Mac Pro 12 core video card upgrade ATI HD 5770 + HD 5870

[98GuitarTECH]

Does the splitter reduce the amount of power from each cable

[ShitboxXx360]

gamer with mac? youre retarded

[dragonmustard2]

Are there any heating issues on the graphics card on the bottom, or a noticeable increase in temperature?

[superultramegaman5]

might i ask what you do for a living?

[1yoyo105]

Where did you get that desk? I must know! D:

[MEOWOG]

wow, awesome setup! loved it! but a quick question: what do you do for a living? I mean, it looks expensive :P

[Punkmonk34557]

is this considered "crossfire"?

[dson32]

Can you use Eyefinity on Windows games when 2 ACD's are connected to the 5770 and 1 ACD to the 5870?

MrThaiBox123's videos say you can only have Eyefinity when all three ACD's are hooked up to the same card.

Thanks

[revilate]

hi,

i recently upgraded to the 5870 and still have my old 5770 left over. i thought about trying your trick here, but i have one question...

will splitting the power cord provide enough power to both of the cards?

- cheers!

[nickmurray22]

@revilate Yes the Mac Pro has a excellent 1000 watt power supply that can easily handle the load.

[PortalRealm]

@revilate would you be willing to sell your 5770? interested :) thanks

[231karl]

hello, im planning on getting a mac pro for when i start university in september, most likely a 2008/2009 8 core model.

I am used to pc building and upgrading graphics cards, but whats the deal with mac pros? Im not even sure what a UPS is? (I know that compatibility is limited its just the power supply that confuses me) :L

[jeffalicious]

@231karl UPS means uninterruptible power supply. It keeps the powerflow constant so it doesnt damage your computer.

[TheCJism]

how much prower does your ups use, cause I have one that only has 750VA and this same setup is not working for me.

[nickmurray22]

@TheCJism My UPS is a 1500VA that runs at 60% or 550-600W so there is no way a 750VA would work. I think if you have the same setup you need to upgrade your UPS.

[freeridezach]

go pro?

[jaicou]

if you are a gamer why use mac? im just asking cuz with pc u can get better graphics

[LordsOfMinecraft]

Wow, the fisheye's given me a killer headache,

[SourNaik]

Do you have to buy from apple or can I get this card anywhwre else? Im just worried that there is two versions one for pc and one for mac is this true?

[nickmurray22]

@SourNaik Yes you need to buy from Apple. You can not use the PC model of this card.

[kookieless]

@nickmurray22 this angle made me so dizzy

[SourNaik]

sick setup dude!

[nintendonick]

Jerking it right now... So hot!

[BridgesEntertainment]

hi. I have a mac pro 12 core with the Hd5870 card. I want to install the Quardo 4000 card. do I need a power splitter for that too?

thanks

[DjShanghai100]

Why Not two hd 5870 in CF

[satdacvr]

You are using MiniDisplay ports only. Are any of your monitors DVI? Can I run 3 DVI monitors with the 5870, a low res thru the DVI port and 2 high res (1920X1200) thru the MiniDisplay ports via dual link adapters

[theawesomemanful]

What power cord connector did you use???

[ashleycox432]

wow! what an awesome setup and an awesome computer!

[KrazyKoyk]

Great Video and Awesome setup! Your original GPU must get very hot has the 5770 is blocking the fan... Does it make much noise when gaming? Also: Could you possibly show a video of you running a high spec game such as: Battlefield 2 or Crysis (if you have bootcamp of course) 10/10 video! :)

[gokarter28]

This is a pure beast :D this must be your pride and joy :D

[EliaForce1984ita]

Hi, so I finally got my GoPro HD Hero and I wanted to know how you made the microphone to record your voice so well?

[amitgros]

what do you do with this powerful machine??



[TheAndemas]

cool unboxing! you film like a first person unboxer, is very good to see someone innovating the way to unbox stuff(ok it isn't an unboxing at all)

[TheCJism]

What exactly is the cable that connects the two cards to the power, and could you link me, cause I am buying one and am hoping to get it properly working.

[nickmurray22]

@TheCJism it is item number N82E16812200935 at Newegg : )

[Axl124124]

@nickmurray22 Jim,

Do you think I can do that with an Nvidia 8800GT and a 5870? Do they require the same spliters and power supplies?

[errantfalcon]

@Axl124124 dude the 8800gt is very old and is soo bad is gonna slow down your mac dont do that its gonna generate a HUGE BOTTLENECK which is very bad and you cant put an nvidia card with a ati card soo dont try its waste of time

[qqbiderman]

those lights on your desk were aweosme! you were recording this with a helmet cam werent you? haha :D

[nickmurray22]

@qqbiderman you know it : )

[videomasters2468]

awesome desk, I love the lights

[FeyeThom]

You're awesome.

What's up with the desk-lights? Does it interact with your Mac? Looks great.

Maybe a stupid question, but up to this video I didn't think you could get a 5870 + 5770 working together in a Mac Pro.

The new Mac Pro has Intel "Westmere" processors, up to 2 6-core - 2.93 ghz processor. Would it be possible to get 2 6-core - 3.33 ghz processor (also Intel "Westmere" same socket according to the computer parts website)

The only difference I see are the watts, voltage and ghz obviously

[nickmurray22]

@FeyeThom Not a stupid quesiton at all, yes if you configure it from Apple it is not supported because of the lack of PCI-E power cables (only 2) but with the spitter (you can get from New Egg for about $7) then you can have a 5870 + 5770 or even 2x 5870 if you wish. Works just fine as you can see : )

[FeyeThom]

@nickmurray22 How about the ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition, 6 MDP inputs, probably not a good idea, 6 27-inch displays

[nickmurray22]

@FeyeThom The 5870 Eyefintiy is PC only at this time and not supported on the Mac. Pretty cool card however : )

[nickmurray22]

@FeyeThom

As for your question about the CPU upgrade, I have not yet tried to upgrade mine so I don't know if the Mac Pro BIOS will support it yet but as you know the current max is the X5670 x 2 that I have in mine at 2.93GHz, if I was going to upgrade I would try the X5675 which is rated at the same 95W TDP but is only a little bit faster at 3.06GHz, moving up to the X5690's or other 130W processors might be inviting problems as the power/heat requirements are far greater.

[FeyeThom]

@nickmurray22 Thanks for the answers, too bad I don't have the money to try it:P If its possible, you'd own every pc/mac. Let the gaming begin haha.

If I'd buy the 8-core mac pro + 2×X580 it would be just €350 more (in Holland at least) for 3.33 (in stead of buying the 12core 2.93 at Apple)

Too bad for the power requirements, the heat you can deal with by adding some fans i guess.

I'm not an expert, not even close, but is the extra power only a strain on the Power supply or the motherboard too?

[FeyeThom]

@nickmurray22 Lol there's a company that upgrades Mac Pro's to a max of 2 6-cores 3.46. Makes it even more annoying that I don't have the money:P

[qqbiderman]

@FeyeThom whats the name of the company?

[FeyeThom]

@qqbiderman American based company called OWC. If your upgrading from Mac Pro 2010 8-core 2.4 GHz to 12-core 3.46GHz it i'll cost you about 4000. You have to send the processor plate/module to them in a box they will send you. Quite amazing how expensive apple is At Apple: 12-core 2.93 GHz 64GB Ram 1TB SATA it costs 9750 US$ At this company 12-core 3.46Ghz 64GB Ram 1TB It's about 9400, and then you have a spare 6GB of Ram

[qqbiderman]

@FeyeThom 64GB OF RAM!?!? HOLLY ORGASM!

[perisville]

Hi There mate,

Thanks great Video,

I have a mac pro 8 core with 1x 5870 and was thinking after watching your video to upgrade to a 2nd 5870.Card

Does your computer over heat under 1 power supply to 2 x 5870's ?

should i run external.power supply ?

Cheers Steven

[nickmurray22]

@perisville Hi Steven, The problem is not the power supply, at 1000 watts it is more than powerful enough to cope with both 5870's. The problem is more that one of the 5870's (the lower one) seems to get very hot because it does not get enough air. I have heard that people have wedged them apart to get more air in there but I don't like the sound of that. It does work but worried me so I moved back to 1 5870 and 5770 which runs quiet and cool.

Hope this helps

Nick

[perisville]

@nickmurray22 Thanks Mate for the Tip.

I have since installed both cards and i see what you mean.

[TheMutilate]

@nickmurray22

That's true. No reason to try the risk.

[mijboogie]

A gamer with a mac pro and magic mouse XD

[nickmurray22]

@mijboogie I use an MS mouse mostly for games : )

[lazy4u1]

You try crossfire for triple monitor gaming?

[nickmurray22]

@lazy4u1 no never tried crossfire config over 3 x monitors. I doubt there is any advantage over just sharing the load over several cards. The real advantage of crossfire is the power of 2 or more cards into just one monitor.

[lazy4u1]

@nickmurray22 No i think the real advantage of crossfire is to be able to play games maxed out on 3 monitors(or more) at 1920x 1080 or better with no lag problems

[lazy4u1]

How long have u had this set up for gaming,any problems?

[lazy4u1]

How does this work for 2 5870's.I want to try this but I'm scared I'd melt them connectors or i wouldn't get full power to both cards and there for not worth it.Is there any vids of dual 5870's in Mac pro?I have Mac pro5.1 3.2 quad 5870 2011

[nickmurray22]

@lazy4u1 I don't have a video of the 2 x 5870s but I have been thinking of making one. It does seem to work just fine but I noticed that the lower cards fan did run at much higher RPM than the upper card and I think that is due the the upper card blocking so much of the air flow to the lower card. This is why I moved back to the just 5770 + 5870. I only had it in the 2 x 5870 for a few days so I have no idea how well it works long term

[VitalSyntax]

HOLY FUCK how much did that entire set up cost (computer and monitors)?

[nickmurray22]

@VitalSyntax I think it was about $15k. Crazy money for a computer I know.

[VitalSyntax]

@nickmurray22 That is awesome man! I wish I could afford something like that!

[MacProClub]

@nickmurray22 Thanks, I will remember that for next time I upgrade my PC (or hopfully soon my Mac) because I don't want to damage it

[MacProClub]

You should plug power in last to help avoid an electric shock

[nickmurray22]

@MacProClub Yes good point however the reason for plugging the power in first is to ground the computer and remove the chance of damage from static when plugging in screens and other peripherals

[MegaDeathwarrant]

sexy ass cable management. Did those cables come with the pro?

[nickmurray22]

@MegaDeathwarrant Yes most of these cables are standard

[PlopDropvideos]

WOW, Sweet ass setup! I'll let you buy me a 27'' Display

[quellochetipare]

Possible 2 x HD 5870? sure? with crossfire?

[nickmurray22]

@quellochetipare Crossfire only possible if you Boot camp into Windows, not supported by Mac OS. If using in Crossfire you can even use a PC 5870 which is much cheaper than the Apple branded 5870

[thetechgeneration]

3 cinema displays are not economical for your situation, they are too glossy, unreliable, and expensive but I must about that they look nice. Instead of paying 3000 dollars, you could of spent 900 dollars on similar 1080p displays

[nickmurray22]

@thetechgeneration Yes : ) I would agree with you that the glossy is annoying however I did start with 3 x 1080p displays & quickly ditched them for the Apple Cinema displays after seeing how Mac OS looked on them. At 2560 x 1440 the Cinema display gives almost twice the desktop res and over 3 monitors you get 11 million pixels compared to only 6 million with 1080p displays. More room, nice crisp lines + fonts and great color rendition. If you can afford them it is well worth it.

[wudi227]

Dude good job but all I care is where you got ur desk from? What brand ist?

[nickmurray22]

@wudi227 That is a good old IKEA workstation, they do an even better model now that is even more contoured. The model is the GALANT Glass top with the T-legs, cable management and the DIODER LED kit. I think I paid about $200 for it. Only thing is that it takes 2 people to lift as it is heavy.

[wudi227]

@nickmurray22 Thx a lot nick

[kkliu5]

i peed my pants when i saw the triple lcd screens, and when i noticed you are using a head cam.

[snuffok]

Can you answer a question? Should I go with a RAID card or Solid State Drive (for video Editing?) The Raid card Apple offers is $750, or I can go with a Mercury Extreme Pro RE SSD 200GB. I just can’t wrap my head around it. SSD or Raid for editing?

[nickmurray22]

@snuffok Good question and I have been working on a video comparing RAID 5 vs SSD drive performance. The simple answer for video editing is go for SSD, due to the low seek time of SSD, rendering and other complex tasks are much snappier. RAID is much faster for pure file copies or data dumps but for day to day work SSD is king. If you go with SSD then make sure you back up all your work to another drive still as they can still fail.

[snuffok]

Can you link the “Splitter” that you purchased so I can go buy one?

[nickmurray22]

@snuffok

Search ebay for PCI-Express 6 to 8 Pin Y-Splitter Computer Power Cable

The mostly come in 6>8 pin and you cut off the pin bit to make it 6 pin

[EliaForce1984ita]

Awww the Mac Pro Quad-Core is already too expensive for me (in fact I bought the iMac 21,5") I wonder WHO EVER could buy the 12-core... I wish I could... I can't neither imagine how PERFECT the Mac Pro 12-core is for gaming.

Well, this iMac is already very very very very good (I'll upgrade the RAM to 8 GB in the next weeks)

[luis61961944]

what is better 1 27" or 2 24" kinda cheap monitors is for video editing

[nickmurray22]

@luis61961944 most 24" monitors are 1920x1080 = 2mp, the Apple 27 LED CD is 2560 x1440= 4mp, so you are getting the same desktop area either way, I would argue that the color rendition on the Apple 27" is better then just about any other monitor but often 2 x monitors side by side can be very convenient. If it was me I would still go with the Apple 27” however. All the best

[luis61961944]

@nickmurray22 thank you , u help me a lot

[Wilfr3dd]

What camera do you use?

[nickmurray22]

@Wilfr3dd the camera is a GO pro Hero HD, I should have set the exposure I little higher. I will in the next video...

[CaptFlushGarden]

Wow that is amazing, have you tried it with two 5870's yet? I just installed windows on a partition and the mac pro is a very good gaming rig also, what would happen if the power wouldn't be enough to power the 2nd 5870? it would just go dark wouldn't it? No real damage to the hardware am I correct? thanks for the video!

[nickmurray22]

@CaptFlushGarden I have tried 2 x 5870's and it does work but the lower card got very hot so I have decided to settle on the 5870 + 5770 as that allows better air flow and both cards stay cool.

[CaptFlushGarden]

@nickmurray22 Thanks a lot for the quick reply, I trust you on the overheating part, maybe there's no room for it at all, but there is a Coolit Omni plate for the 5870 that one could use on one of the cards, but I have no idea where the fan would go :( cheers!

[CaptFlushGarden]

Wow that is amazing, have you tried it with two 5870's yet? I just installed windows on a partition and the mac pro is a very good gaming rig also, what would happen if the power wouldn't be enough to power the 2nd 5870? it would just go dark wouldn't it? No real damage to the hardware am I correct? thanks for the video!

[mentalhangover]

Nice setup, but what's the deal with your table and the lights that go from green to blue to red ?

[nickmurray22]

@mentalhangover Thanks,oh yes the lights... that is a bit of ikea bling : )

[dragonmann47]

you said duel 12 core=P

[AppsEverywhere]

WOOW! That's an awesome setup! You should make a video about the triple LED Cinema Displays and the graphics card etc. 

[TheKazable]

so... if your a gamer why do you use a mac? And why would having 2 graphics cards make a difference if mac cant SLI or Crossfire?

[nickmurray22]

@TheKazable, Good question and u are right, PC is a better platform in many ways for gaming, mostly because there are far more games written for the PC and historically Mac’s have lagged behind in graphics perf.

As for why 2 cards when they can't be used in SLI/Crossfire? If you are running 1 monitor there in no reason to upgrade to 2 cards however if you have 2 or more monitors there is a big perf benefit to sharing the load over multiple GPU’s.

[nickmurray22]

Mounting the cinema displays requires the Apple Vesa mount kit, which replaces the stand and allows mounting on walls and other flexiable stands.

[RINGO4LIFE]

Excellent video and advice, mainly about the UPS device. How many devices could plug into the UPS? What brand/model?

I'm about to get a Mac Pro & two cinema displays, so I need a UPS to protect my gear. Lost an iMac due too 4 power outages.

I actually thought it wasn't possible to run a 5870 with a 5770 due to power limitations.

Could you tell me what you're using to mount all 3 of your cinema displays?

I would like to mount two 27" Apple cinema displays on my wall in my home studio.

[nickmurray22]

@RINGO4LIFE Well for the UPS I have the Cyberpower CP1500PFCLCD there are 5 x UPS outlets and 5 x surge only outlets, however there is nothing stopping you from plugging in a power board and adding more out lets. This UPS is rated at 900W and with 3 x 27" cinema displays and the Mac Pro I am drawing 450W so plenty spare. This UPS is about $200 and best of all it is silent, first UPS I have owned that has not had annoying fan noise.

[34skyline]

Can You put two ATi 5870 in the Mac Pro, I have a 5870 in my Mac Pro and I want to have a dual 27-inch LED, So is it better to have two GPU for multiple displays?

[nickmurray22]

@34skyline Yes it is better to split screens to their own GPU if possible particularly for gaming. Two 5870's is possible but you will need 2x power splitters. Something else to note with 2 x 5870's is that the lower card will get a lot less air than the top card because the top card blocks the air flow. It will still work but may overheat if really pressed. The 1 x 5870 and 1 x 5770 is much better for for cooling both cards because the 5770 does not block the 5870.

[34skyline]

@nickmurray22 ok thanks for the advice and the video