Can i use normal PC components on a Mac?

[cybot_x1024]

Just as the question is phrased, can i use normal PC componets in a Mac PC?
I have a friend who has a Mac that got its radeon based PCIe graphics card blown off recently, and wanted to know if a PC radeon card would work in the mac. Are there any differences between the two other than drivers? And other than graphics cards, can i also ose a PC's hard drive and maybe PC ram on a mac?
Thanx in advance.

 

[rattman169]

That all depends on the MAC's, now with the introduction of Intel, parts have become a little more compatible. Most of the things I personally repaired were all about memory, now most memory is compatible on both MAC and PC, hard drives also but there are differences with Video. The card may be PciE but are the slots in the exact same place? If you can remove the card I say compare it but I still don't belive video will be interchangeable (Voltage settings, memory management and Apple builds all in house for 100% compatibility between hardware and software). My recommandation is to stick with MAC hardware where video is concerned.

 

[Emperus]

Anything that requires a driver/software installation cannot be transported from a PC to a MAC.. But i guess there's an EVGA GTX 285 available for MAC..

 

[cybot_x1024]

thanx people, for all the input. Though id like to know if a bios flash on the video card with that of a mac equivalent can work. ive heard people say that if i get a bios of mac equivalent i can flash with it and it would work. is that true?

 

[rattman169]

sometimes, depending on Manufacturer. You need to check the manufacturer site for the video card and see if the bios flash for the video card is available. 9/10 times they don't carry the flash for PC - MAC or other way round. Send email to company to get the most info for card wanted and see if possible by buying the PC version and just flashing card.

 

[nforce4max]

OK first what generation is it? G4/G5 you got your work cut out for you they are hard to find and very over priced. If it is a Mac Pro you can use any pci-e based card but the catch is the card needs a special bios from Apple in order for osx to work properly. One example a x1900xt mac edition, same pcp, gpu core, cooler with the exception of a aluminum handle which is extra with the only real difference from the normal pc is the bios.

 

[cybot_x1024]

sorry i have been away from the pc for afew days hence the late response. thanx for all the info though.
i will find out what Mac he is using then work from there. So are this bioses available on Apples website or is there any particular repository where yo know people dump have the mac bioses posted? im sure its not possible to get mac video cards around here so i will just go with the bios flash for now.

 

[nforce4max]

sorry i have been away from the pc for afew days hence the late response. thanx for all the info though.
i will find out what Mac he is using then work from there. So are this bioses available on Apples website or is there any particular repository where yo know people dump have the mac bioses posted? im sure its not possible to get mac video cards around here so i will just go with the bios flash for now.

Well if you are going to hunt for bios dumps then you want to have an ATI card and a standard pc on hand to perform the flash. Apple wont have then on their website so in this case you are hacking.