Mac Pro Multiple Video Cards - What for?

[aviationwiz]

I'm just wondering what the use of having multiple GeForce 7300 GT's in a Mac Pro is for. Is it for improved performance/SLI, or is it just to hook up more monitors?

Thanks!

 

[MovieCutter]

...just to hook up more monitors?

You got it.

 

[cjkihlbom]

More monitors.

I've order mine with the standard Geforce 7300 GT and the ordered the Radeon X1900 XT as well so that I can hook up my three Cinema Displays.

 

[apfhex]

It's for setting up eight 23" Cinema Displays, getting a Matrix screensaver, and pretending you're cool.

 

[Sun Baked]

C'mon don't you want a triple 30" display for $8600?

 

[Danksi]

C'mon don't you want a triple 30" display for $8600?

I was wondering yesterday how something like Leopard's SPACES will effect multiple monitor setups - I was thinking of a second monitor, but with SPACES I should get to do the same thing (organise my apps on a screen basis) saving a lot of $'s at the same time.

 

[ricgnzlzcr]

Exactly, I think spaces will be such a great feature. I sold my big lcd that was attached to my powerbook, but with this new feature I don't think I'll need it.

 

[apfhex]

I was wondering yesterday how something like Leopard's SPACES will effect multiple monitor setups - I was thinking of a second monitor, but with SPACES I should get to do the same thing (organise my apps on a screen basis) saving a lot of $'s at the same time.

Spaces (it's not capitalized) should alleviate some peoples need for multiple monitors, but you still don't get to see all that information at the same time and it doesn't give you any more screen real estate.

 

[Chone]

I've used spaces before with Ubuntu (linux), yeah its not a new feature, its great but not quite the multi-monitor killer you guys seem to think it is, multi monitor setups are still much easier to use but who knwos, maybe OS X's spaces will be easier to use and organize.

 

[CANEHDN]

I'm not sure if the Macs can do it but PCs can be set up to have the 2 video cards share processors and memory. Which puts less load on one and improves performance. At least this is in theory. I don't know if it actually improves the performance.

 

[apfhex]

I'm not sure if the Macs can do it but PCs can be set up to have the 2 video cards share processors and memory. Which puts less load on one and improves performance. At least this is in theory. I don't know if it actually improves the performance.

SLI. The 7300GT can do it AFAIK, but the Mac Pro can't. That's what the original question of this thread was asking.

 

[aviationwiz]

My friend sent me a short video, he's got a dual monitor set-up between an iMac (20" intel I think) and a 20" cinema display. It looked great. Imagine having say, Windows in Parallels on one monitor, and all your Mac OS stuff on the other. I think Spaces will be a very economical alternative to having multiple monitors. It won't do everything, but it'll do most of it, and included in Leopard.

It's too bad that it isn't SLI, because for $150 I might have done it. Granted, my current PC that I game on has a 6600GT with 128MB, so it'll be an improvement, and hopefully a large improvement over the 256MB Radeon 9800 Pro AGP I have in my PowerMac G5.

 

[rnb2]

More monitors.

I've order mine with the standard Geforce 7300 GT and the ordered the Radeon X1900 XT as well so that I can hook up my three Cinema Displays.

I've heard rumors that nvidia and ATI cards won't work together in the same machine.............

 

[cjkihlbom]

I've heard rumors that nvidia and ATI cards won't work together in the same machine.............

Yes, and the rumors are false. The Radeon X1900 XT and the Geforce 7300 GT will work fine together.