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NVIDIA 8800 GT (1st Generation) Graphics Upgrade Kit for Mac Pro!

iFizz said:
Whether he had the correct link or not, he's right. If they had read either of the documents they would know about the tab and wouldn't have broken it.
Click to expand...
Very true...but in my case, I was simply cleaning my x1900xt of dust from the intake, not replacing the card and so i was not aware of those docs. I checked my Mac Pro manual before doing it but it didn't mention the tab. The point is moot anyway, the card is stable in the slot without the tab, so no one has broken any vitals. There is no need of cal6n's special sympathy tonic after all.
 
I just installed my 1st gen mac 8800 and I'm troubled by a couple of things.

First I thought that I would be able to get 8800 support in windows xp. Doesn't look like it. It seems that I need to install windows vista. which quite frankly blows chunks. Am I right?

Secondly, I see a comment made earlier that windows will not support sli with a second card ( I was going to purchase a windows version of the 8800 for a lot less than the $279 and run them sli) is this true? I know that it wont work in leopard but it should still read the first card.

I already have an 8800 GTX running windows and its worked great. I just didn't want to swap out cards everytime I wanted to run leopard. maybe I should just go back to that.
 
rendimage said:
I just installed my 1st gen mac 8800 and I'm troubled by a couple of things.

First I thought that I would be able to get 8800 support in windows xp. Doesn't look like it. It seems that I need to install windows vista. which quite frankly blows chunks. Am I right?
Click to expand...

Lucky for you, you are wrong. :)

The drivers needed are in beta right now, and available on nVidia's website. http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_174.74.html
 
Warranty

I have bought a Geforce 8800 for a 1st genertion Mac Pro. Apparently the AppleCare for my Mac Pro doesn't count for the new card. Peripherals are covered by the AppleCare but an internal component not. Can someone confirm if this is true?

Thanks.
 
beta driver works. sweet.

can anyone tell me if I buy a second pc 8800 I'll be able to run it as SLI?

I think I read somewhere that someone got it to work.
 
I don't think the motherboard/chipset supports SLI therefore whether Windoze or Mac it won't work.

i was a bit anxious upgrading mine given some of the feedback in here and the support for the new ATI card coming soon, but I am very pleased I did. See no negative effects in OSX, the Pro Apps I have seem as snappier as ever, and the games in Mac, and especially in bootcamp, are much quicker.

And most importantly it is nearly silent - 3 hours of HL2 in bootcamp and the dodgy music was still scaring me at times whereas with the X1900 I struggled to hear what was going on over the sound of the fan blowing like a hairdryer!

If I was being very critical I think that OSX is slightly softer in image than the X1900 but I suspect that is more because I was trying to find something negative rather than it jumped out at me as something that was a concern.
 
Well, bad news.

I got my replacement card today, and it's doing the exact same things!

So that almost certainly means it's software right?

So do I return it, or hope they'll fix the problems?
 
8800 in Bootcamp

I had no problems using the recently released 8800 in my 2006 Mac Pro in Bootcamp - using only the recently updated Bootcamp 2.1 drivers. I did not need to use any of the frequently mentioned beta drivers. The card appears to be recognized properly and is without problems - in Windows. In OS X I get the frequently mentioned sparkles every once in a while, but that is not the question at hand.:)
 
Just a quick question… i dont plan on doing this as i dont have a Mac Pro but…

can you add an 8800GT graphics card with a third party heatsink & fan like the MSI NX8800GT to a Mac Pro? the double wide PCIe slot is perfect for this as it wouldnt block another slot and OS X on the new Mac Pro's includes drivers for the NVIDIA 8800GT. so it should work right? is all you need to do is flash it to EFI?
 
It looks as if it would fit (x1900 was a two-slot card) but I don't know if you could flash it.
 
peschybear said:
I have bought a Geforce 8800 for a 1st genertion Mac Pro. Apparently the AppleCare for my Mac Pro doesn't count for the new card. Peripherals are covered by the AppleCare but an internal component not. Can someone confirm if this is true?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Correct. Applecare will not cover the new card. Just like if you were to add a second or third HD in your Mac Pro, the Applecare would not cover that second or third HD. BUT Applecare still covers your Mac Pro and anything that came with it when you bought it from Apple. By the way it has nothing to do whether it's an internal or external component. It has to do with what you bought from Apple originally. Ie. If you bought your Mac Pro from Apple with 4 HDs, those HDs would be covered by Applecare. Basically the new video card is regarded as a third party hardware that you added to your Mac Pro after you bought it from Apple.

But I believe the new video card has it's own warranty, doesn't it.
 
It's very easy to install. The hardest part is plugging in the 6-pin power cable to the motherboard. Shouldn't take you more than a minute or two to install it. :)
 
Sorry for the double post, but here's a few pictures for people with pre-2008 Mac Pros wondering what the 8800 GT in their system would look like.

6-pinoncard.jpg


8800GT.jpg


6-pininmotherboard.jpg


To get the 6-pin Molex cable in the motherboard plug, it's easiest to remove the hard drive in the second bay (if you have one installed). Otherwise you've got to twist your hand around a bit trying to plug it in. ;)
 
I was wondering if I were to get a second 8800 from a 3rd party (non-Apple) would I be able to take advantage of it in Windows using SLI? For example, using the Apple 8800GT with this card: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3606194&CatId=3668

Also when in Windows does having my 7300GT in help anything? There is a box in the Forceware CP for Multiple GPU performance support (Single display, multi-display and compatibility). Just curious. Thanks. :cool:
 
Krevnik said:
Well, SLI requires a chipset on the motherboard, IIRC. The Mac Pro uses a vanilla Intel chipset that as far as I know doesn't support SLI.
Click to expand...

There is no technical reason why SLI needs motherboard support. However it is artificially limited by nVidia so it does.
 
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