Mac Pro GPUs on horizon?

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Hello,



After sending back two 24" iMacs due to wierd buzzing screens and fan noise, I've decided to try my luck with a Mac Pro. It's really surprised me as to how sensitive I am to noise when I spend this much on a machine, so this must be a consideration.



Of course, since it is passively cooled, the 7300 is a sensible idea, but as this is to be an all-purpose home computer, I'd like a bit more power. However, I worry that the X1900 costs quite a bit and could make the computer much louder. So, are there any other options on the horizon? I know that ATI and other makes have made upgrade cards in the past for Macs - has anyone suggested that they will have EFI options available soon?



Thanks,



David
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26
    I don't know about the graphics cards, at least now your computer will be farther away from your head. I can garauntee it's going to be louder than an iMac. That's just how the towers are designed.
  • Reply 2 of 26
    auroraaurora Posts: 1,142member
    Apple seems to just love the cheapo GPU's these days so Im betting a GMA950 shows up in every product they make then they can have adds that say how those new CPU's are 4-5 times faster and then not a peep about the Integrated graphics. My new Mini also had a hum/Buzz annoying sound something my wifes ppc mini doesnt have. Needless to say it was rejected. Pc's are looking better everyday maybe I should just wait for Vista and tell Apple see ya later OSX is sweet but the hardware Apple is pushing these days rots.
  • Reply 3 of 26
    imacfanimacfan Posts: 444member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aurora


    Apple seems to just love the cheapo GPU's these days so Im betting a GMA950 shows up in every product they make then they can have adds that say how those new CPU's are 4-5 times faster and then not a peep about the Integrated graphics. My new Mini also had a hum/Buzz annoying sound something my wifes ppc mini doesnt have. Needless to say it was rejected. Pc's are looking better everyday maybe I should just wait for Vista and tell Apple see ya later OSX is sweet but the hardware Apple is pushing these days rots.



    You know what, Aurora, a month ago I would have dismissed that post as the rantings of a troll, but now I know exactly where you are coming from. I can understand all the reasons why they don't do this, but I'd happily pay the price of a mac mini - yes $600(!) for a copy of Tiger that I could install on a normal BIOS PC - then I'd build my own conroe rig in a second.



    But the Mac Pro does seem to have promise. Even if it is a little bit louder, I can understand that more with two server chips, and it will be further away from me, and hopefully will just be a pure whoosh/quiet fan hum - no unexplained buzzing/ fan vibration and I'll be happy. At least this way I can trust my monitor quality to Eizo...



    David
  • Reply 4 of 26
    imacfan, you know, i'd probably pony up 400-500 bucks for osx to install on a homebuilt machine. (having to stick to certain specs).



    it would certainly be worth the savings and the flexibility!
  • Reply 5 of 26
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Skwidspawn




    . . . at least now your computer will be farther away from your head. I can garauntee it's going to be louder than an iMac. That's just how the towers are designed.




    I was in CompUSA and looked at the new Mac Pro. I was very surprised how quiet it was. Of course it was just running a screen saver, so the processors were not working much. Yet most of the stuff I do isn't high performance, so a Mac Pro would be fine, except for price.



    The only way to judge is go look an one, and listen. The one I saw, the fan was running slow. Just a gentle warm breeze coming out.
  • Reply 6 of 26
    almalm Posts: 111member
    I might be deaf, but my Mac Pro is barely louder than Mac Mini (PPC). One thing I hear from it is hard drive's heads. I head more noice from outside and people living next door.
  • Reply 7 of 26
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aurora


    Apple seems to just love the cheapo GPU's these days so Im betting a GMA950 shows up in every product they make then they can have adds that say how those new CPU's are 4-5 times faster and then not a peep about the Integrated graphics. My new Mini also had a hum/Buzz annoying sound something my wifes ppc mini doesnt have. Needless to say it was rejected. Pc's are looking better everyday maybe I should just wait for Vista and tell Apple see ya later OSX is sweet but the hardware Apple is pushing these days rots.





    I have to agree. THe PC side is offering 100x more in terms of system flexibility, and they are also offering most of the things I need in terms of hardware., and Apple isn't really offering much of a departure from what they were offering 8 years ago besides the mini. VIsta is looking like an option to me now as well. Even though MS is just copying our current version of tiger with Vista it's at least usable (I hope) and has all the hardware, graphics, and flexibility I would like.
  • Reply 8 of 26
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by onlooker




    . . . THe PC side is offering 100x more in terms of system flexibility, and they are also offering most of the things I need in terms of hardware., and Apple isn't really offering much of a departure from what they were offering 8 years ago besides the mini. . .




    I'd be interested in the details from anyone who feels this way about the Mac Pro, which is the only Mac I would consider buying. Everything I've read is very favorable. It beats the Dell workstation in performance per dollar, and it has the latest Intel technology, like PCI express. So just what is the problem?



    Once all applications are Universal, I will consider buying a Mac Pro, depending on how much I need such a high level of performance, or how good my son is at convincing me he needs it for the latest games.
  • Reply 9 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ALM


    I might be deaf, but my Mac Pro is barely louder than Mac Mini (PPC). One thing I hear from it is hard drive's heads. I head more noice from outside and people living next door.



    I just came out of a room of Mac Pro's (six to be exact) and the nosiest thing there was an assistant's PC (she was using it for logging things in Excel). And they were pretty cranked Mac Pro's. I've always found PC's to be louder than Mac's... granted, nothing's been so loud I've been really bothered, but then I usually have the music cranked while I'm working anyway. Rock on!
  • Reply 10 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iMacfan


    Hello,



    After sending back two 24" iMacs due to wierd buzzing screens and fan noise, I've decided to try my luck with a Mac Pro. It's really surprised me as to how sensitive I am to noise when I spend this much on a machine, so this must be a consideration.



    Of course, since it is passively cooled, the 7300 is a sensible idea, but as this is to be an all-purpose home computer, I'd like a bit more power. However, I worry that the X1900 costs quite a bit and could make the computer much louder. So, are there any other options on the horizon? I know that ATI and other makes have made upgrade cards in the past for Macs - has anyone suggested that they will have EFI options available soon?



    Thanks,



    David



    You want my advice?



    Get the MacPro with the ATI graphics card. That is what I have. It is very quiet, reliable, and fast. Trust me. As the owner of a PC eMachine, a very shitty machine indeed, an iMac G5, and a PowerMac G5, I can make a good comparison. In order of noise levels:



    LOUDEST TO QUIETEST:



    1) eMACHINE - This thing is REALLY loud. So bad I have to turn it off when I want to watch a movie in the same room.

    2) iMac G5 - This thing is generally quiet but the wrrrwrrring of the hard drive and fans at times is annoying and loud.

    3) PowerMac G5 - This machine is slightly louder than my Mac Pro.

    3) Mac Pro - This machine's fans are EXTREMLY quiet. The only thing that is signifficantly audible is the hard drive spinning up. This noise is very occational (NOT constant) and not annoying when it happens. It happens for isntance at start up or when large files are being copied. My Mac Pro is quieter than my Central AC/Heat.
  • Reply 11 of 26
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by snoopy


    I'd be interested in the details from anyone who feels this way about the Mac Pro, which is the only Mac I would consider buying. Everything I've read is very favorable. It beats the Dell workstation in performance per dollar, and it has the latest Intel technology, like PCI express. So just what is the problem?



    Once all applications are Universal, I will consider buying a Mac Pro, depending on how much I need such a high level of performance, or how good my son is at convincing me he needs it for the latest games.





    One thing is the video card availability. You would have thought Apple could have had some of the usual high performance cards available, but EFI is not looking to be as favorable as I had once hoped. And there is the question of what other computers your in the market for. If I want my stuff to be compatible with each other using a unified OS the Mac wasn't my first choice. But that's just me.
  • Reply 12 of 26
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by onlooker




    One thing is the video card availability. You would have thought Apple could have had some of the usual high performance cards available, but EFI is not looking to be as favorable as I had once hoped. . .




    Thanks. Though I like the Mac Pro, I'm not a Computer Pro and don't understand the term EFI. In my field, that mean something like Electrical Field Interference, which used to be called RFI, Radio Frequency Interference. Definition of EFI regarding video cards?
  • Reply 13 of 26
    almalm Posts: 111member
    50 minutes ago I put Mac Pro rendering picture in Modo. All four cores are 100% loaded for almost an hour - and no noice. Not even slightly louder. Just nothing.
  • Reply 14 of 26
    onlookeronlooker Posts: 5,252member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by snoopy


    Thanks. Though I like the Mac Pro, I'm not a Computer Pro and don't understand the term EFI. In my field, that mean something like Electrical Field Interference, which used to be called RFI, Radio Frequency Interference. Definition of EFI regarding video cards?





    Extensible Firmware Interface.







    And here is a Appleinsider user favorite: The wiki link - so you can find out all you need to know. At least you think you can.



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensi...ware_Interface





    Nevertheless most Video cards don't boot under EFI. Basically because windows doesn't use it.
  • Reply 15 of 26
    noah93noah93 Posts: 168member
    The Mac Pro is exceptionally quiet. Even with it running all 4 cores at 100%, the fans never whir up. It is just a barely audible hum. The only time my machine makes noise is when I am ripping a DVD and when my 2 Maxtor HDs are writing to the disks. Otherwise, this thing is quieter than my Intel Mac Mini. Even the X1900 XT keeps cool, even when pushing over 70 fps in Quake.





    Noah
  • Reply 16 of 26
    sorry wrong place!
  • Reply 17 of 26
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by onlooker




    Extensible Firmware Interface.





    And here is a Appleinsider user favorite: The wiki link - so you can find out all you need to know. At least you think you can. . .






    From my limited knowledge, EFI appears to be a very good thing, and Apple has adopted it, if I understand. I like the idea of drivers being written for the hardware, not the operating system. How many times have we heard that such and such a graphics card or other device will not work with a Mac simply because no one has written a driver for Mac OS X? EFI will eliminate the no-driver-for-a-Mac problem once everyone gets on board, no?



    Just a thought, but EFI may be a little like case of USB. It was an Intel technology that nobody was using much, until Apple put it in the iMac. In order to sell printers for the Mac, everyone quickly put a USB ports on them. Intel was very happy about that, I'm sure. Now we have EFI in the same boat, it looks like. Graphics cards evidently need to work with EFI to sell to Apple and Mac users.



    Please correct if I misinterpreted the article. I want to understand EFI.
  • Reply 18 of 26
    We all can quote at least five technologies that were a 'good idea' in the past, but never made it. I'd love it for your prediction of the Mac Pro kick starting EFI to be true, but as it only really makes a difference for the Mac Pro, and Vista seems like it won't be using EFI, so I doubt it.



    David
  • Reply 19 of 26
    almalm Posts: 111member
    It's not that easy. Inner parts of different Operating Systems are very different and they will need some kind of "wrappers" aroud EFI anyways. So I don't think you will be able to put any new EFI-card into Mac. OS will need some intermediate layer anyways.



    If it was that easy you could pick up Windows driver and install in OSX. EFI may make it easier to write new drivers, but you will need them anyways.
  • Reply 20 of 26
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by noah93


    The Mac Pro is exceptionally quiet. Even with it running all 4 cores at 100%, the fans never whir up. It is just a barely audible hum. The only time my machine makes noise is when I am ripping a DVD and when my 2 Maxtor HDs are writing to the disks. Otherwise, this thing is quieter than my Intel Mac Mini. Even the X1900 XT keeps cool, even when pushing over 70 fps in Quake.





    Noah



    Agree. My Mac Pro is using 100% of its processing power rather often (either for BOINC or media conversions), and I find that I don't ever hear it. It does get pretty warm though (I have a x1900xt, which is probably underused, since my only two games are Civ IV and UT2k4)
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