10.8.3 Brings AMD 7xxx drivers...Finally!

[MacVidCards]

As predicted by Netkas, there are functional AMD 7xxx drivers in 10.8.3

Going to have a crack at an EFI....

Details at his site

[VirtualRain]

Does this mean there's potential for a decent card with two or more Mini Display Ports to drive a pair of Apple displays?

[MacVidCards]

In theory, yes.

I would not run to Fry's just yet.

Support for 6970 has moved forward then back before.

I would definitely wait until 10.8.3 gets released for real and see what happens then.

I have also found that AMD 7770 also works with 10.8.3 Beta. So it would seem logical that entire series works.

We are still working on a Quadro 4800 which could in theory run 2 @ Apple Displays with boot screens. Slower than a GTX285 but has 1.5GB of RAM.

Could probably also do Quadro 5000 & 6000 with Dual DP. Pain getting the roms right though.

I need to chuck a 6970 in and see how that works in 10.8.3. Many of the 6xxx cards have Dual MDP I think.

[VirtualRain]

From what little I know about AMD graphics cards, it seems like the 7850 or 7870 would be the ideal candidates here from a power draw and performance perspective.

[GermanyChris]

Are we going to have a Mac version of nVidia vs. AMD? Both have some really impressive cards out right now.

[MacVidCards]

Well, i put the EFI version of 6950/70 in and it KPs in 10.8.3.

This card has ping ponged between working and not working from one OS update to another.

So until the 7xxx series work in two OS updates in a row, I wouldn't get too excited.

On the PLUS side, the 7770 does work.

[Concorde Rules]

Originally Posted by MacVidCards

Well, i put the EFI version of 6950/70 in and it KPs in 10.8.3.

This card has ping ponged between working and not working from one OS update to another.

So until the 7xxx series work in two OS updates in a row, I wouldn't get too excited.

On the PLUS side, the 7770 does work.

Good news.

Anything faster than my 6870 [which does not need a physical change to the card] would be very much welcomed!

[MacsRgr8]

Something tells me that the 7XXX series might be an option for the new Mac Pro...!

Wouldn't it be superb if the Radeon 7970 will be available!!!

[N10248]

Originally Posted by MacsRgr8

Wouldn't it be superb if the Radeon 7970 will be available!!!

The HD 8000 series will be out by then, along with the complaints of no 8000 drivers.

[ekwipt]

The never ending battle around here

[MacsRgr8]

Originally Posted by N10248

The HD 8000 series will be out by then, along with the complaints of no 8000 drivers.

The eternal issues of being a Mac user....

But, going from a 5870 to a 7970 is a huge step! A step that could have been made a year ago... but still... a step

[El Awesome]

Originally Posted by N10248

The HD 8000 series will be out by then, along with the complaints of no 8000 drivers.

Well, the Kepler series from Nvidia worked in a Mac about half a year after they were released - that's acceptable, isn't it?

[CIA]

Not to be a downer....
I'm scared that by the time this ships in a MacPro (2013) the 8xxx series card will be all new and shiny. Thus again begins the new cycle of bitching about Mac's always being behind for graphics cards.

[bearcatrp]

Sounds like apple is trying to appease 2012 mac pro owners to keep there complaints of a new mac pro missing down. Still think apple dumped it but guess some kind of news early next year should confirm whether its dead or not.

[Asgorath]

So... this gets a front-page news story, but the fact the GeForce GTX 680 started working with Mountain Lion goes unnoticed? I sense a bit of bias here, but I guess there are plenty of AMD fans out there that would care about this.

Edit: Note that the 7970 has an 8-pin power connector, so suffers from the same issues as the GTX 580 in terms of requiring an external power supply.

[ClassObject]

Originally Posted by MacsRgr8

The eternal issues of being a Mac user....

But, going from a 5870 to a 7970 is a huge step! A step that could have been made a year ago... but still... a step

Yeah, its like a 2100 difference! It's huge!

[kendall69]

Not trusting ANYTHING till it hits the stores. I've been waiting since 2008 for a speed bump worth spending money on, have yet to see it.

Also have gone through several false promises of Desktop, no more for me. When I touch it and feel it, THEN and only then will I believe it

[lannister80]

Originally Posted by kendall69

Not trusting ANYTHING till it hits the stores. I've been waiting since 2008 for a speed bump worth spending money on, have yet to see it.

I've had a flashed 4870 1GB since 2009. That was completely worth it, even then.

[nox-uk]

the nvidia 680 does not work perfectly though - no boot screens :/

I put an nvidia 570 in my mac pro, replacing the 5770 - was hoping it was going to make a HUGE difference!!! the reality was a lot less!!! yes it was faster than the 5770 when gaming, but not really noticeably... I only ever really play lotro though, and thats native under mac os now made such a little difference, I actually put that back in my PC and put the 5770 back in the mac!!

how are we looking re the power draw on the 7970? I know it's a bit more than the nvidia 680, but it's not *much* more... the official specs say one 8 pin and one 6 pin supply

Nox

[nox-uk]

and struggling to to find any 7970's that are dual 6 pin power connectors

Will keep up the search and post back...

Nox

[Asgorath]

Originally Posted by nox-uk

the nvidia 680 does not work perfectly though - no boot screens :/

I put an nvidia 570 in my mac pro, replacing the 5770 - was hoping it was going to make a HUGE difference!!! the reality was a lot less!!! yes it was faster than the 5770 when gaming, but not really noticeably... I only ever really play lotro though, and thats native under mac os now made such a little difference, I actually put that back in my PC and put the 5770 back in the mac!!

how are we looking re the power draw on the 7970? I know it's a bit more than the nvidia 680, but it's not *much* more... the official specs say one 8 pin and one 6 pin supply

Nox

I don't understand the obsession with boot screens. It's really not that big of a deal, especially if all you need to do is switch to/from Boot Camp.

I would bet that LOTRO is CPU limited, just like Cinebench is (see my FAQ thread for details on this). What resolution and settings were you using? I'm running apps like WoW and SC2 with my 680 that show a massive improvement over a 5770.

[Dr. Stealth]

I too just upgraded my 5,1 from a 5770 to a 4GB GTX 680. Insane speeds on both Mac and bootcamp. Best upgrade I've ever made on a MP, on par with switching to SSDs.....

I don't need no stinkin' Boot Screens.....

[nox-uk]

well OK - yes the FPS stat was a *little* better when using the nvidia 570 under bootcamp :P but it really made no difference when actually playing, think i had it at standard settings, at 1920x1200 res. i've taken a bigger hit using the mac os native client, but i don't play *that* much so its not something i'm going to worry about too much - freeing up the extra 128GB on the SSD is more important to me at the moment when i take windows off!!

Also use the bootscreen for vmware

Nox

[Asgorath]

Originally Posted by nox-uk

but it really made no difference when actually playing, think i had it at standard settings, at 1920x1200 res.

Right, to really stretch a card like the 570 you need max/ultra settings, 4x or 8x AA and so on. You can really crank everything up to the highest setting with a powerful card like that.

[Setmose]

Originally Posted by Asgorath

So... this gets a front-page news story, but the fact the GeForce GTX 680 started working with Mountain Lion goes unnoticed? I sense a bit of bias here, but I guess there are plenty of AMD fans out there that would care about this.

Edit: Note that the 7970 has an 8-pin power connector, so suffers from the same issues as the GTX 580 in terms of requiring an external power supply.

I'm guessing that there will be a Mac Edition with Thunderbolt next year, and it will comply with Mac Pro power cable config. This is what has been holding a release of Mac Pro upgrade back. It is totally dependent on the mercy of AMD/Nvidea since Apple made the "bold" move to Thunderbolt. And yes, we will be one generation behind in GPU, as always.

The good news is that hardware has so oustripped software that there a very, very few games that can max out 7xxx or 8xxx. This is especially true since games are forced to meet the baseline of consoles in multi-platform releases.

And anyway, we'll be booting Windows to play them because the percentage of games that make it to OS X is woeful.