The fastest Mac graphics ever.

Graphics cards

Don’t keep those pixels waiting.

If you’re a pro who wants a desktop computer that keeps pace with your imagination, the Mac Pro delivers with faster graphics application performance across the board. Whether you’re decoding H.264 content in Final Cut Pro, creating 3D graphics in Motion, processing massive RAW images in Aperture, or playing the latest games, the graphics hardware in the new Mac Pro makes graphics applications faster.

The foundation of this new graphics architecture is the latest generation of GPUs connected to the system via a fast and wide PCI Express 2.0 16-lane bus. Couple that with Core Animation, Core Image, and Core Video technologies in Mac OS X Leopard. The result is a graphics platform for applications to seamlessly tap into a teraflop of graphics power.

Performance. It’s in the cards.

All-new high-performance graphics cards from AMD and NVIDIA make Mac Pro graphics technology faster than before. Perfect for motion graphics, 3D modeling, rendering, or animation, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB of GDDR3 memory comes standard — and provides up to 2.9x the performance of previous Mac Pro standard graphics cards.1

For even more graphics horsepower, upgrade to the ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory. An ideal choice for the most demanding applications, this card features a wider memory bus and higher-performance GPU, resulting in up to 2x faster performance compared with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120.1

Multiple Displays

Graphics on display.

Every new Mac Pro graphics card features two display ports for maximum workspace flexibility. A Mini DisplayPort connects the new 24-inch Apple LED Cinema Display with ease. A dual-link DVI port connects a 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display or any other DVI display. And with support for up to four NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 cards, you can connect more displays — up to eight total.

View all performance charts

Graphics Cards

Call of Duty 4. timedemo.

graphic card Baseline
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR3 (previous generation)
graphic card 2.9x
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB GDDR3
graphic card ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 6.6x

Up to 6.6x improvement compared to previous standard graphics card

Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz units with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and ATI Radeon HD 4870; and shipping Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz units with ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT. Systems were configured with 6GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz and 8GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz. Tested using Call of Duty 4 v1.7.1, Timedemoambush, Timedemobog, Timedemopipeline, maximum graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, at 1680x1050. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.

Quake 4. timedemo.

graphic card Baseline
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR3 (previous generation)
graphic card 2.2x
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB GDDR3
graphic card ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 5.1x

Up to 5.1x improvement compared to previous standard graphics card

Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz units with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and ATI Radeon HD 4870; and shipping Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz units with ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT. Systems were configured with 6GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz and 8GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz. Tested using Quake 4 v1.3, netTimeDemo: demo001, ultra graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, at 1680x1050. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.

Motion 3.0.2. Playback and export speed.

graphic cardBaseline
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB GDDR3 (previous generation)
graphic card1.5x
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB GDDR3
graphic cardATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR53.0x

Up to 3x improvement compared to previous standard graphics card

Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz units with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and ATI Radeon HD 4870; and shipping Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz units with ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT. Systems were configured with 6GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz and 8GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.

Graphics Card Specifications

  NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 ATI Radeon HD 4870
Memory interface 128-bit 256-bit
Frame buffer memory 512MB GDDR3 512MB GDDR5
Memory bandwidth 25.6GB/s 115GB/s
Ports 1 Mini DisplayPort and 1 dual-link DVI 1 Mini DisplayPort and 1 dual-link DVI
Slots occupied 1 2
Auxiliary power cables used 0 2
  1. Testing conducted by Apple in February 2009 using preproduction Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz units with NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and ATI Radeon HD 4870; and shipping Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz units with ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT. Systems were configured with 6GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 2.93GHz and 8GB of RAM for Mac Pro 8-core 3.2GHz. Tested using Call of Duty 4 v1.7.1, Timedemoambush, Timedemobog, Timedemopipeline, maximum graphics quality, 4x anti-aliasing, at 1680x1050. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac Pro.
  • Mac Pro Performance

    The bar has officially been raised.

  • Mac OS X Server

    Harness the power of Leopard to run your network.

  • Buy a Mac for college, and get a free iPod touch. Terms apply.
  • Buy Mac Pro from $2499

    Apple Online Store

    Configure a Mac Pro. Get free shipping

    Apple Retail Store

    Test drive Mac Pro at a store near you

    Call 1-800-854-3680
    Get Apple education pricing.
    Find your local authorized reseller.