RED Rocket & Average Compatible Video Cards?

[Leo Reyes]

I have access to a RED Card, but my current video card takes up two PCI slots. Thus, not allowing it to function correctly.

What video card does everyone use with their RED Rocket?
What is the average video card to use?

Current configuration:
Mac Pro, OSX 10.5.8, Quad Core 3.0ghz, 12GB DDR2 Ram
Current video card: Quaddro FX4500 (FX450) I think...

Thanks.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Not sure what you mean about "not allowing it to function correctly". I'm going to assume you mean that you can't install the extra slot-filler plate in the void space next to slot-1. If that's the case, there are plenty of solutions to run those SDI cables out of the Mac Pro. A couple threads around here highlighting them too. You don't have to get too creative, it's just a couple cables.

But if you want to narrow your GPU down to one slot, your only real choice currently is the Quadro 4000, which sells for about $710. There are still some GeForce GT120 cards out there for about $145, but don't do a whole lot for anything GPU-related. Then again, neither does the FX4500, which was old even when Apple offered it in these earlier Mac Pro systems. It does not have proper support for CUDA and really does little for you unless you're working in OpenGL. It was on par with the GeForce 7800GT that Apple also offered around the same time, both cards going back into the days of the G5 Quad tower.

The nVidia GTX285 Mac is a popular Mac choice (card is now discontinued and hard to find), but it works very well with most CUDA apps - CS5, for example. It takes up two slots, but people make it work. The nVidia GT120 and GT160 Mac cards are common on DIT rigs because they don't get in the way, still work fine for most GUI tasks and leave the second slot open so people can run out SDI from the Rocket and HDMI from a DeckLink HD card through that secondary slot space. The Quadro4000 is great because it's single slot profile and it's roughly just as powerful as the GTX285, some ways faster, some ways not as much, but it's a current generation "FERMI" card with good support and it consumes less power than the GTX285. Unfortunately it's expensive. There are no single-slot ATI cards available for the Mac Pro currently. But a lot of people are using the ATI 4870 as well as the current 5770 and 5870 cards.

If you need to run the SDI leads from the Rocket out of your system, you only need the second one if dual-link is a must. Either way, it's pretty simple to tie onto them and run them out the lower optical bay if you don't have an optical drive there. There's other ways to fit them out the rear as well. You can disconnect the BNC connectors from the slot-filler plate. For that matter, you can even nip those ends off and run the wires out through any of the thousands of holes on the rear of the system and put new mini-coaxial BNC connectors on them.


You will also have to update to OSX 10.6 sometime real soon. A lot of software is losing support and proper ability to run under 10.5.x.... Not to mention 10.6 offering a lot of performance enhancements and security updates ...Just sayin' 10.7 is looming too.

[Leo Reyes]

Thanks Jeff, this cleared up a lot of questions for me.