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What video cards will Mountian Lion support?

R

Raytrace

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 2, 2010
44
0
I've got an early 2008, so I'm OK there, but my X1900 has been reduced to almost worthless as a video card. No dual DVI support, incredibly slow redraws; in fact System Information describes it as an 8MB VRAM card!!

I'm having a hard time finding much information about what cards will actually work with ML. I'm guessing an Nvidia card..?
 
Radeon 5870, GTX 570 or GTX670 are your 3 best choices at the moment. Check the detailed threads all over this forum for more info about which would be best for you.
 
You could drop an Apple 5770 or 5870 straight in... but I assume you want to try others? Search and read the 570/670/680 threads in the forum and have a good read.
 
Yes the 5770 or 5870 are the only drop in no issue solutions for cards currently available new. Many here use them in 2008 models.

Picking the best of the other newer PC cards depends on what you are using the machine for, and the trade offs are discussed in several other referenced threads.
 
I have been reading around and deducing that many of those cards would do the job, but I'd also like to see what lesser cards would do.

I know they aren't as new and whiz bang, but if I'm on a budget maybe the GT120 or an old 8800 would fit the bill. I don't need to have the latest 400-500 or more dollar card. I'm not a gamer. I would be interested in cards that accelerate Adobe CS and especially Premiere.

And of course Dual DVI out is preferred, and HDMI would be nice too.

I'm also guessing MacVidCards is a reliable source for products..? He seems very helpful around here.
 
ColdCase said:
Yes the 5770 or 5870 are the only drop in no issue solutions for cards currently available new. Many here use them in 2008 models.
Click to expand...
The 5770 is not all roses. I just dropped one in an early 2008 Mac Pro running Lion. Running Cinebench shows 32fps on initial boot but coming out of sleep it will drop to 17fps. 17fps is equivalent to the card originally shipped (ATI 2600). Only a restart will bring the fps back up.

Apple has some sketchy video drivers and/or sleep mode. A Google search shows there are issues with the 5770 and sleep when running Lion. Apparently it's not fixed with Mountain Lion either. People report not being able to come out of sleep and having the machine totally lock up running Mountain Lion and the 5770.

After paying 2X the cost of a PC version 5770 card for an official Apple 5770 upgrade card, I'm not too happy with Apple right now.
 
GT120 cards are very pants only desperation should prompt their purchase.
8800GT cards are now very old, they have a legacy of failure through old age and heat over time. Often they are baked to repair dry joints in the circuit board. Long term, neither of the above are a satisfactory solution in my opinion.
MVC will sell you a better alternative.
If you are low on cash a GTX550 can be bought for as little as $115 from Amazon.com and used without a boot screen.
 
Last edited:
Mad Mac said:
Running Cinebench shows 32fps on initial boot but coming out of sleep it will drop to 17fps. .
Click to expand...

Do you think that wake from sleep problem is related to all those sleep problems folks have that are trying to run ML on older MacPros?
 
OP, why have you got an X1900?

The machines came with a basic HD2600 as stock, with the GT8800 as an upgrade.

Any modern nVidia card will work. Just remember about the higher cards require power cables and those supplied may not all be compatible with the MacPro. You may need to buy additional cables.

PM, MacVidCards, he sells all the stuff you need if you choose one of the more powerful recent cards.
 
ColdCase said:
Do you think that wake from sleep problem is related to all those sleep problems folks have that are trying to run ML on older MacPros?
Click to expand...
I'm sure it's all related. When/if Apple will fix the issue is the real question. Hope they fix it since '08 Mac Pros are supposed to be supported.
 
Raytrace said:
I know they aren't as new and whiz bang, but if I'm on a budget maybe the GT120 or an old 8800 would fit the bill. I don't need to have the latest 400-500 or more dollar card. I'm not a gamer. I would be interested in cards that accelerate Adobe CS and especially Premiere.
Click to expand...

You need at least a 1GB card for acceleration in the newest Adobe software, so a lot of those older cards will be restricted. The GTX 570 is selling for just over $300, and is lightyears ahead of the 8800 GT etc, I doubt you would regret getting one!
 
Settled on a 1.8Gb GTX285 for $230. I just don't NEED any more right now. And it's light years ahead of the x1900.
 
Raytrace said:
I've got an early 2008, so I'm OK there, but my X1900 has been reduced to almost worthless as a video card. No dual DVI support, incredibly slow redraws; in fact System Information describes it as an 8MB VRAM card!!

I'm having a hard time finding much information about what cards will actually work with ML. I'm guessing an Nvidia card..?
Click to expand...

Pretty sure the X1900 isn't even supposed to be working in Mountain Lion. It was never actually even meant to work with the 2008 (even though it does function.) But Apple removed the driver from ML, hence your problems.

Glad to see you got a new card though.
 
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