Dear Warren and Danny,
I was also surprised that the configuration of the new Mac Pros
doesn't offer a Quadro graphics card anymore. However, Apple still
sells an NVIDIA Quadro 4800 for Mac.
Best regards,
Dirk.
Am 01.07.2009 um 00:25 schrieb Warren DeLano:
Danny,
Last I checked, Apple dropped the Quadro option from the Mac Pro,
and a
quick check on Apple.com seems to confirm that:
http://store.apple.com/us_smb_78313/browse/home/shop_mac/family/
mac_pro
Lacking indications to the contrary, we can only conclude that OpenGL
stereo 3D support has an uncertain future on the Mac, whereas nVidia
appears fully committed to supporting it under Windows XP, Vista, and
Linux.
120 Hz LCDs are very close to being, but are not quite yet, a viable
option. Hopelly that will change in a matter of weeks, however, they
will likely require a quadro card, 3D vision emitter, and an
appropriate
driver from nVidia. Mac support for 120 Hz seems unlikely unless
nVidia
and Apple deliberately get together to create a joint solution. Due
to
proprietary aspects of each component (Mac OpenGL drivers, nVidia
emitters), this isn't something either Apple or nVidia could
accomplish
alone.
Zalman LCDs can do stereo 3D (with reduced vertical resolution) but
they
require software modifications or a Quadro card with the updated
windows
or linux driver. Not all software packages support the Zalman display
on the Mac yet.
My view is this: if having the best stereo 3D is important, then go
Linux or Windows -- but wait until the 120 LCD solution is released by
nVidia. If having a Mac is important, then expect limited access to
stereo 3D technologies.
Cheers,
Warren
-----Original Message-----
From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:ccp...@jiscmail.ac.uk] On Behalf Of
Danny G Smith
Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 2:59 PM
To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: [ccp4bb] Best 3D stereo combination for Mac OS X today
I need to order a new computer for an investigator to replace a very
old
SGI. They already have a lot of Mac experience, that that would make
an
easy transition. They will primarily be using CCP4, CNS, and Main.
At
this
point in time what is the best video card monitor combination, I
assume a
crt, or has any lcd come far enough to work ok? I have looked at
video
cards, and apple has a PNY Nvidia Quadro FX 4800 for Mac but it is
pricey.
Will any other work?
Thanks in advance.
Danny G Smith
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