nMP video card upgrade?

[MacVidCards]

so if i'm a gamer or benchmark software user, i should consider upgrading my gpu?

I see where you are headed with this.

Brilliant !

Only silly gamers and elitist benchmark runners care about faster GPUs , ipso ergo factoid....Actionable Mango never really needed a new GPU! He has since then hallucinated that it is faster when in fact it is only faster for gamers and benchmark runners? Right?

Thusly, lockwood pergo ipswich, the fact that the GPU upgrades for the nMP are non-existent doesn't matter since nobody ever needed them in the first place !!!

Thrillingly clear logic, absolutely makes perfect sense.

 

[vsighi]

Macs are always at their best value immediately when released. This is because Apple doesn't bring the price down over time even though the value of computer components in it typically plummet over that same time. This is particularly bad for Mac Pros because the release cycle is often longer than other Mac models.

So the longer you buy a Mac Pro after release, the worse off you are from a value standpoint. People could argue about whether or not the D700 upgrade price was worth it 1.5 years ago when the current MP released, but today the price looks ridiculous.

My advice is, if it's at all possible, keep using whatever you are using until the next MP is released. The price will probably still be about the same, but the components will be a lot better. Keep in mind that it could be many months before this happens.

I know it can be tough to wait, but don't forget that those ultra expensive D700's are from AMD's old Tahiti line--a line that was released in late 2011 for crying out loud.

If you absolutely cannot wait, well...sorry man. Do what you have to do.

I don't mind buying a nMP now...its a good machine and everything is upgradable except the GPU ...waiting for a next apple refresh it may be 1-2 more years !!

I mean AMD Tahiti Its some how old but with a good driver it may do the job for you. I am curious if the next Mac Pro refresh and updated GPU...can we buy the new card from apple and installed in our old 2013 Mac Pro

 

[ActionableMango]

I am curious if the next Mac Pro refresh and updated GPU...can we buy the new card from apple and installed in our old 2013 Mac Pro

Nobody knows for sure, but I think it is likely you will be able to do it. It probably won't be cost-effective, but suspect it will be possible. There's also the possibility eGPU solutions will be sorted out.

what software do you use? does every update basically mean you need to get a new gpu in order to utilize the further developed software? what type of features/code are being added to the software every year which puts so much emphasis on the gpu?

what happened between 2010 and 2015 that makes the 5770 useless?

in what way did the gtx680 make it seems as if you now were using a computer which is 3yrs newer?

Are you genuinely curious about my use case or are you trolling for an argument? I don't want to waste my precious free time with an argument.

 

[flat five]

Are you genuinely curious about my use case or are you trolling for an argument? I don't want to waste my precious free time with an argument.

a bit of both.
it's up to you to respond but yeah, if you have actual/real answers for those questions, i'd like to hear them.

idk, i do some fairly intensive graphics work.. or, maybe i just think i do (cad/3d modeling/ rendering) and have been for quite some time (14yrs).. as long as i have a decent gpu (7300/8800gt/5770ati/330m/780m) it's all good and comparable to when i've used other systems with pricier gpus..

(though the mac pro that started with the 7300 was upgraded twice when the previous card blew.. maybe if it still had the original card then i went through 8years worth of software updates on that card, i'd of noticed a difference going to a 5770)

shortly (maybe), i'll be in position of looking at gpus in order to take advantage of software enhancement.. it just seems to me, these types of core changes in software come once every 10 years or so.. ie- if i were to buy a 4-5 year old card at the right point in the software cycle, i'd be decently good to go for another 5 years.. i'm trying to time it to where i get the latest gpus once the new software releases.. then won't have to worry about the gpus for the life of the computer (around 6years til i generally start looking to replace)

 

[MMcCraryNJ]

I look at it this way...

When it was introduced, it was said to be able to easily handle 4K video production. Can it still? Absolutely.

Are the GPUs decent enough to game on via BootCamp? Absolutely (depending on the game, like anything else...I've been reading members having really good results with GTA V on the D500s @ 1440p)

Are the processors still good, despite being a Xeon generation behind at the moment? Yup.

Is Disk I/O still good? Considering most people are just now moving over to SATA SSDs, and the speed of the storage is a 2-3x improvement from them on read/write...Yup.

Means to the fastest external I/O possible? Mhm.

For me personally, I feel as if I got a great deal on mine back in January (a deal that's still available, too). For $3499.99 and no tax, I got the stock 6-core model with AppleCare Agreement. Yes, I had a huge delay with shipping from the company I ordered from, which sucked. But I saved a ton of money.

Add in that I purchased an Apple 1TB PCIe SSD from a private seller on Amazon for $649 tax-free, which was brand new, included the heat sink, and is the exact same part Apple sells in BTO configurations of the Mac Pro....I saved well over $1200 if I was to order the same system direct from Apple.

$1200, to me, wasn't worth waiting for better GPUs, or wishing it had better GPUs to begin with. I get more value out of my system being whisper quiet and working as well as this machine has worked for me over the last few months.

 

[AidenShaw]

What if the nnMP has Maxwell cards....

It's good match for the MP6,1's crippled power and thermals.

And CUDA to round out the package.

 

[ActionableMango]

a bit of both.
it's up to you to respond but yeah, if you have actual/real answers for those questions, i'd like to hear them.

Hmmm. Well, I feel there is a plethora of use cases that would be decimated by the loss of GPU upgrades: CUDA powerhouses, OpenCL powerhouses, gaming, bitcoin mining, people just wanting an el-cheapo replacement for a dead card, 5K monitor support, benchmark hobbyists, people wanting different video port options, blindingly fast single-card implementations, 2-card setups, 3-card setups, 4-card setups, dual-GPU cards (like the 590), brute-forcing crypto, changing brands because you're mad at one of them, SETI@home, Folding@home, and whatever it is that Tutor does with his 145 thousand CUDA cores (I'm pretty sure he's a supervillian).

I feel like all that richness and diversity of choice for Mac GPUs is currently endangered. Right now we've got Apple's ceremonially-blessed proprietary dual cards with a $1000 repair cost, and that's it. Perhaps eGPUs will save the day.

Anyway, to answer your question, my personal use case is in that list. It's been denigrated already (I'm not a real "pro"), so I hesitate to open myself up to that again.

 

[flat five]

.

sounds good. thanks