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5870 Upgrade Card Unboxing Pics!
- Thread starter DualShock
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yay unboxing of a card released one year ago. only on the mac pro forums
Quote of the week my man.... Quote of the week!
P.S. I can't WAIT until you get your hands on an HD 6970 and "do your thang" !!
That could be done, but then you'd be giving up PCIe slot #3 as well since the 5870 is dual-slot.
I don't the see point of it. My card slid in perfectly without me having to turn it.
Furthermore, as to the point of the plastic cover on the RAM cage: it isn't a thermal pad—it's just a piece of plastic to that acts as an insulator, so in the event the video card touches the RAM cage while it's on, the pins on the back of the card don't short out on the aluminium RAM cage.
I was more concerned about heat. I don't use any other PCIe slot, so for me, putting the card into another slot wouldn't be an issue. Unless it would be slower or something like that.
Xbench results attached.
The Finder doesn't seem to be any smoother than the 3870 I had in the machine. My apps stack in the Dock (set up as Grid format) also doesn't seem to be smoother than the 3870, which was already very smooth. However, I do remember that the 3870 was much smoother in displaying the apps stack than the original stock 2600XT.
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Hi Dual Shock. I really think its a driver issue or something. Its STILL not optimized in my opinion. 10.6.5 didn't do much good to benchmarking values.
I got a Early 2008 Mac Pro and HD5770 installed. OS 10.6.5 of course.
And with the latest version of Cinebench I only get 28.23fps.
OR, maybe its just because Early 2008 Mac Pros aren't officially supported, we can't get the most out of it.
I'm also curious with people who have 2010 Mac Pros and 5770 or 5870s.
I got a Early 2008 Mac Pro and HD5770 installed. OS 10.6.5 of course.
And with the latest version of Cinebench I only get 28.23fps.
OR, maybe its just because Early 2008 Mac Pros aren't officially supported, we can't get the most out of it.
I'm also curious with people who have 2010 Mac Pros and 5770 or 5870s.
5870 compared to a 4870.
I'd note that installation in a 2009 Mac Pro didn't need a rotation on the card, as the bracket towards the front of the Mac Pro that holds the cards slides forwards.
Also ran CineBench for those interested on my 2009 Quad. 30.62fps.
I'd note that installation in a 2009 Mac Pro didn't need a rotation on the card, as the bracket towards the front of the Mac Pro that holds the cards slides forwards.
Also ran CineBench for those interested on my 2009 Quad. 30.62fps.
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I'm wondering if 10.6.5 has anything to do with the fact it took so long to release?
A lot of people who tried installing the 5870 in a 1,1 Mac Pro only had 10.6.4. This could be the problem...
Someone on OWC reported success today installing the 5870 in their 1,1.
Anyways, thanks for the pictures! Looks great.
A lot of people who tried installing the 5870 in a 1,1 Mac Pro only had 10.6.4. This could be the problem...
Someone on OWC reported success today installing the 5870 in their 1,1.
Anyways, thanks for the pictures! Looks great.
Well the label on the box says it requires 10.6.5 (see pics on my Flickr), so it's probably a safe bet.
As to *why* that's the case, who knows. It was running fine under 10.6.4 for the 2010 Mac Pro's, and seemed to be ok with all the testing barefeats did (except for the weird "phantom" EFI version with the 2006/7 models).
I saw that, thank you.
It's great when people like yourself take detailed pictures of everything; clears up a lot of things for the rest of us!This is all so interesting. My card should be here before week's end, so I'll give it a shot I suppose. I feel a bit like I have a loaded gun pointed at my foot right now since there'll be a restocking fee if the card doesn't work and I need to return it, but I'll still give it a shot.
Thanks!
Then it looks like its our Mac Pro models that are making the difference.
Its not officially supported so I'm not suspecting any performance boosts in the future, but if it gets fixed, it'll be great.
At least its way better than my old HD2600XT.
Won't be a heating issue. I was using a GTX 285 and a GT 120 for a whole year before this card and I never had cooling issues [and the GT 285 is a lot hotter than the HD 5870 will ever be].
Yay... the 5870 is here in time for the release of its successor....
I don't know why everyone is excited about the release of the 5870, we should be pissed that A) It's taken so long B) it's been release weeks before the 6970 comes out for the rest of the world. C) the 5870 has been available to everyone else for a long time.
I don't know why everyone is excited about the release of the 5870, we should be pissed that A) It's taken so long B) it's been release weeks before the 6970 comes out for the rest of the world. C) the 5870 has been available to everyone else for a long time.
No disrespect intended, but what good would being angry do? At least there is a new GPU available for the Mac Pro that's an improvement on the previous one. By all accounts, the 5870 is still quite a beast, even if you do have to boot to windows to get the best out of it.
Just saying.
A very valid point and I agree, but while I'm not nessecarily suggesting that we be angry, what I am suggesting is what's the point in being excited. As you point out to get the most out of the card you need to boot into windows, In which case you may as well buy a PC card that outperforms it and just use that card in windows.
Do you mean there's a ROM that also displays EFI? Or one that only starts to display once the drivers have been loaded? That would be nice!
It's pretty much a given that if raw performance is your priority then a PC is probably a better option. But for some folks stuck with an 8800 or older, the 5870 is a significant improvement. It's also a hassle having two cards in your machine as much from a power & heat point of view as anything else.
Anyway, not looking for an argument, just saying there's always been plenty to complain about from a Mac Hardware specification point of view.
What is the consensus on the value of upgrading from the stock 120 board in a 2009 model?
My most intensive use is Aperture 3.
Thanks,
Mark
My most intensive use is Aperture 3.
Thanks,
Mark
yay unboxing of a card released one year ago. only on the mac pro forums
Which begs the question, why do you waste your time taking a look (aside from the chance to toss an insult the OP's way)?