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How to Flash with one Vid Card?I've been reading, researching, etc like crazy on flas

Z

zenZen

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 7, 2010
19
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I've been reading, researching, etc like crazy on flashing PC video cards for mac.

Cindori's Post: The Golden Guide to Flashing Graphic Cards
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/877441/
This guide is GOLDEN!! And
rew's post: Step by Step: How to flash a PC 4870 1 Gig Video Card for your 2006 Mac Pro (1,1)
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7473867/

Have been really helpful. ONLY my ATI Radeon HD 2600XT stock card in my 2008 mac pro, totally fried/died out. So I have zero video card (I'm using a PC laptop now). And the tutorials on how to flash a PC cards requires plugging in both the old card (using it while dumping the ROM) and new card.

Have the same problem as this guy-
Mac Pro early 2008 :: video dead ati 2600XT
https://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-755971.html

I was looking into buy a Sapphire 4870 1G and I don't want to pay the $300 and plus already used flashed cards on eBay. The 4870 are cheaper compared to the 5870 at $400 plus. I was wondering if anybody got to flashing the 4870 using just the one video card on a mac pro 2008 (3.1)?

I need a good video card to do 3D modeling in Maya and Mudbox. But don't want to pay double the price, or lesser choice for 'apple' approved hardware?
 
Looks like there's no way around. Must use 2 video cards to flash...

Old stock card in slot 1 and new 4870 card to flash into slot 2.

Found this method on youtube.
How to flash an ATI GFX card for the Apple Mac Pro

He only uses the 4870 card, Zeus's injector (installs natit), copies the original ROM in bootcamp and with iPhone app gets into desktop after booting in OSX.

Unfortunately Zeus version 2.1 doesn't have injector anymore and I don't have an iPhone either.
 
Do you have any friends with Mac Pros or PC towers? One of them could help you.
 
Mackilroy said:
Do you have any friends with Mac Pros or PC towers? One of them could help you.
Click to expand...

Flashing can be done on just a mac, through bootcamp.

But unfortunately I have no friends who will help by letting me open the their mac tower. The few that have macs... sigh.
 
zenZen said:
Flashing can be done on just a mac, through bootcamp.

But unfortunately I have no friends who will help by letting me open the their mac tower. The few that have macs... sigh.
Click to expand...
I know that, but how can I know if you have Boot Camp? :D ;)

As I said in your other topic, you might as well go with Apple's 5770 solution as it'll be the least hassle.
 
I'm going to be stubborn and go the flash your own PC version card route just because I don't want to buy from Apple. Other than my mac pro 2008, RAM and HDD, etc has been bought through 3rd parties, not Apple. When my gfx card burnt out I thought it was either the monitor(not) or the dvi to vga connector(not) but not after I went and bought a new Apple dvi to vga adapter for $30, only to find it on eBay for $3.99 (not Apple but works).

I like Apple but sometimes I think with the ***** 2600 XT with almost 3 grand mac pro 2008, was like buying a BMW with cheap tires... Oh yeah and eBay sellers try the same thing. Ati OEM 4870 512MB used flashed card for $250(buy now only). Well at least with apple the shipping is free.

I'd get the 5870 if I could afford it, I need a good gfx card for 3D work and 5870 out performs the 5770. I think my next desktop will be a work station with Linux.
 
Put it into a PC, flash it, remove it and put it into your Mac. Should work.
Finding the right ROM should not be impossible looking at all the 4870 cards which have been flashed so far.
 
Another possibility: Have you heard of the FreeDOS method? You can boot off a CD and flash the card from there. I did so, and IIRC, I removed the 2600 from my Mac when I flashed my 4870, in order to avoid to flash the wrong card...
 
macz1 said:
Another possibility: Have you heard of the FreeDOS method? You can boot off a CD and flash the card from there. I did so, and IIRC, I removed the 2600 from my Mac when I flashed my 4870, in order to avoid to flash the wrong card...
Click to expand...

I have no PC tower (pc laptop), neither a friend who will let me open theirs for a scary flashing method... I have only a mac pro 2008 with dead 2600 card. I ordered a fairly cheap used 2600 on ebay and looking for a 1 GB 4870.

FreeDOS? Is it flashing in DOS by using Ultimate Bootable CD to off of?

I thought you needed to plug monitor into old 2600XT (slot 2) while flashing the new 4870 (slot 1)? Like these instructions:
http://web.me.com/jacobcroft/4870Flash/4870Flash.html

What is IIRC? At what point to do remove the 2600 card to avoid flashing it?
 
That's for 10.5, not 10.6. IIRC means If I recall correctly. Here's FreeDOS. Do you have Windows installed? From your statements it's hard to tell.

You should also read this.
 
zenZen said:
FreeDOS? Is it flashing in DOS by using Ultimate Bootable CD to off of?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can boot off the CD. If you also put your ROM and Atiflash on it, you can easily flash the card. And you even get a video output from the unflashed card because the Mac starts in BIOS compatibility mode.

zenZen said:
I thought you needed to plug monitor into old 2600XT (slot 2) while flashing the new 4870 (slot 1)
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. you can flash every GFX card in your computer, even the one the display is connected to. The new ROM takes only effect at the next reboot.
 
I recommend a pre-flashed card that is already done you can get one on the auction sites. :D
 
macz1 said:
Yes, you can boot off the CD. If you also put your ROM and Atiflash on it, you can easily flash the card. And you even get a video output from the unflashed card because the Mac starts in BIOS compatibility mode.

Mac starts in compatibility mode? This sounds promising. So, I can use my PC laptop is make bootable cd, put Atiflash and the ROM in it, plug in the gfx card in my macpro, boot off the cd to flash and install ROM. I'll try this as soon as I can a 4870 card. Hopefully it will work with none of the 'side effects' I've read about- black screen, bricked card, kernel panic...

Buying pre-flashed cards isn't as fun as trying to flashing them :D
Click to expand...
 
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