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Break through the gloom! Kepler comes to Mac Pro...GTX680!
- Thread starter MacVidCards
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Yes, I bought it from Centralfield, my GTX 670 2GB was $3,298, not a bad deal, cheaper than the prices I've seen from the US.
One more question, since installing my 670, I've performed the netkas openGL fix, and installed the nvidia cuda driver.
now, when I boot up my mac, it would be blank until it gets to the login screen, however, only the gray textured screen appears, there is no password input box with the name, personal icon, or anything. But I am still able to login by typing my password, and pushing enter.
Do you guys know how I can get my login window back?
I don't mind the blank start up screen, but I would like a login window..
Guys I'm going to be in HK in September for a few days and on the lookout for a new card.
Could you let me know of a reputable outlet in the Causeway Bay area where I can make a safe purchase?
I'd travel one subway station to Wan Chai, go out exti A2 I believe, and on the left is the Wan Chai computer center, you should be able to find everything electronics there. https://foursquare.com/v/wan-chai-computer-city-灣仔電腦城/4b17458ff964a5206cc423e3
PM Pat or I when your arrival date grows near should you need more assistance.
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Brought Zotac gtx 680 4GB with standard 2x6pin power plug, plug n play in ML and works and full regonzie the wholly ram.
I'm using Macpro 09 2.26 8-core with 64GB ram, tried battlefield3 in boot camp and in 2046x 1440 resolution, 4xfps only, seems I need to self upgrade a higher CPU to gain more fps.
I'm still finding a way to enable OpenGL in photoshop cs6.
I'm using Macpro 09 2.26 8-core with 64GB ram, tried battlefield3 in boot camp and in 2046x 1440 resolution, 4xfps only, seems I need to self upgrade a higher CPU to gain more fps.
I'm still finding a way to enable OpenGL in photoshop cs6.
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I stated actual facts as they exist.
There is nothing else to say and nothing to rebut with.
It is what it is. (film biz phrase I have always liked)
How much fps would I gain with a GTX 680 in my Mac Pro 5,1 compared to the current HD 5870 in for example X-Plane?
My current LuxMark v2.0 score with the scene scenes/sala/render.cfg is 730 (HD 5870).
How does the GTX 680 with the current ML drivers performs compared to the HD 5870?
My current LuxMark v2.0 score with the scene scenes/sala/render.cfg is 730 (HD 5870).
How does the GTX 680 with the current ML drivers performs compared to the HD 5870?
X-Plane is different than just about any other app out there in terms of demands on a GPU. Go to x-plane.org and check the hardware forum. There are a couple of 670/680 threads. Any increase you see will depend on your rendering and "eye candy" settings. Luxmark is OpenCL, not GL, which is what matters in XP, so those scores won't tell you anything. Look for an increase, but don't expect miracles in version 10. With the current ML drivers, I get around 40% faster FPS in Win 7 at the same settings in XP 10.5rc1. That said, I still saw a huge improvement in OS X going from the 4870 to the 670 4 GB SC and can even turn HDR on, not that it makes that much difference. To me, it isn't worth the hit on FPS. If you are still on XP 9, you will be over 100 FPS with a lot of the rendering options maxed out. I am anyway.
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Thanks for your reply.
I know OpenCL is not OpenGL, that is why I asked about fps improvements on XP.
According to digitalversus http://www.digitalversus.com/graphics-card/face-off/7068-12316-versus-table.html: your 4870 is faster than my 5870.
After all my reading today on the net I decided to go for a GTX 680 http://www.evga.com/products/moreInfo.asp?pn=02G-P4-2682-KR&family=GeForce 600 Series Family&sw= and take the risk.
Once XP is 64 bit, a bit more VRAM will come in handy also...
Your 5870 would smoke my 4870 in XP. Where they got such numbers from is beyond comprehension. Check out these threads. Somewhere in there I posted some results/comparisons:
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=60248
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=59079
http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?showtopic=60580
Is this the 2.5gb version your on about?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...p=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B0051FFEHI
Which is around £150/£200 cheaper than the gtx680
So if I buy above, upgrade to ML, is it just a case of swapping out my current ATI card and rebooting?
Will there be a boot screen? What instances would I need a boot screen for? I currently don't use windows but may use VMware fusion and / or use the mp to boot in the future.
I think I'd prefer silvercircle's 2GB GTX 680. Do you think your 4GB GTX 670 is better?
Ideally, I'd prefer the 4GB GTX 680 but like you say, it's 8 pin so it's out...maybe.
Working with video editing in OS X, I am guessing my 5870 will out perform the 670 or 680. What's your opinion?
The benches on the 670 SC are about the same as the stock 680. Some are even higher (can't explain that, but check Passmark).
I got the 4 GB 670 because the 4 GB 680's are 8 pin and I can easily conceive of using > than 2 GB VRAM in X-Plane in the near future. I am pushing 2 GB already in certain scenarios. I don't have OpenCL working yet, but CUDA is and rendering is fast. Whether that will be faster in OS X, I don't know. In Windows, this thing breaks the sound barrier.
What I do know is, with every second that goes by, I am closer to going with an HP Z620. I just tried to upgrade the 4.1 to 5.1 firmware from the netkas forum and, not only does my sys profile still show 4.1, as does a special diagnostic tool Apple sent me (not the one on the OS disk), but now my Bear Wireless extender doesn't work and my USB 3 card, which also worked before the futzing with the firmware, is also flaky. In addition, Time Machine doesn't see my Pro anymore even using the built in Airport, which does still work...slowly as always.
I've done PRAM, SMC, resets, uninstall/reinstalls, you name it. Buy an Apple: "It just works." What a load of malarky. I've seen far more spinning beach balls than I have BSODs. I will keep my stock and iPhones/Pads/Airs, but this Pro is a step away from becoming a boat anchor.
UPDATE: Flashing a 4.1 to 5,1 firmware required uninstalling the 670 and putting the 4870 back in, then after the firmware upgrade, reinstalling the 670. You won't find that written anywhere, but that was the fix. Now to get up the guts to buy a nonreturnable 600 USD W3680 and attempt the CPU swap. Then I'll have an ultra modern 2010 Mac Pro just like they sell now i/o an ancient 2009 model, except the 15 months left on my Applecare just went out the window.
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If I install a card with hdmi, would this mean I can use a consumer monitor for color correction in fcp/ adobe cs5? Or is it akin to hooking up your laptop to your tv with a dvi cable, ie still computer pixels not tv pixels?
Also could I record from my ps3 - so saving having to buy a black magic intensity pro video capture card?
Also could I record from my ps3 - so saving having to buy a black magic intensity pro video capture card?
If you mean will hdmi pass a video signal (like and NTSC/ATSC) compliant stream via hdmi, if connected to an HDTV, not a computer monitor, then yes, OS X will detect the monitor as a TV and offer video resolutions/Hz to choose from based on the monitor's capabilities, but people are going to make a lot of comments about using a consumer monitor for color correction, so be prepared.
You might be able to record PS3 via hdmi with the Intensity, but it is not as easy as it sounds and getting it working right can be tricky. Results range from plug and play (no problem at all) to never getting it to work for what you want to do. An SSD based external hdmi recorder is a bit easier, but they aren't cheap and may also require a little time to get working right. These devices can be used to record computer hdmi ourput, but the stream must be a video compliant signal and HDCP compliant as well.
Did you ever consider that the "It just works." concept might just be dependent on you not modifying your Apple computer with non-standard parts and firmware flashes?
I'm pretty sure every one of my Apple products I didn't phuq about to that degree has done so just fine...
If you wanted a Hackintosh with unreliable running and conflicting hardware you could have saved a fortune by building one from scratch not buggering about with an uber expensive preformed workstation.
Did you ever consider that the "It just works." concept might just be dependent on you not modifying your Apple computer with non-standard parts and firmware flashes?
I'm pretty sure every one of my Apple products I didn't phuq about to that degree has done so just fine...
If you wanted a Hackintosh with unreliable running and conflicting hardware you could have saved a fortune by building one from scratch not buggering about with an uber expensive preformed workstation.
Yeah, he's unhappy because he didn't do enough research.
No EFI on card means you don't see EFI screens like the firmware update screen. Non EFI cards also aren't good choices for OS installs and System Folder repairs from boot disks. But this has always been true, long before GTX670 existed.
The firmware update is FREE. You can't DEMAND better instructions for FREE things.
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Did you ever consider that the "It just works." concept might just be dependent on you not modifying your Apple computer with non-standard parts and firmware flashes?
I'm pretty sure every one of my Apple products I didn't phuq about to that degree has done so just fine...
If you wanted a Hackintosh with unreliable running and conflicting hardware you could have saved a fortune by building one from scratch not buggering about with an uber expensive preformed workstation.
The "just works" comment was directed at my Mac Pro in a new unmodified state. OS X, especially on the Pro, crashes as much or more than any Windows box I've ever owned. Ditto for app eccentricities (e.g., networking).
No need for the sarcasm, which is running rampant on these boards lately.
I read every relevant post I found, but in every post, here and on netkas, not one person has said you had to have an "Apple" GPU installed to perform the upgrade. If they did, give me the link. I don't want or have a Hackintosh. I am performing the same upgrades many others have, in order to make up for Apple's lack of doing it themselves. Had I wanted to build a a new computer, I would have done so. I've been using/upgrading them since the original IBM PC and learned how to troubleshoot them as a Microsoft Support Engineer at MS in tech support decades ago, so this is not new to me, but I admit, Apple has only been in my home/office for about two years.
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I know what no EFI means. You told me. Where did I DEMAND anything? At most, I suggested it. I read every post here and on netkas, and your others on COW. Show me one that says a boot screen is required to perform the update. It just refers to an update bar on a gray screen. There is no reference to any operator (screen dependent) input after the light flashes/long beep. With the 4870 in, I didn't even see the progress bar, just the gray screen, then the desktop.
As for free advice, a couple of you guys have really been hard on many posters, including me, with snide comments about failing to read "instructions." Free, or not, the process (GPU far more so than the firmware upgrade), as written, is confusing, for some. It would not take anyone who knows this stuff five minutes to write a step by step list. And as for giving away advice for free, last year, I gave about 60,000 bucks worth of free advice to people who couldn't afford it, or where I felt the need was unique in a way that warranted me sharing my knowledge freely.
If I know an answer to someone's problem on this or any other forum, I post it. I try to be clear, yet concise. But this condescension directed at anyone who isn't as sophisticated in their technical knowledge as the guys writing the code should stop. There is no reason for it at the level becoming common on these type threads. However, I have written "Google is your friend" or "try the search box" myself. Usually though, if I can, I just answer the question.
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Fight fire with fire old boy, your comments could be construed as sarcastic too.
I genuinely believe my experience as an Apple user have been far more positive than my experience as a MicroSerf. Unstable software, isolation on networks and unreliable hardware made from dubious components have been my experience in a world of Windows at work. Conversely my own local network of Macs has been rock solid, hassle free and a pleasure to use/maintain for the best part of 20 years.
My Octo Mac Pro 3,1 has been a paragon of virtue for the last 4 years despite using flashed PC cards and overclocking mods. The only thing I have resisted in the name of stability is upgrading the OS beyond Snowy. Lion looked like a crock and ML is not convincing me either.
Nor is it the only modded Mac I have owned, my original iMac was my first foray into nonApple sanctioned adjustments. A Sonnet Harmoni daughter card with FireWire and a 600mhz IBM G3 CPU, a Voodoo2 mezzanine slot GFx card, 512mb of RAM when Apple still claimed 128mb was max, an 80gb HDD where 10gb was the largest Apple offered option and OS X 10.3 all went in by my own hand; that Bondi still runs smooth today.
I am sorry your modding has been less smooth but my experience with unmodified Wintel kit has been far poorer by comparison, possibly because of the diversity of manufacturers and components.
Good luck with your future mods m8y. No sarcasm intended.
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Fighting fire with nukes and defending myself or others is integral to what I do for a living. It is a very eclectic niche I am in, but when you look at the way some of these guys respond to legitimate questions, well, IMHO, something needs to be said. If I was sarcastic responding, which I do not think I was...I just stated the verifiable truth, then, my apologies.
I assume you used the German OC trick that won't work on 4.1 or above. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple. I equipped my home and lab with one or two of everything they make almost. But it isn't perfect. The hardware is close, just difficult to upgrade and behind the times before it ever hits the stores in terms of top end specs. I am not impressed with OS X compared to Win 7 in any way. SL was pretty darn good, Lion was a joke, and ML is better but still dumbed down for the masses. A new Mac Pro along with a "Pro" version of the OS would be great. I really like Apple, enough so that I bought 100 shares, mostly on the fundamentals, but also because there's some truth in buying stock in what you know and love.
Their handling of the pro market has been a complete (insert any appropriate prohibited term here) in the past year. I seriously doubt that is a minority opinion.
Thanks for the good luck wishes. I'm tackling the CPU next. Know where I can get a X5698 for less than 20 grand and get it running on a 5.1?
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New OSes are the only way to get updated video card drivers. Still don't really understand why people insist on sticking with older OSes in general. My Lion install feels very much like my SnowLeopard install did, I don't use LaunchPad or any of the other iOS-like elements.
yeah I don't understand either. Lion and ML run great on my mac pro. Haven't had any issues and I use most of the Adobe apps on daily basis. I hope we can keep this thread on the 680 topic and not b*tch.