Upgrading old Mac Pro to 8800 GT graphics?

Fezzy · Jan 8, 2008, 10:56 AM

Does anyone know if it would be possible to upgrade the 1st generation mac pros to use the 8800 GT graphics card? They don't seem to be for sale separately on the Apple store yet.

darwinian · Jan 8, 2008, 10:58 AM

Unclear from Apple direct. There might be a ROM flashing procedure if you bought one stock, however.

sys0p · Jan 8, 2008, 11:03 AM

I just called them and apparently, they are not sold as standalone.

But now - Leopard has to have the nVidia 8800 Drivers and I was wondering if one could use a 3rd part card - maybe flash it ... all to exciting ... finally a good card for the MacPros

amtctt · Jan 8, 2008, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sys0p

I just called them and apparently, they are not sold as standalone.

The 1900s weren't sold separetly at first either. i would imagine the 8800s will be eventually. Why wouldn't they?

badlydrawn · Jan 8, 2008, 11:16 AM

Hmmm... true. Lets hope they are sold separately soon and at a decent price. Been waiting for a long time.

amtctt · Jan 8, 2008, 11:17 AM

agreed. at least this time they picked a current card.

benpatient · Jan 8, 2008, 11:21 AM

why wouldn't they?

Because most people using a Mac Pro right now who want an upgrade want a graphics upgrade and BluRay, not 4 more cores, so the incentive to buy a new Mac Pro is small if you can just get a modern graphics card to pop in your old one.

the flashing possibilities are very interesting to think about with this card out there now, though...

If they sell a stand-alone 8800, they will have to release 10.4 support for it as well...which would be great because the new mac pro will probably not work on 10.4 and I'm not going to deal with 10.5 again until it is fixed.

statikcat · Jan 8, 2008, 11:26 AM

They are still selling the ATI card for 399$! If they continue to sell that card they need to drop that price.. or just drop it and add the new cards. I am not paying 399$ for that old card to upgrade the card in my Mac Pro. I am really hoping for options to buy the new cards or a cheaper ATI. 399 is ridiculous.. especially if it holds much longer at this point. But.. we will see.

amtctt · Jan 8, 2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benpatient

why wouldn't they?

Because most people using a Mac Pro right now who want an upgrade want a graphics upgrade and BluRay, not 4 more cores, so the incentive to buy a new Mac Pro is small if you can just get a modern graphics card to pop in your old one.

So you think that Apple thinks by not selling a $3-400 graphics card as an upgrade to old mac pros, they will instead sell brand new ones for $3k to current mac pro owners just for the graphics card???????

fandsw · Jan 8, 2008, 11:26 AM

Well, the 8800GT will be on my 2008 Christmas list for my MP......

djhspawn · Jan 8, 2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benpatient

why wouldn't they?

Because most people using a Mac Pro right now who want an upgrade want a graphics upgrade and BluRay, not 4 more cores, so the incentive to buy a new Mac Pro is small if you can just get a modern graphics card to pop in your old one.

Agreed!

All I want for my rig is a card that will be DX10 compatible. Have they ever had a situation where they did not sell the cards directly?

Fezzy · Jan 8, 2008, 11:35 AM

Will they work ok as the 1st gen mac pros don't have PCI express 2.0?

StructAural · Jan 8, 2008, 11:43 AM

It's got to come available at some point, if only for nVidia's sales. And so many mac pro users have been complaining about the lack of decent up-to-date cards. When I bought my 8-core in the summer I naively thought I could stick any card in there as it had standard architecture. How wrong I was.

I'd buy it today if it were available, I've been waiting 8 months for this to happen. I wonder if I get my work to buy a new 8-core with a 8800GT I can swap the card out for my home 7300

*waits*

dusanv · 02:15 PM

PCIe v2 is backwards compatible (the difference is extra bandwidth, 32x lanes). 8800GT uses 16x lanes anyway so there's no benefit to PCIe 2.

Hope either Apple offers it at a reasonable price or someone flashes them soon...

edit: I double checked the specs. It is actually PCIe v2 compatible but doesn't require it. We're OK with older MPs.

tobyg · Jan 8, 2008, 11:52 AM

I'm going to be pretty upset if I can't just get one of these 8800 GT's and drop it in my current Mac Pro. I already have 8GB of FB-DIMMS that aren't compatible with the new Mac Pro's, theres no way I want to upgrade to a new Mac Pro just to get better graphics. Frankly I'm very satisfied with my current Mac Pro, if I can just get a better graphics card. I'm worried about the 8800 GT not being compatible for some reason. I don't care if the card costs $399, $399 is a hell of a lot cheaper than $2799 for the machine plus the costs of another 6GB of 800mhz FB-DIMMS.

sweedigel · Jan 8, 2008, 11:54 AM

(copy/paste of my post in another thread that nobody care

)

I was wondering... if I take a MacPro with a Radeon HD2600, could I buy a less expensive "PC" 8800GT later, flash it and use it in the MacPro ?
Taking a 8800gt now add a delay of 3-5 weeks before shipping... can't wait

fandsw · Jan 8, 2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobyg

I'm going to be pretty upset if I can't just get one of these 8800 GT's and drop it in my current Mac Pro. I already have 8GB of FB-DIMMS that aren't compatible with the new Mac Pro's, theres no way I want to upgrade to a new Mac Pro just to get better graphics. Frankly I'm very satisfied with my current Mac Pro, if I can just get a better graphics card. I'm worried about the 8800 GT not being compatible for some reason. I don't care if the card costs $399, $399 is a hell of a lot cheaper than $2799 for the machine plus the costs of another 6GB of 800mhz FB-DIMMS.

We are in the same boat, I agree 110%....

pezza · Jan 8, 2008, 12:01 PM

If you know someone who is buying a new mac pro, get them to BTO with an additional graphics card, and buy it off them. Quick solution if any machines are being ordered through work etc etc.

sys0p · Jan 8, 2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dusanv

PCIe v2 is backwards compatible (the difference is extra bandwidth, 32x lanes). 8800GT uses 16x lanes anyway so there's no benefit to PCIe 2.

Hope either Apple offers it at a reasonable price or someone flashes them soon...

That's good news!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweedigel

... could I buy a less expensive "PC" 8800GT later, flash it and use it in the MacPro ?

Yes, that's my hope too. We will find out soon which 8800GT (or even GTX) will be flashable, will work with our Macs ... can't wait!

TransientWolf · Jan 8, 2008, 12:24 PM

It's in the UK Apple Online Store as an upgrade shipping in 8 days time for £220.

http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObje...nd=nvidia+8800

Price is horrific - third party with flash to EFI sounds like a plan. Anybody know how much better it is than an ATI1900XT in real life (i.e. not much gaming)?

TransientWolf · Jan 8, 2008, 12:34 PM

OK - too impatient and twitchy trigger finger. Got it through Employee Purchase Programme for £202 against cheapest third party card £175.

ATI 1900XT soon to be on eBay!!

Masher500 · Jan 8, 2008, 12:35 PM

Im not really sure how smart this dude at the apple store was, but he said i could just buy an off the shelf 8800gt and put it in and it would work...... i guess we will have to see....

4JNA · Jan 8, 2008, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TransientWolf

... Anybody know how much better it is than an ATI1900XT in real life (i.e. not much gaming)?

better in real life and game life. lot's quieter, less power, better performance.

comparison HERE.

can't wait to buy or flash.

technocoy · Jan 8, 2008, 01:07 PM

They need to get this up as an upgrade.. my piece of crap x1900 died 30 days out of warranty (of course) and I need this card. NOW. PLEASE.

Faraden · Jan 8, 2008, 01:09 PM

Give it time my little Apple Pies

lol

Jan 8, 2008, 10:56 AM	#1
Fezzy macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2006	Upgrading old Mac Pro to 8800 GT graphics? Does anyone know if it would be possible to upgrade the 1st generation mac pros to use the 8800 GT graphics card? They don't seem to be for sale separately on the Apple store yet.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:26 AM	#10
fandsw macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Helena, AL	Well, the 8800GT will be on my 2008 Christmas list for my MP...... __________________ Mac Pro Octo 2.26GHz Nehalem MacBook Alu 2.4GHz iPods: iPhone 3G 16GB, Video 5.5G 80GB, Nano 2G 2GB

Jan 8, 2008, 11:44 AM	#14
dusanv macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2006	PCIe v2 is backwards compatible (the difference is extra bandwidth, 32x lanes). 8800GT uses 16x lanes anyway so there's no benefit to PCIe 2. Hope either Apple offers it at a reasonable price or someone flashes them soon... edit: I double checked the specs. It is actually PCIe v2 compatible but doesn't require it. We're OK with older MPs. __________________ Mac Pro 2.33GHz octo, 8 GB, Radeon 4870, BT/WiFi, 30'' Dell LCD 17'' unibody MBP Last edited by dusanv : Jan 8, 2008 at 02:15 PM.

Jan 8, 2008, 12:35 PM	#22
Masher500 macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Dana Point	just called the apple store Im not really sure how smart this dude at the apple store was, but he said i could just buy an off the shelf 8800gt and put it in and it would work...... i guess we will have to see.... __________________ See my videos @ www.masher500.com Check it out!! See My first Final Cut project. www.masher500.com/xxx

Jan 8, 2008, 01:07 PM	#24
technocoy macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	yeah.... They need to get this up as an upgrade.. my piece of crap x1900 died 30 days out of warranty (of course) and I need this card. NOW. PLEASE. __________________ 4GB 1G nano, 16GB iPhone 2.4 17" MBP 2.66 MacPro, 3TB, 5Gigs of RAM, 8800GT 2.9 Quad FakePro, 2TB, 8Gigs, 2 9800s, BR/HD DVD

Jan 8, 2008, 10:58 AM	#2
darwinian macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: In R4, more or less	Unclear from Apple direct. There might be a ROM flashing procedure if you bought one stock, however.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:03 AM	#3
sys0p macrumors newbie Join Date: Feb 2007	I just called them and apparently, they are not sold as standalone. But now - Leopard has to have the nVidia 8800 Drivers and I was wondering if one could use a 3rd part card - maybe flash it ... all to exciting ... finally a good card for the MacPros

Jan 8, 2008, 11:16 AM	#5
badlydrawn macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: vie, austria	Hmmm... true. Lets hope they are sold separately soon and at a decent price. Been waiting for a long time.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:17 AM	#6
amtctt macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2006	agreed. at least this time they picked a current card.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:21 AM	#7
benpatient macrumors 65816 Join Date: Nov 2003	why wouldn't they? Because most people using a Mac Pro right now who want an upgrade want a graphics upgrade and BluRay, not 4 more cores, so the incentive to buy a new Mac Pro is small if you can just get a modern graphics card to pop in your old one. the flashing possibilities are very interesting to think about with this card out there now, though... If they sell a stand-alone 8800, they will have to release 10.4 support for it as well...which would be great because the new mac pro will probably not work on 10.4 and I'm not going to deal with 10.5 again until it is fixed.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:26 AM	#8
statikcat macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2007	They are still selling the ATI card for 399$! If they continue to sell that card they need to drop that price.. or just drop it and add the new cards. I am not paying 399$ for that old card to upgrade the card in my Mac Pro. I am really hoping for options to buy the new cards or a cheaper ATI. 399 is ridiculous.. especially if it holds much longer at this point. But.. we will see.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:35 AM	#12
Fezzy Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2006	Will they work ok as the 1st gen mac pros don't have PCI express 2.0?

Jan 8, 2008, 11:43 AM	#13
StructAural macrumors member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Holland	It's got to come available at some point, if only for nVidia's sales. And so many mac pro users have been complaining about the lack of decent up-to-date cards. When I bought my 8-core in the summer I naively thought I could stick any card in there as it had standard architecture. How wrong I was. I'd buy it today if it were available, I've been waiting 8 months for this to happen. I wonder if I get my work to buy a new 8-core with a 8800GT I can swap the card out for my home 7300 waits

Jan 8, 2008, 11:52 AM	#15
tobyg macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2004	I'm going to be pretty upset if I can't just get one of these 8800 GT's and drop it in my current Mac Pro. I already have 8GB of FB-DIMMS that aren't compatible with the new Mac Pro's, theres no way I want to upgrade to a new Mac Pro just to get better graphics. Frankly I'm very satisfied with my current Mac Pro, if I can just get a better graphics card. I'm worried about the 8800 GT not being compatible for some reason. I don't care if the card costs $399, $399 is a hell of a lot cheaper than $2799 for the machine plus the costs of another 6GB of 800mhz FB-DIMMS.

Jan 8, 2008, 11:54 AM	#16
sweedigel macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: France	(copy/paste of my post in another thread that nobody care ) I was wondering... if I take a MacPro with a Radeon HD2600, could I buy a less expensive "PC" 8800GT later, flash it and use it in the MacPro ? Taking a 8800gt now add a delay of 3-5 weeks before shipping... can't wait

Jan 8, 2008, 12:01 PM	#18
pezza macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2007	If you know someone who is buying a new mac pro, get them to BTO with an additional graphics card, and buy it off them. Quick solution if any machines are being ordered through work etc etc.

Jan 8, 2008, 12:24 PM	#20
TransientWolf macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2007	It's in the UK Apple Online Store as an upgrade shipping in 8 days time for £220. http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObje...nd=nvidia+8800 Price is horrific - third party with flash to EFI sounds like a plan. Anybody know how much better it is than an ATI1900XT in real life (i.e. not much gaming)?

Jan 8, 2008, 12:34 PM	#21
TransientWolf macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2007	OK - too impatient and twitchy trigger finger. Got it through Employee Purchase Programme for £202 against cheapest third party card £175. ATI 1900XT soon to be on eBay!!

Jan 8, 2008, 01:09 PM	#25
Faraden macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2008	Give it time my little Apple Pies lol __________________ Aluminum iMac 24" 2.8Ghz, 4GB, 500GB OS X Leopard 10.5.1 iPhone 8GB

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