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2006/2007 Mac Pro Graphics
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Apr 2007
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I was all ready to order two ATI 3870 HDs, but then I read this:
The "early 2008" Mac Pro makes using the Crossfire jumper easy since there are two side-by-side x16 PCie slots. The "2006/2007" Mac Pro only has one x16 slot. and the one next to it is an x1 slot. Unless you "downgrade" slots 1 and 2 to x8 using the Expansion Slot Utility, Crossfire will be counter productive. But then, who wants to run a high powered pair of GPUs in x8 slots? Source.
So, reading that page, do I want to order the 8800 instead because on a 1st Generation Mac Pro I won't get the performance I'd get otherwise?
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Los Angeles
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Yeah, that sounds right. I also assume you know that Crossfire isn't supported in Mac OS X.
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"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Yes - I spend time in Windows for gaming only, which is why the Crossfire was an attractive option, but if the 1st Gen only has 1 16x slot, I assume it just makes it not worth it. So, the performance difference (8800 better in Windows) is not enough to make me buy one 3870?
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Truckee, CA
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It all depends on exactly what you are intending to run. Barefeats.com has tests.
-Allen Wicks
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Right, but those tests do not consider running it on a 1st Generation Mac Pro. What do you think the benchmarks will be then?
(Last edited by htdefiant; Jul 22, 2008 at 06:20 AM.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Houston, TX
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The problems that OS X has with the 8800 have nothing to do with the Mac Pro generation, nor Windows gaming performance.
What are your games? In some the 3870 can match the 8800 (take the 3870, it's cheaper), in others the 8800 blows it away (take the 8800) even with two in CrossFire (due in part to ATi's relatively poor multi-GPU scaling).
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Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Apr 2007
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OS X's problems are irrelevant to me - I don't do enough 3D work on OS X. On the Windows side, however, I play some games, do some 3D work, etc. So, you are saying it is so game-to-game, that I would just read the benchmarks and guess which would be better for me?
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