HD5870 in a 2006 Mac Pro (1.1)

[NissanGuy23]

I know there is a thread on this - but i have other questions. Please excuse me for not knowing very much about Mac Pros im semi new to the OSX/ Mac world, my questions might not make total sense.

Right now my friend has a 2006 Mac Pro 1.1 (Two 3.0ghz Dual core), and its got a 8800GT. He wants to upgrade to a HD5870, so here are my questions.


1.) Is it possible - at all - to get the PC version of the HD5870 to work in a Mac Pro? Can you just plug it right in, or does it need 'flashed'? If so, will it work in both OSX and Windows?

2.) Whats the difference between a Apple HD5870 and a XFX/MSI/Gigabte 5870? And, they say the HD5870 cards will work with 2006-2008 Mac Pros, but they say Apple doesn't officially support it...what does that mean...they block it from working?

 

[Cindori]

1. Yes, by flashing. Ofc.
2. The firmware. It means they want you to buy a new computer.


all answers in threads in my signature and netkas forum.

 

[NissanGuy23]

Thanks, it seems like flashing it the best thing to do. The Mac version are more expensive and im not sure when their coming out. Ill check out those links to information about flashing.😎

 

[NissanGuy23]

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[NissanGuy23]

Ok - so i found this XFX HD5870. In order to flash it, i need the flash tool Zeus (check) and i need some ROM, im looking for EFI ROM for a XFX HD5870 ZNFC.

EDIT: Think i found a ROM that will work on a XFX 5870 ZNFC/ZNFA/ZNFV
Its called 587XZF18_uakari.rom



And one other note, i read your explanation but im still unsure about the power connector - does Apple use proprietary power connectors? You say the Mac Pros have two of them (6 pin PCIE) - this GPU needs two..no problem right?

 

[JohnyClassic]

I actually bought the XFX 5770 a few weeks back and it wouldn't boot into OSX even as a secondary card. I'm guessing the 5870 won't either. So unfortunately the Zeus tool probably won't work. You'll have to install windows under bootcamp and use the Ati tool to flash it.

 

[NissanGuy23]

Can you flash a card while your using it? Or would you need two cards in, one to flash and one to run the display? My friend has bootcamp so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Mackilroy]

Yes, you can flash a card while using it. Windows has generic VGA drivers.

 

[slughead]

I actually bought the XFX 5770 a few weeks back and it wouldn't boot into OSX even as a secondary card. I'm guessing the 5870 won't either. So unfortunately the Zeus tool probably won't work. You'll have to install windows under bootcamp and use the Ati tool to flash it.

Can't you boot off a jump drive or something?


Can Zeus be launched from DOS like the old flashing program?