OK I got the X1900XT/256Mb PC version, works great under XP, but under OS X (ofcourse it doesn't work under OS X) it goes to highest gear on fan and that's too much...How could I keep the fan on X1900XT quiet under OS X since I am using 7300GT under OS X anyway?
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PC PCIe Video Card Experience with a Mac Pro
- Thread starter superorc
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I'd like to know if a 7900GT would work in the Mac Pro.
I understand it's a slightly different chip than the G70 (it's a G71) but I'd think if it doesn't work right off the bat then surely you could add the device ID and the vendor ID to the driver... right?
I understand it's a slightly different chip than the G70 (it's a G71) but I'd think if it doesn't work right off the bat then surely you could add the device ID and the vendor ID to the driver... right?
suneohair said:
Just buy two of these and plug the molex side of them together to make one cord!
http://www.directron.com/6pinpcie.html
things that would not and do not work
It would not work to put 2 of those cables together end-to-end because
the MB connector is smaller. I did not find a proper booster cable either, and on the Apple DIY instructions it looks as if there is such a cable available from somewhere (all black - maybe you have to buy it from Apple? It's not available in their on-line store). Or maybe some of the ATI cards are shipped with the proper cable? I could not find one anywhere online either. If somebody has a vendor please let me know, I'd be glad to buy one and replace my temporary hack job with that.
The tests I did this afternoon were: connected to the extra 4-pin molex in the optical bay, ran that out through side vent (not very slick because it's a tight squeeze to shut the side door now) and I believe now that my Quadra FX 4500 should be powered up. Unfortunately, though, things are not working as they should. I've tried many configurations, moving the cards, using only the 4500, etc. I have 2 of the 30" displays connected now but I cannot get the 4500 to drive both of them. I tried to find a driver to download, but no luck. For now I'm reverting to using the stock card (which can only handle a single 30", plus the other at lower resolution) and putting the 4500 back into my Dell (where it works fine). I'm frustrated by this - what should work does not seem to work. I did what the Apple DIY instructions said I should do.
What about Apple support for the new line of super high-end graphics boards in the Mac Pro? I would like to try putting in a 1GB card as soon as that is a workable option, but this experience with the 512MB card makes me anxious.
Good luck! I hope somebody will figure out a solution and share advice.
It would not work to put 2 of those cables together end-to-end because
the MB connector is smaller. I did not find a proper booster cable either, and on the Apple DIY instructions it looks as if there is such a cable available from somewhere (all black - maybe you have to buy it from Apple? It's not available in their on-line store). Or maybe some of the ATI cards are shipped with the proper cable? I could not find one anywhere online either. If somebody has a vendor please let me know, I'd be glad to buy one and replace my temporary hack job with that.
The tests I did this afternoon were: connected to the extra 4-pin molex in the optical bay, ran that out through side vent (not very slick because it's a tight squeeze to shut the side door now) and I believe now that my Quadra FX 4500 should be powered up. Unfortunately, though, things are not working as they should. I've tried many configurations, moving the cards, using only the 4500, etc. I have 2 of the 30" displays connected now but I cannot get the 4500 to drive both of them. I tried to find a driver to download, but no luck. For now I'm reverting to using the stock card (which can only handle a single 30", plus the other at lower resolution) and putting the 4500 back into my Dell (where it works fine). I'm frustrated by this - what should work does not seem to work. I did what the Apple DIY instructions said I should do.
What about Apple support for the new line of super high-end graphics boards in the Mac Pro? I would like to try putting in a 1GB card as soon as that is a workable option, but this experience with the 512MB card makes me anxious.
Good luck! I hope somebody will figure out a solution and share advice.
Those of you who have gotten non-apple video cards to work in the Mac Pro could you please post your exact model? Also from what I read it sounds like you have to keep two video cards in the machine. You can't just install the new card and then take the 7300GT card out right?
eVGA 8800GT
Howdy. I tried getting an eVGA 8800GT going on my mac pro with no luck. I think it certainly can be done, but I really do suspect some firmware editing could be necessary. I did get my hands on an apple video card power cable from a local apple repair centre. That seemed to be a very necessary component. However I couldn't actually get the machine to boot up with the eVGA card.
Still, if I had the $, I'd go get one and try it again, using more of the switching back and forth techniques discussed earlier in this thread. At the end of the day I'm currently running Ubuntu on my Mac Pro more than anything, so I'd really like to be a bit more open to switching up some hardware.
I love being able to use OSX, but with the recent leaps with osx86 I doubt I'll ever buy another mac pro. They make beautiful hardware that I'm happy to pay for, but their tight-ass insanity over maintaining control of their brand makes me keep them at arms length. That said, I'll keep buying macbooks for quite some time to come as long as I can continue to change the typical stuff - memory/storage.
Howdy. I tried getting an eVGA 8800GT going on my mac pro with no luck. I think it certainly can be done, but I really do suspect some firmware editing could be necessary. I did get my hands on an apple video card power cable from a local apple repair centre. That seemed to be a very necessary component. However I couldn't actually get the machine to boot up with the eVGA card.
Still, if I had the $, I'd go get one and try it again, using more of the switching back and forth techniques discussed earlier in this thread. At the end of the day I'm currently running Ubuntu on my Mac Pro more than anything, so I'd really like to be a bit more open to switching up some hardware.
I love being able to use OSX, but with the recent leaps with osx86 I doubt I'll ever buy another mac pro. They make beautiful hardware that I'm happy to pay for, but their tight-ass insanity over maintaining control of their brand makes me keep them at arms length. That said, I'll keep buying macbooks for quite some time to come as long as I can continue to change the typical stuff - memory/storage.
Howdy. I tried getting an eVGA 8800GT going on my mac pro with no luck. I think it certainly can be done, but I really do suspect some firmware editing could be necessary. I did get my hands on an apple video card power cable from a local apple repair centre. That seemed to be a very necessary component. However I couldn't actually get the machine to boot up with the eVGA card.
Still, if I had the $, I'd go get one and try it again, using more of the switching back and forth techniques discussed earlier in this thread. At the end of the day I'm currently running Ubuntu on my Mac Pro more than anything, so I'd really like to be a bit more open to switching up some hardware.
I love being able to use OSX, but with the recent leaps with osx86 I doubt I'll ever buy another mac pro. They make beautiful hardware that I'm happy to pay for, but their tight-ass insanity over maintaining control of their brand makes me keep them at arms length. That said, I'll keep buying macbooks for quite some time to come as long as I can continue to change the typical stuff - memory/storage.
So you're complaining in a two-year-old thread about an inability to follow the instructions on how to flash the ROM of a PC card making you not want to buy another Mac Pro?
You need a proper card and the proper ROM file for your machine. There are two.
EFI32 for the 2006 Mac Pro, EFI64 for the 2008 Mac Pro.
You can only use a card with a 128k ROM chip, as well. In the respective ROM threads, there are lists of appropriate cards.
Happy flashing!
I can't remember if it can be done in a Mac Pro, or if you need a PC to do it, but it isn't that difficult.