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Upgrading old Mac Pro to 8800 GT graphics?
- Thread starter Fezzy
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There is a red metal frame that the X1900 XT is mounted to. I have never seen one before the Mac Pro.
So now when I buy this new card, I wonder what will happen if I upgrade to the new dual quads (early 2008) Mac Pro. Screwed again, eh? I'm hoping this card is 'compatible' in the sense that I can take the EFI64 ROM and flash this card with that ROM and move it to a newer Mac Pro someday.
Just ordered mine. I am eating humble pie as I said it would never happen.
As a pennance and apology to Mr. Jobs I also ordered a 160GB apple TV (refurb) that I had been considering for some time. I will also be ordering a 30" ACD when they are updated and have reconfirmed my commitment to apple as they have done right by me.
I'm hopeful that they will improve the core performance as I do a lot of aperture and the data on this card vs. the x1900XT is not that impressive according to barefeats, but given the amount of pixels that can be moved with this card, it's got to improve with a software update in the future.
Thanks, Mr. Jobs.
(and thanks to everyone who kept the pressure on to make this happen).
As a pennance and apology to Mr. Jobs I also ordered a 160GB apple TV (refurb) that I had been considering for some time. I will also be ordering a 30" ACD when they are updated and have reconfirmed my commitment to apple as they have done right by me.
I'm hopeful that they will improve the core performance as I do a lot of aperture and the data on this card vs. the x1900XT is not that impressive according to barefeats, but given the amount of pixels that can be moved with this card, it's got to improve with a software update in the future.
Thanks, Mr. Jobs.
(and thanks to everyone who kept the pressure on to make this happen).
This is a very good question. Anyone know if it can be upgraded for usage on the 2008 Mac Pro. If I get a 2009 Mac Pro, I might want to use this card for sometime, however that sounds very unrealistic that it will work or they would make it work. Probably only through some means that voids the warranty on the card.
Utter bollocks.
If you're thinking of upgrading your whole machine that soon, then just do it. This is for those of us who are planning to keep their machine for another 2 or 3 years.
*edit* or it would be if it would turn up in the UK store...
Good...I mean great news, just read that there is a new Linux driver as well.......Working perfect in many flavors of Linux. That was my complaint, the x1900 has problems in Linux in ANY machine. Now I can be a happy camper till 2009 when I get a new Mac Pro. Thank you Steve and Apple, and I apologize for bitching, but I believe we should have these options. Thank for making it happen......No Kalaway for me today..............
Anyone know if 2 of these can be installed in our 1st gen Mac Pro's, and how much benefit one can expect to see?
I'm ready to order. Anyone with info on this matter would be greatly appreciated/.......
Thank you Steve and Apple, and I apologize for bitching, but I believe we should have these options. Thank for making it happen......No Kalaway for me today..............Anyone know if 2 of these can be installed in our 1st gen Mac Pro's, and how much benefit one can expect to see?
I'm ready to order. Anyone with info on this matter would be greatly appreciated/.......
Utter bollocks.
If you're thinking of upgrading your whole machine that soon, then just do it. This is for those of us who are planning to keep their machine for another 2 or 3 years.
*edit* or it would be if it would turn up in the UK store...
Not being from the UK I had to look up what "Utter Bollocks" means. And I still don't know exactly what it means, but if anything, I would guess your post was more "Utter Bollocks" than mine.
I'm not here trying to tell people when to buy a new machine. We don't all just 'upgrade' the same way you do. Maybe in 3 months I'll need a new machine for the horsepower. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe I'll need a second machine and I'd like to move the 8800 GT to that machine and keep this machine as a secondary machine. Maybe I wouldn't really need 2 8800 GT's, so why would I buy a new one for the 2nd machine?
So the point is, don't tell me when to buy a new machine or that my post is "Utter Bollocks". I'm just keeping people on their toes and know that we may have issues for those of us who want to maybe do something that isn't the same as how you do things.
Based on this entire experience, I would already expect the card to not work in the 'next' Mac Pro. But it would be nice to know if I can maybe move this card to the current Mac Pro if I do end up with one of those machines in the future.
Great news! Thank you Mr. Jobs - better late than never. And thank god, it's showing up in the Japanese store too. I'll be off to my local Apple store within the hour to see if they have any in stock. Let's hope these sell like hot cakes - if they do, Apple might be more encouraged about the value of offering upgrades. Now, we just need Nvidia to sort out their drivers.
yep just ordered mine. Question though.... Can i keep my old 7300 in my mac pro and have the 8800 in there as well? I run 2 x 21" monitors so would one card running each monitor give me better performance? Is there any harm in leaving the 7300 in there?
yep just ordered mine. Question though.... Can i keep my old 7300 in my mac pro and have the 8800 in there as well? I run 2 x 21" monitors so would one card running each monitor give me better performance? Is there any harm in leaving the 7300 in there?
Yeah you can leave a 7300 in there. You cant have an x1900 and an 8800 though. (in fact you can have 4x 7300 in at once, and you might even be able to have 3x7300 and 1x8800, although someone would have to check the numbers)
I would be really happy if someone would download their firmware from the new card when it ships. I already have an OEM 8800GT and I cannot afford Apple's version.
My job for this morning was to put my Mac Pro on ebay!! Through habit though I took a look at this thread and couldn't believe it.
Great and thanks loads to Steve and Apple, but have to say I think Apple should have 'officially' stated they were developing this card - put me and a lot of people through a lot of grief. I find it ridiculous that Steve was replying to personal e-mails on the subject (which I for one wasn't 100% convinced were necessarily from him) without putting out a formal statement. Sorry for the final moan but it's been an unnecessarily anxious 3 months.
One thing it did make me realize was how much I like OSX over Vista - that I tried out in preparation to switch! Just want to also let Steve and Apple know (if they ever read this) that they've kept me as a customer (for life as long as they don't repeat the episode) by the skin of their teeth!!
But thanks again Apple
Great and thanks loads to Steve and Apple, but have to say I think Apple should have 'officially' stated they were developing this card - put me and a lot of people through a lot of grief. I find it ridiculous that Steve was replying to personal e-mails on the subject (which I for one wasn't 100% convinced were necessarily from him) without putting out a formal statement. Sorry for the final moan but it's been an unnecessarily anxious 3 months.
One thing it did make me realize was how much I like OSX over Vista - that I tried out in preparation to switch! Just want to also let Steve and Apple know (if they ever read this) that they've kept me as a customer (for life as long as they don't repeat the episode) by the skin of their teeth!!
But thanks again Apple
Link to Card on UK site
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=7E50163B&nplm=MB560
http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/ukstore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=7E50163B&nplm=MB560
Is that possible? I'd much rather buy a PC version for a hundred less then upgrade the firmware to make it compatible.
WOW! It's actually dropped £50 in price since January!
Even cheaper on the HE store!
*edit* Ordered.
Does happy-dance!
Just looked at this card again on Apple's site. Wonder when we will be getting the 2nd generation of the card!! Have the new Mac Pros already got the 2nd generation and we are only getting the first!!! I think they couldn't resist keeping a little uncertainty/ambiguity going. I don't really think there's a second generation of the card but for god's sake get the wording right.
"1st generation" refers to the Mac Pro, not the 8800GT. It could be worded a little more clearly, though.
22-25th for me aswell
please guys, buy the card, you all campain for it then are too stingy to buy it?
You've had long enough to save, they finally support us and you mention re-flashing? FFS.
Thanks
Yeah I kinda agree on this one. Apple finally come through and deliver what we ask for, and people want to rip out the firmware and install it on some 3rd party project. Thanks - you're just giving Apple even more incentive for abandoning upgradable machines and screwing the rest of us for next time around. Believe it or not, Apple do exist to make a profit. I'm sure like any company, they'll be monitoring this one closely to see whether it was a good investment to engineer this card. Take away their revenue, and you might as well forget them doing this again. Placed my order online today (Apple store didn't have any yet and said it would be quicker to use the 'net store).
22-25th for me aswell
please guys, buy the card, you all campain for it then are too stingy to buy it?
You've had long enough to save, they finally support us and you mention re-flashing? FFS.
Thanks
what's wrong with that and what's wrong with you? why should we pay 100 more dollars for the same hardware? You fanboys who are willing to bend over backwards for Apple make me sick...