NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT upgrade kit available for older Mac Pro desktops

Owners of first-generation Mac Pros, rejoice. Unless you already laid down the cash for one of those upgrade kits meant only for early 2008 machines, that is. For the rest of you, Apple has delivered a new NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT upgrade kit built specifically for your machine. As expected, the card itself looks the same -- twin dual-link DVI ports, 512MB of dedicated GDDR3 RAM, etc. -- but the Apple store now carries two distinct products to distinguish between the card compatible with early 2008 rigs and the Mac Pros before it. If you've managed to hold off buying a new machine this long, you can order yourself an all new graphics card right now for $279.

[Via MacRumors]

[Juice Daddy @ Apr 15th 2008 1:29PM]

really? $280?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048+1068310557+1369832705&Description=8800gt&name=112

meh...

[holto @ Apr 15th 2008 1:36PM]

does that one work in your mac pro?

didn't think so.

oops.

and it's already 70 bucks cheaper than it was before...

[Juice Daddy @ Apr 15th 2008 1:40PM]

hmm.. that does seem to be a problem...

good thing my main computer is a pc :D

[remic7761 @ Apr 15th 2008 1:46PM]

$280 = =

[Kurian @ Apr 15th 2008 1:52PM]

WHAT THE FUCK! All you need to do a buy a regular card and flash the BIOS (which you download) from a so called *Mac* Geforce.

[apeguero @ Apr 15th 2008 2:34PM]

@Kurian, can you open up the hint a little more? I'm about ready to drop $290.00 on this GeForce 8800GT for my 1st Gen MacPro. Sure would love to go for the 9800GTX instead if I can flash it to work in OS X and not just Vista via Boot Camp. Help me out and save me so money :)

[w00t @ Apr 15th 2008 2:49PM]

apeguero
It has to be identical spec to the ROM you're going to apply, else you will break it, for good! But 8800GT should work, I was shocked how easy it was for the X1900XT I was done in 2 minutes!

You'll need the part though for the power cable, but they are pretty cheap

[Josh Warner @ Apr 15th 2008 2:50PM]

apeguro - The BIOS flashing trick is (pun unintended, I swear) tricky. Furthermore, you can only do this with the EXACT same chipset/hardware. Thus if the 9800 is supported on a Mac somewhere, you might be able to flash the BIOS. If not, there's no way you could flash a 9800 with an 8800's BIOS - that would brick the card if it didn't stop you first.

Kurian was talking about buying a normal version of the same card, and flashing its BIOS. That is possible and quite feasible. But it has to be the same card, and even different production runs (smaller chip die, subtle differences in construction) might give you a bricked card. So it's somewhat risky even with the same card.

[Buis @ Apr 15th 2008 3:01PM]

And if you're a Dutch Mac user, you can expect to pay about $410,- excluding VAT.

[Ignatius @ Apr 15th 2008 1:36PM]

Gee, and if you were running Windows, all you'd have to do is drop the card in, install the drivers off the Nvidia website and go along your merry way.

Not with Apple, you've got to wait until the next generation of cards is already out and pay up to $100 more for the card.

[Tom @ Apr 15th 2008 1:45PM]

Let me rewrite that real fast:

Gee, and if you were running Windows on a normal old BIOS based system, all you'd have to do is drop the card in, install the drivers off the Nvidia website and go along your merry way.

Not with Apple, you've got to wait until NVidia gets around to making their cards work properly on the standard EFI32 and EFI64 systems, and pay up to $100 more for the card due to the limited run.

---

Yeah, it still doesn't make the situation any better, but basically the fault lies with NVidia being unwilling to just make unified firmware that works with BIOS, EFI32 and EFI64 like ATI does. And neither company pushes EFI firmware out on all their retail cards yet like they should. Gateway shipped EFI systems in 2003, MSI is shipping EFI motherboards, it's about time the rest of the "PC World" abandons BIOS and the legacy nightmares it brings to the table.

If NVidia and their partners shipped an EFI complaint card to retail, odds are it would be a simple drop in upgrade for the Mac Pros, since OS X has the drivers already.

[Gorillamonk @ Apr 15th 2008 2:10PM]

that was great...pure and simple

[PeterF @ Apr 15th 2008 3:48PM]

@Tom oh well, sucks for you Mac users huh!?

[Casper42 @ Apr 16th 2008 2:59AM]

Tom - Nice write up, I wasnt aware (as a PC person myself) that the Mac Pro used an EFI BIOS.

I was recently researching a problem with a friend's machine who was trying to install Vista x64 on a 2.4TB Boot Array and it wouldn't see more than the.4 part. In my research it came up that if his machine had an EFI BIOS then he could somehow boot to a GPT Partition because it would not require a standard MBR.

Do you have any links regarding Mac Pro EFI BIOS? (I Know I'm being lazy, but why Google it if you already have a good article)

[Joseph @ Apr 16th 2008 2:59AM]

casper-
saying EFI BIOS is like saying Toyota Honda.

[Josh @ Apr 17th 2008 4:16PM]

The word you are looking for, gentlemen, is Hackintosh :)

[Samboini @ Apr 15th 2008 1:40PM]

Raped.

[w00t @ Apr 15th 2008 1:41PM]

Oh great when the 8800GT was announced to be 2008 MP only I got a PC X1900XT and flashed it to Mac (with 1950XTX speeds and a custom cooler)

It runs well in vista but the performance in MacOn is shocking!

[simple @ Apr 15th 2008 1:45PM]

Most people don't realize, but you can flash pretty much any decent Nvidia or ATI PCI-E video card with Apple's EFI to use it in a MacPro.

[Jason @ Apr 15th 2008 1:50PM]

Holy fucking ripoff :rofl:


Ah a Mac fan and his money...

[w00t @ Apr 15th 2008 1:53PM]

I'm a mac fan... I'm running off the shelf hard disks, memory, processors, optical and flashed PC graphics

And the shell cost me far less than the usual price at $700 (Mac Pro)

Not all mac fans are suckers ;)

[Casper42 @ Apr 15th 2008 7:44PM]

And where does one get a Shell for a Mac Pro?

I'm assuming it at least comes with the custom 5400 motherboard?

[Charles Katz @ Apr 15th 2008 1:55PM]

Whatever guys, I'm doing the graphics card shimmy. Its about time.

[Dave @ Apr 15th 2008 1:57PM]

Remember those commercials with the PC and all its peripherals?
"But hey, with a Mac, it's just simpler!"

Guess they should probably never run commercials like that again

[is this good for games @ Apr 15th 2008 1:59PM]

I just bought a BFG 9800 GTX OC will that work okay for COD4 or Gears of war? I had a X1900XT. Is that better or worse?

[w00t @ Apr 15th 2008 2:02PM]

Come on you must know that card eats Radeons for breakfast!

[really ? @ Apr 15th 2008 2:20PM]

No I don't know thats why I am asking. The Radeon X1900XT cost about the same as the 9800 gtx oc. is it really better? how do you know?

[w00t @ Apr 15th 2008 2:38PM]

The radeon was a top of the line card, when it came out years ago!
The radeon is now a few generations old and the torch has certainly been passed on and ATi are still struggling to keep up with their latest cards!

Check these benches out. Note that's an 8800GT which is slower than the 9800 GTX yet it's proper pissing all over the X1900XT :)

http://www.barefeats.com/harper8.html

You should research before you buy, luckily you made the right choice this time :)

[Really? @ Apr 15th 2008 2:57PM]

Thanks, the older card looks like it runs circles around the x1900xt. Has anyone used the 9800 GTX OC on COD4 or Gears of War, or Conflict Denied Ops, or the Orange box ? I am going to install it tonight and see if I can see an improvement from the x1900xt

Numbers look good but I want to see the difference.

[PeterF @ Apr 15th 2008 3:50PM]

who the hell buys a graphic card without doing even BASIC research on it?

[Abuzar @ Apr 15th 2008 3:56PM]

COME ON. Do a Google search.

9800GTX is a little bit better than the 8800GT and REALLY start to pull ahead in high resolution gaming.

There is no comparison between a 9800gtx AND A FREAKING X1900XT. Hell a HD 3850 will beat out a X1900XT.

[daschupa @ Apr 15th 2008 4:18PM]

*shhhhhhhh* Um, I have a Geforce 3 card that I could sell you. It costs $400 but it is so fast. I'll throw in the Sharpie upgrade kit so you can make it a Geforce 3000xfcpoc

[Casper42 @ Apr 15th 2008 7:49PM]

Short Answer...

9800 GTX OC is in the top 5 fastest video card on the market right now.

Depending on the SLI/Crossfire support in the game you are playing, then 9800GX2 and 3870X2 will be faster because they have 2 GPUs in 1 card.
In some situations a 8800 Ultra will also beat a 9800 GTX OC because of the increased memory throughput.

But after those, the 9800 GTX OC would be there in either 3rd or 4th place.
And keep in mind the 9800GX2 is a $550 card still (dropped from $600 this month)

[Dan @ Apr 15th 2008 2:09PM]

Normally I would disregard all these Mac haters, but I think their comments are justified this time.

[Noah @ Apr 15th 2008 2:14PM]

You gotta pay the price to work on a superior computer. (sorry!!)

[kyoseki @ Apr 15th 2008 2:19PM]

Wow, you said that with a straight face, well done.

[Magallanes @ Apr 15th 2008 2:26PM]

> You gotta pay the price to work on a superior computer. (sorry!!)

Yes, if superior computer means a computer with a superior price tag.

Anyways, with the lack of Autodesk software (and many many others) and many games on this superior computer then, this update can be considered more a caprice rather a real needing.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Apr 15th 2008 4:42PM]

@Magallanes:

Ever heard of Boot Camp?

[kyoseki @ Apr 15th 2008 6:26PM]

@CaptSaltyJack
If you have to run Windows, why bother owning a Mac?

OS X is great and all (and it is, that wasn't irony), but if your software doesn't support it, you may as well buy a Windows or Linux machine and be able to use the latest hardware instead of waiting for Apple or NVidia to release Mac compatible stuff.

That is, after all, the entire point of owning a regular PC and why we don't like having all our hardware coming from a single source.

[Yuee Ong @ Apr 15th 2008 8:12PM]

spec out a Mac Pro and a Dell with similar cpus etc and you'll find the Dell actually more pricey..

[kyoseki @ Apr 15th 2008 9:07PM]

I wouldn't buy a Dell either :)

The Mac Pro is actually the exception to the Mac rule, it is competitively priced because they score a hell of a deal on the processors, but you can scratch build a machine for a bit less.

The truth however is that a lot of people want the performance of the iMacs in an upgradeable tower, I have a PC that's at least as fast as the top of the line iMac but costs over a grand less and is built just as well, if not better, than any of them.

[Rob @ Apr 15th 2008 2:52PM]

No one seems to be mentioning that the 8800 GT SUCKS ASS when it comes to Pro Mac applications such as Motion and (most likely) FCP and others. This is pissing off a lot of people.

http://www.barefeats.com/harper10.html

[kyoseki @ Apr 15th 2008 4:31PM]

I would like to see how it works on cross platform 3d applications such as Maya which typically place a far greater load on the GPU. FCP/Motion 3 is principally a 2d tool and certainly doesn't have anything like the complexity of Maya, without knowing where and why the slowdown takes place, it's difficult to lay blame on the card.

[Rob @ Apr 15th 2008 2:56PM]

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/18/geforce-8800-gt-upgrade-causes-headaches-for-some-mac-pro-users/

This was supposed to take a few weeks to arrive, not 4 months!

[apeguero @ Apr 15th 2008 2:57PM]

@W00t and Josh, thanks for the reply. It's what I thought. It seems riskier than it might be worth. So, being that I've waited forever now for this card, I guess I won't risk it and buy the official Mac one for my 2006 Mac Pro. Hopefully this card will breath new life to my trusty Mac Pro. I'll consider buying a PC version of the card at a later date and play with the flashing of the bios deal so that I can then SLI the two cards, if that's even possible in my 2006 Mac Pro.

So, mi gente, are the other fanbo...sorry, Mac users going to buy this card or will you be taking the red pill and risk system stability and/or bricking a video card?

[w00t @ Apr 22nd 2008 5:43PM]

A little late but you should get an email,

Forget flashing for SLI because that's not possible under Mac Os anyway, you can go ahead and chuck in a second 8800GT unaltered and you'd all be set, Mac Os won't see it but it'll show up in windows.

In regards to your first one, if you've got the cash for the Mac version you'll save yourself some hassle playing it safe, you don't need to track down the proprietary power cable and you don't have to take risks or invalidate warranties.

The X1900XT has been flashed by many mac pro users so there's plenty of info and advice out there which makes it real easy but the 8800 for 2006 MPs is new so new you'd be hard pushed to even get the ROM let alone successful reports and experiences...

[apeguero @ Apr 15th 2008 3:03PM]

That stinks. I don't have any pro apps though. I have the 1900XT on my 2006 Mac Pro. I wonder if I'll see a performance hit when using iWork 08 or iLife 08. I guess I'll find out soon.

[Samboini @ Apr 15th 2008 3:37PM]

Tom; complaint and compliant are two completely different words.

FYI.

[kal326 @ Apr 15th 2008 3:42PM]

Wow, the IRS doesn't hold a candle to Mac Tax. A generation old and $50 long.

[Zak @ Apr 15th 2008 5:09PM]

You're aware that this is an EFI compliant card we're talking about, right? It's not the same 8800GT you would buy for a Windows box, because Windows (with the exception of Vista 64) doesn't support EFI. It's not really a Mac tax, is it?