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Mac OS X 10.6.7 Adds Support for New AMD Graphics Cards

I'd love to move up on to a 6970… as long as we don't get it when the 7xxx is about to be released.
 
N10248 said:
Mac Pro's have big power supplies but thats mainly for the CPU and Ram, adding a 6970 would be pushing its limits, especially for gaming.
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Getting a Mac Pro for gaming is such a waste of cash. The only real benefit of the Mac Pro is the dual CPU nature. However, games now a days are not CPU bounded, but rather GPU bounded. Another nail on the coffin for Mac Pro gaming.
 
toddybody said:
*Children Screaming in background

Im no snob against AMD GPUS...but their CPU's are nearly 2 generations behind intel. I dont think Bulldozer is going to match the 1155 SB, much less the upcoming 2011 socket chips.

What I want to see is a 27inch iMac with an HD 6970 2GB...Whoa whoa wee wow:eek:
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But for something like the MBA, where your options are a C2D or iX CPU, and a GPU that's runs like it's 2+ years old, vs a new GPU and a newish CPU, I'll choose AMD over Intel any day of the week.
 
Probably a daft question but i'll ask anyhows so forgive my techie noobness!

With the advent of thunderbolt and its high bandwidth, will it possible for a gfx card to be sited externally in some kind of cradle and be used as the main gfx card or wouldn't the internal "plumbing" allow it to happen ?

/noob mode off

;)
 
thejadedmonkey said:
But for something like the MBA, where your options are a C2D or iX CPU, and a GPU that's runs like it's 2+ years old, vs a new GPU and a newish CPU, I'll choose AMD over Intel any day of the week.
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Unless Apple gets clever and uses ThunderBolt for connecting external graphics cards, after all it is a PCI-E based connector.

Edit: Travis beat me by moments
 
N10248 said:
Mac Pro's have big power supplies but thats mainly for the CPU and Ram, adding a 6970 would be pushing its limits, especially for gaming.
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Well, true, but unlike Apple's more portable offerings, there is nothing ,technologically or physically at least, stopping them from providing a psu in the next iteration of the Mac Pro that is capable of powering the later power-hungry gpu monsters.
 
Kranchammer said:
Well, that's because all of Apple's other products are constrained by power and/or space requirements.
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Meh, yes and no. For their integrated desktops (iMac)...pws and space are certainly an issue (especially since it doesn't have an accessibly PCI E slot for heavens sake). Now for MP's on the other hand...I dont think it would be an issue: accessible PCI E slots + ample chassis space + stock PWS capable of handling an HD 5870 or Crossfired 5770's. A 6970 shouldnt be a problem.

anyways(no snarkiness implied)...who said crossfire wasnt supported? The MacPro CAN be configured with 2x5770's.
 
KnightWRX said:
That's not clever at all. You'd still be stuck with the Intel GPU on the internal screen.
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Not if they redesign the Macbooks so the video signal goes back the other way down the thunderbolt cable and directly to the display.

Although using a 2GB HD 6970 on a 1280x800 display is a bit silly.
 
henrikrox said:
anyone want to guess what we will see in the new imac?

gpus i mean
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I would guess there's going to be:

1.) A processor upgrade
2.) Same RAM
3.) Better graphics
4.) Thunderbolt

And to make it an epic upgrade, 5.) would be an all-new design.
 
You mean we may finally be able to buy a current gen video card at a comparable price to their windows counterparts?! Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming.. right?
 
toddybody said:
Meh, yes and no. For their integrated desktops (iMac)...pws and space are certainly an issue (especially since it doesn't have an accessibly PCI E slot for heavens sake. Now for MP's on the other hand...I dont think it would be an issue: accessible PCI E slots + ample chassis space + stock PWS capable of handling an HD 5870 or Crossfired 5770's. A 6970 shouldnt be a problem.

anyways(no snarkiness implied)...who said crossfire wasnt supported? The MacPro CAN be configured with 2x5770's.
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There may be space in the Macbook Pros for a non-mobile video card, but the impact to battery life would be way beyond what I think Apple would tolerate.
 
dagamer34 said:
Apple writes all the drivers for the cards. It supports, so that will probably never happen.
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Huh? That doesn't make any sense. If Apple's writing drivers for these cards, then doesn't that make the chances of them being supported 100%? Obviously it doesn't indicate that retail (PC) versions would be supported, but I can't make any sense out of your comment.

jW
 
RebootD said:
You mean we may finally be able to buy a current gen video card at a comparable price to their windows counterparts?! Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming.. right?
Click to expand...

Would be nice:) IDK, the more I think about owning a Pro...Id be better off making a monster hackintosh on 1155 mATX platform (i7 2600k), HD 6970, SSD...the works. In an all aluminum Lian Li case. Now thats my kind of Pro;)
 
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