Help Me Play Portal On My 6-Year-Old Mac Pro
June 28, 2011 7:57 AM Subscribe
I'd like to replace the nVidia GeForce 7300 graphics card on my 2006 Mac Pro with something better. Unlike this previous AskMe, I don't need a current-generation card, nor am I doing heavy-duty video. In fact, I'm hoping to spend $50- $100, which presumably implies buying an older card on eBay. What would be the best bang for the buck in that tightwad pricerange?
You can get a GTS 450 for just a tad over $100 and its a spectacular card for the money. Not sure if its compatible with your rig. Benchmark here.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:09 AM on June 28, 2011
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:09 AM on June 28, 2011
If you need single slot and want to save about $20 or $30 then I'd look at a Radeon 6670.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:14 AM on June 28, 2011
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:14 AM on June 28, 2011
Best answer: Sadly, although the slot is the same - most standard pc graphics cards are not compatible with older Mac Pro's - and I don't think the cards recommended thus far will work. You will need to get a card that is supported on the mac platform.
The last card that was officially supported in that mac was the 8800GT Mac edition - the generation after your mac - that is something of an antique now and the prices are silly
Unofficially, the recent Apple Radeon 5770/5870 cards should work (though you will need to check your firmware version) but these are still significantly more expensive than your stated budget.
I am afraid that I don't see an easy way for you to upgrade within your budget, your best bet might be to see if you can find a cheap 8800GT Apple kit on ebay.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2011
The last card that was officially supported in that mac was the 8800GT Mac edition - the generation after your mac - that is something of an antique now and the prices are silly
Unofficially, the recent Apple Radeon 5770/5870 cards should work (though you will need to check your firmware version) but these are still significantly more expensive than your stated budget.
I am afraid that I don't see an easy way for you to upgrade within your budget, your best bet might be to see if you can find a cheap 8800GT Apple kit on ebay.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 8:33 AM on June 28, 2011
Best answer: I'd second what Another Fine Product just said. You're going to get a slight boost from a 8800GT, but the Apple-branded ones are still going to be at silly prices.
If you look around, the least expensive best option may be to get an inexpensive Radeon 5770 that can be reflashed with firmware that will allow it to work with a Mac Pro. If you use Google to search for information on Radeon 5770, mac pro, and possibly including "1,1" (the probably revision of your machine) then you'll find a handful of websites and tutorials discussing this possibility.
A friend went down that route and it ended up working quite well. I had a discount so I bought a Radeon 5770 directly from Apple, but that was still considerably pricier.
posted by mikeh at 9:12 AM on June 28, 2011
If you look around, the least expensive best option may be to get an inexpensive Radeon 5770 that can be reflashed with firmware that will allow it to work with a Mac Pro. If you use Google to search for information on Radeon 5770, mac pro, and possibly including "1,1" (the probably revision of your machine) then you'll find a handful of websites and tutorials discussing this possibility.
A friend went down that route and it ended up working quite well. I had a discount so I bought a Radeon 5770 directly from Apple, but that was still considerably pricier.
posted by mikeh at 9:12 AM on June 28, 2011
Best answer: I got a 8800GT for my MacPro1,1, for $150 off ebay 2 years ago. It plays portal2 at 1920 just beautifully.
I do have to re-grease it regularly, but probably more due to living near a train line.
posted by lundman at 5:53 PM on June 28, 2011
I do have to re-grease it regularly, but probably more due to living near a train line.
posted by lundman at 5:53 PM on June 28, 2011
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I don't know if any of those will work in your Mac, but they're all brand new, all better than your current card, and all in the $50-100 range. As long as they're Mac compatible and you've got the relevant slot, any will do, really.
posted by valkyryn at 8:02 AM on June 28, 2011