What are the default graphics cards provided with each Mac Pro? What Mac Pro compatible video cards are available for purchase later? Which video cards have which ports?

All Mac Pro models have removable video cards with dedicated graphics and can support additional video cards, too.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Mac Pro)

Identification Help

If you're not certain which Mac Pro you have, all Mac Pro lines can be identified "closely enough" by the Model Identifier in software to determine the default video card as well as confirm compatibility with aftermarket video cards.

To locate the model identifier, select "About This Mac" under the Apple Menu on your computer and click the "More Info..." button. If the Mac Pro is running OS X "Lion" (10.7) or later, click the "System Report" button after clicking "More Info..." as well.

Externally, the Mac Pro lines can be uniquely identified by EMC Number. The EMC number is listed on the rear of the system in small type.

Useful identifiers for the Mac Pro lines include:

Mac Pro Subfamily	Model Number	Model ID	EMC Number
Original (2006)	A1186	MacPro1,1	2113
Original (2007)	A1186	MacPro2,1	2138
Early 2008	A1186	MacPro3,1	2180
Early 2009	A1289	MacPro4,1	2314
Mid-2010	A1289	MacPro5,1	2314-2
Mid-2012	A1289	MacPro5,1	2629

More details about specific identifiers are provided in EveryMac.com's extensive Mac Identification section.

EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature -- as well as the EveryMac app -- also can identify these systems by their Serial Numbers.

Default Video Cards

Information on the default graphics cards -- as well as original options available via custom configuration -- are provided on the EveryMac.com specs pages for each Mac Pro model.

Photo Credit: NVIDIA, Left - GeForce 7300 GT & ATI, Right - Radeon HD 2600 XT

However, default Mac Pro video cards for each series, as well as the ports provided by each video card, also are provided below for your convenience:

Mac Pro Subfamily	Default Video Card	VRAM	Ports
Original	NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT	256 MB GDDR2	1 SL DVI 1 DL DVI
Early 2008	ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT	256 MB GDDR3	2 DL DVI
Early 2009	NVIDIA GeForce GT 120	512 MB GDDR3	1 Mini DP 1 DL DVI
Mid-2010	ATI Radeon HD 5770	1 GB GDDR5	2 Mini DP 1 DL DVI
Mid-2012	ATI Radeon HD 5770	1 GB GDDR5	2 Mini DP 1 DL DVI

Custom Configuration Video Card Options

At the time of purchase, each Mac Pro could be configured with at least one higher performance video card as an optional upgrade.

Photo Credit: ATI, Left - Radeon X1900 XT & NVIDIA, Right - GeForce 8800 GT

The video cards available via custom configuration for each Mac Pro line include:

Mac Pro Subfamily	Video Card Options	VRAM	Ports
Original	ATI Radeon X1900 XT	512 MB GDDR3	2 DL DVI
	NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500	512 MB GDDR3	2 DL DVI Stereo 3D
Early 2008	NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT	512 MB GDDR3	2 DL DVI
	NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600	1.5 GB GDDR3	2 DL DVI Stereo 3D
Early 2009	ATI Radeon HD 4870	512 MB GDDR5	1 Mini DP 1 DL DVI
Mid-2010	ATI Radeon HD 5870	1 GB GDDR5	2 Mini DP 1 DL DVI
Mid-2012	ATI Radeon HD 5870	1 GB GDDR5	2 Mini DP 1 DL DVI

Aftermarket Video Card Options

Of course, it always is possible to purchase one of the higher performance video cards that was offered with a particular Mac Pro after the initial system purchase. For the original Mac Pro models, this is your only readily available option.

Photo Credit: EVGA, Left - GeForce GTX 680 & AMD/Sapphire, Right - Radeon HD 7950

However, for subsequently released Mac Pro models there also are aftermarket Mac Pro compatible video cards available:

Video Card	VRAM	Ports	OS X
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800	1.5 GB GDDR5	2 DL DVI	10.5.7+
NVIDIA Quadro 4000	2 GB GDDR5	1 DL DVI 1 DP	10.6.5+
AMD Sapphire Radeon HD 7950*	3 GB GDDR5	1 HDMI 2 Mini DP 1 DL DVI	10.7.5+
EVGA GeForce GTX 680	2 GB GDDR5	1 HDMI 1 Mini DP 1 DVI-I 1 DVI-D	10.8.3+
PNY NVIDIA Quadro K5000	4 GB GDDR5	2 DVI 2 DP	10.8.3+

* Please note that the Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 only is compatible with the "Mid-2010" and "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models. The other four video cards above are compatible with the "Early 2008" and "Early 2009" as well as the "Mid-2010" and "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models.

The excellent BareFeats has a "shootout" that compares several of the above video cards with one another as well as stock Mac Pro video cards that is well worth reviewing.

ArsTechnica, Architosh, MacsOnly, and Xbit Labs also offer in-depth reviews of the NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800, NVIDIA Quadro 4000, AMD Sapphire Radeon HD 7950, EVGA GeForce GTX 680, and PNY NVIDIA Quadro K5000 that may be of interest, too.

Site sponsors PowerMax and Other World Computing each sell a selection of Mac Pro compatible video cards including default options, video cards that originally were offered as custom configurations, and the powerful aftermarket options listed above.

Upgraded the video card in your Mac Pro? Please share your experiences. Thank you.

Also see: How many PCI slots of what type are provided by the Mac Pro models? How do you install a PCIe card in the Mac Pro?