Mac Pro hacking diary

After the latest fullscreen gaming hours, is like my nVidia GeForce 8800GT is getting burned. Well, no problems. As I already wrote in another topic, I was going to buy a brand new Sapphire Radeon HD5770 with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM. Unfortunately I received the wrong model, just one DVI instead 2. So I provided to return the wrong model to the distributor.

Through these days, things changed. Is like the new ATI6000Controller.kext included in the brand new MacBook Pro, will provide OUT_OF_THE_BOX support for any new Radeon HD 6xxx you can buy. So, I moved to buy a new Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 1GB and risk a little bit more.

The video card is about twice the price of the 5770 but at least is a new series (much more as rebranding). Also, is like Apple will support Eyenfinity. Maybe the october Mac Pro will feature 6x miniDP on CTO videocard... In the meantime, we can just guess...

DonaemouS wrote:After the latest fullscreen gaming hours, is like my nVidia GeForce 8800GT is getting burned.

Get that puppy up and running again in time for my return!

This might be interesting for everyone who wants to upgrade their GPU.

Mac OS X 10.6.7 Adds Support for New AMD Graphics Cards

MaxDamage wrote:This might be interesting for everyone who wants to upgrade their GPU.

Mac OS X 10.6.7 Adds Support for New AMD Graphics Cards

true.
my macbook crashed upon heavy load. lots of discussions at apple - there was an issue.
now its fixed.

lucky me
alf

MaxDamage wrote:This might be interesting for everyone who wants to upgrade their GPU.

Mac OS X 10.6.7 Adds Support for New AMD Graphics Cards

On monday will receive my Radeon HD6870. If will work, I will order the 6970! i prefer to risk with lower cost prices. Once I'll sure that all the cards will work, I will go even to buy the 6990 monster!!!

Don - you are a funny guy.
I personally never change any components (other than those with a failure) in the macs.
using the AMD Radeon HD 6750M at home on the laptop, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 here with the Westmere at work - i wont change anything as far as i could tell now.

If you need more things to handle digitally-working, i can recommend any linux os and compile the kernel yourself, "optimize" drivers over weeks and add unsupported hardware and try to find a way to get it up and running somehow. Watercooling is said to be pretty interesting too

no harm intended at all,
alf

alphonse wrote:Don - you are a funny guy.
I personally never change any components (other than those with a failure) in the macs.
using the AMD Radeon HD 6750M at home on the laptop, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 here with the Westmere at work - i wont change anything as far as i could tell now.

Well, is like Apple want AMD Radeon rdy for our Mac Pros out-of-the-box. Especially reading the maxdamage post. The idea for me is using AMD's eyenfinity in wine or crossover games. Also, buy the Samsung MD230x3.

Also, my nVidia GeForce 8800GT is producing strange video flickering after intense and extreme gaming sessions (actually especially with Warhammer Online 1920x1080 =p ).

Since I was "young" I dream the chance to change my videocard while the gaming requirements getting high...

DonaemouS wrote:Also, buy the Samsung MD230x3.

! Wow - haha!
U need a moving chair too - otherwise the experience will lack some features



http://www.simbolrides.com/ or even more crazy
http://nexus404.com/Blog/2011/02/26/the-top-seven-game-chairs-not-made-from-a-car-after-covering-the-mini-cooper-gaming-chair-we-put-together-a-list-of-seven-other-great-chairs-to-play-games-in/ or more conservative
http://www.myhomesimulator.com/

alf

the gaming industry finally pushed down the pedal, making available a tons of amazing products to bring the best real experience we can ever feel. This toy is a bit too much for my house and I suppose pockets. I'm going for a much more cheaper Playnet seat. Is just 359 Euros VAT included. But actually I'm pushing on the videocard.

And remember, in october Apple should update the Mac Pros. I dropped 2 generations cause they were too much expensive, but the new one will have Thunderbolt with peripherals as well, and the Xeon E5. If the processor will not fail as the mobile version, will be a must!

DonaemouS wrote:I'm going for a much more cheaper Playnet seat. Is just 359 Euros VAT included.

If we ever meet in real life we ll have fun together for sure. you are really amazing!

alf

=P

I hope we'll be able to set a meeting day soon or later, is my dream! If we do here at my home, we can host easily a LAN game, with sea of beer or wine!!!

Don't forget ordering Schrot-Belts, otherwise you might fall out of the seat in one of your daring manoeuvres... But, which wheel do you want to get? Or will you continue playing on the keyboard?

IT'S HERE!





I just waiting the shipment of the second power cable of my Mac Pro.

Tomte wrote:Don't forget ordering Schrot-Belts, otherwise you might fall out of the seat in one of your daring manoeuvres... But, which wheel do you want to get? Or will you continue playing on the keyboard?

Haha.. I want to see a picture of Don sitting in that seat with his hands on the keyboard!

K

Tomte wrote:But, which wheel do you want to get?

ops, forgot to reply to your question!

Already connected to the PS3...

Kenners wrote:I want to see a picture of Don sitting in that seat with his hands on the keyboard!

is a "professional" keyboard!!! I sold my alu_gayish_no_keys_feel keyboard shipped with the Mac Pro to maintain the white! I have 4 of these keyboard, rotating... And one time at year (summer) I wash them with soap and water...

EDIT:



can't add my hands, but as soon as one of my friends will be there, I give you this precious pict

DonaemouS wrote:I sold my alu_gayish_no_keys_feel keyboard shipped with the Mac Pro to maintain the white!

Man, you should see the collection of crumbs, paper clips and kipple we've accumulated in the Apple Pro keyboards at work. Thank god for the Alu keyboard! I am very happy with this style, but then I am not prone to key-bashing.

I am really a delicate flower.

DonaemouS wrote:
Already connected to the PS3...

is a "professional" keyboard!!! I sold my alu_gayish_no_keys_feel keyboard shipped with the Mac Pro to maintain the white! I have 4 of these keyboard, rotating... And one time at year (summer) I wash them with soap and water...

I always thought a 900º steering wheel does not work with Redline. Or are you telling us you race anything else on the Mac???

Anyway, I'm very happy that I got the Alu keyboard at home and at work. No more junk below my fingers. You want my old whitey? And why do you need to have 4!!!! of these so called professional keyboards running? Are they so pro that they cannot survive a gaming session?

And stop calling things "gayish", you drive a Lancia Ypsilon....

Tomte wrote:

DonaemouS wrote:
Already connected to the PS3...

is a "professional" keyboard!!! I sold my alu_gayish_no_keys_feel keyboard shipped with the Mac Pro to maintain the white! I have 4 of these keyboard, rotating... And one time at year (summer) I wash them with soap and water...

I always thought a 900º steering wheel does not work with Redline. Or are you telling us you race anything else on the Mac???

Anyway, I'm very happy that I got the Alu keyboard at home and at work. No more junk below my fingers. You want my old whitey? And why do you need to have 4!!!! of these so called professional keyboards running? Are they so pro that they cannot survive a gaming session?

And stop calling things "gayish", you drive a Lancia Ypsilon....

alu_gayish_no_keys_feel

I thought it was a typo:

alu_grayish_no_keys_feel

K

Tomte wrote:And stop calling things "gayish", you drive a Lancia Ypsilon....

Indeed!

I too love my thin aluminum keyboard.

Tomte wrote:And stop calling things "gayish", you drive a Lancia Ypsilon....

/me hides

Naturally I'm joking for who didn't understood. At the time of Q3 and UT ClanBase and Italian Tournament, I bought a second keyboard to avoid "hardware failures"

Never happened, to be honest; I just got a mouse failure during a clanwar, and I was able to replace my historic MX500 with a second one I had at home (I got it as gift from a friend of mine who gave it away for the MX510 or the Gaming Grade, don't remember).

The Apple Alu keyboard is a strong improvement on the white model. The keys feels more comfortable while you work on it, cause you need less force in pressure while you write. At the end of 8/10 hours of work, you feel the difference.

I didn't had a good gaming impression, otherwise. Under a pure gaming pov, those keys feels like the one you have on notebooks. When you "dodge" a shot, or walljump, or strafe, you need to feels a "response" from the keyboard of what you are pressing... The best keyboards I tried for gaming are the ones produced by Logitech. But I'm a Mac user, and I want the Apple/CMD Key on my keyboard

Ok, I received today the second PCIe boost cable for my Mac Pro. In installed the video card, connected the cable, and turned on the system. Both display remained dark. Through my MacBook, I shared the Mac Pro screen, installed the "Andy's ATI Graphics Update" and restarted the Mac Pro. During the boot, both display remain turned off, as soon as the user preferences are loaded, both display turn on. Now testing the boost I got over the previous nVidia GeForce 8800 GT. Tests are coming...

Donneymouse -
really impressive stuff.
though my really honestly meant advice for you is to get a linux box, compile the kernel and try to bring it up with these graphics cards too.

installed the "Andy's ATI Graphics Update"

Who is Andy?

alf

=(

I'm a Mac User! I can't use an OS that isn't MacOS... Also, my knowledge is not so wide. Andy is a guy who made an easy to use installer free for all which install all ATI kernel you need.

I continuing the tests... Actually I saw Redline is twice time faster in certain parts (where I got 23/30fps, now I have 45/48fps)

just one thought: you are watching the temperatures right?
otherwise you need a new mac with a new mac os

alf

DonaemouS wrote:=(

I'm a Mac User! I can't use an OS that isn't MacOS... Also, my knowledge is not so wide. Andy is a guy who made an easy to use installer free for all which install all ATI kernel you need.

I continuing the tests... Actually I saw Redline is twice time faster in certain parts (where I got 23/30fps, now I have 45/48fps)

you can to use the full versions of Mid-Ohio and Nordschleife, right? Could you before?

K