Early 2008 Mac Pro

[geordienz]

Is it possible to get a graphics card for my Mac Pro 3.1 which will enable a Thunderbolt display to be used?

TIA

 

[matreya]

Is it possible to get a graphics card for my Mac Pro 3.1 which will enable a Thunderbolt display to be used?

TIA

NO.

 

[geordienz]

I rather you didn't beat about the bush like that - tell me straight

 

[MCAsan]

I rather you didn't beat about the bush like that - tell me straight

Which Thunderbolt? TB 1 & 2 run on what looks like Display Port cables. TB1 can not support a 4K monitor; but TB 2 can. But when Apple releases the new Skylake based Macs this year we will see TB 3 and USB 3.1 all running on USB-C ports and cables.

So you might want to consider a plan for replacing the 2008 Mac Pro with a newer machine that does TB 1 to 3, USB 1 to 3.1, all over USB-C ports and cables. The new machines should support external 5K monitors.

 

[Shamgar]

It is not possible to add Thunderbolt capabilities to a cMP of any generation.

Which Thunderbolt? TB 1 & 2 run on what looks like Display Port cables. TB1 can not support a 4K monitor; but TB 2 can. But when Apple releases the new Skylake based Macs this year we will see TB 3 and USB 3.1 all running on USB-C ports and cables.

So you might want to consider a plan for replacing the 2008 Mac Pro with a newer machine that does TB 1 to 3, USB 1 to 3.1, all over USB-C ports and cables. The new machines should support external 5K monitors.

TB1 carries DisplayPort 1.1 which can drive 4k at 30 Hz. TB2 and TB3 both carry DisplayPort 1.2 which drive 4k at 60Hz. DP 1.2 can also drive 5k using two cables or through multi-stream transport. Which introduces some issues. It is only with DP 1.3 that proper support for 5k at 60 Hz is available, but DP 1.3 is not part of TB3.

 

[xSinghx]

If you get a dvi to thunderbolt adapter or just use the mini display port from the 5870 what happens?