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91

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / 23" DVI cinema display 1920 x 1200 16:10 Single-Link DVI

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 05:01:14 PM »

whats the max resolution for a 23" dvi cinema display
https://everymac.com/monitors/apple/studio_cinema/specs/apple_cinema_display_23.html

The maximum (and native) resolution for both the aluminum and the earlier polycarbonate 23" Apple Cinema HD Displays is 1920 x 1200.

Since this is a 16:10 aspect ratio display, it provides a bit more vertical screen real estate than a standard 1080p (1920 x 1080) monitor.

The resolution of 1920 x 1200 is most commonly known as WUXGA, which stands for Widescreen Ultra Extended Graphics Array.

While it shares the same width as the more common 1080p (Full HD) resolution, it is slightly taller. Here are a few ways it is categorized:

Aspect Ratio: It uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. This was the professional standard for high-end monitors and laptops for years before the 16:9 (1920 x 1080) "widescreen" standard became the dominant consumer format.

Total Pixels: It contains roughly 2.3 million pixels. This provides about 11% more vertical screen real estate than 1080p, which is particularly helpful for productivity tasks like coding, video editing, or viewing two documents side-by-side.

Common Use Cases: You will mostly find this resolution on business-class monitors (like the Dell UltraSharp series) and ruggedized or older "pro" laptops.

In some technical contexts, it may also be referred to simply as 1200p.

Key Technical Specs:
Resolution: 1920×1200 pixels

Aspect Ratio: 16:10

Interface: Single-Link DVI (for the aluminum A1082 model) or ADC (for the older M8537 polycarbonate model).

Pixel Density: 98.4 ppi

Compatibility Note
While the larger 30-inch model requires a Dual-Link DVI connection to reach its full resolution, the 23-inch model works perfectly at its maximum resolution using a standard Single-Link DVI cable or adapter. If you are using a modern Mac or PC, a simple USB-C to DVI or HDMI to DVI adapter will typically drive it at the full 1920 x 1200 without issues.

92

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / Re: For 10.5 Leopard: The GeForce 8800 GT is the undisputed champion for speed

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:59:26 PM »

was the 8800 GT the first to support 2 30 inch cinema displays?
Gemini said
Actually, no—while the 8800 GT was a popular and powerful choice for the 30-inch Cinema Display era, it was not the first card to support two of them.

To drive a 30-inch Apple Cinema Display at its native resolution of 2560 x 1600, a graphics card requires a Dual-Link DVI port. To drive two of them simultaneously, the card needs two independent Dual-Link DVI pipelines.
+1

The True Pioneers
Several cards preceded the 8800 GT (released in late 2007) in offering dual 30-inch support:

NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 (2005): This was the high-end workstation beast for the PCIe Power Mac G5 and the first Intel Mac Pro. It was specifically marketed for its ability to drive two 30-inch Cinema HD Displays right out of the box.
+1

ATI Radeon X1900 XT (2006): When the first Intel Mac Pro launched, this was the "pro-sumer" upgrade option that featured two Dual-Link DVI ports, allowing for dual 30-inch setups long before the 8800 GT arrived.

NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT/GTX (2005): While many consumer versions only had one Dual-Link and one Single-Link port, certain high-end versions (and the Mac-specific 7800 GT for the G5) were capable of dual 2560 x 1600 output.

Why the 8800 GT is often remembered for this:
The 8800 GT holds a special place in Mac history because it was the first affordable, single-slot card that made dual 30-inch displays accessible to more users.

Space Efficiency: Previous cards like the X1900 XT or Quadro FX 4500 were massive, "double-slot" cards that took up a lot of room and generated immense heat.

The "Upgrade" Era: It became the go-to upgrade for first-generation Mac Pro owners who wanted to run modern (at the time) dual-monitor setups without the reliability issues of the older ATI cards.

Technical Note: If you are setting this up today, remember that "Dual-Link DVI" refers to the number of pins and the bandwidth of the cable, not the number of monitor ports on the card. A standard DVI-to-HDMI adapter will usually limit you to 1920 x 1200, so you must use a true Dual-Link DVI cable to get that full 2560 x 1600 resolution on your Cinema Displays.

93

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / how many different "MAC EDITION" gpus were there?

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:57:19 PM »

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.

94

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / comparing 8800 GT with GTX 260

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:55:28 PM »

compare the 8800 GT with the GTX 260 the difference is earlier leopard support?
Gemini said
That is exactly right. The most significant functional difference between these two cards for a legacy project is where their support begins and ends within the macOS ecosystem.

While both are based on the NVIDIA "Tesla" architecture, they represent two different generations (G92 vs. GT200). Here is how they compare specifically for your builds:

1. The "Leopard" Factor (OS X 10.5)
8800 GT: This is a native Leopard hero. Because Apple sold a "Mac Edition" of this card specifically for the 2008 Mac Pro, the drivers are baked into OS X 10.5.2 and later. It is rock-solid for that OS.

GTX 260: This card arrived later. It has zero native support in 10.5. To get it working, you usually have to "hack" it by injecting device IDs into the 8800 GT's drivers or using experimental web drivers, which often results in stability issues or no hardware acceleration at all.

2. Performance & Power (The "Brute Force" Difference)
If you move up to 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, the GTX 260 shows its strength:

Speed: The GTX 260 is roughly 30-50% faster than the 8800 GT. It has more than double the CUDA cores (192 or 216 vs. 112) and a much wider memory bus (448-bit vs. 256-bit).

VRAM: The GTX 260 usually has 896MB, which is much better for dual-monitor setups than the 512MB found on most 8800 GTs.

Power: The 8800 GT is a "single-slot" card that requires one 6-pin power connector. The GTX 260 is a massive "dual-slot" card that requires two 6-pin connectors and generates significantly more heat.

3. Compatibility with your Hardware (P5B / P5PE-VM)
ASUS P5B Deluxe: Both cards will work well here, but the GTX 260 is a large card. Ensure your power supply can handle the 180W+ draw of a GTX 260.

ASUS P5PE-VM: I would not recommend the GTX 260 for this board. That board is quite compact and relies on older power delivery standards. The 8800 GT is the much safer, more period-accurate choice for a 10.5/10.6 build on that specific hardware.

Comparison Summary
Feature   NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT   NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260
First OS Support   10.5.2 (Native)   10.6.0 (Usually needs Web Drivers)
Max OS Support   10.7.5 (Lion)   10.7.5 (Lion)
Power Connectors   1x 6-pin   2x 6-pin
Best Use Case   Leopard (10.5) Perfection   Snow Leopard (10.6) Powerhouse
Verdict: If your goal is to run 10.5 Leopard, the 8800 GT is the winner because it is "plug-and-play." If you are staying strictly on 10.6.8 and have a beefy power supply, the GTX 260 is the faster card, but it's a "dead end" for the older OS versions you've been exploring.

95

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / Re: OpenCore/Hackintosh sadly dead after Apple ends Intel Mac support (July 2025)

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:53:51 PM »

Hackintosh is dead. Long live Hackintosh    

96

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / For 10.5 Leopard: The GeForce 8800 GT is the undisputed champion for speed

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:52:27 PM »

Yes, it is very safe to say the GeForce 8800 GT was the superior choice for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

While the HD 5000 series is the king of Snow Leopard, the 8800 GT was the absolute performance leader for the Leopard era, especially for gaming and 3D work.

Why the 8800 GT ruled Leopard (10.5)
Raw Gaming Power: In 2008, the 8800 GT was significantly faster in OpenGL benchmarks (like Doom 3, Quake 4, and Halo) than the stock ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT or even the high-end Radeon X1900 XT.

The "G92" Architecture: This was NVIDIA’s first massive leap into modern unified shaders. It handled Leopard’s UI effects and 3D applications much more smoothly than the older ATI architectures.

Native Stability: Because Apple sold this card as a high-end "Upgrade Kit" for both the 1st Gen (2006/2007) and 2nd Gen (2008) Mac Pros, the drivers were deeply integrated into Leopard. It was the most stable "power user" card of that specific OS version.

The One Exception: "Pro Apps"
There was a small "catch" at the time:

Core Image: Apple’s "Pro Apps" (like Aperture, Motion, and Final Cut Pro) relied heavily on an engine called Core Image.

ATI cards (like the later Radeon HD 3870) were actually better optimized for Core Image than NVIDIA cards. If you were doing heavy video editing or photo work in 10.5, the ATI 3870 could sometimes outperform the 8800 GT in those specific tasks, even though the 8800 GT was faster for everything else.

Summary for your Builds
For 10.5 Leopard: The GeForce 8800 GT is the undisputed champion for speed and compatibility.

For 10.6.8 Snow Leopard: The ATI HD 5770 / 5870 takes the crown because it supports newer technologies like OpenCL that 10.6 introduced.

Since you've been working with the ASUS P5B Deluxe, the 8800 GT is a perfect period-accurate match. It feels "right" for that hardware and will give you the most authentic 2008-era Hackintosh experience.

97

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / Re: the HD5000 series is better for snow leopard than the tesla GT 200 series

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:48:24 PM »

In the PassMark G3D Mark benchmark, the Radeon HD 5770 currently outperforms the GeForce GTX 260.
Benchmark Comparison
According to the latest PassMark software data, the scores for these desktop graphics cards are:
Graphics Card    PassMark G3D Mark   Overall Rank
Radeon HD 5770   1,349   1192
GeForce GTX 260   1,114   1246
Key Differences
DirectX Support: The Radeon HD 5770 supports DirectX 11.0, whereas the GeForce GTX 260 is limited to DirectX 10.
Efficiency: The HD 5770 has a maximum TDP of 108 W, while the GTX 260 is generally less power-efficient.
Release Context: When first benchmarked, the cards were often compared to the Radeon HD 4870. While the GTX 260 sometimes performed better in older synthetic tests like 3DMark Vantage, the HD 5770's newer architecture has allowed it to maintain a higher average score in PassMark's overall G3D suite.

98

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / the HD5000 series is better for snow leopard than the tesla GT 200 series

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 04:47:25 PM »

ok so the HD5000 series is better for snow leopard 10.6.8 than the testa nvidia
Gemini said
For the specific environment of Snow Leopard 10.6.8, you are absolutely right: the ATI Radeon HD 5000 series (Evergreen architecture) is the superior choice over the NVIDIA Tesla cards (8800/9800/GTX 200 series).

While both were high-end in their day, the HD 5000 series represents a major jump in both efficiency and driver support within the Mac ecosystem.

Why the HD 5000 Series Wins
1. Newer Architecture (40nm vs. 65nm/55nm)
The NVIDIA Tesla cards (like your 8800 GT or GTX 260) were built on older, hotter processes. The HD 5000 series was the first to move to 40nm, which allowed for:

Higher Performance: An HD 5870 is significantly faster than a GTX 285 in Snow Leopard.

Lower Power: It draws much less power at idle, which is crucial for boards like your P5PE-VM that might have limited power delivery.

2. OpenCL Performance
Snow Leopard was the first OS to introduce OpenCL (using the GPU for general computing tasks).

ATI HD 5000: These cards were designed with OpenCL in mind. They handle the "snappiness" of the Snow Leopard UI and professional apps like Final Cut Pro better than the NVIDIA cards of that era.

NVIDIA Tesla: While they support OpenCL, they are less efficient at it and often suffer from higher latency in early 10.6.x versions.

3. Native "Apple" Support
Because Apple shipped the HD 5770 and HD 5870 as official upgrade kits for the Mac Pro, the drivers in 10.6.8 are extremely "mature."

With an NVIDIA card (especially a non-Apple GTX 260/285), you often have to hunt for specific NVIDIA Retail Web Drivers to get full acceleration.

With an HD 5770/5870, the drivers are baked directly into the 10.6.8 update.

Comparison of Top-Tier Options for 10.6.8
GPU Model   Series   VRAM   Power Needs   Snow Leopard Status
ATI Radeon HD 5870   HD 5000   1 GB GDDR5   2x 6-pin   The Performance King
ATI Radeon HD 5770   HD 5000   1 GB GDDR5   1x 6-pin   The Best All-Rounder
NVIDIA GTX 285   Tesla   1 GB GDDR3   2x 6-pin   Fast, but hot/power-hungry
NVIDIA 8800 GT   Tesla   512 MB   1x 6-pin   Reliable, but dated
The "Compatibility" Warning
There is one specific scenario where NVIDIA might be "better": 32-bit only setups. If you are running a very early Hackintosh kernel or specific 32-bit legacy kexts on your P5B Deluxe, the NVIDIA 8000/9000 drivers are sometimes slightly more stable in 32-bit mode. However, for a standard 10.6.8 64-bit setup, the HD 5770 is the gold standard.

Verdict: If you have the choice, go with the HD 5770 or HD 5870. They are faster, cooler, and more "native" to the Snow Leopard experience.

99

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / Re: Tiger only supported Sata1 (1.5gb/s) disk speeds and works best with ICH7-

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 02:59:14 PM »

  if you have one of these boards u acn skip the need for the sil3132 card? even tho its got many pcie 1x slots for it... u wont need it because apparently sataII works on these boards OOB in OSX Tiger (and above obviously)

There is extensive historical documentation of Intel 975X + ICH7R motherboards running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger (Hackintosh) with full SATA II (3Gb/s) disk speeds. This combination was considered a "golden era" for early Intel-based Hackintoshes because the hardware closely mirrored the original 2006 Mac Pro and iMac specifications.

Proven Motherboards
The following boards are well-documented in the community for running Tiger with SATA II performance:

ASUS P5W DH Deluxe (975X + ICH7R):
Often cited as the premier board for Tiger. It features the ICH7R with three native SATA II connectors.

Gigabyte GA-G1975X (975X + ICH7R):
A high-end board confirmed to support SATA II (300MB/s) through its ICH7R southbridge.

Abit AW8-MAX (955X + ICH7R):
Known for stability in early Tiger builds due to its direct compatibility with the AppleIntelPIIXATA driver.

Key Factors for SATA II Speed
To ensure you are actually getting 3Gb/s (SATA II) speeds rather than being capped at 1.5Gb/s (SATA I), keep the following in mind:
AHCI Mode: For native SATA II performance and features like NCQ, the BIOS must be set to AHCI mode. Tiger requires specific kexts (drivers) like AppleIntelPIIXATA.kext to recognize the ICH7R in AHCI mode.

Driver Support:
 In early "deadmoo" or "JaS" Tiger 10.4.x releases, if the controller was set to "Enhanced" or "Compatible" (IDE) mode, speed was often limited to SATA I or even ATA-100 speeds.

Drive Compatibility:
Some older SATA II hard drives had physical jumpers that limited them to 1.5Gb/s for compatibility with older SATA I controllers. Ensure no such jumpers are present.

Performance Reality
While the interface supports 3Gb/s (300MB/s), mechanical hard drives of that era rarely exceeded 60–80MB/s.

Using a modern SATA SSD on an ICH7R board under Tiger will typically saturate the SATA II bus, reaching real-world speeds of approximately 250–270MB/s.

100

OsX86 Hackintosh (Intel / AMD) / Re: Tiger only supported Sata1 (1.5gb/s) disk speeds and works best with ICH7-

« Last post by chrisNova777 on April 05, 2026, 12:45:36 PM »

ok so SIL3112 can work for booting TIGER + but its only SATA1 speed.

SIL3132 or SiL3124 are neeeded for SATA2 speed + proper support in OSX TIGER.