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Apple Posts Radeon HD 2600 XT Update for Mac Pros

by , 4:50 PM EDT, March 10th, 2008

Apple posted an update for Mac Pros with 10.5.2 and the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card on Tuesday. The firmware update improves the system stability, according to Apple.

"This update is for Mac Pro computers with one or more ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics cards installed, running Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later with the Leopard Graphics Update. It updates the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics card firmware on all of the ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphics cards in the Mac Pro to improve system stability. Installing this update on a 2.8 GHz Mac Pro system configured with multiple hard drives or more than 2GB of RAM will result in the system meeting Energy Star 3.0 requirements," the update says.

The update is available via System Preferences -> Software Update or as a standalone update, 792 KB.

Observer Comments

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Close Name:Guest
Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:16 pm Subject: Overheating? Downgrade a cards performance...

"Installing this update on a 2.8 GHz Mac Pro system configured with multiple hard drives or more than 2GB of RAM will result in the system meeting Energy Star 3.0 requirements," the update says."

Translation: The graphics card was overheating and causing system lockups. This firmware update has now degraded the performance of your card.


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Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 3149 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:50 pm Subject: Re: Overheating? Downgrade a cards performance...

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
"Installing this update on a 2.8 GHz Mac Pro system configured with multiple hard drives or more than 2GB of RAM will result in the system meeting Energy Star 3.0 requirements," the update says."

Translation: The graphics card was overheating and causing system lockups. This firmware update has now degraded the performance of your card.


Do you have proof of this claim, or are you speculating?


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Close Name:Guest
Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:19 am Subject:

Quote
Intruder wrote:
Do you have proof of this claim, or are you speculating?

Honest Truth: Speculation - but an educated guess based on some of the threads I have read on the Apple discussion forums (*pre firmware update* - talks of possible overheating).

I mean, after a firmware update for a graphics card suddenly it - "will result in the system meeting Energy Star 3.0 requirements"? Odd... possibly under-clocking it a tad to prevent overheating? And yes, overheating graphics cards will lock up your system.

I would say this is a very probable scenario. Apple's sparse KB article doesn't help, so one can ONLY surmise.


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Close Name:algr Posts: 296 Joined: 07 Aug 2003
Tue Mar 11, 2008 2:23 am Subject:

But is it as powerful as a real Atari 2600?


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