Eek my order has a different part number - MB137Z/A
Oh to be a student again......!![]()
It's in the UK Apple Online Store as an upgrade shipping in 8 days time for £220.
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?find=nvidia+8800
Price is horrific - third party with flash to EFI sounds like a plan. Anybody know how much better it is than an ATI1900XT in real life (i.e. not much gaming)?
If an off the shelf 8800 doesn't work, I can make it work. Update the thread when one of you chaps has a BTO Mac Pro or the upgrade card in hand and I'll provide you with a tool and instructions for getting a ROM dump.
After that I'll do some testing and creative hex editing and get the ROM working on a off the shelf card.
PCIe v2 is backwards compatible (the difference is extra bandwidth, 32x lanes)
Interestingly enough the slot is a PCIe v2 slot but it only supports 16x. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of PCIe v2?
Can I ask a silly question -- what types of applications does the 8800GT benefit, vs. the default ATI card that is on sale with the new Pros?
I presume that neither the ATI, nor the 8800GT support HDCP, which would matter for future Blu-ray playback compatibility?
Guys
Here is the link - available in 5-7 weeks!!!! for $349
I've ordered one, although I'm confused why they are ready to ship in the UK and we're on a 5-7 week wait
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?s=topSellers&fnode=home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/storage&nplm=MB137Z/A&mco=CB3ECC1C
PCIe v2 is backwards compatible (the difference is extra bandwidth, 32x lanes). 8800GT uses 16x lanes anyway so there's no benefit to PCIe 2.
Hope either Apple offers it at a reasonable price or someone flashes them soon...
edit: I double checked the specs. It is actually PCIe v2 compatible but doesn't require it. We're OK with older MPs.
Interestingly enough the slot is a PCIe v2 slot but it only supports 16x. Doesn't this defeat the purpose of PCIe v2?