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I've got an early 2008 Mac Pro, and would really like to upgrade my video card beyond the stock Radeon 2600 HD that came with my system. I run two DVI monitors (neither of which accepts the Mini DisplayPort connector). I'd also like to get a card that will work well for Windows games under Boot Camp. So it seems like my options are:

  • ATI Radeon 3870 Mac and PC edition - Cheap, but not sold by the Apple store and I hear it's pretty noisy.
  • ATI Radeon 4870 - Mid-price, sold by the Apple store, but has one DVI port and one Mini DisplayPort. I have heard bad things about the Mini DisplayPort to DVI converter.
  • NVIDIA GTX 285 - Cool but pretty expensive.

Has anybody had any experience with any of these cards? Can anyone confirm or deny the noise issues with the 3870 or the non-working DisplayPort to DVI adapter? Are there any options I haven't thought of?

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I thought when you wanted to upgrade a mac you just threw it away and bought a new one.... – Hardwareguy Aug 18 '09 at 14:19
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Never had any problem with the DisplayPort-to-DVI converters - we have about 15 of them. Not used any with the 4870 though. – teabot Aug 18 '09 at 14:26
The only bad thing about the mini DP to DVI connector is the fact that you have to buy one, I've used one on my MBP with zero problems. – Hardwareguy Aug 18 '09 at 14:31
Thanks for the info on the DP to DVI connectors! Maybe the reports I've heard are user errors. – MattK Aug 18 '09 at 15:58
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@Hardwareguy Nah, with the Mac Pro, you get one round of upgrades, and THEN you throw it away and buy a new one! – MattK Aug 18 '09 at 15:59
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Anandtech was pretty impressed with the GTX 285 (here's their review) http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3603 but you could try updating the firmware on a PC version to save a few bucks, though you'd still need to buy the power adapters from apple.

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