2008 MacPro on 10.5.7 and ATI 4870

I answered this in another thread

That's the thread necronym must be referring to:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9469726&#9469726

Only 11 % performance increase? I'm pretty sure I have seen numbers in the 300% area for some tests on barefeats?

I think you have to give ATI maybe a little time...

It took Nvidia how long to tweak their drivers to get some decent results with core image on the 8800. The way the drivers are now, the 8800 isn't a bad choice for apps imo. Especially if your alternative is the 3870 which from what I've heard, is very loud. That is unless you put an after market cooler out it.

It took a year to get to 10.5.6, 18 months to get to 10.5.7.

Vista 64-bit drivers were a year in getting some refinement and had / were the leading cause of crashes and issues.

Windows 7 has had 5-6 months of public testing. Drivers are still "one step forward, one step back."

When ATI came out with the PCI Radeon 9200 (nearly a decade ago it now seems) it took a good part of a year to get drivers.

10.5.0 was a major change, and almost each small ".dot one" update brought changes such that PCIe controllers had to retest and modify their drivers, the rules for how devices communicate also changed and in flux.

Nothing is over-night or in a couple or three months.

The Radeon 2600 had problems with its launch in 2008. The 3870 still has problems, and I thought that would be a 3-4 months, the time it takes to revise chips and find a new solution.

The FX 4800 and GTX 285 are set to launch in June. Sold independently.

I do wish that Barefeats woudl publish the complete detailed test envrironment.

However, I believe the Barefeats folks have quietly announced that their tests from last year on the 8800 GT may no longer be valid. They have performed some additional pro apps testing using the 2009 Nehalem platform which indicate that the same 8800 GT performs rather well ... across the board ... presumably with the same OS X drivers we are all using today.

Has your friend seen any improvement? I am buying another 2008 Pro and am seriously considering ordering it with the 8800 GT for an extra $100.

With respect to the current test results for the 8800 GT, the mad scientist on Barefeats now states:

+"Keep in mind that graphics card performance is "moving target." A tweak here and there in the firmware and drivers can change performance dramatically. Compared to last year's GeForce results, the nVidia engineers must have been burning the midnight oil improving their Core Image performance. And ATI engineers should look at the graphs and realize they can't rest on their laurels."+ - robART Morgan

Check out the test results:

http://www.barefeats.com/nehal06.html

The best new test numbers.
http://barefeats.com/nehal10.html

Keep in mind that Apple Store Specials today has ALL models listed from 2008-9 it seems. And those come with the 8800GT. But the 8800GT for 2008/9 is nowhere to be found as an upgrade order, same goes for the Radeon 2600XT, gone, nada. Would think there would still be a page, right? even if only to say it was discontinued??? Zilch. You can rewrite history and erase the past.

Maybe you'd be a candidate for the GTX285. That is a lot of card.