2006 Mac Pro Options

[antzona]

I bought my Mac Pro in August of 2006. I still don't feel the need to buy a new computer, but I am interested in a new monitor and possibly a new video card. I currently have a 23" ACD that I bought when I bought the Mac Pro and I have the 8800 card that we fought to have Apple release for the 06 machines. I haven't been keeping up with the video cards or monitors, and honestly I don't even know what is available. Are there any new video cards that will work with an 06 MP? Is there any way to get the new ACDs to work with a video card with DVI and no mini display port? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[alphaod]

The 5770 most definitely works and the 5870 probably works (probably since I keep reading mixed reports on whether or not it works).

As for the new ACDs, you would need a miniDP connection on your GPU; alternatively you can consider the Dell U2711; same price (actually might be cheaper), it's antiglare coated and it's got DVI (along with 6 other inputs).

 

[nanofrog]

I bought my Mac Pro in August of 2006. I still don't feel the need to buy a new computer, but I am interested in a new monitor and possibly a new video card. I currently have a 23" ACD that I bought when I bought the Mac Pro and I have the 8800 card that we fought to have Apple release for the 06 machines. I haven't been keeping up with the video cards or monitors, and honestly I don't even know what is available. Are there any new video cards that will work with an 06 MP? Is there any way to get the new ACDs to work with a video card with DVI and no mini display port? Any help would be appreciated.

You can use an adapter to get an MDP signal to a DVI monitor port (here). Please note this is a single link DVI (will be fine for your 23" ACD), so you'd need a different adapter if the monitor you end up with is larger (i.e. 30"; here).

The dual link adapter would only be needed if you go with a professional monitor that doesn't have any other port possibilities, such as DisplayPort (MDP to DP adapter). Monoprice is a good place to find such things at reasonable prices, so if you need something else (depends on the monitor you chose), take a look.

As per cards, the 5770 for sure, not so sure given the mixed information on the 5870 (wondering if it's the result of the system firmware revision).

 

[antzona]

Thank you very much! I am assuming the 5770 is a big leap in performance from my 8800? I have always been an NVidia guy, for no particular reason, but I am willing to switch. The 5770 seems reasonably priced too. Are there any issues with it working in Boot Camp? I noticed that it has a couple mini display ports, so I guess that means it will work with one of the newer ACDs too. Seems easy enough. Thanks again.

 

[nanofrog]

Are there any issues with it working in Boot Camp?

It will work for both OS's.

 

[ryanide]

I have the same

I had to replace my video card because my original was causing hardware crashes. I didn't want to mess with using a PC video card and having possible compatibility issues, so I purchased a replacement from Apple. It was the ATI Radeon HD 4870, but I think a newer version is out now the 57XX series. It cost a little more, but has worked flawlessly and I have the comfortably of knowing it will always work when apple updates the OS.

I also upgraded my memory to 16GB, but honestly I feel that was a waste of money. It really did not make any speed difference at all.

I did replace my HD with a OWC SSD 120GB to run my OS and applications. Most of my data files are stored on a separate drive, but my OS, home folder and working files are on the SSD. This was worth the upgrade. big improvements in speed, startup and general application loading and operation.
I would highly recommend the ones from OWC (www.macsales.com).

 

[antzona]

Thanks again for the advice. I have 6GB of RAM which is actually overkill for what I do. I have three HDDs. One that I am running the OS and applications, one with XP, and one for music, movies, and photos storage. I like the idea of moving the OS to a SSD. I'll look into that.

 

[Danksi]

I have a trusty 1,1 Mac Pro 2.66 Quad and I'm looking at upgrading the original 7300GT video card and perhaps add another 2Gb to total 5Gb RAM.

What real world difference would the 5770 make for apps like Final Cut Studio, iTunes, iPhoto, Online video (YouTube, Vimeo etc) and encoders like handbrake?

My wife's MacBook Pro appears to support hardware acceleration for YouTube video. Does the 5770 support this as well?

Would love a new 27" display but that'll have to wait.