Heh - thank you for the interest
I was like....
hell no, I am not going to spend 2 more hours trying to reprint a post, if the topic is somehow solved elsewhere, or for any other reason outdated. And now I learned, so I will save this reply in Word, before trying to submit.
OK - I had a lot of comments and thoughts too, but if we leave them out of here, I will try to describe what my needs were, and how I got through it.
Its nothing special really - but it works.
As said, my computer is a MacPro quad-core 3,0 ghz - originally delivered with 2 gb RAM and 3 internal hard drives - 500 gb each.
I opened it for the first time in december 2006, so I guess what works for me graphiccards-wise, will work for most other "old" MacPro users as well.
My main reason to run Windows, was, and is, simply to be able to game and play state-of-the-art games. Thats one pleasure we never had with all our former Macs.
I bought a Windows XP 32-bit cd+license and installed everything by-the-book, using boot camp and all that.
Later, I bought 2 more gb RAM, and everything ran smoth in MAC-OS mode.
but in XP-mode i noticed my computer was still recognized to have only 2 gb RAM.
I was told by Pee-Cee freaks, that this was a typical 32-bit prob for Windows. So i went looking for some 64-bit option.
However, wherever I looked, Apple specifically told that Boot Camp would only work with 32-bit Windows.
Then the new Leopard was marketed, which I bought and installed (including the new boot camp). But still the message from Apple was same :
"You cant install 64-bit Windows on your MacPro ".
I tried to google forum-topics and walk-arounds for some weeks without any luck, until i suddenly - end of January I think it was - came across a post from a very helpful person.
Apparently he had bought a new MacPro (late 8-core and all that), and he had taken a closer look at what was on the Leopard Install disc. Inside the disc he had found a folder called something like "64-bit drivers".
He then gave people a link, to where they could download this folder, clearly stating that he didnt know if it would help or work or anything, and he had done nothing else than simly just uploading that specific folder, but he had noticed that people had tried various ways to reach the 64-bit option, and mb this would help the old MacPro owners.
I d/l the folder - went out and bought myself a full Windows Vista Ultimate license, and used boot camp, as usual, to install Vista 64-bit on my 3.rd hard drive. Plz notice that I now had one hard drive for Mac-use only, one for XP 32-bit, and now defining a full hard drive for Vista 64-bit.
I am not sure if this is a part of the reason why i can run the 8800 gt card, but nvm.
I started the install process through my "old" Boot Camp, but when it came to create a drivers-CD, I simply took the full folder I got from this guy, and dragged it on to a blank CD, and burned it, the noob-way.
Then I started the Vista 64-bit install - without any problems at all.
As I rebooted in vista-mode, and the MacPro prompted me for the drivers-CD, I just punched in the newly created CD and crossed my fingers.
After a few more secs (honest : minutes) than usual, my MacPro suddenly came alive. It just started installing drivers like it was born to do so, and nothing went different from the install of 32-bit XP ( same messages and all that).
Cool. I rebooted and started to check my Vista-status.
Yes - it was defined as running 64-bit.
Yes - it recognized all my RAM.
Yes - Vista defined my old MacPro as a 5,9 ranked computer (Vista has this strange "ranking" thing).
So - I tested 3 of my newest games,to see if there was any increase in FpS,
or any other nticeable difference from 32-bit XP on a Mac.
Call of Duty 4 = 10-15 % increase approx + absolutely no change in performance if i cranked every setting to the top. CoD4 however doesnt really have that many settings.
Crysis - at least 15% improvement. Absolutely an improvement I could feel.
Flight-Sim X + Accelleration Pack : Not more than 10% improvement I would say. But i kinda expected that. Flight Sim X got its bottlenecks elsewhere too. speed of hard drive - graphic card etc.
But now I got hungry.
I thought : I own an Intel Machine now. Its neither a Mac nor a PC anymore. So now that I can run Vista in 64-bit, what should prevent me from just buying a stock 8800 GT card from some PC-dealer, and gain the high-praised world of the new Direct-X 10 ? I was especially curious about Crysis-performance.
So I did.
The 8800 GT card
I just told the dealer to give me whatever cheap 8800 GT card he had on his shelf. I got myself this card:
MSI Nvidia Geoforce NX 8800 GT T2D 512 E
I went home and opened my MacPro.
And here is a little hint : When uninstalling my (2-tons heavy-weight) Radeon 1900 Card, I suddenly noticed that in upperleft area - just beneath the 2.nd hard drive - there is a 2.nd power supply for graphic cards ( i guess ?) This I will test in coming days, to see if I can run two of the 8800 card, in SLI mode. Yes I know its said everywhere that the old MacPro´s cant do it - but so far I experienced opposite results -right ?
Also - the old MacPro ( or rather; Leopard) has power-allocation software build-in, I have been told.
When installing the 8800 GT card, you should use the ..hmm what to call it...lowest slot. The slot closest to your Ram-area. The card will at first feel like it doesnt fit, and as if its kinda loose. I just took two matches and placed them in between the card and the bottom of computer. Worked perfect. Card-placement was now firm and tight.
Without further messing around, i just closed the lid and rebooted my MacPro in Vista 64-bit mode. Notice : I did NOT install any drivers at all, I did not change any settings at all...nothing.
It took quite a while before anything happened. I was looking at a grey (not black) screen...then a lot of PC-stuff (weird DOS-language and stuff) rolled by, a fews silence, and then - da-da-da ... Vista just booted up as normal.
Screen resolution was reset though - to something standard-like, i guess.
I continued my perception of my compyter being an Intel-machine - went to *Nvidia (not the manufacturer (MSI)) .s homepage, and downloaded newest drivers for 64-bit Vista computers. Everything installed perfectly.
I rebooted - still in Vista-mode - and now i suddenly had a perfect 64-bit machine, with Direct-X 10 included.
Short performance story ( My reply is getting long i see) :
Crysis + CoD4 : Even 10 % performance increase, compared to Radeon setup. Crysis running in Direct X 10 mode - and what astonished me more than FpS was just the wooow ! feeling of how the graphics ran. Difficult to explain. Runs better.
Flight Sim X : Actually a serious FpS improvement - but hard to tell exat value, since i focused more on cranking the settings even higher than ever before, and still got same Fps.
Ok - I rebooted, and now i wanted to start in Mac-mode.
Apart from what i have seen elsewhere, my MacPro had no trouble at all starting. I got the chime all right - and i could hear everything loading inside. My screen was black though :-(
I have eyeTV set to start up along with the system-start, and suddenly I could hear from the speaker, the sounds from a TV-show.
So - there was a running mac all right - but without a picture.
meeoow.
I didnt investigate / fumble further into various Apple-options.
I just told myself that since Apple was shipping an 8800 Gt card, i called the danish Apple-dealer and got confirmation that there would be some sort of driver-cd included in the package - ordered a card from apple - returned the MSI card to the dealer ( yes - he accepted, contrary to other outlets ...cough) - and reinstalled the Radeon 1900 card.
2 days ago I got a call from the danish Apple-dealer, that the card has finally reached Denmark, but he checked and (no surprise really) there was NO driver or anything in the package. I asked if it was OK for me to test the card, but he said no. Once out of the package = no return.
thats a bit too expensive an experiment for my taste, so i called the local PC-dealer and now I got 3 options :
Solution A:
just keep the Radeon 1900 inside, for MAc-use only ( and thereby accepting that i wont allocate that much power to it), and install the 8800 GT card too.
Dealer told me, he has a DVI switch too, so I can just plug my Apple Cinema Display into this switch and by clicking a button i just control which of the two graphic cards should feed my screen, and i click the button everytime i switch from Mac to Vista.
Solution B:
Knowing that apparently my MacPro doesnt have any probs with whatever graphic card, I buy the most overclocked - high-tuned newest graphic card i can reach, for vista use, and as a bove, still go with the heavy-weight, power-consuming, old, stupid Radeon 1900 card for Mac-use.
solution C:
I hang around these forums, and go with the flow, whining and bitching while waiting until who knows when, for the promised "fix" from either Nvidia or Apple.
The answer - to me - is simle, and definately not blowing in the wind.
I go for Solution B - and will report here in these forums about result.
I plan to fetch my graphic card as soon as the PC-dealer gets it ( I am aiming for one of those cards with 1 GB ram onbard).
Best regards
Flies
P.S. remember to look for that "hidden" second power supply inside.
I am not sure if every MacPro has it.
P.P.S. I think you can Google your way to that uploaded 64-bit folder.
I lost the track unfortunately - but it was a torrent.
