Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

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.
 

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
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?
 

CapnDavey

macrumors 6502
Apr 11, 2015
345
87
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.
 

blut haus

macrumors regular
Dec 27, 2015
168
177
unless you really need a boot screen for some reason why bother flashing it? My 4,1 worked perfect with an nvidia gtx760
 

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
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.

Does that work with all of the latest software ... Adobe premiere, photoshop, Mac OS Sierra and future MacOS etc?
 

thats all folks

macrumors 6502a
Dec 20, 2013
675
750
Austin (supposedly in Texas)
Does that work with all of the latest software ... Adobe premiere, photoshop, Mac OS Sierra and future MacOS etc?
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.
 

Synchro3

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2014
1,987
850
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
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: CapnDavey

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
You are probably better off saving your money for a newer computer than trying to get more out of that one.

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]
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

I'm in Los Angeles California.
 

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
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]
Then be less cheap. You'll broaden your options.

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

Well of course it can, it can run Yosemite and El Capitan so why not Sierra?
 

\-V-/

Suspended
May 3, 2012
3,153
2,688
I also dont get all of these differerent companies making the cards? One is EVGA Radeon, one is ATI, etc. Whats the deal?
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.

Well of course it can, it can run Yosemite and El Capitan so why not Sierra?
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/
 

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
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/

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.
 

\-V-/

Suspended
May 3, 2012
3,153
2,688
Yeah its not officially supported but all you have to do is install a hacked version. Prob solved. You are funny guy.
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.
 

Apple Master

Suspended
Original poster
Jan 13, 2009
232
193
Los Angeles
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.

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?
 
Last edited:

\-V-/

Suspended
May 3, 2012
3,153
2,688
There are patched/hacked versions all over this website for download man, where have you been?
I've been in a place where I install OS X on unsupported Macs ...


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?
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.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Synchro3
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.