2x2.8 and 8800gt has failed (garbaged screen with streaks of yellow)

They will likely replace it with 8800GT.

Call to store and ask if you could just bring the GPU, not the whole Mac Pro

wafl iron said:

they still carry around 8800gt's these days?

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Not in stock but they order it and you have to wait for it to arrive, I think. Of course you can call and ask but this is the usual protocol, same if I wanted my iMac to get fixed, they would have to order the logic board even though they might have something similar in stock.

If you want e.g. 4870, you could ask if you could get it and maybe pay the difference

it's policy to take the whole Mac in for tests, usually :/

as for the 8800gt, you can have it running by yourself in 10 min, use search for "Bake 8800"

wafl iron said:

So in the event that they give me an option between the 4870 and 285gtx

which one should i go for?

nvidia has really been pissing me off these days with their ****** ass drivers for windows

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Well, if speed isn't your only concern, then it seems you've answered your own quesion.

I'm no fan of nVidia either, and drivers is one of the reasons. The newer cards also run too hot and are pigs when it comes to power (why they're so dang hot in the first place). So I'd opt for the 4870 myself out of concern the 285 would roast itself.

But if raw performance is your primary need, the 285 is a faster card from a technical POV, and better suited for some software as well (i.e. leverages CUDA).

nanofrog said:

But if raw performance is your primary need, the 285 is a faster card from a technical POV, and better suited for some software as well (i.e. leverages CUDA).

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But what I've heard, it sucks in OpenGL which is use much widely than CUDA. BTW, does OS X even support CUDA (can it be used under OS X)?

GTX 285 is better for games, but if you need GPU for OpenGL as well, ATI 4870 is a lot faster.

Of course you could get GTX 285, sell it, buy an ATI 4870 and get an easy 100$

wafl iron said:

nvidia has really been pissing me off these days with their ****** ass drivers for windows

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Unfortunately that's the other way round these days.

The NVIDIA OS X drivers for the 285 pretty much suck, which is why the technically slower card (4870) performs better in OS X. For games, get the 285, for OS X performance, buy the 4870.

Or, even better, wait till Apple releases their new cards and buy a low end card till then.

wafl iron said:

surely the 4870 is as good or better than the 8800 for games right? thats all i care for. if 4870 is better in OSX and better than the 8800 in windows then that would be the one i think i would go for.

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Yeah, a lot better. If you mainly play games, then GTX 285 might be better choice as it's faster than 4870 in games but sucks in e.g. OpenGL which is used by some apps. GTX 285 is also 100$ more expensive so if I could choose, I would take it and sell it when new GPUs come

Hellhammer said:

But what I've heard, it sucks in OpenGL which is use much widely than CUDA. BTW, does OS X even support CUDA (can it be used under OS X)?

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Some software uses OpenGL, some CUDA, so I'd base it off of the software used. If unsure, I'd suspect OpenGL performance is more important, as I'm under the impression that more software uses it under OS X. And as you mention, the nVidia drivers suck (Windows and OS X as I understand it).

But to play it safe, and get the best choice, I'd put in the time to do the research on the applications and determine where the majority of the time is spent.

Hellhammer said:

GTX 285 is better for games, but if you need GPU for OpenGL as well, ATI 4870 is a lot faster.

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For a faster card, but used for a multitude of different things, the HD4870 is a better balance IMO. Cheaper too, if it's not given as a freebie (Apple choses to issue a new 8800 instead - I'd actually be surprised if they even offer a GTX 285 anyway, even if they are willing to issue an upgraded card).

Hellhammer said:

Of course you could get GTX 285, sell it, buy an ATI 4870 and get an easy 100$

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True, but I wouldn't bet on Apple even offering the GTX 285 to begin with. And then it would really need to be kept on-hand at least until the warranty expires.

wafl iron said:

yeah, i agree. I would prefer a better balance card that leans towards OSX's favor.

with my luck, i'll probably only be given the option to get an 8800.

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If they've one in stock, this is what I'd expect. Perhaps they'll allow to you pay the difference for an HD4870. Worth asking at least, if they do want to issue another 8800.

Assuming you do end up with another 8800, you could try the flashing or injector route with a PC version, as the cost is much more acceptable (or a 4890) from what's available now.

If you can wait, you might be able to get a 5870 (assuming Apple releases an OS X version, and the PC version is within your budget), once someone extracts the firmware and do a flash (go for a unit that uses the ATI reference design as it's a much better chance of working - ROM size could still be an issue, so waiting can allow you to get a card maker/model number that will flash properly). IIRC, the injector method isn't working yet (but definitely worth checking into IMO).