02-23-2012, 11:45 AM

I want to use a graphics card which is not supported by OSX with a Mac Pro 2008. On the Mac Pro 2008 there is already installed a Geforce 8800 GT. With bootcamp i want to use a Gainward GeForce GTX 470 graphics card only in Windows 7 - 64bit. I dont need the Gainward GeForce GTX 470 in OSX. Does the Mac Pro 2008(2x2.8ghz quadcore) have enough pci-slot-space to install both Geforce 8800 GT and the Geforce GTX 470?

Should these steps work:

1. Install the Geforce GTX 470 in the second pci-slot.
2. Only connect the DVI-cable of the Geforce 8800 GT to a monitor and start the Mac-OSX with Geforce 8800 GT.
3. Install Bootcamp en install in here Windows 7 - 64 bit.
4. Start Windows 7 - 64 bit with Bootcamp. Connect a new DVI-cable from the Geforce GTX 470 to a new monitor(or the same).

Will i be able to use the Geforce GTX 470 succesfully after step 4? If yes, after i install the newest drivers of Geforce GTX 470 for the Windows 7 - 64 bit OS and Bootcamp, will the video editing programs such as Premiere Pro and Powerdirector support the Geforce GTX 470 without any problems?

Will the motherboard(or other components) of the Mac Pro be damaged in a way if i put these 2 graphics card in the pci-slots?

Can the powersupply of a Mac Pro 2008 handle both cards? Does it matter if the cards arent of the same model? I just want to use Geforce GTX 470 with bootcamp and Geforce 8800 GT with Mac-OSX.

After installation of the GTX 470 in the second pci-slot, do i have to connect this card to the powersupply with a cable? How do i do this for both cards and which cables do i need for this? And is there something else i should do?

I had read somewhere that there could be needed an extern powersupply, but couldnt i just use the standard powersupply of the Mac Pro 2008 for both videocards(since it should be supporting 900-1000Watt if i am not wrong)?

02-23-2012, 12:42 PM

You didn't say if the GeForce GTX 470 was flashed for use in a Mac? If not...

The card will not work in your Mac Pro because the ROMs are Windows only. It doesn't matter if you dual boot to Windows, the card would still not work because of the above reason.

It may be possible to flash that card to work in your Mac Pro but of that, I have no knowledge. Perhaps one of our Mac Pro experts that post here will know if it can be done. Also they should be able to answer your other questions regarding power and slots.

02-23-2012, 01:00 PM

No, it isnt flashed for Mac use. Is there a risk of flashing a graphics for Mac? And can someone advise how to exactly do this without damaging it? So, if it is flashed, will it work on both Mac-OSX and Windows 7(bootcamp)? But, is really not possible to use a windows-only video card within bootcamp-only? Why not, does the Mac Pro motherboard simply not recognize it?

02-23-2012, 08:28 PM

If it's not flashed for Mac use, it won't work regardless if you dual boot to Windows. Once the card is successfully flashed to work in a Mac, it will no longer work in a Windows machine.

And yes, there's a risk in flashing a video card. I've seen cards flashed that wound up dead. And I mean dead so that they would no longer work in either system. If that happens, you just wasted big bucks on a card that's only good for a doorstop.