Windows Graphics Card for Apple Display (23")

I gave my wife my 23" Cinema Display when I bought my 30". She is using an Alienware that is about 2 years old. The computer works fine except that the monitor must be unplugged when she starts it up or it will not boot. She will normally unplug the monitor, hit the power button, and wait for the mouse to light up before plugging the monitor in. She is becoming quite frustrated.
Anyone know a trick to get it fixed and it not, do you know how to be sure we wont have the same probably if we get a new graphics card? I'm assuming hers does not support DDC but when I look on Nvidia's website, they don't really say any of their cards do. She is happy with the card she has except for this issue so I would hate to buy a new one if we don't have to.
Thanks,

A search of this forum (or of the web) should return many hits for posts regarding which peecee video cards are compatible with the Apple displays. As you have discovered, not all are. And not all "compatible" cards give the same results. For example, some will display the windoze boot screens and some will not.

Similar Messages

  • The best graphics card for Cinema Display on a Windows machi

    I'm interested in getting an Apple 20" Apple Cinema Display for my Dell 2400 Dimension Windows machine.
    Can anyone recommend an ideal graphics card for this machine. Also, are there any details for setting it up on a windows machine? Does Apple have documentation available?

    Hi Marc, Im have the exact same specification machine dell 2400 and am looking to install a 20" studio display. I was just wondering if you suceeding in finding a suitable graphics card to support the monitor.
    I tried a GeForce 5200 without sucess but Ive just been advised to try an Ati X300.
    Thanks
    Dan

  • Powermac 1.25 MDD one or two graphics cards for dual display?

    I currently have two displays running off of one ATI card. Would I be better off putting a second card in a free PCI slot to run display number two. I've noticed that the ATI card divides the 128 MB memory between the two displays. With a second card there would be more memory dedicated to each individual display.
    Is this worth it or not? I have the extra card which i believe is an ATA 9200 PCI card.
    Graphics/Displays:
    ATI Radeon 9000 Pro:
    Chipset Model: ATY,RV250
    Type: Display
    Bus: AGP
    Slot: SLOT-1
    VRAM (Total): 128 MB
    Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
    Device ID: 0x4966
    Revision ID: 0x0001
    ROM Revision: 113-99703-135
    Displays:
    Apple Studio Display:
    Display Type: LCD
    Resolution: 1280 x 1024
    Depth: 32-bit Color
    Core Image: Not Supported
    Main Display: Yes
    Mirror: Off
    Online: Yes
    Quartz Extreme: Supported
    CPD-200GS:
    Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 75 Hz
    Depth: 32-bit Color
    Core Image: Not Supported
    Mirror: Off
    Online: Yes
    Quartz Extreme: Supported

    on my mac I have a nVidia Geforce4 Ti 4600 128MB DDR 4x AGP.
    it has a dvi port and adc port.
    I have a 19" Samsung 900DF CRT connected to a DVI to VGA adpater that came with my G4 MDD.
    I also have a 17" Philips 107S CRT connected to an ADC to VGA adapter, that I bought for $28 from OWC.
    works great for me. extended desktop. I have photoshop menus and palettes on the smaller monitor and the main work screen on the larger.
    when i watch movies and stuff watch the movies on the larger monitor.
    when I use iMovie and After Effects, I do same as I do with Photoshop.
    If I wanted to, I could put a PCI graphics card in the next slot over from the AGP and run another monitor.
    that ATI Radeon 9200 PCI looks good... about $130 from OWC.
    but what I got works fine...

  • Finally a graphics card for Apple Laptop's Nvidia 7950 mobile released.

    7950 = apparently dual ( 7800 gtx 256bit 256mb+ / g70/1 / 35gb/s / 800m )
    Now Apple has no more excuses to delay building the first Apple Intel Laptop " NOT Apple ATI X1600 PDA ".
    http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/12/nvidiageforce_go7950/

    Sorry to have fried your nerf's but I do love Apple and would gladly purchase another Apple if they give me something to buy and not provide weaker machines then 2 year old Dell Laptops.
    I would have bought the Mac pro desktop until I found out it only has 2 x dual cores "4 cpu's" . LOL who would pay for that LOL
    I wanted / expected and informed all my friends about it having 2x quad core xeon's ie: 8 cpu's until they called back and laughed at me
    Well my 2 year old Dell E1705 Zippo has a 7800 gtx 256bit 256mb ram running at 800m thingy's / 35gb/s at normal settings.
    The 7800 gtx comes from a 9300 celeron m Dell laptop model that was prior to the 9400 celeron m that was prior to the e1705 core duo.
    I payed $1500 way back when I purchased it and added 2gb 667 ddr2 + 7200rpm 100gb hd 2.5". Not $2500 for a $900 dell clone. "Ebay" I do not pay for half a broken cup of coffee, I want the real deal not some ripp-off.
    Now if Apple expects me to buy again from them they will have to provide a Apple laptop that comply's with my orriginal reason for switching to Apple = Power / Performance / Design / Craftsmanship and extremely high prices in relation to the other junk out there for sale "NON Apple Stuff / alternatives"
    So when they think of returning to APPLE and stay away from the Dell clones that they are trying to produce now $900.00 stuff "Mac Book Pro actual value , then I will gladly pay $2500 - $3000 for a laptop that will in any case be plugged in to AC 96% of the time ie: battery = backup power.
    Surely they will then have to provide power / performance / design / craftsmanship and a non mobile phone graphics card ie: 7950 or at least the 8800 g80 that will be released in november 2006
    http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/02/nvidiag80_to_shipnovember/
    SO why get so upset it is a good product for children and teachers "Mac Book Pro" but for the idiots like me and NASA and any other normal person over the age of 10 we need power and don't mind paying for it.
    Or we would have bought the MacBook to play with.
    Surely the 110v/220v light bulb that light the room you are in will not be satisfied with 2 AA 2x1.5v battery's to power it as it will not be able to do it's job ??????

  • Graphics Card for 30" display

    I just bought the 30" cinema display and it won't go higher than 1280 x 800 resolution. Do I need a dual link dvi card to maximize the resolution? I am on a pc (win xp) with a Nvidia GeForce 6800 card. I've been told this card should be able to go to a higher resolution, but I don't think it's "dual link dvi"... Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

    OK, I purchased and installed a BFG GeForce 7950GT card. I now have full 2560x1600 resolution on the 30" display, and am happy about that. Problem solved. I even tried reconnecting my 20" cinema display along with the 30" to try them out in dual mode, since the card has the capability. Happier still! However, I now have two new (maybe unrelated) problems:
    1) The 7950 card has a power socket on it, and it came with a "Y" connector that connects that socket to TWO of the standard pc 4-pin power sockets. Since the boneheads at Dell gave me NO extra power sockets, I had to purchase two additional "Y" adapters to split off power going to my cd drive and connect to the two 4-pins on the card. Everything works fine, but now when I boot up, I get a "System battery voltage is low" message. Is this a cause for any concern? I realize that this is probably the wrong forum for this question, but I thought I'd ask in case anyone had any knowledge about this...
    2) The second issue is that the 30" display (which is the primary)has a slight bluish tint to it. I thought I recalled reading something on this, but couldn't find it... When the 30" was in single display mode, it was fine. Or maybe I just didn't notice. But now that the two are side-by-side, the cooler tint on the 30" is quite noticeable compared to the 20", which still looks perfect.
    Neither issue is a huge problem (yet), but any info would be appreciated.
    Thanks!

  • Looking for a new graphics card for new display

    I recently purchased a 24" LCD monitor to increase my screen real estate. I was anticipating using the DVI connection on the monitor, but found out that the connection I have on the PM G4 Dual 1GHz is an ADC connector instead. Presently I'm using it in analog mode which works fine, but in anticipation of Leopard, I was planning on upgrading my video card (GeForce 4 MX, 64MB VRAM) with one that will support CoreImage, as this one doesn't. In addition, this monitor can pivot to 90 degrees in a portrait orientation, and I would like a card that supports this feature as well.
    I tried my PowerBook G4 1.5 GHz with its ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 card, and find it supports CoreImage as well as screen rotation--just what I was hoping for. It works like a charm with the new display. I just need to find out what 4x AGP desktop cards support these features. Any suggestions? I appreciate your input.
    Power Mac G4 Dual 1-GHz (QuickSilver)   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

    Hi-
    Welcome to Discussions!
    The ATI Radeon 9800 Pro Mac will take care of your needs.
    http://ati.de/products/radeon9800/radeon9800prome/specs.html

  • I have an early 2008 Mac Pro, 8 gb ram with a Dell 27" display and a 42" LG TV. I am thinking about upgrading the stock ATI Radeon 2600 graphics card for better resolution, preferring 2 dvi outputs. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best card?

    I have an early 2008 Mac Pro, 8 gb ram with a Dell 27” display and a 42” LG TV. I am thinking about upgrading the stock ATI Radeon 2600 graphics card for better resolution, preferring 2 dvi outputs or 1 dvi and 1 vga vs 1 dvi and a mini. I don't do a lot of Final Cut Pro, gaming, etc. I am interested in best value for the graphics card.
    Does anyone have any suggestions on the best graphics card for these larger displays for the best value?
    Thanks,
    Kevin

    I recommend you install nothing older than the Apple-firware 5770, about US$250.
    RE: Mac Pro Replacement Graphics cards
    1) Apple brand cards,
    2) "sold in the Apple store" cards, and
    3) "Mac Edition" cards ...
    ... show all the screens, including Boot up screens, Safe Mode, Installer, Recovery, debug screens, and Alt/Option boot screens. At this writing, these choices include:
    1) Apple brand cards:
    • Apple-firmware 5770, about US$250** works near full speed in every model Mac Pro, Drivers in 10.6.5
    • Apple-firmware 5870, about US$450
    2) "sold in the Apple store" cards
    • NVIDIA Quadro 4000, about US$1200
    • NVIDIA Quadro 5000, about US$2500
    3) "Mac Edition" cards -- REQUIRE 10.8.3 or later:
    • SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 MAC Edition, about US$480** Vendor recommends Mac Pro 4,1
    • EVGA GTX 680 Mac Edition, about US$600
    The cards above require no more than the provided two 6-pin aux power connectors provided in the Mac Pro through 2012 model. Aux cables may not be provided for third-party cards, but are readily available.
    If you are Meet ALL of these:
    • running 10.8.3 or later AND
    • don't care about "no boot screens" etc AND
    • can re-wire or otherwise "work out" the power cabling, THEN:
    You can use many more cards, even most "PC-only cards"

  • 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

  • Is nVidia Geforce GT640 good graphics card for PrE10 despite low memory bandwidth?

    Can anybody confirm that the nVidia Geforce GT640 is a reasonable graphics card for Premiere Elements 10 and Photoshop Elements 10?
    The person who assembled my Core i7 3770K desktop with 16Gb of RAM at 1600mHz installed the nVidia GT640 card with 2Gb of DDR3 memory. He said that this was a good (fairly low cost) card for video editing because it has 384 CUDA cores - very helpful in video editing. I am pretty ignorant about graphics cards, but like the low power usage, 65 watts, and reputed cool operating temperatures. I have since read that DDR5 memory would have been much faster because of greater memory bandwidth - say 80-90Gb per second compared with 28.5Gb per second for the DDR3 memory on the GT640 card. I was after economical power use. DDR5 cards use 110 watts upwards and run much hotter than DDR 3 cards, all other things being equal. The really fast cards require special power units and cooling.
    Does anybody know whether limited memory bandwidth is important in video editing? Is speed much more critical in gaming than in video editing? Are other attributes such as 384 CUDA cores, nvenc syncing, dedicated encodment, 28nm Kepler architecture, 2Gb memory frame buffer, 1.3 billion transistors, plenty of texture units -  more important than memory bandwidth in video editing? Does bandwidth limited by DDR3 memory affect quality of image?
    I read that the GT640 would be much faster (producing better image quality?) than the HD4000 integrated Intel graphics of the Core i7 Ivy Bridge processor. Is this so?
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit and all programs are installed on a 120Gb OCZ Agility 3 solid state drive. My data drive is a 1Tb Seagate SATA 3 at 7200 RPM. I have a beautiful 21 inch ASUS vs228n LED monitor and LG blu-ray burner.
    I did lots of editing with PrE 3 with a Dell 3.06 gHz hyperthreading desktop and Win XP. The output and even the preview monitoring was clear and stable. I am still capturing standard definition mini dv tape by firewire from a 3MOS Panasonic handycam, but plan to upgrade to HD 3MOS with flash memory. I make the preview monitor really small - about 7cm wide - in PR10, because the quality of the preview picture is much poorer than the quality that I experienced with the Premiere Elements 3 program with Win XP. Is this just an indication of memory-saving in PrE 10 previews? I expect output to be much superior, although still mpeg2-DVD quality until I upgrade my camera. I have set rendering on maximum bitrate.
    Anyway, despite these reservations with preview quality, the GT640 seems to be performing fine. Picture quality in Photoshop, online and elsewhere on my computer is excellent.
    I updated the nVidia display driver only yesterday to version 306.23.
    Nearly all graphics cards forums are about gaming. I hope to see more forums about graphics in editing here.
    What do you think of the 2Gb nVidia GT640 for editing with PrE 10 and Photoshop Elements 10? What would you say about picture quality in the PrE 10 monitor versus quality of output? Was picture quality in the PrE 3 monitor sharper and more stable, as I imagine?
    Regards, Phil

    Sheltie,
    Thank you for the kind words. We all work very hard to help others with video-editing. Some of us also show up on other Adobe forums, depending on the products that we use most often.
    Besides helping out, I also find that I learn something new every day, even about programs that I have used for decades. Heck, I just learned something new about PrE vs PrPro (my main NLE program), when I went to try and help a user. I probably actually use PrE more to test my theories, or to replicate a user's problem, than I do to actually edit my videos. Still, when applicable, I do real work in the program.
    With about a dozen "regulars" here, if one of us is not around, several more usually are. Personally, I do not understand how Steve Grisetti and John T. can dedicate so very much time here. Steve is a noted author of books on PrE, PSE, Sony DVD Architect, and others, plus helps run a video/photography Web site, Muvipix.com, that is very active, and has so very much to offer. John T. is always under the watchful eye of The JobJarQueen, and gets dragged, kicking and screaming, out into the yard, or up on his roof, so can be gone for a bit.
    Neale usually beats us all, since he's in the UK, and normally answers all the questions, that come in too late for us to see. He is also a PrE power-user, so beats me hands down.
    I travel a great deal, but no one ever misses me. Was supposed to do a trip to Sydney last Dec., but had to cancel. Have not gotten details on the reschedule of that trip, but it would have been my first jaunt south of the Equator. Gotta' make that happen.
    Good luck, and happy editing,
    Hunt

  • Recommended Graphics Cards for Encore / Premiere

    Hi-Dee-Ho Everybody:
    I started a thread yesterday regarding trouble I am having with Encore CS4, specifically, my "Monitor" window just stops, well, monitoring after a short time while manipulating fairy straight forward 720x480 AVI files. Rather than reiterate it all, here's the link:
    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/555265?tstart=0
    It's a new system that I'm using. I had been using Encore successfully for the last 6 months on an older, slower machine - Windows XP Home, 4GB memory, ONE processor core.
    Everything about the new system should improve the performance of Encore: 8GB of memory, Quad Core, 2.5GHz a HUGE harddrive. The only two things that I see could be the cause of my new problems are:
    Windows 7 Home Premium
    Different Graphics Card (Intel G43/G45 Express)
    I've updated EVERYTHING: Windows 7, display drivers, card drivers, the Roxio PX Engine (4.18.16a). All that's done.
    I've heard from many people that they are getting along fine with Windows 7. I am leaning towards this graphics card as the problem. The system was, overall, a great deal but I neglected to ask about the the amount of graphics memory in it.It's just one of those mother board embedded scenarios. I don't know if I should expect much from it.
    So, I was wondering if anybody had any experience with this "card". If not, I was wondering if there was a recommended graphics card for Encore and Premiere. A minimum recommendation for graphics memory?
    Thanks!
    Mark Roberts,
    Toronto

    Mark,
    Many have had problems with embedded Intel graphics chips and various Adobe programs.
    For the vast majority, replacing that with either an ATI, or nVidia, has solved the issue.
    Though it is overkill for general NLE and authoring, I love my nVidia Quadro FX-4500-512MB has worked perfectly. It is older, and more than you need.
    On my laptop, my nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX 512MB has also performed very well.
    One is a higher-end, albeit older, 3-D card, and the other, a "mobile" card. What I am getting at is that most of the offerings from ATI, or nVidia should work perfectly, and better than the Intel chip - plus either source will provide many more new drivers, and in a much more timely fashion, than the Intel.
    Good luck,
    Hunt

  • HT4664 What is the best graphics card for FCPX?

    In the nonstop anti-FCPX propaganda is an article of interest — posted 7/9/12 — comparing the benchmarks of FCPX and PP6.
    http://www.streamingmedia.com/Producer/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=83582 &PageNum=1
    The system used was a 2 x 2.93 GHz Quad-Core Mac Pro from early 2009 running MacOS X version 10.7.4 with 12 GB of RAM and an NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 graphics card with 1.5 GB of onboard RAM.
    In most cases PP6 outperformed FCPX with this configuration. However, in the comments Ben Balser pointed out that FCP X's A/VFoundation engine wasn't ideal on the NVIDA card:
    "Quadro is actually not the best card for FCP X's A/VFoundation engine, but great for CS6's Mercury engine, so the test is amazingly flawed right there. Try both on a 5780 card and watch things drastically change. I've done that test myself. Exporting to Compressor uses a MUCH more sophisticated encoding engine meant for higher level, professional transcoding, not simple outputs, which are faster using Export Media…"
    Apple lists this card on its support page: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664
    So,
    What is the best graphics card for FCPX?

    Ben,
    Thanks for chiming in on that article. It would be good to have a benchmark comparison with the two systems each with a preferred card.
    I'm hoping to see some other comparisons on this thread. Also, some links to other articles about best practices and configurations.

  • Graphics Card for Xserv G5

    Please help!
    Apple can't.....
    We have a G5 Xserv, that we desparately need a Graphics Card for. Apple say they can't supply it (their most useful suggestion was to buy one of the new core-duo machines as they ship with a graphics card as standard!).
    Xserv G5
    2GHz PowerPC G5
    2GB DDR400 ECC SDRAM - 2x1GB
    1000GB ADM (2x500GB Serial ATA)
    I believe we need a PCI-X card?
    Any ideas where I can get one or what the alternatives are? It can be a very basic card - nothing hardcore required in terms of graphics performance. If it could only draw the desktop in black and white, it would do!
    Thoughts?
    Xserv G5/2Ghz G5   Mac OS X (10.4.8)  

    The Radeon 7000 PCI card is based on the same GPU that Apple once shipped as the BTO Xserve video option - ATI RV100 - so it is worth a try.
    http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/DeveloperNotes/Servers/XserveG5/2Architecture/chapter_3_section7.html
    Any basic ATI should be supported by the OS because ATI was Apple's default video provider for much of this time period.
    Note that using a PCI video card will limit the speed of any PCI-X cards you also have installed, but that shouldn't effect your actual performance probably.
    =Tod
    G5/2.0x2, Dual XServes x2, XRAID, beige G3 501Mhz    

  • Will 3rd party graphics card for MacPro1.1?

    Hello, all! ^^
    I'm looking for a replacement graphics card for my MacPro 1.1 and now narrowing down to:
    NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT or 8800 GT now.
    I'm looking at used ones now and wondering if 3rd party cards with those chipset above will work or,
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    Can anyone help, please?
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    Upgrade OS X to Snow Leopard and replace the GPU with Apple's ATI 5770.
    Upgrading to Snow Leopard
    You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
    After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
         Snow Leopard General Requirements
           1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
           2. 1GB of memory
           3. 5GB of available disk space
           4. DVD drive for installation
           5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
               fees may apply.
           6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
               terms apply.
    Upgrading to Lion
    If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
    You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax.  It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
         Lion System Requirements
           1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
               or Xeon processor
           2. 2GB of memory
           3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
           4. 7GB of available space
           5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

  • How much is  a graphics card for 2011 macbook pro early edition?

    How much is a graphic card for a 2011 MacBook Pro?

    There is an Apple Recall for this year:
    https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/
    These are the models involved:
    Affected Models
    MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011)
    MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2011)
    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012)
    MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2011)
    MacBook Pro (17-inch Late 2011)
    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15 inch, Early 2013)
    Is yours one of these? Run your serial number on that site.
    IIt will make it easier to help you w/ your problem to know know more information about your computer; size, exact year built, RAM installed and OS you're running. Any history prior to your incident would also be helpful.

  • Best graphics card for the MAC Pro 4,1

    I am using the 4870 card, but, is there a better graphics card for doing photography with Adobe CS5 Extended and Lightroom 3?
    Thank you.

    While recently discontinued, you can probably get your hands on an nVidia GTX 285 fairly easily. It's not only faster than your Radeon HD4870, it has double the video memory, and more importantly it's on the shortlist of cards that are support hardware acceleration of the Mercury Playback Engine in Adobe CS5. That's a HUGE feature, if you use Premiere or After Effects, it's probably worth the price of admission right there. I've got one in my machine, works wonders. Aside from a zippy system, lots of basic stuff that used to have to be rendered in order to preview no longer require it.
    The nVidia Quadro FX 4800 is also a bigger/faster card, and provides even more powerful support for the Mercury Playback Engine in CS5, but it's also vastly more expensive. As I type this the price is $1799 at Apple, and $1399 most everywhere else (Apple store managers, if you're seeing this you might want to check for a price drop).
    That's the current max, but it's possible that new graphics cards are right around the corner. In the spring nVidia introduced their next generation of GPU, there are a range of new GTX 4xx series cards on the mainstream line, and just last week new Quadro cards were launched for the high end. Adobe does not support either of them for CS5's Mercury Playback Engine hardware acceleration at this moment, but Adobe employees have said that it's coming in an update soon.
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    My advice, if you need something now, chase down a GTX 285 and you won't be disappointed (especially in CS5). Otherwise, you may want to wait it out and jump on the next generation if/when it becomes available.
    Hope that helps!

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