Video Card Question

Grama · Aug 8th, 2006, 02:45 PM

Hello first post here!!!! Quick question...

I am looking at purchasing a Mac Pro, but I am not quite happy with some of the hardware choices. I am a video editor/gamer, and will be dual booting Mac OS X and Windows XP Pro. I need as much hardrive space as I can get, so I was wondering (I am new to Macs) if it is possible to order different hardrives and install them on your own (or have someone else install them if for what ever reason that need be) because I want to install four 750gb hardrives. I assume they should work, a hardrive is a hardrive is a hardrive, right?

Also I was going to ask about the video cards. I see that you can get 4 7300gt's, a x1900xt, or a quadro fx 4500. My question is I want either 4 7950 gx2 cards or 4 7900 gtx or gt cards or either a quadro fx 5500 or a quadro fx 4500 x2. IS this possible? will os x be able to use them?? I think it's kinda ndumb that apple doesn't offer a solution like that..... anyways i think thats it..... let me know!!!!

Grama

P.S. I heard an 8 core version might come out..... think I should wait?? would xp pro even support that? i dunno.... let me know!!!!

John Clay · Aug 8th, 2006, 02:56 PM

You can purchase 3rd party drives and install them yourself, or have someone do it for you. It would end up being much cheaper than Apple's drives. I'm not sure about the graphics cards.

Kosh · Aug 8th, 2006, 04:43 PM

For video cards, it's hard to tell right now if you could use PC cards (you'd probably have to flash the video cards at the least) - some have commented that PC cards aren't made to work with PCs with EFI. You'd need drivers for the card too (some of those you mentioned don't have drivers in MacOS X, yet). If you're going to purchase the Mac Pro now and you want to game on it, I'd recommend getting the Radeon X1900XT. The Nvidia Quadro 4500 FX is too expensive. The only problem that your going to have adding the Radeon X1900XT is that it's going to bump your shipping date by 3-5 weeks (not good). An option is to buy the Mac Pro now and get the Radeon x1900XTupgrade kit later.

Grama · Aug 9th, 2006, 12:33 AM

KK is there a site that lists video cards that are available for mac computers or ones with drivers for mac???? or how about a 7800 series card??? the choices they give u are horrible!!!! thanks for any help!!! (I don't like any of the coices..... Even the X1900xt and i know its a good card thankyou!!!

gwillikers · Aug 9th, 2006, 01:11 AM

I just read this on xlr8yourmac.com...

"More on Question of using PC Graphics cards in Mac Pro -
" I was told today that video cards used in Mac Pro's must be EFI compliant cards. BIOS compliant video cards will not work in EFI equipped Mac Pro's. My dream of running PC video cards in Mac's seems to be thwarted at every turn!
-Iain B. ""

Kosh · Aug 9th, 2006, 10:22 AM

The list of Mac cards currently would be those that Apple lists.

Since the Mac Pro is different than previous Macs, it's unlikely cards that worked in previous PowerMac G5's with PCI-e will work in the Mac Pro. We'll know more once people have seen and tried things with the new Mac Pros. Strange Dogs only has one thread on the Mac Pro so far ( http://strangedogs.proboards40.com/i...rd=experiments ) so no-one has tested flashing PC cards. The Mac Pro just came out a day ago, so hardly anyone has one, so they can try things.