Mac Pro 3,1 GPU Upgrade Options ?

[jasongoldworthy]

hi guys I have been given a Mac Pro 3,1 with dual cinema displays all boxed.

my question is what video card upgrade options are there ?


it has an an ati card 256mb one at the moment not sure on the model at the moment

I followed a guide by dosdude to get it running high Sierra but does that limit the cards I can now use on it ?

if it does I can always go back to osx 10.11


ive just ordered the ram to max it out at 64GB stuck in there a 512GB SSD and 3 x 2TB HDD's

its got wifi and bluetooth also they are quad core cpus at 2.8ghz

thanks for any advice as ive got 2 HD5770's

but they are the pc variants


thanks for any help

Jason

 

[pigoo3]

thanks for any advice as ive got 2 HD5770's

but they are the pc variants

Have you tried installing one of these...and booting the computer? Sometimes certain Windows video cards will be "plug & play" on Mac Pro's (you may not get the normal Mac boot screen).

One thing to be careful of. Since this Mac Pro 3,1 is from 2008 (10-11 years old)...depending on how much use it has seen over the years...the power supply could be getting worn/weak. It may be able to handle powering one more powerful video card...inserting two more powerful videos cards could be pushing it. But if the PS is in good shape it should be able to power 2 more powerful video cards...since in theory...you should be able to install 4 video cards...and run like 8 monitors.

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi nick


I have tried it with both GPU's they do work

but ive lost the transparency effects and the dock is all lagging

so ive put back the original card for now until the 5870 comes which is a genuine apple part.

as for the use I think it has had hardly none the keyboard is like new as is the mouse I think it was bought and not used more than 2 times.

its quite a beast on size
and weighs a ton lol

Jason

 

[pigoo3]

I have tried it with both GPU's they do work

but ive lost the transparency effects and the dock is all lagging

Awesome to hear that they work. I do know that sometimes with unofficial non-Apple cards some anomalies can happen (loss of some functionality).

so ive put back the original card for now until the 5870 comes which is a genuine apple part.

That sounds great...as you know...the 5870 is a much better video card (like two 5770's in one).

...I think it was bought and not used more than 2 times.

Wow if that's true...you got one heck of a nice computer there!

its quite a beast on size
and weighs a ton lol

Yes it is...and yes it does. I've owned about 5 Powermac G5's (basically the same size & weight as a tower Mac Pro) and about 3-4 tower style Mac Pro's...and they are big & heavy. The all aluminum housing is about as "classy" an external housing as you can get!

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi nick


as I said the Mac is mint.


there is no marks on it the power cord was still in a sealed pack as was the keyboard and mouse it even has the original disk's

and it had the original 320GB hdd and 8GB Ram

but of course its now had a few upgrades.


now my question here is can I use my 2011 27' iMac as a display for it ?

although I have got 2 mint cinema displays as well.

well ive got the 5870 on the way so I think thats the card ill go with


and yeah its a heavy beast

but was built to last ??


thanks

Jason

 

[pigoo3]

now my question here is can I use my 2011 27' iMac as a display for it ?

I'm 99% sure you can. At worst...you may need an adapter or two.

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

thanks buddy GPU received this morning
I have installed it and its running like a champ

I do believe I need a MINI DP to MINI DP cable ???

- - - Updated - - -

one more question if I was to use two of these GPU's would I need a crossfire cable ?


thanks

 

[pigoo3]

thanks buddy GPU received this morning
I have installed it and its running like a champ

Awesome...great to hear it!

I do believe I need a MINI DP to MINI DP cable ???

If you purchased a true Apple Radeon 5870 video card...it should have one full sized DVI connector and two mini-display ports...like this:



I wouldn't think that you would need any additional cable/adapter...unless of course your trying to run multiple monitors from the same video card...or the monitors you're using don't have out-of-the-box compatible ports with the card. I'm sure you can run at least two monitors from the 5870...and they could be any combination of two of the existing ports/connectors on the card.

- - - Updated - - -

one more question if I was to use two of these GPU's would I need a crossfire cable ?

Not sure how much you know about this topic...here's an article that sorta-kinda explains things:

SLI vs CrossFire: Are Multi-GPU Setups Worth it in 2019?

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi again nick


the card I received today is exactly like the ones you have in your reply

so I assume its a true card.

and if there is no benefit to be had using two cards I may as well leave it as the one


thanks for the help.

id rather use the mini display port to the same on iMac saves different cable plus I think it allows sound ??

 

[pigoo3]

the card I received today is exactly like the ones you have in your reply

so I assume its a true card.

Yes if it looks like the card in the image...then it's a true Apple card. As far as I know...the Apple 5870's only came with a single full sized DVI port & two mini-displayport ports. Windows versions of the 5870 came with all sorts of port combinations (multiple full sized DVI connectors, HDMI connectors, I think some even had a serial port on them, and maybe even a VGA port).

...and if there is no benefit to be had using two cards I may as well leave it as the one

I think there can be a benefit...but I think setting things up is more complex than just a cable.

Also...the article I linked is from 2018...and is probably/mostly discussing more recent state-of-the art video cards (I mostly linked the article because it sort of explains how to setup two video cards in SLI/Crossfire mode). Maybe with much newer video cards (2018)...SLI/Crossfire mode may not be as beneficial or have drawbacks.

The Radeon 5870 is close to a 10 year old video card...and with older video cards like this...maybe there is more benefit.

All I know is...one of the big complaints with the Radeon 5870 was it ate up a lot of electricity...and...was VERY loud (lots of fan noise). Running two of them I guess would be even less "green" and even more loud!

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

I have got another 5870 but for some reason its showing up as ATY Langur

so im not sure what to do there ?? plus it don't output any image.

does it need a bios flash ??


ive picked up a crossfire cable and will try and flash the bios on the card if there is a way of doing so that way it will appear as an apple card also ??

thanks

Jason

 

[pigoo3]

I think many times a Windows 5870 will work with a tower Mac Pro right out of the box. Maybe not 100% exactly like a genuine Apple/Mac 5870...but then this is always the risk when using a Windows video card (Windows video cards are always way way less expensive than the Apple version).

With all of the modding that goes on in the Windows community...maybe the ROM on this particular card was setup (out of the box) to work with a specific Windows setup or OS...or maybe it was flashed with different ROM by the previous owner.

I did a little searching...and there are guides out there with procedures how to flash a 5870 to work with a Mac. I would suggest searching & find a procedure that you're comfortable with...and give it a shot. Flashing video cards can be tricky...be careful & patient.

Of course if you decide to give it a shot...please let us know how it went!

Thanks,

- Nick

 

[jasongoldworthy]

hi nick

the odd thing is it wouldnt work at all even as a single card in the Mac Pro ??

I put it in a windows motherboard and it worked displayed and all that jazz.

I followed a guide online flashed the card and it still worked on the windows box

put it in the Mac booted her up and no video ????


im just going to stick to the one card I think save the hassle lol

if I can pick up another apple HD5870 then ill get the 2ND one but for now one is more than capable plus im only going to be using it to render video and internet things my iMac is the i7 variant but the GPU holds it back.

thanks for all the advice

Jason