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mordeeb

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 12, 2009
5
0
OK I know this is going to sound repetitive because i have read these forums but still i want some answers to my question particularly lol. I have always used windows but i have also always wanted to use mac now that it has intel and the ability to switch over to windows i would love to get a mac pro my dream computer. So I like to game but i don't have much money! I am in college so i can get the mac pro for 2299 which isn't bad. BUT like i said i want to game so i want to know can i put a windows graphics card in the mac pro like lets say a gtx285. Now i know that it will not run on the mac os so ill keep the stock card for that in but when i run bootcamp it will work right i mean i don't have to switch cards every time right?
 
EVGA makes a GTX285 for the 2008/2009 Mac Pros. It costs about $100 more than the Windows version, but it will work in both Mac OS X and Windows without having to flash the ROM.
 
Mac Pros are slowly getting some better cards but PCs will always have the upper hand.

If you really want to use the Mac Pro for gaming then I would wait to get the EVGA card, even though it costs more it can cut down on the headaches of trying to flash the ROM.

From what I hear you can install cards for use exclusively on the Windows Bootcamp side of course there are two things to consider 1) It won't work in Mac OS and 2) the Mac Pro's power supply may not provide enough juice.
 
yeah but you don't have to worry about switching cards and cables when you go from mac to windows right
 
Unless you only have the GTX 285 for Mac... One card, no switching cables. If the "Apple Tax" is not for you, then get a standard PC card and flash it.

But if you want to have a video card on the windows side only, on the inside all that needs to be done is hooking up the power cables - yes the monitor cable needs to be switched from the OSX card to the Windows card...

And my two cents, for the cost of a decent KVM switch, one can justify the additional cost of a Mac GFX card, IMHO (That does mean In My Honest Opinion, right?). On another note for flashing your own 285, if you decide to start using applications on the OSX side that are graphically intensive, a flashed card will do wonders compared to the stock card, once again, IMHO. Just keep the stock card in case something goes bad and for the initial flashing operation.
 
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