Graphics Card for 10.7.4 Lion - May 2013

[jleblanc23]

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of the knowledge on this forum. I rarely have to post any questions!!

I'm in a pickle. I need a graphics card (currently using onboard HD3000) that can hopefully work OOB with my hack AND 10.7.4!!! I may upgrade to Mountain Lion again later down the road, but not anytime soon. The visual software that I use is way too buggy for my taste in 10.8. At the moment, the onboard HD3000 is just not cutting it in terms of power. I don't need anything big, just something a little bit more "umph" than the HD3000. I don't game, just write 3d marching drill every now and then.

I've read all the wiki files, just haven't found a graphics card that I can purchase now (may 2013) that is not discontinued, or not ridiculously overpriced, etc. Anyone have any suggestions? My budget is $100-$200.

Basic Specs:
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3
I5-2500K
Samsung SSD
16gb vengeance ram
Pyware 3D Professional Drill Writing Software version 7.1

Thanks for any input!
Jeremy

 

[Going Bald]

GT 210 or 220 should be still available and will work OOB with 10.6.x and 10.7.x

 

[jleblanc23]

Thanks for the reply, Going Bald!

I'm looking for something more powerful than the suggested cards above, as well as Dual Screen support. Plus, those cards are not available for purchase.

I've found plenty of cards that can work with Lion 10.7.4 (ex. 5770, 6850/6870), but the problem is that none of these cards can be purchased anymore. At least I can't find any. I may just have to bite the bullet and upgrade to ML again.

Any other suggestions?
Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[Going Bald]

9800GT - http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-nVidia-GeForce-PCI-Express-01G-P3-N988-TR/dp/B0032W602A/ - is about 12 steps above HD3000 per http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/...-right-now-hierarchy-chart-toms-hardware.html

Problem is if you go much higher than that you loose SL support and the card won't work with SL. Drop SL and you can go on up to the Fermi chip gfx cards. You also start to get into the $300+ prices real fast.

 

[jleblanc23]

Thanks, going bald!

Is this card "supposed" to work OOB natively in 10.7.4 Lion or 10.7.5? What about dual screen capability?


Trying to do a little bit more research on this card, but if it's OOB native and dual screen capable, I'm buying today!


Thanks!
Jeremy

 

[jleblanc23]

Sorry for the double post.. But is there an even more powerful solution? Looking for a dual screen capable graphics card with a little bit more power.

I write marching band drill with 3D software. It's not VERY extensive and doesn't need too too much power. The recommended specs for the software are listed below.. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!


Recommended specs:
ATI Radeon HD 4500, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330, or better
supporting OpenGL 2.0 or better (latest driver recommended)

 

[samisnake]

those recommended graphics cards arent powerful at all.

use a graphics card hierarchy to work out where cards you can get match up against them
http://www.videocardcomparisons.com/hierarchy-chart/graphics-card-hierarchy-chart/

just fyi, the gt330 is supposedly a rebrand of the gt240, so you can see on that list that the 9800gt is quite a bit higher (you can use other comparisions to see how much more etc).

the hd4500 isnt on the list, but the hd4670 is (which is quite a bit faster the the 4500) so you can see how that compares.
and so on and so on.

i wouldnt be buying the 5770, 9800gt etc cards new at this time.
buy 2nd hand from ebay, or upgrade to ML.

if you go with an ati/amd card, research into dual monitors carefully.
youll probably find youve gotta mess with framebuffers to get 2+ monitors working.

 

[jleblanc23]

Thanks for the suggestions..

If it were you, what would you do? I was trying not to upgrade it to Mountain Lion to save the hassle, but if it's the easier route, I will.

My specs:
Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 Board
i5-2500k
SSD

 

[samisnake]

if it were me, and it was best that i stuck with 10.7 and a so-so powerful card that supports dual monitors, id get a 2nd hand nvidia 9800gt.

its a lot more powerful than the recommended graphics card for your software, will be cheap 2nd hand, and wont give you any hassle

 

[samisnake]

saying that though, if you want something with more power, you could get a 560ti (or 570 etc).
will be alot more powerful than a 9800gt, and will be supported in 10.7.4/5
just need to use opencl enabler in multibeast.

will be alot more money though, and you probably wont benefit from the extra performance based on the recommended graphics cards by the software maker.