Fermi support in OS X

[J the Ninja]

Remember those Nvidia drivers? (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=946178)

Turns out there was a surprise in the bottom of the box:

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/802/fermip.png

http://netkas.org/?p=455


So....Fermi in the 2010 Mac Pro? Support does include the 465, for those getting worried about fan noise.

[Cindori]

looking at this thread (http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=214219&st=120) it seems it's not working properly, yet. also requires a patched bootloader

but yeah, this basically means that fermi is coming for mac pro

[hexagonheat]

but yeah, this basically means that fermi is coming for mac pro

Yuck. Cards that consume more power, have a high cost, and are slower than Ati's offerings. Why Apple?!

Some times it's the other way around where Nvidia trounces ATI but in the last year or two Nvidia has been getting its butt handed to them.

[Mackilroy]

Fermi support has shown up on hackintoshes, too.

[The Rominator]

Apple didn't write the drivers, Nvidia apparently did.

I have a 5870 that has been sitting in a box for nearly a year, WAITING for those "right around the corner" drivers. Since EVERY ATI card so far has worked on ALL Mac Pros, I was sure I was going to flash the first 5870. (once ROM and drivers were out)

I'm already on Craigslist, looking for a deal on a Fermi.


Grrrrr

[Spacedust]

Anyone tried Fermi patch on real Mac Pro (not hackintosh) ?

[The Rominator]

Anyone tried Fermi patch on real Mac Pro (not hackintosh) ?

I read through the hackintosh thread and I'm pretty sure one was real Mac Pro who posted.

In any case, I'm picking up a GTX480 in 5 hours....so we will know soon enough.

(Provided my CL "hookup" doesn't flake)

[Major Reeves]

The video card update is long overdue.
Nvidia = better open cl performance / cuda
Disappointed if it's the gtx470.
Anyways, time to replace the gtx285 and the tesla c1060.

[maflynn]

From what I've read, Fermi based boards are quite hot and consume a lot of power. Let's see if apple does use them and doesn't underclock them the way they do with other GPUs that tend to run hot and/or consume a lot of juice.

[Major Reeves]

From what I've read, Fermi based boards are quite hot and consume a lot of power. Let's see if apple does use them and doesn't underclock them the way they do with other GPUs that tend to run hot and/or consume a lot of juice.

Well it runs as hot as the hd4870.

[hexagonheat]

Well it runs as hot as the hd4870.

Wrong by a long shot.

Source for both power consumption and temperature: http://www.techspot.com/review/263-nvidia-geforce-gtx-480/page13.html

[jav6454]

Fermi:

[maflynn]

Well it runs as hot as the hd4870.

Wrong by a long shot.

Source for both power consumption and temperature: http://www.techspot.com/review/263-nvidia-geforce-gtx-480/page13.html

Agreed, nvidia has some work ahead of them if they're going to lower the powerconsumption and keep it cool.

I added a GTX260 to my corei7 and it required two 6pin power connectors and at least a 500w PSU. My point is that nvidia needs to learn a lesson or two from ATI.

With that said, I'm happy with my GTX260 - heat pump and all :)

[Major Reeves]

Wrong by a long shot.

Source for both power consumption and temperature: http://www.techspot.com/review/263-nvidia-geforce-gtx-480/page13.html

Because 6 ºC / 7 ºC is indeed a huge difference, even more without knowing how "scientifically" the tests were conducted. Noticed the sarcasm?
As for the hd4870, it easily reaches 90 ºC on osX, that is without OC or manual fan control, at the room temperature of 25 ºC.

[Major Reeves]

Fermi:

Shouldn't that guy be holding a macbook pro?
Lol 99 ºC on the 17 inches model from early 2009 (c2duo at 2.93 ghz, 4gb ram, wd scorpio black) doesn't seem right with just some matlab and custom written open cl/ cuda apps. Even more when it says "pro" on the label, so much for an "efficient" cooling right?

[hexagonheat]

Because 6 ºC / 7 ºC is indeed a huge difference, even more without knowing how "scientifically" the tests were conducted. Noticed the sarcasm?
As for the hd4870, it easily reaches 90 ºC on osX, that is without OC or manual fan control, at the room temperature of 25 ºC.

Approximate 40% increase in power consumption and 28% increase in temperature from 4870 to Fermi is significant yes.

You are free to read the test setup and methodology provided on the site. It is fully documented.

As for reaching 90 degrees Celsius in OS X I don't see any source to back up your claim. And if it is true we can be sure that a similar Fermi card would run hotter.

[The Rominator]

why the continuing nonsense about heat & Fermi?

Who gives a damn ?

Your Xeon CPU gets mighty hot too, why not raise a fuss about that?

It is just childish & pathetic the way the ATI Fan Bois have to raise this issue everytime the word "fermi" shows up in a forum.

Accept the fact that 5870 is no longer King and move on !!!

I have both a 5870 and a GTX480, ready for the truth?

The GTX480 is faster !!!

The 5870 is cooler but slower !!!

Can we let it die now? Please?

If not, mommy might make you go sit in the corner without supper. (or your iPod !!!)

[jav6454]

why the continuing nonsense about heat & Fermi?

Who gives a damn ?

Your Xeon CPU gets mighty hot too, why not raise a fuss about that?

It is just childish & pathetic the way the ATI Fan Bois have to raise this issue everytime the word "fermi" shows up in a forum.

Accept the fact that 5870 is no longer King and move on !!!

I have both a 5870 and a GTX480, ready for the truth?

The GTX480 is faster !!!

The 5870 is cooler but slower !!!

Can we let it die now? Please?

If not, mommy might make you go sit in the corner without supper. (or your iPod !!!)

For you:

[hexagonheat]

Heat is an important design consideration when you are looking at building a computer and heat restrictions. It also can cause a large difference in the noise that the fan introduces. No one wants to have a sonic jet sitting on their desk. It can also change the size and dimensions of the fan and design enclosure.

I am NOT an ati fanboy if that is what you are suggesting. I used to own an x1900xt until heat problems caused me to buy into Nvidia. On my Linux machine I only use Nvidia gpus right now as well because of their driver support for the platform is superior to ATIs offerings. Right now though with the heat issue, the shoe is on the other foot. If Apple can provide decent enough cooling solutions then I don't see a problem. I've just been burned in the past by heating issues and it's not fun at all.

why the continuing nonsense about heat & Fermi?

Who gives a damn ?

Your Xeon CPU gets mighty hot too, why not raise a fuss about that?

It is just childish & pathetic the way the ATI Fan Bois have to raise this issue everytime the word "fermi" shows up in a forum.

Accept the fact that 5870 is no longer King and move on !!!

I have both a 5870 and a GTX480, ready for the truth?

The GTX480 is faster !!!

The 5870 is cooler but slower !!!

Can we let it die now? Please?

If not, mommy might make you go sit in the corner without supper. (or your iPod !!!)

[Major Reeves]

Heat is an important design consideration when you are looking at building a computer and heat restrictions. It also can cause a large difference in the noise that the fan introduces. No one wants to have a sonic jet sitting on their desk. It can also change the size and dimensions of the fan and design enclosure.

I am NOT an ati fanboy if that is what you are suggesting. I used to own an x1900xt until heat problems caused me to buy into Nvidia. On my Linux machine I only use Nvidia gpus right now as well because of their driver support for the platform is superior to ATIs offerings. Right now though with the heat issue, the shoe is on the other foot. If Apple can provide decent enough cooling solutions then I don't see a problem. I've just been burned in the past by heating issues and it's not fun at all.

If you're complaining about noise on a workstation, you're simply not in the market for one.

And as a pointed out on a previous post, if you want to rant about heating/cooling issues maybe you should think macbook pro. The fermi parts do run hot, but so does every other video card on the market.

[brentsg]

Yuck. Cards that consume more power, have a high cost, and are slower than Ati's offerings. Why Apple?!

Some times it's the other way around where Nvidia trounces ATI but in the last year or two Nvidia has been getting its butt handed to them.

Show me where a GF 480 gets its butt handed to it by a single GPU ATI card.

[jav6454]

Show me where a GF 480 gets its butt handed to it by a single GPU ATI card.

You aksed for it. Mind you the language. This was on another forum where nVidia v ATI threads run rampant.

Also, take into account nVidia had 6 months extra to prepare Fermi (yet failed) so it would be natural for Fermi to be tad more faster, but the small performance increase coupled with high power consumption and heat production is not worth it. I hope Apple dumps nVidia's sorry ass.

I am not ATI fanboy, I own a GTX 285 and a GeForce 8800. Good cards, but this generation of nVidia offerings are VERY poor. ATI simply squashed nVidia.

[hexagonheat]

Show me where a GF 480 gets its butt handed to it by a single GPU ATI card.


You aksed for it. Mind you the language. This was on another forum where nVidia v ATI threads run rampant.

Also, take into account nVidia had 6 months extra to prepare Fermi (yet failed) so it would be natural for Fermi to be tad more faster, but the small performance increase coupled with high power consumption and heat production is not worth it. I hope Apple dumps nVidia's sorry ass.

I am not ATI fanboy, I own a GTX 285 and a GeForce 8800. Good cards, but this generation of nVidia offerings are VERY poor. ATI simply squashed nVidia.

Lol OWNED. The 5870 is also about $100 cheaper right now than the Fermi and has been out for a while. ATI has also had several months now to work on their next gen products.

[Cindori]

I don't care what runs cooler. What is cheaper or what is better.

I care for the card to work in my machine. Something fermi can right now.

[The Rominator]

I know the pretty color graphs are fun to look at, too bad you couldn't READ the text.

It says Fermi "will hit etailers shelves on April 6th" so in other words, that test is from BEFORE it came out and BEFORE the real drivers appeared.

So...sort of like today, with us getting results based on pre-release drivers. Where it can't beat a 3870.

So let me put my XFX 5870 in my Mac and see how it does.

Oh, look. Black screen.

Huh.

So take your theoretical babbling to the PC forums where you can argue ATI vs Nvidia, My Mobo is bigger than Your Mobo, MY PSU is better than your PSU ALL DAY LONG and it will seem like people care.

This is a Mac forum, check the top of the page if you don't believe me.

And since only Fermi is now running in Mac OS and the 5870 is just a nice dream for someday in the future, WHY DEBATE THEIR MERITS HERE AT ALL?

Or maybe go find a forum where you can debate other theoretical, "what if" sort of nonsense. I know, how about a thorough discussion of "How McCain would have dealt with oil spill if he were Prez" or "What if Amelia Airheart had used a GPS unit" or any of a million other nonsensical topics that also don't have any bearing on reality. Or maybe a nice ATI Fanboi site where you can create (or just copy) some more fun COLOR pix of fires and Fermi cards? Doesn't that sound fun?

Pardon me, I need to go now and continue trying to help Netkas find a way to improve Fermi support in OSX. You should go find a nice ranting site to post on. Maybe try trolling an Nvidia site? Now THAT could be fun !!!

Or maybe just go ride your trike around the dining room table a few more times, until Mamah tells you to go outside again.

[jav6454]

I know the pretty color graphs are fun to look at, too bad you couldn't READ the text.

It says Fermi "will hit etailers shelves on April 6th" so in other words, that test is from BEFORE it came out and BEFORE the real drivers appeared.

So...sort of like today, with us getting results based on pre-release drivers. Where it can't beat a 3870.

So let me put my XFX 5870 in my Mac and see how it does.

Oh, look. Black screen.

Huh.

So take your theoretical babbling to the PC forums where you can argue ATI vs Nvidia, My Mobo is bigger than Your Mobo, MY PSU is better than your PSU ALL DAY LONG and it will seem like people care.

This is a Mac forum, check the top of the page if you don't believe me.

And since only Fermi is now running in Mac OS and the 5870 is just a nice dream for someday in the future, WHY DEBATE THEIR MERITS HERE AT ALL?

Or maybe go find a forum where you can debate other theoretical, "what if" sort of nonsense. I know, how about a thorough discussion of "How McCain would have dealt with oil spill if he were Prez" or "What if Amelia Airheart had used a GPS unit" or any of a million other nonsensical topics that also don't have any bearing on reality. Or maybe a nice ATI Fanboi site where you can create (or just copy) some more fun COLOR pix of fires and Fermi cards? Doesn't that sound fun?

Pardon me, I need to go now and continue trying to help Netkas find a way to improve Fermi support in OSX. You should go find a nice ranting site to post on. Maybe try trolling an Nvidia site? Now THAT could be fun !!!

Or maybe just go ride your trike around the dining room table a few more times, until Mamah tells you to go outside again.

Yes, those are reviews for the GTX 480 that came out a week before the actual card went on sale.

Apparently, someone is lacking in relaease dates. Those were release date drivers if I recall correctly. Obviously by now, drivers are even more mature, but that took what? 8-9 months to beat the 5870? It had to give way, it is old by now. Also, GTX cards bare more GDDR5 memory which does affect a formal comparisson, but thats a given more memory was going to be available specially after 6 months. However, the basic concept is that it took nVidia 8-9 months to catch up with ATI, who by now, must be on the closing details of the 6000 series. Oh nVidia, you so mad.

But sure, whatever makes you sleep at night.

[Major Reeves]

Yes, those are reviews for the GTX 480 that came out a week before the actual card went on sale.

Apparently, someone is lacking in relaease dates. Those were release date drivers if I recall correctly. Obviously by now, drivers are even more mature, but that took what? 8-9 months to beat the 5870? It had to give way, it is old by now. Also, GTX cards bare more GDDR5 memory which does affect a formal comparisson, but thats a given more memory was going to be available specially after 6 months. However, the basic concept is that it took nVidia 8-9 months to catch up with ATI, who by now, must be on the closing details of the 6000 series. Oh nVidia, you so mad.

But sure, whatever makes you sleep at night.

1st you're comparing gaming benchmarks when the card is going to be run on a workstation.
2nd You're not mentioning how abysmal open cl is from the current ati offers.
3rd You're just nip picking dumb issues that are completely common to high performance hardware.
4th You completely ignored when I mentioned how hot can the macbook's get. So is it right to complain about the fermi based cards and not the macbook's? When they manage to hit 99º C with no problem.

[jav6454]

1st you're comparing gaming benchmarks when the card is going to be run on a workstation.
2nd You're not mentioning how abysmal open cl is from the current ati offers.
3rd You're just nip picking dumb issues that are completely common to high performance hardware.
4th You completely ignored when I mentioned how hot can the macbook's get. So is it right to complain about the fermi based cards and not the macbook's? When they manage to hit 99º C with no problem.

1. Workstation Graphic cards are not the GTX or HD series. nVidia has dedicated Quadro GPUs for that as well as ATI has FireX GPUs. If you are going to bench a GTX or HD GPU, best be using games, because that's what they were designed for. Using synthetic benchmarks proves nothing and is not a the real comparisson for performance.

2. I am not avoiding that, I never said nVidia had poor OpenCL drivers. In fact, that is NOT my argument against Fermi at all.

3. High performance hardware? Hardly, Fermi has to suck enourmous amounts of power, produce high amounts of heat to crunch that fast. Otherwise, good ol'e HD 5870 rapes it. Also, no hardware is considered good with a TDP of 250W, hoovers at 70*C idle and 90*C at load when it's maximum designated temperature is 105*C. All that while consuming 300W of power (150W from 8-pin, 75W from PCIe and 75W from 6-pin). That IS NOT performance, that is more like reallly, really bad hardware trying too hard.

4. I didn't ignore that, but we are not talking about MacBook's here, we are mentioning Fermi, which is a chip, that gets as hot as an entire computer does. That is NOT good.

[TennisandMusic]

1st you're comparing gaming benchmarks when the card is going to be run on a workstation.
2nd You're not mentioning how abysmal open cl is from the current ati offers.
3rd You're just nip picking dumb issues that are completely common to high performance hardware.
4th You completely ignored when I mentioned how hot can the macbook's get. So is it right to complain about the fermi based cards and not the macbook's? When they manage to hit 99º C with no problem.

Sorry, I really have no interest in this discussion, but I just had to ask...is this like a much more fun version of nit picking?

[jav6454]

1st you're comparing gaming benchmarks when the card is going to be run on a workstation.
2nd You're not mentioning how abysmal open cl is from the current ati offers.
3rd You're just nip picking dumb issues that are completely common to high performance hardware.
4th You completely ignored when I mentioned how hot can the macbook's get. So is it right to complain about the fermi based cards and not the macbook's? When they manage to hit 99º C with no problem.

Oh I forgot to mention, while on load, Fermi gets as loud as vacuum cleaner. Now thats a cool feature.

[netkas]

guys, can you stop the flame battle and get back to the topic ?

[DeafNeoMac]

guys, can you stop the flame battle and get back to the topic ?

First I agree with Netkas about getting back to the topic... AS for ATI and Nvidia will always have it's own pros and cons.

I have been looking through google for Fermi cards to work on Mac Pro and I haven't found much information unless I'm looking at the wrong places.

So my question is will a Fermi VC work with the Mac Pro in the Win OS7 while it's doing nada while in OSX while I use GT120 for video editing?

Or will I still have to flash the Fermi?

I certainly hope I am clear in what I am asking here.

Here are my specs to help you guys to get an idea of my set up:

Refurbished
Mac Pro 4.1
2.26Ghz (8cores)
16GB Rams in all 8 slots
GT120 Nvidia Video card
2-600 GB WD v'raptors (Bay1=OSX (SL) Bay2=Win7pro)
2-2TB HD (Bay3/4=storage)
1-Dellu2410 with 2 DVIs +1 VGA

I am aware that Apple is being silent about whether or not they will be supporting Direct X11 cards any time soon. I have been keeping an eye out on it is why I am postponing in buying a older generation card to try flashing it.(afterall I have never flashed a vc)

Reason I want a faster card is I like playing Crysis, Crysis warhead and looking forward to Crysis 2 coming out this fall. I also have few other games such as Red Faction Guerrilla, Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising, plus some steam games. ( I used to have PC set up until I sold the system).

Hope you guys can help me out here.

[The Rominator]

First I agree with Netkas about getting back to the topic... AS for ATI and Nvidia will always have it's own pros and cons.

I have been looking through google for Fermi cards to work on Mac Pro and I haven't found much information unless I'm looking at the wrong places.

So my question is will a Fermi VC work with the Mac Pro in the Win OS7 while it's doing nada while in OSX while I use GT120 for video editing?

Or will I still have to flash the Fermi?

I certainly hope I am clear in what I am asking here.

Here are my specs to help you guys to get an idea of my set up:

Refurbished
Mac Pro 4.1
2.26Ghz (8cores)
16GB Rams in all 8 slots
GT120 Nvidia Video card
2-600 GB WD v'raptors (Bay1=OSX (SL) Bay2=Win7pro)
2-2TB HD (Bay3/4=storage)
1-Dellu2410 with 2 DVIs +1 VGA

I am aware that Apple is being silent about whether or not they will be supporting Direct X11 cards any time soon. I have been keeping an eye out on it is why I am postponing in buying a older generation card to try flashing it.(afterall I have never flashed a vc)

Reason I want a faster card is I like playing Crysis, Crysis warhead and looking forward to Crysis 2 coming out this fall. I also have few other games such as Red Faction Guerrilla, Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising, plus some steam games. ( I used to have PC set up until I sold the system).

Hope you guys can help me out here.

why not do a search for "gtx480" here?

[DeafNeoMac]

why not do a search for "gtx480" here?

Hey Rominator: Thanks for the reply back. I will look into it...

[somewhoo]

Topic dead or what? Anybody something about gtx460 in a mac pro?