Is Nvidia doing more than Apple to keep Mac-using graphics pros happy?
Apple Mac Pro users can now get a professional graphics add-in board (AIB) from Nvidia, the Nvidia Quadro K5000 which is based on Nvidia’s Kepler architecture. Apple has all but abandoned the workstation space and hasn’t updated its Mac Pro workstations in years. However, Nvidia, which seems to leave no stone unturned, is doing what it can to keep the Apple workstation market up to date.
Nvidia claims the Quadro K5000 GPU for the Mac Pro has twice the performance of the previous generation Quadro Mac GPUs.
The Quadro K5000 boasts Cinema 4K display support (4096 x 2160), and with 4GB of graphics memory on a 256-bit bus is capable of driving up to four displays at once. The GPU has 1536 arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and peak arithmetic rates of 2150 GLOPs for single-precision computation and 90 GLFOPSs for double-precision workloads.
Nvidia’s Quadro K5000 is the firm’s high-end workstation AIB, which is just a little less than the PC-based high-end Quadro 6000 (which isn’t available for the Mac).
Display connectivity consists of two DisplayPort 1.2 and two DVI-DL ports with the option for stereoscopic 3D output. The AIB comes with OpenGL 3.21 drivers. Available later this year, from PNY, Elsa and Leadtek, the AIB will sell for $2,250. Nvidia said Apple resellers will also have the new AIB.
