, I'd buy more RAM. The standard display card supplied with the Mac Pro will have perfectly good specs for AE and Prem Pro.
Yes, CS4 should render faster than CS3.

Similar Messages

  • No more iSight, so which Webcam can I  buy for Mac Pro tower?

    I have a new Mac Pro tower with 23" Apple Cinema display.
    I need to buy a FireWire web cam. Dosn't need mic as I have headset, but won't matter if mic is built in.
    I wanted iSight, but Apple don't make them and they area expensive used (UK price used is £100).
    Can anyone recommend a decent web cam for use with Skype and iChat AV?
    Thanks.

    What there were are at the bottom of this page http://homepage.mac.com/john_kenn/video.html
    You may find someone still has them on the shelf.
    You do realise that OS 10.4.9 and above will use a USB Video Class camera without drivers ? (They are now in the OS).
    10:37 PM Sunday; September 16, 2007

  • If I buy the Mac pro and iMac combine it together would it be faster?

    If I buy the Mac pro and iMac combine it together would it be faster or I just buy the mac pro and Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch)?

    If you buy a Mac Pro 2013, use the iMac for casual stuff and use the Mac Pro for media creation work.
    Maxed out iMac with 4-core 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD PCIe is nice.
    Mac Pro with 6-core 64GB dual graphics for $1000 more might run rings around it.
    Why not look them both up on Geekbench.
    Some people really need and like having two systems, maybe laptop (Air) and a more powerful system.

  • Which Mac Pro to buy for Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro X?

    Hi, I'm considering to buy a Mac Pro for my personal studio. I have 2 choices in my mind: 1st one is the "Quad-core (one 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon) with 6GB RAM", and the 2nd one is "12-core (Two 2.4GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon) with 12GB RAM". I'll be mainly using Logic Pro 9 and hardcore video editing in Final Cut Pro X. I know the fact that having higher GHz than more cores may benefit you at some point, and only those software applications that are well-written for using multiple cores will be able to utilize the power of 12-core. So, I need to know that are Logic and FCPX are such apps? Are they able to utilize the power of 12-cores or a Quad-core with more GHz will be better? I'm looking for fast operation and smoother workflow, and I'll also be using this computer for a very long time (so, its a major investment!).
    So, the ultimate verdict is to whether to go for more clockspeed or more cores? Money is not the problem here, and I will add more RAMs, SSD according to the need later after couple of months, but considering nothing else I need you to compare between these two machines! If the 12-core machine is even 1% faster I'll go for it, but I don't want to end up spending more money on the machine with will have less power and utility.
    Regards.

    6 core 3.33 1st choice
    8 core 2.93 or higher

  • Printer wireless for Mac Pro and  I pad.?

    Need to get a printer wireless for Mac Pro  also can be use with the IPad  this is possible? Thank  you

    Any of the current HP e-Print capable printers support AirPrint capabilities without even having to enable the e-Print stuff that's purely HP.
    Also, make sure your exisiting network router at home supports multicast protocols.  The majority of retail routers support this and you won't have issues, but I've run into problems with carrier issued modem/router combo units from Comcast made by Arris that don't support multicast and other protocols and hence, will not allow for the necessary discovery protocols for AirPrint to work across the wired or wireless network.  In cases like that, the fix is to place those units in "bridge mode" and then use your own router behind it that doesn't restrict that capability.  Just FYI.

  • Driver update problem - which new nVidia card to buy for Mac?

    I have an old NVidia GEForce 9400 M driver running in a Mac OS X Mavericks Version 10.9.5, that will not work for Creative Cloud and I can not find an updated driver. Any suggestions as to what NVidia graphic card I should replace it with if a driver update can not be found?
    [Title edited for clarity... Mod]

    Check with Apple to find out which card is certified for your exact model computer

  • How much power is supplied for the video card in the 2009 mac pro?

    I am trying to find how much power is supplied by each six pin power point and the pci e slot on my 2009 Mac Pro

    The first two slots can provide 75 watts each.  40 watts each for slots 3 and 4.
    Each auxiliary 6-pin power connector can provide 75 watts.
    You can't use all these at maximum at once, though.  Total power is limited to 300 watts.

  • Confused about upgrading Video card on 1st Gen Mac Pro

    When looking in the Apple store under video cards it looks like the 8800 or even the ati 2600xt say :
    PCI Express 2.0 but under the reviews for the ati card there are a few posts that say they used this card to upgrade their '06 ' and '07 Mac Pro from the Nvidia 7300 ...
    But if the older Mac Pro's dont have pci express 2.0 how can this be ?
    I also have read that a nvidia 8800 for the 1st gen mac pro may come out but what if it does not ? Whats the deal ? Will there be a video upgrade path for the 1st gen mac pro or not ?
    Why are we being " left out " in the cold for buying a machine a year and a half ago ?
    So basically there is the 7300 or the ati 1900 and thats it for the 1st gen mac pro's ?
    Even my 4 year old PC has video options and its agp !

    If you are bored you might be able to find an early post of mine from the early MacPro days when I commented that MacPro buyers should only buy if they can live with never being to upgrade the graphics card. Apple is Apple and if you know the history of Apple you know that graphics cards are all but ignored. I remain hopeful that Apple, through nVidia, comes out with an 8800 for older Mac Pros, but I don't count on it. The MacPro line has glaring strengths and glaring weaknesses and the dearth of video cards is a glaring weakness. Still better a MacPro with this weakness than a PC box, but with no official word from Apple and all this expectation from a single comment by an nVidia PR person (PR for gosh sakes!), I don't find the rumor to be terribly credible. Hope I'm wrong. Very much so. Hope the oft quoted email by steve j. regarding it being looked at is on the money and we have an announcement tomorrow. Holding my breath till then....

  • What RAM should I buy for Mac Pro?

    I want to increase the speed of my Mac Pro but I'm not sure exactly which RAM to buy for my tower.  I bought this Mac Pro in 2008 I believe.  Any suggestions on which brands to buy and exactly which specific RAM?
    Thanks.

    There were half a dozen articles on MPG on memory upgrades, CS5/6 and more on SSDs to keep you reading!
    When choosing boot drive SSD can make sense, so would 10K WD VR 250GB ($154)
    Saving files you work on can take "too long" when you go from 300MB up to 2GB.
    Disk drives may never get down to where they were (2TB WD Black $169) but large high density = high I/O and even the 1TB has gotten faster recently.
    MPG goes into using SSDs on PCIe card but that has not always been ideal - better in the last two Mac Pro models.
    The other 'big' ticket item has been the Nvidia GTX 570 2.5GB model ($500 though for a MacVidCards version) to help CS6 w/ 10.7.4 (and yes it helps but some are waiting for a GTX 680 instead but that could requirie 10.8 too).
    But getting 4 x 2GB $110 16GB might make more sense using 667MHz instead of $220 for 2 x 4GB $220 800MHz. Both gets you 12GB, better but not ideal. For some, it is a stop gap rather than buy a 2010 or waiting for a new 2013 Mac Pro.
    http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-PC2-5300-FB-DIMM-APPLE-Memory/dp/B002ORUUAC/
    http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-FB-DIMM-PC2-6400-800MHz-SPECIAL/dp/B0062B2JRS/
    http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-VelociRaptor-WD1000DHTZ-10000RPM/dp/B007ZR YNVS/
    WD Black 1TB (and others)
    http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/
    SSD Crucial m4 128GB $119
    http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-Inch-Solid-State-CT128M4SSD2/dp/B004W2JKZI/r
    I like WD 10k VR in latest series $200 500GB
    http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Drives-VelociRaptor-Enterprise/dp/B007VPGK 42/
    http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Drives-VelociRaptor-Enterprise/dp/B007V5A1 BK/
    http://www.amazon.com/Velociraptor-WD1000DHTZ-SATA-Hard-Drive/dp/B007VPGJIY/
    RAM stays with your Mac, disk drives are an investment.

  • Which video card to get for my late 2005 Dual 2.0 G5

    Sorry if this has been answered in others posts. I have been a bit confused on what card I should be getting for my G5.
    I have a late 2005 model (last generation of the PPC) and it came with a 6600LE PCIe 128mb card.
    I would like to get a better video card (256 or 512) but I don't want to break the bank. I read about the ATI x1900 but I wasn't sure what the differences were between the two versions. There seems to be an x1900 MAC edition and an x1900 XT. Can someone let me know which card I need and whether or not there are other choices that might be cheaper.
    Thanks.

    I recently purchased an ATI Radeon 9600 Pro PC & Mac edition and installed it in a PowerMac G5 2.0 DP to power a 30" Apple Display ... installed easily and worked perfectly. It was $186.98 at Amazon, but is currently unavailable there; $204.99 at Small Dog. Here is the detailed description:
    +"Maximize your creative potential and gaming experiences with ATI's Radeon 9600 PRO PC & Mac Edition, the first hybrid 256 MB, ultra-high resolution graphics card for both Power Mac and PC users.The Radeon 9600 PRO PC & Mac Edition is a perfect upgrade for design professionals and gamers who demand exceptional graphics performance. The Radeon 9600 PRO PC & Mac Edition delivers stunning 3D capabilities at an incredible price for both Mac OS X and Windows XP users with AGP-based systems.The Radeon 9600 PRO PC & Mac Edition provides the most up-to-date display support, powering the market's latest, digital flat panel monitors and dual-link DVI ultra high-resolution flat panel monitors, including Apple's 30-inch Cinema HD Display (2560 X 1600 resolution). Equipped with ATI's breakthrough dual-link DVI output and support, the Radeon 9600 PRO PC & Mac Edition offers Power Mac and PC users the output capability and performance needed to maximize their design and gaming experiences."+

  • Which Video card is best for movie editing?

    I'm about to jump in and buy my first editing system and will be getting the Mac Pro 3GHz system. What I can't figure out is whether the standard NVIDIA GeForce 7300 will be enough for running FCP 5 and the other bundled programs like Motion 2 or even After Effects. Apple offers getting 2 or 3 of these cards before going up to the ATI X1900. Is there any benefit to doing that? Cost is a bit of a factor otherwise I'd just jump in and get the more expensive card. Does anyone have any advice on whether the standard should do the trick?

    Ultimately it recommended that a 3GHz Mac Pro with the ATI X1900 XT and 4GB RAM or more be used for anyone using Final Cut Studio 5.1 (or higher whenever there is a higher).
    Although if there were financial contraints and it we me, the first place I would start cutting is the processors and then leave them at the standard 2.66GHz. I wouldn't skimp on the GPU or RAM. One option you can take however is to go with the 3GHz model and with the standard Nvidia 7300GT and then buy the ATI card separately at a later time. While you do pay an extra $US150 for this it will aloow you to spread your costs a bit more.

  • Which monitor for mac pro and FCP

    Hi,
    I'm using a quad core mac pro with a Dell 2407wfp. In this setup I mainly do FCP editing. The monitor is 4 years old and I like to replace it for a larger one. I recently saw a setup with a Samsung P2770HD full hd and a tv tuner on board. Will this be good enough for FCP editing and reviewing HD content?
    TIA

    Will this be good enough for FCP editing and reviewing HD content?
    Probably not - but I have no experience with that monitor.
    Not what you asked but why not keep the Dell for displaying FCP timeline, bins, etc and purchase a quality HDTV and the means to feed it a hd signal (eg AJA Kona series, various Blackmagic cards, Matrox MXO series, etc) for viewing output?
    x

  • Graphics card upgrade options for Mac Pro (early 2008) Model 3.1

    Hi,
    What are my options if I wish to upgrade the stock graphics card? I seem to remember there being one that was about £80 but I can no longer check as the site is only listing the 2009 mac pros now.
    Any assistance would be gratefully received!

    Your current options are:
    ATI 2600
    Nvidia 8800
    Nvidia 5600
    Or third-party ATI 3870 Mac/PC Edition.
    Presumably the new ATI 4870 will work in the Early 2008 MP, but requires OS X 10.5.7 which is not yet released. You can find benchmarks at Bare Feats.

  • Can't find Leopard Installer Disc for Mac Pro and Need to Boot from Disc.

    Any chance I can create a bootable DVD for my Mac Pro without having the original to duplicate?

    This has to do with the mouse lag/freeze problem people have been having, by the way. Just about any 10 consecutive seconds that I use my mouse, it freezes then jumps a little ways away - which is seriously hampering my ability to finish this editing project.
    It's been suggested this is a directory problem, which is why I'm looking for the boot disc. If anyone has any other advice on this, I'm all ears.
    I've already changed out the hardware and run disk permissions, etc., to no avail.

  • Best benchmarking info for Mac Pros and MacBook Pros?

    I'm looking for benchmarking information that compares recent-model Mac Pros against recent MacBook Pros. I'd also love to be able to compare the performance of both to my current dual 2.5-GHz PowerMac G5.
    Where is the best place to look for this kind of info?
    Thanks!

    Yes, there are benchmarks. Why not be specific.
    Barefeats, MacWorld, Geekpatrol, Geekbench, Primatelabs.
    I really think Barefeats has done a lot to help answer questions.
    It depends. Maybe you want Photoshop benchmarks? or... iMovie?
    http://www.barefeats.com/harper10.html
    http://www.barefeats.com/imp02.html
    http://www.geekpatrol.ca/2006/08/mac-performance-from-the-g3-to-the-xeon/
    http://www.barefeats.com/harper.html
    http://www.primatelabs.ca/blog/2008/04/
    http://www.primatelabs.ca/blog/2008/01/mac-pro-performance-january-2008/
    http://www.macworld.com/article/133467/2008/05/imaccomparison.html
    How can you compare a system with 6 native SATA drives, 8-cores, 32GB RAM if needed, better and multiple graphics and other RAID controllers and add-ons, even dedicated FW800 and USB2 controllers if needed? except to other workstations.

Maybe you are looking for