Many 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks have two graphics processors (GPU)—a discrete GPU and an integrated GPU. The discrete GPU provides substantial graphics performance but uses more energy. The integrated GPU optimizes battery life by using less energy.
Check if the discrete or integrated GPU is in use
To see which graphics cards are in use, choose Apple () menu > About this Mac. The graphics cards currently in use appear next to Graphics. Learn which integrated GPUs your Mac might have.
AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB HDMI PCI Express Video Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro, outperforms ATI Sapphire Radeon HD 2600, 4870, 5770, 7950, 9000, 9800 Gigabyte. 4.5 out of 5 stars 10. COMeap Dual Mini 6 Pin to 8 Pin PCI Express Video Card Power Adapter Cable for Mac Pro Tower/Power Mac.
Get the best deals on Video Card For Mac Pro and find everything you'll need to improve your home office setup at eBay.com. Fast & Free shipping on many items! 2008 Apple 20' iMac A1224 Video Card ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256mb 661-4436. Apple Mac Pro ATI Radeon Hd4870 1gb DVI PCIe Pci-express Video Graphics Card. 5 out of 5 stars (7) Total Ratings 7, $164.90 New. 2009 Apple 24' iMac A1225 Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 256mb 661-4991. Mac Pro 2009 2010 GeForce GT120 512MB Graphic Card A1310 639-0376 630-9643 5.0 out of 5 stars 1 ATI Genuine Apple Radeon HD 5770 1GB Video Card Mac Pro Desktop 1. Testing conducted by Apple in April 2020 using preproduction 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 32GB of RAM, and 4TB SSD, as well as shipping 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based 13-inch MacBook Pro systems with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, 16GB of RAM, and 2TB SSD.
Check if an app is using the dedicated GPU
To see if an app is using the higher-performance discrete GPU, open Activity Monitor and click the Energy tab. If you don't see the Requires High Perf GPU column, your computer only has one graphics processor.
In this example, iMovie and Final Cut Pro are using the higher-performance discrete GPU:
Learn more
Here are a few examples of apps and accessories that use the higher-performance discrete GPU:
- iMovie
- Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign
- An external display
Learn how to use an external graphics processor (eGPU) with your Mac.
Learn how to set the graphics performance on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Pro with Retina display computer.
This article applies only to video cards that originally shipped with a specified Mac Pro or were offered as an upgrade kit by Apple. Similar cards that were not provided by Apple may have compatibility issues and you should work with the vendor of that card to confirm compatibility.
Mac Pro (2019)
Learn more about cards you can install in Mac Pro (2019) and how to install PCIe cards in your Mac Pro (2019).
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
- Dual AMD FirePro D300
- Dual AMD FirePro D500
- Dual AMD FirePro D700
Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
Video Card For Apple Mac Pro
- ATI Radeon HD 5770
- ATI Radeon HD 5870
Learn about graphics cards supported in macOS 10.14 Mojave on Mac Pro (2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012).
Mac Pro Graphics Cards
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 120
- ATI Radeon HD 4870
- ATI Radeon HD 5870, offered as an upgrade kit
The Radeon HD 5870 card requires Mac OS X 10.6.4 or later and the use of both auxiliary power connections.
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
- ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT
- NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (part number 630-9191 or 630-9897)*
- NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600
- ATI Radeon HD 4870, offered as an upgrade kit
The Radeon HD 4870 card requires Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later.
Mac Pro (Original)
- NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT
- ATI Radeon X1900 XT
- NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 (part number 630-7532 or 630-7895)*
- NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (part number 630-9492), offered as an upgrade kit.*
The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT card requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later with the Leopard Graphics Update 1.0 or the computer may not start up properly.
* To identify a graphics card part number, check the label on the back of the card.