-
What video card can I upgrade to in my 2006 Mac Pro?
Hey all, well I’ve noticed green speckles in my video playback in FCP on a 3ghz Mac Pro quad (2006) with 12 gigs of ram and an ATI 1900 card. I’ve narrowed it down to the video card because they still happen even with my Blackmagic card out of the machine and they even happen when I have a section of even NO video in the timeline (if I render out a clip completely till it’s blue, they aren’t there but if I have a gap between clips for say a dramatic section of black, they sometimes play through there – but not always, it’s very strange). Also, the x1900 runs hot and is loud. I’ve heard that an ATI Radeon HD 3870 will work fine in a 2006 mac pro but wasn’t sure what the best option is here. It must have two DVI outputs (dual link isn’t necessary but it might be nice to have down the road if I upgrade to a 30 inch monitor) – I don’t play ANY games on my mac so it’s just for FCP and occasionally motion. Thanks for all the help!
FCP / AVID EDITOR
Features : Television
http://www.DefiningFilms.com -
4 Replies
-
Are you capturing / rendering to ProRes HQ?
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
-
Nope, I only use the non HQ version or ProRes but I might have a feature coming up that’s shooting on the Red, no idea what our workflow will be though…
FCP / AVID EDITOR
Features : Television
http://www.DefiningFilms.com -
I’m willing to bet your X1900 XT is dying a heat-related death. My first X1900 XT died within 9 months and Apple replaced it under warranty. When the first card died, I was seeing pixel artifacts exactly like what you describe. The replacement X1900 XT has been working fine since I got it, but it has still been hot and loud.
I just bought the ATI Radeon HD 4870 upgrade for my 2006 Mac Pro last week. Apple doesn’t list the card as officially being compatible with the 2006 Mac Pro, but it works just fine as long as you’re running OS X v10.5.7. The 4870 uses both PCIe auxiliary power connectors on the motherboard, so if you’re currently using two graphics cards that both need aux power, you’ll lose that ability if you upgrade.
I’ve had zero issues since upgrading, and the card is working great both in OS X and Windows XP under Boot Camp. For all intents and purposes it’s the same as the X1900 XT in OS X, only with the advantages of being much quieter and not needing regular cleaning of the heat sink vanes.
The 4870 absolutely slaughters the X1900 XT in Windows 3D gaming performance.
By the way, I’m using two DVI monitors with the card – I purchased the Mini Display Port to DVI adapter and it works perfectly.
-
Walter – what card would you recommend if this were the case?
FCP / AVID EDITOR
Features : Television
http://www.DefiningFilms.com
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up