: For Sale Testing Waters: Radeon 5770 Graphics Card for Mac Pro + Extras - $120?


Mr. CoBalt
Aug 2nd, 2011, 05:01 PM
Sold! but thanks for looking! :)

I thought I would see if anybody is interested in a drop-in replacement graphics card for their Mac Pro (any model, but formerly used in my MacPro1,1). Yours for 80 bucks!

More info:
For sale is a properly flashed Powercolor Radeon HD 5770 PCS+ 1GB (http://www.guru3d.com/article/powercolor-radeon-hd-5770-pcs-review/) Purchased in February 2011 but unused since late October. Outputs are: 2 x DVI, 1 x DisplayPort (not miniDP), 1 x HDMI. Makes a great dual-DVI-monitor card, but triple monitors come with some caveats…

Important Info: Under 10.6.7 you can get triple monitor support via this single card by using both DVI ports and the DisplayPort output, however under 10.6.8 and 10.7.x it seems you can only get dual display output using the DVI ports, as triple display output using DVI x 2 + DisplayPort doesn't want to work :-(

There's nothing to say this issue won't get magically fixed in a future OS update, or that there won't be available driver mods (I've been keeping my eye on the Netkas forums (http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/board,6.0.html) plus Mac Pro Video Cards (http://macprovideocards.com/) but thus far modified drivers for 10.7 break Quartz Extreme video acceleration…)

More Important Info:
- As this is a flashed 5xxx series card you do not get the grey Apple boot screen as with an "Official Apple" card unless you are using a VGA monitor. With just straight DVI the displays remain blank until the login screen/desktop loads.
- I do not have an auxiliary power cable to include with this card so please factor that in. There are a few options for obtaining such a cable, as detailed here (http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-masters/92461-upgrading-cpu-mac-pro-1-1-a-7.html#post1066443)

Extras:
- For an additional $20 I'll toss in a basically-brand-new Accell Displayport to DVI-D Single Link Active adapter (a $35 value!) It supports up to 1920x1200 resolution monitors and under 10.6.7 will get you up and running 3 DVI monitors off the single card

Thanks for looking folks!

Macfury
Aug 2nd, 2011, 05:19 PM
You're not testing the waters--you're offering the card for $120. Perfectly OK.

Mr. CoBalt
Nov 25th, 2011, 11:03 AM
I need to stop being so wishy-washy... Back up for sale! :)

g.c.87
Nov 26th, 2011, 03:12 AM
You can use 3 monitors with that card, so long as you use an "active" mini display port to DVI adapter.

MacMagicianJunior
Nov 26th, 2011, 03:36 AM
You can use 3 monitors with that card, so long as you use an "active" mini display port to DVI adapter.

Because this flashed PC card uses a Displayport rather than a Mini-Displayport it may not be that easy... Accell makes a Displayport to dual-link DVI (http://www.guru3d.com/article/powercolor-radeon-hd-5770-pcs-review/) out that might do it, but I couldn't find anyone that's actually tried it in a Mac.

Mr. CoBalt
Nov 26th, 2011, 03:19 PM
Because this flashed PC card uses a Displayport rather than a Mini-Displayport it may not be that easy... Accell makes a Displayport to dual-link DVI (http://www.guru3d.com/article/powercolor-radeon-hd-5770-pcs-review/) out that might do it, but I couldn't find anyone that's actually tried it in a Mac.
Yup, I've got an active (albeit single-link) Accell adapter as mentioned in my ad, and I previously had triple display support working under 10.6.7 (http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/93215-flashed-5770-mac-pro-3-displays-2.html#post1097444), however under 10.6.8 to 10.7.2 I've been unable to get triple displays working via both DVIs + DP (Long thread here on some of the issues (http://www.ehmac.ca/mac-masters/95620-10-6-8-broke-display-port-5770-macpro1-1-a.html)).

It appears to be something to do with the Radeon framebuffer that 10.6.8 onward use for the card, so I replaced it with an official Apple 5770 + 2 x MiniDP-to-DVI single-link active adapters to get my triple 20" Cinema Displays working again under Lion, etc.

Hence, the flashed 5770 is now for sale :D

MacMagicianJunior
Nov 26th, 2011, 03:23 PM
Hence, the flashed 5770 is now for sale :D

Had a feeling it was something like that, I'm doing the same thing in a Mac Pro 3,1

Roach13
Nov 28th, 2011, 12:26 AM
I'm looking ot go to a triple monitor system. Could I install this with my invidia Geforce GT 150 still in and go to triple that way?

Mr. CoBalt
Nov 29th, 2011, 06:40 PM
I'm looking ot go to a triple monitor system. Could I install this with my invidia Geforce GT 150 still in and go to triple that way?
Hmm, I don't know of any reason why you couldn't run the 5770 side-by-side with the Nvidia. Only thing you might need to be aware of is which PCI slot you're using: It looks like the GT is a single-slot card and I'm guessing it's currently in the lowest slot of your Mac Pro, which is where the double-slot 5770 would have to go, so just be aware of that :)

The 5770 should be far more powerful than the Nvidia though so I would suggest running your two primary monitors off it and using your current card for the boot screen if at all possible.

Hope this helps!

Mr. CoBalt
Dec 16th, 2011, 10:01 AM
Bump! Make an offer if you're at all interested folks! No use to anybody if it just sits in a box on my shelf :)