how many different "mac edition" gpus were sold for between 2006-2012?
Gemini said
Between 2006 and 2012 (the era of the "Classic" Mac Pro towers), there were 11 distinct GPU models officially sold by Apple or authorized third-party manufacturers (like EVGA and Sapphire) as "Mac Edition" cards.
This count excludes "flashed" PC cards or standard PC cards that work without a boot screen; it only includes cards that shipped with official Mac EFI firmware.
Official Apple & Third-Party "Mac Edition" GPUs (2006–2012)
Year Model Manufacturer Notes
2006 NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT Apple/NVIDIA Standard entry-level card for the Mac Pro 1,1.
2006 ATI Radeon X1900 XT Apple/ATI The high-end BTO (Built-to-Order) option for 2006.
2006 NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 Apple/NVIDIA Workstation-class card with 512MB VRAM.
2008 ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT Apple/ATI Standard card for the Mac Pro 3,1.
2008 NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT Apple/NVIDIA Popular mid-range upgrade; often sold as a standalone kit.
2008 NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600 Apple/NVIDIA Ultra high-end workstation card with 1.5GB VRAM.
2009 NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 Apple/NVIDIA Standard for the 4,1; essentially a rebranded 9500 GT.
2009 ATI Radeon HD 4870 Apple/ATI High-end upgrade for the 4,1 and 5,1 models.
2010 ATI Radeon HD 5770 Apple/ATI The most common "legacy" upgrade card; supported until 2012.
2010 ATI Radeon HD 5870 Apple/ATI The powerhouse flagship for the 5,1 Mac Pro.
2012 NVIDIA Quadro 4000 NVIDIA A dedicated Mac Edition workstation card released by NVIDIA.
Late-Era Third Party Additions (Announced/Sold ~2012-2013)
Right at the end of the "Classic" tower's life cycle, two major third-party cards were released specifically for these machines. While they launched near the very end of 2012 or early 2013, they are often grouped with this era:
EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition: Released to provide a modern Kepler-based upgrade for the 3,1 through 5,1.
Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition: Released specifically to give legacy towers GCN-architecture support (and a white fan shroud to match the Mac aesthetic).
Key Technical Distinctions
The "Boot Screen" Factor: The defining trait of these "Mac Edition" cards is the EFI firmware. Standard PC versions of these same cards will often work inside a Mac Pro once the OS loads, but you will see a black screen until the login window appears, making it impossible to use FileVault or select a boot drive.
Power Requirements: Most of these cards (except the 7300 GT, GT 120, and HD 5770) require one or two 6-pin mini-PCIe power cables connected directly to the Mac Pro motherboard.
