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Decent Video Card for 1,1 Mac Pro?

Apple Master

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
Hi I'm just looking for something cheap and used in the $50 range that will support Yosemite/El Capitan/Sierra.

I see that people like the mac version of the ATI Radeon 5770 HD but those are still going for $200 ebay.

Anything else out there that is decent? What about the NVIDIA GeForce GTX570 HD. I'm not looking to play games or anything. Thanks for your help.
 
Thanks, seems like a very old card. Is there a way to throw it into the mac and flash it or does it have to be done with a PC?
 
here's what I did 2 years ago find a good deal on an HD 4870 you can get non flashed ones for 40 or 50 dollars and flash it yourself. theres plenty of info on here about it cheapest way to go for a good card I think.
 
unless you really need a boot screen for some reason why bother flashing it? My 4,1 worked perfect with an nvidia gtx760
 
thats all folks said:
supply vs. demand
you are proof of that

alternately, a used Apple branded GT-120. not at all a great card but ready to go in a Mac and cheaper than the 5770/5870 you should get.
Click to expand...

Does that work with all of the latest software ... Adobe premiere, photoshop, Mac OS Sierra and future MacOS etc?
 
Apple Master said:
Does that work with all of the latest software ... Adobe premiere, photoshop, Mac OS Sierra and future MacOS etc?
Click to expand...
it's the base card that shipped with the 2009 Mac Pros. It wont do any accelerating. all of 32 CUDA cores, 512MB RAM. but it will be better than any card that a 1,1 shipped with. "compatibility" isn't the issue. Adobe doesn't require a minimum. it's just whether the card is good enough to contribute processing via CUDA or Open CL. 2009 also offered an Apple branded HD4870. it's an energy hog but better than the 120.

If you want a card that can accelerate, you need to spend a couple few hundred.

and a WARNING. there have been issues using these 2009 to 2012 Apple cards in earlier Mac Pros. I think it has been resolved in newer operating systems but I don't actually know as I stopped using 1,1 and 2,1 machines years ago. I would do a little research before buying anything and confirm hardware and OS compatibility. I bet if you search right here on MacRumors, you'll find tons of details.

You are probably better off saving your money for a newer computer than trying to get more out of that one.
 
I have an original Apple Radeon HD 4870 lying around. Without defects, used one year, replaced years ago with a Apple Radeon HD 5870. Do you live in Europe?
4870 B.png 4870 C.png
 
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thats all folks said:
You are probably better off saving your money for a newer computer than trying to get more out of that one.
Click to expand...

I've been out of work for over a year so saving up money really isn't a realistic option. Its easier to do small improvements her'n'der.
[doublepost=1467582494][/doublepost]
Synchro3 said:
I have an original Apple Radeon HD 4870 lying around. Without defects, used one year, replaced years ago with a Apple Radeon HD 5870. Price negotiable - PM me. But shipment could be expensive. Do you live in Europe?
View attachment 638732 View attachment 638733
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I'm in Los Angeles California.
 
I also dont get all of these differerent companies making the cards? One is EVGA Radeon, one is ATI, etc. Whats the deal?
[doublepost=1467583153][/doublepost]
\-V-/ said:
Then be less cheap. You'll broaden your options.

And more importantly, your computer won't run MacOS Sierra.
Click to expand...

Well of course it can, it can run Yosemite and El Capitan so why not Sierra?
 
Apple Master said:
I also dont get all of these differerent companies making the cards? One is EVGA Radeon, one is ATI, etc. Whats the deal?
Click to expand...
AMD = ATI. Older cards were ATI before ATI became AMD. EVGA is a name of a third-party company that customizes the cards from ATI/AMD. ATI/AMD is the company that makes the card. EVGA makes custom add-in boards. They generally have better cooling or features than the stock card. EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS, etc.

Apple Master said:
Well of course it can, it can run Yosemite and El Capitan so why not Sierra?
Click to expand...
Because MacOS Sierra will only run on Mac Pros from 2010 and newer. Your Mac is not supported. They've upped the requirements for Sierra:

iMac: Late 2009 or newer
MacBook: Late 2009 or newer
MacBook Air: Late 2010 or newer
MacBook Pro: Mid 2010 or newer
Mac mini: Mid 2010 or newer
Mac Pro: Mid 2010 or newer

https://www.tekrevue.com/macos-sierra-system-requirements/
 
\-V-/ said:
AMD = ATI. Older cards were ATI before ATI became AMD. EVGA is a name of a third-party company that customizes the cards from ATI/AMD. ATI/AMD is the company that makes the card. EVGA makes custom add-in boards. They generally have better cooling or features than the stock card. EVGA, Gigabyte, ASUS, etc.


Because MacOS Sierra will only run on Mac Pros from 2010 and newer. Your Mac is not supported. They've upped the requirements for Sierra:

iMac: Late 2009 or newer
MacBook: Late 2009 or newer
MacBook Air: Late 2010 or newer
MacBook Pro: Mid 2010 or newer
Mac mini: Mid 2010 or newer
Mac Pro: Mid 2010 or newer

https://www.tekrevue.com/macos-sierra-system-requirements/
Click to expand...

Yeah its not officially supported but all you have to do is install a hacked version. Prob solved. You are funny guy.

Mac Pros 1,1 only supports up to 10.7 but that didn't stop me from putting Yosemite 10.10 on it.
 
Apple Master said:
Yeah its not officially supported but all you have to do is install a hacked version. Prob solved. You are funny guy.
Click to expand...
Problem solved? You're going to encounter issues trying to run MacOS on unsupported hardware and you'll need to be prepared to address those issues should they arise. You don't just use "leet hax" and then expect everything to work. Of course it's possible, but that's hardly what you were saying. You said it runs on Yosemite and El Capitan, so why shouldn't it run on Sierra? You seemed misinformed. I was merely informing you, not being "funny".

And "All you have to do is install a hacked version" ... what does this even mean exactly? You don't seem to realize what it takes to get OS X running on unsupported hardware. There isn't a "hacked version". You do the tweaking yourself. And it's quite an involved process.
 
\-V-/ said:
Problem solved? You're going to encounter issues trying to run MacOS on unsupported hardware and you'll need to be prepared to address those issues should they arise. You don't just use "leet hax" and then expect everything to work. Of course it's possible, but that's hardly what you were saying. You said it runs on Yosemite and El Capitan, so why shouldn't it run on Sierra? You seemed misinformed. I was merely informing you, not being "funny".

And "All you have to do is install a hacked version" ... what does this even mean exactly? You don't seem to realize what it takes to get OS X running on unsupported hardware. There isn't a "hacked version". You do the tweaking yourself. And it's quite an involved process.
Click to expand...

There are patched/hacked versions all over this website for download man, where have you been?
[doublepost=1467586453][/doublepost]I guess I'm still at a loss on what card to buy. Maybe I can get a cheaper one that came out of a dell and flash it.

I live in an area with a lot of interest, so which card would be best for video professionals?
 
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Apple Master said:
There are patched/hacked versions all over this website for download man, where have you been?
Click to expand...
I've been in a place where I install OS X on unsupported Macs ...


Apple Master said:
I guess I'm still at a loss on what card to buy. Maybe I can get a cheaper one that came out of a dell and flash it.

I live in an area with a lot of interest, so which card would be best for video professionals?
Click to expand...
Your budget is $50 and you're asking about cards for video professionals and pulling a card out of an old DELL to flash? The best card would be the one you can spend the most on within your budget. Your budget doesn't really give you many options though. You also seem to be ignoring everyone in this thread.
 
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