Mac Pro - Which graphics card to go for?

The 8800 GT is better for games.
The 3870 is better for professional apps.

Get either.

 

Nailed it. I would shoot for the 8800GT, as it seems to be a better allaround card. However, for a lot of Photoshop and Aperture work, I think the 3870 would suit you better.

 

I had the 1900XT and it was noisy and a pain in the ass. I bought and installed the 8800GT. Boy, what a difference.

Lose the 1900.

 

Probably won't be next week. Apple video card availabilty usually trails PC availabilty by a year or two.

 

I've been very happy with the 8800GT. It runs super quiet
when not under heavy load and seems to cope pretty well
with most of the games I've tried. I think the 8800GT has
proved itself to be one of the great cards of the last few
years.

But there are newer faster cards out there now and if you're
patient, Apple may have a new offering soon (for the next gen
Mac Pros). It's impossible to say at this stage whether it would
be compatible with your machine, though.

 

That is what is stated, but I have owned both in a MP and at least for the games I play (BF2142) the 3870 is WAY faster.

I would buy the ATI in a second. My new MP has the 8800 in from the factory and I hate it.

 

It's a simple install and should you have to take it in, just remove it and they'll never know.

For a desktop, best to just use ethernet anyway, unless you don't have a wire at your desk.

 

There are other options besides Airport for wireless.

 

Ugh, the X1900 XT. Painful memories.

8800GT, hands down. It's a great card, even if it is overpriced and outdated. Compared to the X1900 and 3870 it's *so* quiet. It runs completely silent during idle and the fans barely spin up while gaming. I've kept an eye on temps and it doesn't get too hot.

I've been playing Fallout 3 and Call of Duty: World At War in XP. Fallout 3 runs pretty well at the High quality preset (with AA off @ 1920x1200) and CoD runs smoothly at max settings (again with AA off @ 1920x1200). The 8800GT is just a bit faster than the 3870.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a 4870 or Geforce 280 for the 1st gen MP. Who knows what we'll see, but it's a least a few months still before any MP update.

 

The 3870 was silent in my system, the 8800 is no noisier, but not less so either. The 3870 had much better performance in a mac only environement (I don't bootcamp, etc).

I have the 8800 now, so I'm just telling it how I see it, no personal bias.