I could use some advice, please bear with me, this is a bit long. So, I feel strangely bad about what I'm about to post, because I've been looking forward to getting an Apple Silicon Mac, and much like everyone here, throwing rotten eggs at the stinky Xeons. I even did some babysitting last month in the Mac Pro forum over at MR, which was endlessly amusing. I look forward to the reaction when the Apple Silicon version is released, both for the technology, and the resultant teeth gnashing.
The problem I have with Apple Silicon is that I'm also a gamer. I've been playing PC games in Windows, limping along with my 2018 i3 Mac mini with RX 580 eGPU. Apple did a firmware update that killed that configuration. (To be clear, I'm not blaming Apple, I knew ahead of time that it wasn't a supported scenario.) It was quickly aging out, anyway.
I know
@Cmaier believes that Apple has a substantial interest in gaming, and I trust what he says, but that's not yet reflected in the current market at this moment. I often get asked "why don't you just get a PC?!". The real problem is that I'm not rich enough to be able to just build a gaming PC to run alongside my Mac, and I'm not dumb enough to use Windows as a daily driver. I'm not poor, not wealthy, just frugal. I still plan on getting an Apple Silicon Mac in the future, but not today.
So, in an attempt to stop beating around the proverbial bush, I just purchased a refurbished 2019 Mac Pro, and should have it next week.
Specs:
3.2Ghz 16-core Xeon W-3245
96GB RAM
2TB SSD
RX 580X GPU
Configured new on Apple's website, it comes to $9,599 in United States negotiable currency, before rendering unto Caesar. However, I got it for $2,120 after UPS and Uncle Sam take their cut. How did an uncultured peasant like myself manage this? Ebay error. I've been whimsically shopping for a Mac Pro for the past year, but not seriously. Then, for some reason, this particular auction didn't come up when searching Ebay for "2019 Mac Pro", it only appeared in the seller's listings, hence I was the sole bidder. I'm sure you, gentle reader, are shouting "scam!" right now, but it's from a computer store I've done business with dozens of times, over many years, and confirmed my purchase on the phone. So, unless UPS loses it during its trip through the wild hinterlands, it should work out.
Other than booting into Windows to play PC games, this is entirely wasted on me. Games don't need 16-cores, 96GB of system memory, a large SSD, or a fancy over-engineered Apple case. I don't need this computer, but I've wanted a Mac Pro since I was a little kid, back in the 1980s. (Just pretend.) What I do need is a fast GPU, which the 580X is not.
Assuming you're still reading this, here's where I need some advice from you nice folks. As I said, I'm not rich, I just got lucky with this purchase. I need a fast GPU to use for games. It looks like Apple stopped updating third-party driver support after the current RDNA2 line, with the refresh not being supported. So, that really leaves me choosing between a 6800XT or 6900XT. My challenge is finding both a card that isn't exorbitantly priced but also fits inside the Mac Pro case.
It's tight inside the housing, and only AMD's reference card, and GPUs from Gigabyte and Sonnet will fit. As far as I know, every other manufacturer uses big ass coolers that are too large for the case. Since 6900s are going for relatively reasonable prices, they can be had for $700, while the 6800 is $600. You can buy a $700 6900 off of MSI's website right now...except it won't fit. AMD hasn't discounted its reference cards for a long time, Sonnet removed the 6900 from their website, and the Gigabyte card hasn't been on sale for a month now. I missed the boat on that one. I could of course settle for a 6800, woe is me, but would prefer a 6900.
I don't want to deal with the used market, for obvious reasons, such as the mining bust and worn out GPUs. So, finally getting to my question, I'm wonder what you would do in my situation? Do I wait another month to see if Gigabyte reduces its price again, assuming they haven't already sold out stock? Do I wait for RDNA3 to be released and see if Gigabyte or AMD discount their 6900s? Or should I just settle for a 6800 from Sonnet for $100 less, while they still have them in stock?
This was an unexpected situation to find myself in, so any thoughts on the matter would be very much appreciated.