I got a new (2006) Mac Pro with a 256MB card, and I'm wondering if I can upgrade to the 512MB card from the same time that my Mac Pro was introduced. The current card is a NVIDIA 7300GT, and I would like to upgrade to a NVIDIA 8800GT (512MB).
Cheers,
Adam
Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), Xeon 2.66 GHz, 4GB Ram, 320 GB HDD
Grant,
I think it is very nice that you put the list together, however, I think that you have forgotten one very important point.
While ATI/AMD cards work in basically any Mac Pro, Nvidia cards are either for 1,1 and 2,1 OR are for 3,1 /4,1 / 5,1.
So while a Quadro K5000 or GTX285 will show boot screens in a 2008 or 2009 or later Mac Pro, they will not in a 1,1 or 2,1.
And the flip side of this is that the 7300GT and Quadro 4500 from 1,1 and 2,1 will show boot screens in those machines, but not work at all in a 3,1 or later.
Where this gets especially tricky is the 8800GT. Apple produced both versions. EFI32 for 1,1 and 2,1 and EFI64 for 3,1 and later.
A 1,1 and 2,1 needs an EFI32 card if it is from Nvidia. When buying it is important to ask for this, as frequently the seller might not know the distinction either.
So an 8800GT for a 3,1 Mac Pro from 2008 will look exactly like one from a 2007 Mac Pro (part number different) but they are NOT interchangeable.
And while the 2008 and later Nvidia cards will work in 10.7.3 and later in a 1,1 as "self init" cards, they will be, for all intents and purposes, just like running a PC card. So someone with a 1,1 or 2,1 is wasting money if they buy a GTX285 Mac Edition as it will work no differently in a 1,1 then will a PC GTX285.
Sorry to revive this topic, but I had a second idea. Im not sure if this is correct, but to my understanding, there are 5 "display" or video slots in the Mac Pro. The pre-installed has DVI and dual-link DVI with 256MB VRam. But can't you buy another (or 4 more) display/video boards and install them. If I'm not mistaken each board has a separate video card and different connections coming out the back. Please don't hesitate to correct me if I'm totally wrong about that 🙂.
Cheers,
Adam
The tower Mac Pros have four PCle slot. One slot is filled with the card that cam with the Mac The first slot is double with since most cards today are double width.
The speed and generation of the slots depends upon the specific model Mac Pro
Upgrade Graphics Card?
