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2008 mac pro owners, screwed by snow leopard

Well, as long as everyone is opinionating on Apple's intent:

I think they really couldn't care less about one ATI card now outdated in the sales curve anyway. In the overall scheme of things I personally think it's a non-issue. Do we even know who's responsible to up-keeping the drivers for that card? Do we know for sure that there won't be an update? I got an update on my 7300GT two and a half years after it was released if that's any precedent. Anyway, it's WAY to early to be jumping up and calling Apple out for customer abandonment.
 
Infrared said:
Another explanation: Apple is running a lean software dev operation.
They're not trying specifically to force people to upgrade, but they
aren't putting massive resources in. They're doing the least they can
get away with so they can keep their costs down.

Consider how Leopard was delayed by the shifting staff to the iPhone
and how small an update Snow Leopard is. Consider, too, how ZFS
never fully materialized (even read support is gone now, apparently)
and how resolution independence wasn't fully implemented. How the
64-bit OS X kernel appeared 8 years after Microsoft's 64-bit kernel.
How Apple's self-written NVIDIA drivers appear under-develeoped
(they lack performance). How UEFI 2.x firmware was never implemented.
How 64-bit machines ended up with 32-bit EFI firmware. How hardware
accelerated decoding in SL is available for only one (one!) graphics
card. How the Quicktime X player lacks so many of the features of
its predecessor.

When you consider all that, and more, it strikes me that Apple is
struggling or unwilling to put the effort in.
Click to expand...


Full applause from me to this interesting analysis/speculation. Apple is a company driven by very experienced marketing pros. It is a fact that mobility is the name of the game of the future and Apple made a big comittment being part of that future.

They have lost the desktop market long ago and it is a market that is going to dwindle away the more visual computing technology on the move will captivate the mass markets. So it is logical that they make cuts in development resources that appear brutal and punishing for those customers who remain in that market.

For me personally it is a great joy to squeeze every ounce of performance from a system by upgrading hardware as best as it is possible. I did bite the bullit and sold my G5 PM. Perhaps some months or years down the road I will also come to the acceptance that :apple:'s inability to support their mid aged systems in the field is a reality I cannot escape any more in terms of making compromises. For now I still love my MacPro1,1 and look forward to many happy sessions.
 
This may be a stupid question, but why can't you get by with a single upgraded card? Unless there is a requirement for OpenCL support that all video cards support it, I don't see why you can't just buy one for OpenCl support, and keep one of your existing cards to drive the other display.
 
kevink2 said:
This may be a stupid question, but why can't you get by with a single upgraded card? Unless there is a requirement for OpenCL support that all video cards support it, I don't see why you can't just buy one for OpenCl support, and keep one of your existing cards to drive the other display.
Click to expand...

makes perfect sense to me!
 
DoFoT9 said:
makes perfect sense to me!
Click to expand...

Of course, I've seen the answer posted before my question.

The main down side to my system now is hard drive space. I've made changes to where storage is allocated among my 3 computers, and I don't have a lot of spare space anymore on my system. Plenty of RAM, though, with 14 GB. I seem to only use 7GB of it :)
 
kevink2 said:
Of course, I've seen the answer posted before my question.

The main down side to my system now is hard drive space. I've made changes to where storage is allocated among my 3 computers, and I don't have a lot of spare space anymore on my system. Plenty of RAM, though, with 14 GB. I seem to only use 7GB of it :)
Click to expand...

HDD space is so cheap though! 1TB HDDs are only $100 or so, not really an investment or anything.

i prefer to have all the data on the one computer and share it from there, seems much easier to me.
 
willie45 said:
Oh dear. Ploki and grue you do need to grow up. How can you be so utterly imbecilic as to get so bitter just because I happen to say Apple no longer meet my needs. It is reactions like this that make mac users seem a bit urmm odd
Click to expand...

And of course your comment is setting the bar pretty darn high for PC users.... Way to go! :rolleyes:
 
Macpropro80 said:
I dont want to buy 2 new graphic cards to make my one year old, $4000 computer run the way its suppose to. If I wanted to do that, I would have gotten a pc.
Click to expand...

Um yeah, except that you cheaped out and got a POS video card. You really should upgrade to at LEAST the Radeon 4870. The card you have right now is garbage. Your mac pro is fine, it's just your video card. Pretty cheap upgrade... relax...
 
bozz2006 said:
I do think the disappointment it justified. But Apple has already demonstrated, over and over, how they handle these situations. They're not going to help you (us) out. Sucks, but it's not worth the energy to get bent out of shape, because that won't change anything.
Click to expand...

Heh, and a lot of Mac users say they choose Apple and not a pc cos Apple can make the components work together better because of the limited amount of hardware... I'm starting to reconsider buying buying the new Mac Pro with the top Ati card.... Or going with Apple at all....
 
podiki said:
Heh, and a lot of Mac users say they choose Apple and not a pc cos Apple can make the components work together better because of the limited amount of hardware... I'm starting to reconsider buying buying the new Mac Pro with the top Ati card.... Or going with Apple at all....
Click to expand...

ive never heard that used as an argument before at all, the argument i always make is that its OSX, its the whole interaction and "different" scene.

OTOH, its not as if all the cards are up to the challenge - certain requirements must be met and a whole bunch of other things (as well as available human resources, as somebody has pointed out).
 
willie45 said:
Oh dear. Ploki and grue you do need to grow up. How can you be so utterly imbecilic as to get so bitter just because I happen to say Apple no longer meet my needs. It is reactions like this that make mac users seem a bit urmm odd
Click to expand...



I'm not bitter because Apple doesn't fit your needs. I couldn't possibly care less, in fact. I was just pointing out that you were whining about stuff that's not remotely relevant to this thread. But that's fine with me because it has the potential to lower the amount of stupid irrelevant crap that gets posted on this forum in general by people who have no idea what they're talking about.
 
podiki said:
Apple can make the components work together better because of the limited amount of hardware...
Click to expand...

DoFoT9 said:
ive never heard that used as an argument before at all,
Click to expand...

I have! It's the number one reason any developer would choose or prefer a closed controlled system environment. The fewer variables they have to deal with the less work and the less potential for bugs, incompatibilities, errors, and etc.

It's usually a developer's argument though. Users usually want EVERYTHING, all the time, in all possible ways. Heh! Silly users! :D
 
DoFoT9 said:
HDD space is so cheap though! 1TB HDDs are only $100 or so, not really an investment or anything.

i prefer to have all the data on the one computer and share it from there, seems much easier to me.
Click to expand...

Not too expensive, but another nternal drive fills up my Mac. And I then have to start worrying about backing it up, so maybe I would need a larger external Time Machine drive. I haven't looked up to see whether I can spread my time machine data to 2 drives, or if it needs to be one big drive.
 
Tesselator said:
I have! It's the number one reason any developer would choose or prefer a closed controlled system environment. The fewer variables they have to deal with the less work and the less potential for bugs, incompatibilities, errors, and etc.
Click to expand...
odd, maybe i hang with the wrong bunch of nerds then lol? :cool:

It's usually a developer's argument though. Users usually want EVERYTHING, all the time, in all possible ways. Heh! Silly users! :D
Click to expand...
something i have the pleasure of looking forward to in the near future then!

kevink2 said:
Not too expensive, but another nternal drive fills up my Mac. And I then have to start worrying about backing it up, so maybe I would need a larger external Time Machine drive. I haven't looked up to see whether I can spread my time machine data to 2 drives, or if it needs to be one big drive.
Click to expand...

thats a good point, i generally do not have backups of my unimportant data so i cant talk from your viewpoint. but i see where you are coming from and it would be quite annoying!
 
Macpropro80 said:
I spent $4000 thinking, I would never have to buy an upgrade part. My CPU's are still one of the fastest around. Why should I need to spend $300+ for new graphic cards? because apple was too lazy to write drivers for it? Come on!
Click to expand...
OpenCL was not yet conceived when the 2600 was a standard card. Apple developed a cool new technology that takes advantage of the latest and greatest hardware...would you rather they didn't offer it to anyone so you don't feel left out?

Macpropro80 said:
Back to my car example, thats like saying you bought a ferrari one year ago but now the gas is not compatible so Ferrari tells you, "just buy a new engine"
Click to expand...
Bad analogy. More like: 2009 Ferraris can use the newly-developed "super-duper gas" that has twice the energy density of normal gas. Your 2008 Ferrari can still use normal gas, just like it did yesterday.
 
this thread is a joke and should be renamed "ATI 2600XT owners screwed by Snow Leopard" -- how ridiculous is it to be clinging to your antique $80 graphics card?
 
Tesselator said:
I have! It's the number one reason any developer would choose or prefer a closed controlled system environment. The fewer variables they have to deal with the less work and the less potential for bugs, incompatibilities, errors, and etc.

It's usually a developer's argument though. Users usually want EVERYTHING, all the time, in all possible ways. Heh! Silly users! :D
Click to expand...
:eek: Really? Oh... wait a minute... ABSOLUTELY. :D :p

Developers want the least amount of effort, and user's want it all. :D No wonder there's always some sort of problem... ;) :p

kevink2 said:
Not too expensive, but another internal drive fills up my Mac. And I then have to start worrying about backing it up, so maybe I would need a larger external Time Machine drive. I haven't looked up to see whether I can spread my time machine data to 2 drives, or if it needs to be one big drive.
Click to expand...
You could consider a multi-bay enclosure that can run JBOD, or even RAID0 for backups (simple 2 drive unit) to a PM enclosure or NAS box (or similar). With the later, you can place 5 disks per eSATA port.

Just an idea. :)
 
Ok, so what is the consensus about what card to upgrade to. I too, am one of those unfortunate few who still have the ATI 2600XT. I have an Early 2008 Mac Pro

Screenshot2009-08-31at75441PM.png


What is the better all-around card?? Should I get the ATI HD 4870?? NVIDIA GTX 253?? NVIDIA GT 120 (If it works?) NVIDIA 8800 GT (Can you even buy these new anymore??)
 
bobpensik said:
Ok, so what is the consensus about what card to upgrade to. I too, am one of those unfortunate few who still have the ATI HD 2600. I have an Early 2008 Mac Pro



What is the better all-around card?? Should I get the ATI HD 4870?? NVIDIA GTX 253?? NVIDIA GT 120 (If it works?) NVIDIA 8800 GT (Can you even buy these new anymore??)
Click to expand...

all-round card? 4870 of course! the GT120 is a 9500GT, which is a 8800GS.. not that good.
 
bobpensik said:
Ok, so what is the consensus about what card to upgrade to. I too, am one of those unfortunate few who still have the ATI 2600XT. I have an Early 2008 Mac Pro

Screenshot2009-08-31at75441PM.png


What is the better all-around card?? Should I get the ATI HD 4870?? NVIDIA GTX 253?? NVIDIA GT 120 (If it works?) NVIDIA 8800 GT (Can you even buy these new anymore??)
Click to expand...

Buy my 4870 in the marketplace!

EDIT: You need to post more. :D You can still buy it :)
 
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