Which gfx card for a Mac Pro?

# 1 24-01-2009 , 06:20 PM

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Hiya all,

I'm thinking of getting a Mac Pro to replace my kitten destroyed Titanium Powerbook...Yeah, cat jumped on the screen and snapped the hinges right off!

Anyway, I'm looking at a 2x quad 2.8ghz Mac Pro and have heard ATI cards don't work so well with Maya, or is this only on the Windows side? What about the nvidia 8800 GT? It seems a shame not to go for the 8800 GT ard as it just about smokes the base ATI card, for only £80 more. Can't afford the Quadro card... user added image

Cheers!

Jacques

Poly-pushing on a '96 SGI O2

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# 2 24-01-2009 , 06:54 PM

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The problems are still there regardles of the platform, if you look at the qualified haredware list for maya the cards for the mac are "qualified" with problems..

Perfonally I would go with the nvidia though they have problems, then again I personally wouldnt go mac.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 3 24-01-2009 , 07:25 PM

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Id go for the nvidia too
sorry to hear about your kitten woes, My mac once fell off my desk but it remained in tacked! And a heavy once dropped on top of my graphics tablet when i had only had it for 3 days and it was fine!

https://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/as28g11/

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# 4 24-01-2009 , 07:44 PM

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Originally posted by elephantinc
Id go for the nvidia too
sorry to hear about your kitten woes, My mac once fell off my desk but it remained in tacked! And a heavy once dropped on top of my graphics tablet when i had only had it for 3 days and it was fine!

Originally Posted by

gster: I'll take OS X any day over Windows...If I had to buy a PC I'd run some brew of Linux.

elephantinc: Not so much kitten woes, more like Powerbook woes! user added image

Thing is, you can't shout at a kitten because it has nooo idea it's just done something stupid...Gotta love 'em!

If I get a MacPro I'm going nVidia...Seems stupid not to spend a bit more and get double performance!

Cheers!

J

Poly-pushing on a '96 SGI O2

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# 5 24-01-2009 , 08:31 PM

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Thats why I have a dog
She knows my laptop is a no go zone

https://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/as28g11/

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# 6 24-01-2009 , 08:31 PM

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You are buying a PC, the technologys the same (though its overpriced and slightly behind the times mind you..) its just the OS thats different, remember Apple dropped any noition of a different platform when they went to intel.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 7 24-01-2009 , 10:14 PM

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Nah, I wouldn't put the build quality of a PC and Mac Pro on the same level, granted the tech is slightly older, but it all works together nicely.

I have a SGI Octane2 because it's been 'designed'...it doesn't have one cable in it, not a single one! The drives are all in pull out drive bays, and the system module and gfx cards pull out in carrier slots...It's actually been designed, not cobbled together. I work on a Windows based Quad core Dell everyday at work and cannot say I enjoy it, I'd happily pay a premium to have a Mac system running OS X. But that's a different discussion to be had in a Mac vs PC thread... user added image

-J

Poly-pushing on a '96 SGI O2

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# 8 24-01-2009 , 10:25 PM

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Build quality being better......... Same components same design different packaging.

When I worked for em the "quality" was the same as any PC I've seen, corners were cut where needed etc etc, I couldent see any advantage in the quality, just a premium in the price....

Its your cash

as you say its for a mac vs Pc thread.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 9 24-01-2009 , 10:44 PM

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Yeah, i think the original question has been answered, so lets not turn this into a debate....

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# 10 08-02-2009 , 03:08 PM

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Update:

Got my dual 2.8Ghz Mac Pro with 8800GT, wouldn't buy a nVIDIA card ever again! The main machine is grand but the 8800GT exhibits the worst screen tearing in OpenGL apps ever! Then again, it could just be the complete lack of driver control / support on Apples part! 'Parently the Quadro card is the same! user added image

Moving models around in Maya causes hellish tearing, with objects splitting in half about 1/3rd from the top of the screen! Looks like a VSYNC issue. Tried all the beam sync options, no go....Oh well, I'll have to wait for an update, maybe 10.5.7 will fix things! :zzz:

-Jacques

Poly-pushing on a '96 SGI O2

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# 11 08-02-2009 , 03:34 PM

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Well, what can I say.....

Pretty pathetic really, I'm shocked that the same problem existes on the quadro, are you sure there isnt a workaround??

The Nvidias on a PC works with maya no probs (though maybe with a tweek to the settings, then again they aint qualified hardware), so maybe the problems not there but with them, but dare I say it, Apple??

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 12 08-02-2009 , 03:43 PM

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Funny thing is, I tried the 2009 trial and it does the same thing! The 8800GT is qualified with only 1 caveat, the IPR line doesn't display...

So I've put it down to Apple's drivers (or lack thereof...) Hell, Maya 2008 works better ITO display on my 5 year old Titanium Powerbook with an ATI 9000M!

Hardware = Great!! - Drivers = Crap!!

-J

Poly-pushing on a '96 SGI O2

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# 13 08-02-2009 , 04:37 PM

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Run bootcamp on it, that might work, theres lots of drivers and youll have good hardware AND drivers, but then again it makes it pointless that you got a mac.

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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# 14 08-02-2009 , 04:49 PM

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Originally posted by gster123
Run bootcamp on it, that might work, theres lots of drivers and youll have good hardware AND drivers, but then again it makes it pointless that you got a mac.

Originally Posted by

Still need to run Shake and Aperture... user added image

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# 15 09-02-2009 , 08:07 AM

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If your running bootcamp you can run both.... Thats the point, when you hit the problem of not having the right software to do the job on OSX you load up somehthing that has.

Are you sure there isnt a workaround, I would be very very surprised if their isnt one as its not like Apple have to make stuff work on EVERY Gfx card, theres what 3 in the line up and its not like they are cutting edge either.

Have you had a search online to see if other people are having the same problem

"No pressure, no diamonds" Thomas Carlyle

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Which gfx card for a Mac Pro?

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