GTX 285 and X-Plane (BootCamp vs OS X)

[Topper]

.
I bench tested the GTX 285 and 8800 GT with X-Plane.
I used the exact same renderings with both cards and under both WinXP and OS X.
I averaged out three runs for each bench test.

I am very pleased with my GTX 285.
One caveat, I do wish it ran as well under OS X as it does with Boot Camp.

http://homepage.mac.com/ctopper/.Pictures/Benchtest.jpg
.

[Alphakline]

one the OSX side, is it with the newest drivers that they just released?

[Topper]

one the OSX side, is it with the newest drivers that they just released?

Yes.
Truth is that new driver isn't new. That driver came out on June 12th.
The only new information is that driver is necessary in order to run 10.5.8 when it comes out.
.

[rwdds]

It would be really interesting to see the same comparison using a stock Radeon 4870. The 4870 is supposed to provide 2-4X improvement over the fastest Invidias.

[Topper]

It would be really interesting to see the same comparison using a stock Radeon 4870. The 4870 is supposed to provide 2-4X improvement over the fastest Invidias.

There are some bench tests out there, Barefeats for example.

According to Barefeats:

Playing games under OS X, the GTX 285 beat the HD 4870 every time. (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal11.html)

Using pro applications under OS X, the GTX 285 beat the HD 4870 in two out of three tests (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal12.html)

Under Windows, the GTX 285 wiped the 4870 right off the map (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal13.html)

[voyagerd]

I can't wait to get a Mac Pro with one, will be so much faster than my MBP for gaming.

[dimme]

It's sad that X-plane does not run well under OS X. I guess it is apple's fault for not writing good drivers. I guess this is why Windows is a better platform for games. I like X plane because it runs in OS X but if I am going to boot into windows prefer to use FSX.

[Topper]

if I am going to boot into windows prefer to use FSX.

That's interesting.
I prefer X-Plane over FSX but that's probably because I have been running X-Plane for years and I am used to it.

Oh yeah, you've got the 8800 GT. Unfortunately the 8800 GT definitely prefers Windows. Sorry.
.

[bcomer]

I am running the 8800GT card in my Mac Pro using two 27" monitors.

Is there any advantage to adding a second 8800GT card so that there is one per monitor?
Otherwise I will order the 285GTX, just trying to save some money if adding the second card will do.

[Topper]

I am running the 8800GT card in my Mac Pro using two 27" monitors.

Is there any advantage to adding a second 8800GT card so that there is one per monitor?
Otherwise I will order the 285GTX, just trying to save some money if adding the second card will do.

I'm no expert but there is no advantage that I know of.
The GTX 285 is more powerful than two 8800 GT cards.
The GTX 285 is even more powerful than two 8800 GT cards running under SLI.
Which is a moot point anyway since the Mac Pro can't run SLI under OSX or Windows.
The GTX 285 has 240 shaders compared to 112 shaders for the 8800 GT.
The GTX 285 has a bandwidth of 159.0 GB/s compared to 57.6 GB/s for the 8800 GT.

The new Mac Pro should be coming out soon.
I'd be curious to see what it has for the high-end bto graphics card.
It will probably beat the GTX 285 and it will probably fit in your Mac Pro.

[bcomer]

I will wait until the next Mac Pro update is done to see what happens in the graphics area.