except the two Dual-link DVI from the one X1900 video card which could drive two 30" Cinema display at the same time, is there any certain advantage over getting two 7300GT video cards when using FCP??
thx
thx
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
FCP and Mac Pro video card options
- Thread starter rtao
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
No, the Graphics Card has no impact on Video editing performance. Even the top of the line Quadro FX 4500 will offer no improvement when it comes to FCP compared to the video card in the base configuration. But if you have two video cards you can hook up more monitors which always makes life easier.
That isn't necessarily true, but FCP is not heavily dependant on a GPU, although the amount and speed of video RAM will make a difference. It will make a difference with apps like Motion or games.
One thing to think about when selecting a video card: lately Apple has made it very difficult or even impossible to upgrade video cards once you've purchased a tower from them - if you have even a slight suspicion you may need the high-end cards later then I suggest going for the Radeon X1900XT or Quadro...
One thing to think about when selecting a video card: lately Apple has made it very difficult or even impossible to upgrade video cards once you've purchased a tower from them - if you have even a slight suspicion you may need the high-end cards later then I suggest going for the Radeon X1900XT or Quadro...
Lord Blackadder said:
What do you mean by this? You can by a stand-alone X1900XT from Apple and install it yourself -- it's on Apple's web page.
As everyone else has said, FCP is not GPU-accelerated. If you plan on using Motion, get the best graphics card and the most ram you can afford.
Congrats on your future Mac Pro purchase...
Congrats on your future Mac Pro purchase...
FF_productions said:
Not yet, but I can guarantee you Final Cut becoming the all-in-one solution for motion graphics, compositing, and future methods for dealing with various editing techniques (such as Core Animation) is in the pipeline.
carletonmusic said:
I mean simply that getting a video card upgrade has been tough in the past due to the fact that Apple's production volume of high-end video cards is low and in some cases, such as the GeForce 7800GT and Quadro on the last rev. Powew Mac G5s they have not offered the cards ala carte at all.
Just because they advertise the cards ala carte now (a decision that I applaud) doesn't mean you can actually get one....they may be constantly out of stock, as they were when the GeForce 6800Ultra/GT were being sold as kits.
Slightly OT, but I notice that Apple's website does not list the Mac Pro cards (GeForce 7300GT, Radeon X1900XT) as being compatible with the PCI-Express G5s, nor does it list the GeForce 6600GT for the G5s as being compatible with the Mac Pros...I would think that they would all be compatible, since they are all PCI-Express cards.
If they are all compatible it is a boon for the PCI-E G5 users since they can now put a GeForce 7300GT or Radeon X1900XT in their GeForce 6600 equipped Macs.
And a final comment on Apple's choice of video cards...bravo the X1900XT and Quadro, but the GeForce 7300 is a little too low-end IMHO...I would have liked to see a GeForce 7600 series instead, preferably (though I know this won't happen) with SLI enabled and drivers available. One can always hope...
Lord Blackadder said:
My guess is that Apple wanted a card that had a low enough power supply to use in ALL 4 bays [4 x GeForce7300]. I'm not sure if the 7600 has a higher power requirement. Apple could be saving money while giving the "option" for higher end cards to those who need it. Upselling is still the name of the game!
True, but there is a big mid-level gap in card choice IMO - you either get an entry-level 7300 or a high-end X1900XT...then the Quadro for well-heeled professionals.
Your average user will probably be happy with the 7300, it's true, but if they want a performance increase the next step up is the $500 X1900XT, which only serious gamers or 3D modelers will be willing to shell out for.
Your average user will probably be happy with the 7300, it's true, but if they want a performance increase the next step up is the $500 X1900XT, which only serious gamers or 3D modelers will be willing to shell out for.
It's sort of already there, for example when you have nested Motion projects in your FCP timeline.MovieCutter said:
Lord Blackadder said:
Even though they both use PCI-Express, Im pretty sure that graphic cards are processer type specific, if not any windows pc card would work on any mac with the correct drivers and slot. Im hoping that now with macs running intel, graphic card prices for macs should now be comparable to pc prices.
Video card manufacturers irritate me because, if they decided to, ATI, XFX, BFG and others could make PCI-E cards that would work in the PCI-E G5s AND the Mac Pro AND any PC. It would take little effort, but by making the cards platform specific their profits increase by as much as 100% for the Mac cards.
That is why video card flashing is possible - the difference between Mac and PC video cards is so slight that Joe Blow can take a PC card and flash it to the Mac. I imagine that the same is true of the Mac PCI-E cards.
That is why video card flashing is possible - the difference between Mac and PC video cards is so slight that Joe Blow can take a PC card and flash it to the Mac. I imagine that the same is true of the Mac PCI-E cards.
Lord Blackadder said:
How would one Joe Blow go about doing this? And what's stopping one of you Joe Blows from trying it? C'mon people, our futures are at stake here.... The future of all Mac-kind.
The Powermac G5/PC compatibility requires double the ROM size, so all three is likely something as simple as increasing the EPROM on the card, but that extra shekel or two adds up -- especially now that endian shifted ROM code is so yesterday.Lord Blackadder said:
The Mac Pro likely isn't as big a deal as the PowerMac G5, don't know how much that EFI hook takes.