Pikified MacPro1,1 with GT 120:
Forgive me if this issue has been raised before, or if this is the appropriate thread to post. I've looked around, but have not found a definitive solution as yet.
I purchased a genuine Apple NVIDIA GT120 card to replace my original 7300 GT, as suggested on the forums to use a better video card. I've increased memory to 20 GB of RAM. And I've installed a 120 GB SSD for the OS X boot drive.
I've successfully managed to upgrade from Lion 10.7.5 to El Capitan 10.11.6 with the Pikify 3.1 V14 script and applied the Boot64 V3 package. Everything works great and I'm quite happy with the performance.
The only issue is with the GT 120 card. For the most part, it acts as if it's dead. No signal on either the mDP or the DVI ports. Not a gray screen or apple logo. Not even after boot do I get a desktop displayed.
I've tested the card in a Windows PC and it works perfectly. Both ports display boot and desktop, so I have established that the card, my cables and my monitors check out OK.
I've now installed both cards (GT 120 and 7300 GT) in the Mac. I can boot from the 7300 GT as usual, into the desktop. The interesting thing is that the GT 120 and my monitors are detected. 'About This Mac' system report shows both cards in PCIe slots 1 and 2. It even shows the monitor models and S/Ns.
If I go to the monitor options on the toolbar, it shows my primary display and the two other monitors (LG TV, Asus VE198). In Displays Preferences, I can see all the displays, arrange them, mirror them.
Everything "looks" to be working properly, but the two GT 120 screens are black.
I downloaded the NVIDIA 346.03 drivers and ran with both native Mac and NVIDIA drivers. I moved the cards to different slots, played with the PCIe configuration tool. Nada.
My thoughts are that Apple is throttling the GT 120 outputs perhaps. I have not upgraded the firmware to make it a MP1,2. Boot ROM version is still the original MP11.005C.B08. And I haven't attempted to flash the video ROM, as it is the original Apple, which is why I bought it, thinking it would be play-and-play, and show the bootup screen.
I understand about the EFI32 and EFI64. Even after bootup though, I still don't get a desktop.
Only once, for a few minutes, it worked. I had just added the GT 120 with the 7300 GT and I had all three monitors working! And then I reset the PRAM and I've never been able to get anything to display on the GT 120 since.
So I know I'm close. I know the equipment works. And I don't have a huge budget to buy more expensive video cards. The GT 120 will be ample for my needs. (Basically using the MP as a server -- no heavy graphics apps.)
If anyone on the forum can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.
I would also like to thank all the developers for your tireless efforts in enabling us to resurrect this fine, but legacy computer to the point where it's useful again.
Forgive me if this issue has been raised before, or if this is the appropriate thread to post. I've looked around, but have not found a definitive solution as yet.
I purchased a genuine Apple NVIDIA GT120 card to replace my original 7300 GT, as suggested on the forums to use a better video card. I've increased memory to 20 GB of RAM. And I've installed a 120 GB SSD for the OS X boot drive.
I've successfully managed to upgrade from Lion 10.7.5 to El Capitan 10.11.6 with the Pikify 3.1 V14 script and applied the Boot64 V3 package. Everything works great and I'm quite happy with the performance.
The only issue is with the GT 120 card. For the most part, it acts as if it's dead. No signal on either the mDP or the DVI ports. Not a gray screen or apple logo. Not even after boot do I get a desktop displayed.
I've tested the card in a Windows PC and it works perfectly. Both ports display boot and desktop, so I have established that the card, my cables and my monitors check out OK.
I've now installed both cards (GT 120 and 7300 GT) in the Mac. I can boot from the 7300 GT as usual, into the desktop. The interesting thing is that the GT 120 and my monitors are detected. 'About This Mac' system report shows both cards in PCIe slots 1 and 2. It even shows the monitor models and S/Ns.
If I go to the monitor options on the toolbar, it shows my primary display and the two other monitors (LG TV, Asus VE198). In Displays Preferences, I can see all the displays, arrange them, mirror them.
Everything "looks" to be working properly, but the two GT 120 screens are black.
I downloaded the NVIDIA 346.03 drivers and ran with both native Mac and NVIDIA drivers. I moved the cards to different slots, played with the PCIe configuration tool. Nada.
My thoughts are that Apple is throttling the GT 120 outputs perhaps. I have not upgraded the firmware to make it a MP1,2. Boot ROM version is still the original MP11.005C.B08. And I haven't attempted to flash the video ROM, as it is the original Apple, which is why I bought it, thinking it would be play-and-play, and show the bootup screen.
I understand about the EFI32 and EFI64. Even after bootup though, I still don't get a desktop.
Only once, for a few minutes, it worked. I had just added the GT 120 with the 7300 GT and I had all three monitors working! And then I reset the PRAM and I've never been able to get anything to display on the GT 120 since.
So I know I'm close. I know the equipment works. And I don't have a huge budget to buy more expensive video cards. The GT 120 will be ample for my needs. (Basically using the MP as a server -- no heavy graphics apps.)
If anyone on the forum can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.
I would also like to thank all the developers for your tireless efforts in enabling us to resurrect this fine, but legacy computer to the point where it's useful again.
