[Macworld]

Post your comments for ATI Radeon HD 4870 Graphics Upgrade for Mac Pro now priced here

[HyperMactive]

$349 is a "slight premium" over $200? Isn't that, you know, nearly double?

[ChrisLJ]

I always find it interesting to check out the comparable video cards for PCs when Apple announces something like this.
Although these versions of the HD4870 have two DVI ports and no mini DisplayPort, they are available for under $200.
http://www.newegg.co...eon%20HD%204870

[DogHouseDub]

Mass production versus limited run...it's all about volume, right?

[HyperMactive]

And here I thought when Apple joined the rest of the world with the same graphic card connectors and Intel-based motherboards that we'd just be able to pick up a standard-issue video card off the shelf, plug it in, and go. Silly me. Nope, we still have Mac versions of these cards that come with a hearty price increase. Lame.

[oigres1973]

Wow. Do you even know the difference between LED and LCD?

[Peter Cohen]

HyperMactive said:

And here I thought when Apple joined the rest of the world with the same graphic card connectors and Intel-based motherboards that we'd just be able to pick up a standard-issue video card off the shelf, plug it in, and go.

Well, you thought wrong.

[oigres1973]

Macs use LEDs instead of LCDs?

[Peter Cohen]

ChrisLJ said:

Although these versions of the HD4870 have two DVI ports and no mini DisplayPort, they are available for under $200.

They're also not manufactured by Apple.

Yes, Apple makes its own video cards -- well, more to the point, it has them manufactured by a subcontractor, much in the same way that it has all of its computers made -- but the point remains the same. Apple isn't able to provide the same economy of scale that other manufacturers will, so the price is higher.

[JBucanek]

HyperMactive said:

$349 is a "slight premium" over $200? Isn't that, you know, nearly double?

The $200 Build-to-Order cost is the difference between the NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 and the ATI Radeon HD 4870 in the base configuration. When you add the ATI card, they take out the NVIDIA card. So the cost of getting an ATI card in a new MacPro = (cost of NVIDIA GeForce GT 120)+$200.

Apple apparently charges about $150 for each NVIDIA card, so the cost of the ATI in a new MacPro BTO is $350. So it looks like ordering it separately would actually save you $1.

[ChrisLJ]

From the logos on the video card, I would say they are actually made by ATI, and not subcontracted by Apple.
ATI licenses to other card makers and also manufactures their own brand, where nVidia only licenses to other companies. Of course, ATI could sub out their own cards too, I don't know.

I understand economy of scale, but I do think Apple charges excessive prices for their components. They usually have video cards that are darn near obsolete for idiotic prices. It seems like I remember I couple of years ago there was talk about making graphics cards only needing different drivers to run on Macs or PCs.

[Peter Cohen]

ChrisLJ said:

From the logos on the video card, I would say they are actually made by ATI, and not subcontracted by Apple.

You'd be wrong.

[Peter Cohen]

oigres1973 said:

Macs use LEDs instead of LCDs?

The 24-inch LED Cinema Display certainly does, yes. www.apple.com/displays/

[michaelbirdtx]

Actually, it's an LCD display with an LED backlight, as opposed to an LCD with a fluorescent backlight.