Other What’s the best video card to run in a 07/08 Mac Pro 2.1?

[psycho78]

I picked up an 07/08 Mac Pro 2.1 cheap on FB marketplace and I’m trying to max it out as best as I can just as a hobby and to pass the time.

Here are the specs so far:
Mac Pro “Eight Core” 3.0 (2.1)
3ghz Quad Core Xeon X5365 x2
64gb RAM
1tb SSD
1gb Radeon HD 5770 video card

Mac is currently dual booting El Capitan and Win7 64bit. Windows recognizes all 64gb of RAM while MacOS only sees 48gb

My question is what’s the best video card info opt for in this set up (reliably and without some crazy difficult modifications etc). Should I stick with the 5770 1gb? Can I run dual 5770s?

Any help would be appreciated. Having fun seeing what I can squeeze out of this beautiful box.

 

[Amethyst1]

You are limited to El Capitan (non-SSE4 CPUs), so you can go for e.g. an NVIDIA Maxwell (GeForce GTX 745/750/>=950) card for macOS. Require NVIDIA’s web drivers though.

NVIDIA Kepler (GeForce GT/GTX 600/700) cards work OOTB using drivers built into macOS. Make sure you don’t get an older Fermi card though as those series use both GPUs.

Yes, you can run two 5770s.

 

[theMarble]

If you are wanting to max it out, go for a GTX 980 Ti (the original Maxwell-based Titan X may work as well but might need extra power).

You lose the OS X bootscreen (unless you get a flashed card which is way more expensive), however it is significantly faster than most of the older GPUs that you could run (5870, 680...)

 

[TheShortTimer]

You lose the OS X bootscreen (unless you get a flashed card which is way more expensive), however it is significantly faster than most of the older GPUs that you could run (5870, 680...)

I use a Nvidia GeForce GT630 in my MP 1,1 and I'm fine with losing the bootscreen in return for a better GPU.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I picked up an 07/08 Mac Pro 2.1 cheap on FB marketplace and I’m trying to max it out as best as I can just as a hobby and to pass the time.

Here are the specs so far:
Mac Pro “Eight Core” 3.0 (2.1)
3ghz Quad Core Xeon X5365 x2
64gb RAM
1tb SSD
1gb Radeon HD 5770 video card

Mac is currently dual booting El Capitan and Win7 64bit. Windows recognizes all 64gb of RAM while MacOS only sees 48gb

My question is what’s the best video card info opt for in this set up (reliably and without some crazy difficult modifications etc). Should I stick with the 5770 1gb? Can I run dual 5770s?

Any help would be appreciated. Having fun seeing what I can squeeze out of this beautiful box.

The best graphic card for both El Capitan & Windows 10 would be nVidia Quadro K5000. (need some vBIOS flashing if you buy non-Apple native card)
The best graphic card with bootscreen (but only runs Windows 10) is AMD RX580 8GB Saphire Pulse. (need VBIOS flashing)
The best AMD graphic card with bootscreen (for both OS) is AMD RX 280 3GB (choose one with 2 miniDisplayPorts, also need flashing)

 

[Amethyst1]

The best graphic card for both El Capitan & Windows 10 would be nVidia Quadro K5000.

The K5000 is a GeForce GTX 680 with twice the VRAM and better display outputs but substantially lower clock speeds.

 

[psycho78]

Thanks guys!

Quick question… how exactly do you go about flashing the bios for some of these cards?

 

[theMarble]

Thanks guys!

Quick question… how exactly do you go about flashing the bios for some of these cards?

You will need to use a PC that supports the card you want.

I personally have not flashed a card before, however you will most likely need to have another GPU installed as you cannot flash the VBIOS of the card that is outputting to a display.

I'll let someone more experienced in flashing cards chip in with what tools/software you need for AMD/NVIDIA cards.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Thanks guys!

Quick question… how exactly do you go about flashing the bios for some of these cards?

Beginer level:
1 PC with PCIe x 16 slot.
Windows OS
Proper flashing program like nVidiaflash or AMDflash
Proper vBIOS file.
Process: startup windows, go to Command line, type some commands.

Hobbyist level:
1 PC running Windows and 1 USB port
Chip Programming device + appropriate program
8 pin clips
Process: Clip the 8-pin clips to the vBIOS chip on the graphic card, running the program inside Windows to read and write the vBIOS file to the chip.

Professional level
1 PC running Windows and 1 USB port
Chip Programming device + appropriate program
Solder station
Process: Desolder the chip from the graphic card
Solder or clip it onto the Chip programing device
Run the program inside Windows to read and write the vBIOS file to the chip.
Solder the chip back to the graphic card.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

The K5000 is a GeForce GTX 680 with twice the VRAM and better display outputs but substantially lower clock speeds.

So you advice GTX980?
The K5000 is easier to find where I live.

 

[TheShortTimer]

So you advice GTX980?
The K5000 is easier to find where I live.

In the UK, both are easy to find. I just checked eBay UK and found large numbers of both cards for sale - with the K5000 usually going for half the price of the GTX980! The K5000's Mac version is predictably, twice the average price of the PC one.

As aside, there's a trader on eBay UK selling a purported MP 5,1 for £99 GBP that includes a K5000. Unfortunately, it's collection only and they're too far away from me to arrange transportation.

 

[Amethyst1]

[…] the K5000 usually going for half the price of the GTX980!

The 980 is newer (Maxwell) and much more powerful. The K5000 uses the same GPU as a 680 (Kepler).

So you advice GTX980?

I pointed out the differences between the 680 and the K5000, another one being that the K5000 has a lower power draw and only needs one 6-pin auxiliary power connection while the 680 needs two 6-pin connections.