Best graphics card upgrade

Can someone recommend the best graphics card for fcpx running on a mac pro
2.8ghz dual core system? i have the stick ATI card but i need something much better. im sick
of the spinning wheel. and i need to know what reputable online sight has the best deals.
Thanks

Don't know the best, but I just upgraded to "ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB", more RAM, and an SSD boot drive. Also hoping to banish the beach ball! Seems already much better, altho' I am still finding cursor slowdowns (baffled), but same command done keystroke is executed immediately.
I have a 2x2.66 dual core.

Thats what I have now and its just not cutting it. And I doubt once I hit the max 36gm of RAM it will offer much relief until fcpx can have access to more than 1gb of VRAM. I read a lot of site reviews today and apples fourms and most are recommending Nvidia cards running 2 or more GB of VRAM.

ridiculous. the ATI 1gb was *IT* last time I looked…maybe I can't afford to run FCPX?

I have an ATI Radeon HD 5870 in my 2008 Mac Pro and am very happy with it. I was going to upgrade when I saw Bearfeats do an FCP X review of a couple of other cards. But those reviews are so slow in coming, and the new "tube" was announced, so I'm just waiting to upgrade to the "tube". But, my ATI Radeon HD 5870 with 16GB RAM is a very comfortable Mac to work with... besides the heat it generates with an AJA Kona card and 4TB drives.

My question is, if the next FCP X update will support multiple GPUs on the coming 2013 Mac Pro, will it support multiple GPUs if I add a second one to my 2008 Mac Pro? If so, two cheap cards would give you more of a boost than one expensive one.

What video format/codec are you editing? Is your secondary (media) drive in that Mac Pro a 7200rpm drive?

All of my footage is Canon 60D H.264. So when I ingest I let FCPX create proxy files in the background then I edit in the proxy setting. Once I"m done and ready to export I then switch to highest quality. I could just use MPEG Streamclip and conform all my RAW to Apple Pro Res LT but thats just too much compression. I'd rather use my DSLR footage at its highest quality. And I've followed all of Apple, Kent Stone & FCP.CO recommendations for making fcpx faster but from creative cow.net to the apple forums and those I previously mentioned, a faster graphics card with more VRAM is the best route to go with these Mid 2010 towers. The way Apple wants us to use FCPX, which makes sense, is to be able to instantly edit. Unfortunately, to do that with no effort, no spinning beach balls and delays, is to have a 12 core system or get the new darth vader cylinder coming out in November. I won't be able to afford it so I have to get my system upgraded as far as it can go, save funds, and then get the cynlinder. I'm even running 28GB of RAM, an external SATA RAID, blackened desktop for no refreshing...on and on and FCPX on my system is still choking a bit. LOL but I still love it!!

BenB wrote: My question is, if the next FCP X update will support multiple GPUs on the coming 2013 Mac Pro, will it support multiple GPUs if I add a second one to my 2008 Mac Pro? If so, two cheap cards would give you more of a boost than one expensive one.

That's my big question too! If it does I will surely grab another 5770 for my Mac Pro

I too am looking for an affordable GPU to stop the fcpx beachballs...
I sure wish this site had a dedicated page with graphic card price/speed comparisons!

Well, once I get my new card I'll hold on to my 5770 and run my own tests. My prob is that I'm running SATA RAID boxes and getting a second so all my PCIe slots will be taken. I need to find a PCIe RAID card that will allow for six attachments. Maybe Sonnetech has it. Then I could run two graphics cards.

for everyone that responded to my original post...i finally got a card! yeah! It's the AMD Radeon HD 7970 3072 MB. Basicall the Sapphire but with AMD's touch. I'm using FCP 10.1 and the thing blazes. Beach balls are gone. There is still a slight, although faster, delay from when I'm viewing a clip in the browser then want to go and view the timeline. Still annoying but the background rendering is truly seamless now. I tested photoshop using a RAW file and throwing tons of filters on it...still blazing fast compared to the 5770. I have not tested After Effects or Motion. Maybe tomorrow. Only downside is the the card is from Ebay, brand new, but OEM, so no nice box and warranty info. As of right now I can recommend the 7970. Thats what my budget could afford so i'm happy for now. I did want the Nvidia GTX 680, just not enough funds.

The 7950 rocks. Apparently it's similar to the cards in the new mac pros. One of them anyway.

I'm about to buy the 7950 TODAY.
If anyone knows where to buy it for less than 455 please let me know asap!
THANKS!!

Do you have to get a special Mac version of the 7970 like the 5770 had to be or will any version do? Mac versions of a graphic card are usually MUCH more expensive for no reason whatsoever other than Apple fanboys are more than willing to pay the Apple tax.

Most off the shelf PC versions work with some gotchas. Your boot screen in white with the happy apple logo won't be there. It will be black darkness until your desktop shows up. Second, you may need extra power adapters for some cards.

You can have another mac supported gpu running a second display which will solve the boot screen issue. If you like to take risks, some cards can be flashed with the Mac rom. Not for the faint of heart or sufferers of ADHD. Follow the instructions to the letter. Keep in mind the Mac rom is bigger than the PC version so research is key.

The macrumors forums are a great resource for this. I have an unflashed 7950 PC version in mine that ate the 680 it replaced for breakfast.

The problem with GPU PC versions is not only the boot screens don't work but that without flashing their firmware they most likely will work in pci 1.0 and not 2.0… some work only in pci 1.0 even after flashing! Any card besides the 7950 require more power then the 2 x 6 pin pwer cables in Mac Pros, so power is another big issue. A few brave souls use a 8 pin to 6 pin adaptor on 7970's etc but since the power to them comes from leads on the motherboard they are gambling and might fry their motherboard. Yea, I over researched the cards, almost went PC when they were super cheap but now with crazed bitcoin users buying up all the gpu boards they can find (especially the 7950) the price is now around 400 for PC's too. So I said, fruckthis, I'm wasting too much time on a small difference and just bought the 7950 today for 450. Lastly, someday soon-ish we might have drivers for the newer/cheaper/slightlybetter?? AMD 790/780x boards as another option to consider.

I should have added that the difference in price isn't worth it, get the Mac version. FCP X runs amazingly. Also should add I am using a "home built mac" but tested my 7950 on a 2008 Mac Pro. I'm getting a new Mac Pro as soon as I can.

The difference in price is about $200. How is that much of a difference justified? I'm fine with there being a Mac version and a PC version but why does the Mac version NEED to cost so much more? The difference being a ROM and some connection cables. I cannot justify the extra cost of such a thing just because it's meant for the Mac.

Like I said, Apple tax.

Nobody said it was nothing or justified… just that if your time is valuable and you want it to work correctly then pay the extra cost for the 7950 Mac version and move on… and no, it's not like we're all applefanboys but moaning about it this late in the game is kind of senseless if you want the pro upgrade. Otherwise go buy the PC version which TODAY is a measly 50 dollars less.

The GPU manufacturers have to pay for the software license to install and distribute the Apple official firmware. Just like codecs, software inside the hardware costs money. And Apple doesn't give that stuff away like they do iWork now. I'm not justifying it, I'm just stating what the real world facts are. Apple's licenses to third parties ain't cheap.

BenB is right on.

What business would give away their secret recipe and prevent customers from buying new products? On the positive side, the upgradability of six year old Mac Pros to run all the latest and greatest software is proof that pro Apple hardware is a good business investment.

All I will say is putting a 7950 in a 2008 Mac Pro is like putting a flux capacitor in a Delorean. The $470 is worth every penny if FCP X is the main thing you are using.