Resolved 2006/2007 Mac Pro (1,1/2,1) and OS X Yosemite

[andrew nz]

sorry, but for bootscreen there is an aftermarket on ebay. there is also a seller from australia offering cards there (had bought from him in the past once), maybe you could get in touch with him? the 7300gt has no hdcp, is not future-proof and seems to sorted out by you (due to non-compatibility with teh r9 280(x) in bootcamp); the x1900 is single slot, too, but i consider it poor option (seems loud); the 2600xt seems very viable (and costs also quite alot on ebay).

i have actually bought an r9 280 for myself , too ; but after finding out that the drivers package to run 7950/70 or 29 280(x) on lion 10.7.5 are not compatible with 32.bit efi (on 1.1/2.1 MP the R9 280 needs minimum 10.8.3+tiamo bootloader as it seems) i decided to sell it as it would limit my options on booting osx, and i don't like to change cables every time i want to boot into another system.

possibly whenever you want to use geforce and radeon at the same time in windows, there might arise problems?

in believe that all readers of this forum have upgraded to 10.10.5 and 10.11.6 neither of which are supported by apple, and i am using a R9 280x not flashed which is also not supported by apple.

i believe there is a solution, but which radeon card is appropriate i have yet to discover.

 

[mrkapqa]

i believe there is a solution, but which radeon card is appropriate i have yet to discover.

i still use mavericks alongside lion and snow leopard, and if you like to use a good radeon then you could sell your graphic cards and get a radeon 4870 mac edition, which is quite powerful and gives bootscreen, however is limited to two monitor outputs (flashed cards in aftermarket may have more output available).

 

[rthpjm]

in believe that all readers of this forum have upgraded to 10.10.5 and 10.11.6 neither of which are supported by apple, and i am using a R9 280x not flashed which is also not supported by apple.

i believe there is a solution, but which radeon card is appropriate i have yet to discover.

“Most” after-market graphics cards (targeted at the PC market) work fine after the OS boots.

What “most” cards lack is a EFI section in the on-board firmware. Without this EFI section, the Mac cannot properly initialise the card during the EFI firmware boot environment. This results on no display output aka “no boot screen output”. However, once Mac OS takes over, it can load the kernel extensions (kext, also known as a driver) for the graphics card chip set. If Apple has shipped any graphics card with that family chipset, then Mac OS will have a driver (kext). The kext will match multiple cards from multiple vendors.

The exception is typically any new card that utilises a chipset that was first released after Mac OS El Capitan 10.11.6. Since there are no more El Capitan software updates (apart from Security Updates), El Capitan will not get a new driver/kext from Apple. (Oops, this forum is for Yosemite, the same “expectation/rules” apply)

Nvidia have now taken over the role of distributing drivers for their cards directly. There’s a chance that drivers from Nvidia might support newer cards/chipsets on El Capitan (read the Nvidia release notes).

“Some” after-market cards have firmware storage that is large enough to contain both a BIOS and an EFI section. Apple-branded cards typically ship with both BIOS and EFI sections in their firmware. The community has taken advantage of this fact, and there are numerous cases of the EFI part being extracted from an Apple card, and then grafted onto the firmware for an after-market PC brand card. Sometimes there’s a bit of “fix-up” required to map the video-path to the correct physical connector (e.g. DVI-D port 1 on a two-or-more port card). Generally though, most “grafts” simply do the job.

I have an XFX-brand ATI/AMD Radeon 5770 that I flashed to have an EFI section (as well as the original BIOS section). It works well for both EFI boot screen output and acceleration in Mac OS.

I also have an EVGA-brand Nvidia GTX 680. Here we fall foul of the move from 32-bit-EFI code to 64-bit-EFI code. For a while, Nvidia firmware had 32-bit code, then Nvidia started to use EFI Byte Code also known as EBC. EBC is an intermediate code that is interpreted. Motherboard EFI is required to have an EBC interpreter, therefore a graphics card that has an EFI section encoded as EBC is compatible with both 32 and 64 bit motherboard EFI Firmware. Great! Unfortunately, around the 680 generation Nvidia/Apple started to ship cards with just BIOS and 64-bit-EFI. Our original MacPros cannot initialise those cards because of the 64-bit EFI code in the ROM. They still work once Mac OS has booted, you just cannot see the EFI boot screens.

Having said all of that, “most” cards revert to the lowest-common-denominator which is typically analog VGA output if they are not otherwise initialised. If your card has VGA capability, either having a dedicated VGA connector, or if you have DVI-I connector(s), then you can use a VGA monitor-cable-adaptor combination to see boot screens over VGA.

The Netkas forums are where I went when working on my XFX. I learned a lot from the posts over there...

 

[andrew nz]

the 4870 is at least 2 generations behind the R9 280x and probably there is not a discreet build available.
As well the card has to be in slot 4.
[doublepost=1546041319][/doublepost]

“Some” after-market cards have firmware storage that is large enough to contain both a BIOS and an EFI section. Apple-branded cards typically ship with both BIOS and EFI sections in their firmware.

thank you and yes,
that is the theory.

what i need a card has to meet is the following requirements:

1 is radeon or equivalent
2 fits in slot 4 and likely a discreet build meaning powered by the pcie framework not additional cables.
3 last resort can be flashed with EFI and BIOS where appropriate
4 is typically available
5 a list of card candidates
6 work seamlessly with mac os 10.7.5 or perhaps 10.6.8 up to 10.11.6 with boot-screen minimum and with ability for some useage but not necessarily demanding gpu or cpu activity, and
7 works seamlessly with windows 10 for boot screen as with mac os in point 6.


I have no experience with flashing but because I can use windows 10, then likely if i can find the correct ROM , i could also likely find the correct flash tools.

 

[rthpjm]

the 4870 is at least 2 generations behind the R9 280x and probably there is not a discreet build available.
As well the card has to be in slot 4.
[doublepost=1546041319][/doublepost]


thank you and yes,
that is the theory.

what i need a card has to meet is the following requirements:

1 is radeon or equivalent
2 fits in slot 4 and likely a discreet build meaning powered by the pcie framework not additional cables.
3 last resort can be flashed with EFI and BIOS where appropriate
4 is typically available
5 a list of card candidates
6 work seamlessly with mac os 10.7.5 or perhaps 10.6.8 up to 10.11.6 with boot-screen minimum and with ability for some useage but not necessarily demanding gpu or cpu activity, and
7 works seamlessly with windows 10 for boot screen as with mac os in point 6.


I have no experience with flashing but because I can use windows 10, then likely if i can find the correct ROM , i could also likely find the correct flash tools.

Hmm, I think requirement 2 and requirement 6 have become mutually exclusive.
Hardware acceleration is really needed to seamlessly support El Capitan, whereas you can get away with a lower functioning card up to Lion. My original MacPro shipped with a bus powered Nvidia card, but since then I have used “board-powered” cards, meaning the use of a cable between the motherboard and the card. The original bus powered card does not have the necessary hardware acceleration features to meet your requirement 6.

The MacPro motherboard has two sockets intended for graphics card cables. They are a little unconventional because the motherboard socket has six pins, (compared with most PC motherboards that have eight pins). However, a quick search of the net will show you plenty of outlets selling Mac 6-pin-to-6-pin cables.
Unless you’re using the two sockets for other purposes, I would strongly recommend taking this route. Buy one or two cables and power your graphics card that way. This opens the field of candidates for you.

The location of the sockets are towards the top left of the motherboard, when looking at the motherboard in its vertical position naturally within the case. Look slightly up from the CPU heatsink shroud, and across to the front fan assembly frame. One of the connectors is just accessible, whist the other is a little obscured by the fan assembly frame.

Now on to your list, requirement 5.
I’ve already mentioned my 5770. This meets all your requirements (except bus-powered). You can get hold of Apple-branded versions which do not need to be flashed, lots of people sell flashed PC generic versions on the secondhand market.

Post #1 of this thread lists a number of popular cards.

The Netkas forums are awash with details, though be prepared to spend some time sifting through the volume of information there. Probably start at http://netkas.org/forum/index.php/topic,692.0.html

Lastly one member of the community created a business around Mac video cards (or maybe extended an existing business, I’m not sure which). Have a look at http://www.macvidcards.com/. This is a USA-based site, it might be expensive to mail order from NZ, but check them out if only for validation/information...

 

[andrew nz]

he location of the sockets are towards the top left of the motherboard, when looking at the motherboard in its vertical position naturally within the case. Look slightly up from the CPU heatsink shroud, and across to the front fan assembly frame. One of the connectors is just accessible, whist the other is a little obscured by the fan assembly frame.

yes that is correct.

the R9 280x requires both power cables. So they are currently occupied.

Post #1 of this thread lists a number of popular cards.

i will check it.

i require a card perhaps

radeon 3xxx, 4xxx, 5xxx, 32 bit EFI/ BIOS built in or with available ROM and flash tools,
slot 4 discreet build ,
no cables,

and i forgot to add ,
native resolution 1920x1080.

 

[mrkapqa]

the 4870 is at least 2 generations behind the R9 280x and probably there is not a discreet build available.
As well the card has to be in slot 4.
[doublepost=1546041319][/doublepost]

I got one Original Mac Version off Ebay for 40 Euro; Will tell you later if i am satisfied (after already having tried the Radeon R9 280 in slot 1 with MP 1.1/2.1)

You could use 4870 in Slot one and free the Slot 4 for a USB 3 card or a PciE SSD;
Obviously, if you need the gpu power, or have multiple monitor-setup, you look for a treat. Otherwise, i think the 5770 or 4870 could match the bill. the 5770 probably also will support only 2 monitors, but i am not sure about that.
Mine had 4 ports (unflashed), but only 2 seemed active.

 

[rthpjm]

I got one Original Mac Version off Ebay for 40 Euro; Will tell you later if i am satisfied (after already having tried the Radeon R9 280 in slot 1 with MP 1.1/2.1)

You could use 4870 in Slot one and free the Slot 4 for a USB 3 card or a PciE SSD;
Obviously, if you need the gpu power, or have multiple monitor-setup, you look for a treat. Otherwise, i think the 5770 or 4870 could match the bill. the 5770 probably also will support only 2 monitors, but i am not sure about that.
Mine had 4 ports (unflashed), but only 2 seemed active.

My 5770 has two DVI-I and one mini display port
I did a lot of testing and published on the Netkas forum
General > ROM things > Radeon Port Mapping

I could get all three ports working at the same time. But for some reason one of the DVI ports would turn on distorted, which could be quickly corrected by changing the resolution from System Preferences. It’s a bit annoying that all three would not initialise correctly.

Having said that I just use 2 monitors, which isn’t a problem...

 

[andrew nz]

I got one Original Mac Version off Ebay for 40 Euro; Will tell you later if i am satisfied (after already having tried the Radeon R9 280 in slot 1 with MP 1.1/2.1)

You could use 4870 in Slot one and free the Slot 4 for a USB 3 card or a PciE SSD;
Obviously, if you need the gpu power, or have multiple monitor-setup, you look for a treat. Otherwise, i think the 5770 or 4870 could match the bill. the 5770 probably also will support only 2 monitors, but i am not sure about that.
Mine had 4 ports (unflashed), but only 2 seemed active.

the 5770 is not a discreet build and will not fit slot 4 and needs to be powered with a cable. I have one and upgraded to the R9 280x.

see my thread here:

windows

 

[mrkapqa]

well, what do you mean with "discreet build" in the first place?
alright, if you mean single-slot card, and intend to boot into windows together with a radeon r9 280x; i would assume you are limited to another radeon; but i'd be happy to be proven wrong, e.g that radeon driver and nvidia driver can be loaded and coexist at the same time in windows withouth making any problems ; only single-slot card that i remember from nvidia is gt120 (and maybe some quadro but i have not tested that myself); besides, there are some options from radeon that have been already mentioned: 5450, 6450, 2600xt,r5 230 and others.
if you have already so many graphics cards tested, used, at your disposal, i am sure you will sort out your small "problem".

edit: another single-slot by nvidia being the 7300gt that you mentioned in your post;
if you want to play coomputer games, i suggest you use a pc, will give you more options, as you know.
[doublepost=1546698335][/doublepost]i got a radeon hd 6850 today (used, for little money) and am very satisfied with purchase;
it boots immediately of snow leopard, mavericks and el captian with 2 monitors active (tested only dvi + hdmi to dvi; there are another dvi and dp avaiable)
no bootscreen, as the efi for the 6850 seems available only for 3.1+ (64bit) so i will not try to flash it;
Luxmark went from around 1700 (radeon 5770) to around 2400 (radeon 6850). Nice upgrade!

 

[andrew nz]

if you want to play coomputer games, i suggest you use a pc, will give you more options

mac pro + windows 10 = gaming system above pc performance on a 12 year old computer not designed to run windows 10 or any later mac os or radeon 280x.

what's not to like?

5450, 6450, 2600xt,r5 230 and others.

I need advice how to make these work if these are possible candidates.

 

[andrew nz]

intend to boot into windows together with a radeon r9 280x; i would assume you are limited to another radeon; but i'd be happy to be proven wrong, e.g that radeon driver and nvidia driver can be loaded and coexist at the same time in windows withouth making any problems

the 7300gt is also useable as windows 10 boot screen but the nvidia and radeon drivers clash at inopportune moments usually when moving the curso between the radeon enabled dual monitors.

 

[pantherslover]

Im os 10.10.5 macbook pro 500gb flash drive. Shutting down on boot , won't boot in safe mode. I've tried repairing main volume and permissions. I've never used file vault not time machine. I'm a novice with this, have used Mac laptops since 0s 8.5. it's been a long journey.

All i was doing was browsing jpgs from the search finder. I always normally shut the machine down as i live off grid and don't want to drain the battery on sleeping.
Any help suggestions appreciated. I couldn't re install from recovery because.mac won't let me download. It says temporarily unavailable and please try again later.

Please help me.


View attachment DSC_0306.JPG

 

[pantherslover]

Attached is the full output from verbose mode.

 

[flygbuss]

Attached is the full output from verbose mode.

Hej, you somehow ended up in the Mac Pro Forum.
You might wanna try the MacBook Pro or the Yosemite Forum instead, I think you'll get better support there.

MacBook Pro

Questions and answers about Apple's professional and prosumer laptops

forums.macrumors.com

OS X Yosemite (10.10)

forums.macrumors.com

 

[pantherslover]

Hej , why don't you just try to help me. The thread is related to my problem. Thanks

 

[flygbuss]

Some more infos about your hardware would be great then.

 

[pantherslover]

Macbook pro 2015 500gb flash drive no tweaks nothing.

 

[flygbuss]

Since you don’t have a backup, can you get your hands on an installer? Yosemite is quite dated and your machine is still supported, so you can install the latest macOS, if you want to. Maybe give High Sierra a try.

 

[pantherslover]

That's what I'm trying to do. A bootable disk image in a 32gb flash drive

 

[flygbuss]

doublepost

 

[flygbuss]

If you have a spare Mac available, format the flash drive, name it 'Untitled' and copy the macOS installer of your choice into your Applications folder.

I used a Sierra installer, so you might wanna change the name if you have a different installer.

Open Terminal and type:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app

This should create a bootable flash drive with the macOS you've chosen.

 

[Ant3000]

Im os 10.10.5 macbook pro 500gb flash drive. Shutting down on boot , won't boot in safe mode. I've tried repairing main volume and permissions. I've never used file vault not time machine. I'm a novice with this, have used Mac laptops since 0s 8.5. it's been a long journey.

All i was doing was browsing jpgs from the search finder. I always normally shut the machine down as i live off grid and don't want to drain the battery on sleeping.
Any help suggestions appreciated. I couldn't re install from recovery because.mac won't let me download. It says temporarily unavailable and please try again later.

Please help me.


View attachment 864213

Is your RAM all working OK?

 

[pantherslover]

Is your RAM all working OK?

I couldn't say. I don't know how to check that from single user mode. I imagine it is.

 

[Ant3000]

I had a friend with an old G4 that suddenly stopped booting and it turned out to be a faulty RAM module. Not sure how you can check if all your RAM is being seen by the system if it won't boot, but may be worth researching if this can be done from Terminal. Or, you could pull any none hardwired RAM to see if it boots. It would at least rule out bad RAM.

 

[pantherslover]

I ran apple diagnostics and it says everything is ok. Then it directs you to some support and chat and what a disappointment that is. 2 hours wasted to get to chat with no one. the problem for me is i can't get into the app store when restore trys to download Yosemite. It keeps saying try again later. I don't have any other machine to hand and i live in the wilderness.