Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2012 Mac Pro + SAPPHIRE Pulse Radeon RX 580

B

BlueBubba

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 5, 2012
59
4
Hello,

I'm back on a Mac Pro after 2 years, so I'm a bit out of the loop. From reading through the threads it seems the recommended GPU for a 2012 Mac Pro is the SAPPHIRE Pulse Radeon RX 580.

Will it work out of the box? Do I need to buy anything else? Are there any compatibility issues? Etc..?

Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MisterAndrew
It should work out of the box with OS X 10.13. I'm waiting since two months for this card. How did you get it?
 
I don't have it. Just checking I'm not going to have any issues.

Are the pin connectors and power draw etc... all compatible with the Mac Pro?

Cheers.
 
BlueBubba said:
I don't have it. Just checking I'm not going to have any issues.

Are the pin connectors and power draw etc... all compatible with the Mac Pro?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

In terms of driver support, it's OOTB.

But power draw still under testing at this moment. It may draw more than 75W from the slot in extreme condition (exceed the official limit). But so far, seems didn't cause any real issue yet.
 
BlueBubba said:
I don't have it. Just checking I'm not going to have any issues.

Are the pin connectors and power draw etc... all compatible with the Mac Pro?

Cheers.
Click to expand...


I use one under OSX, and it's running like a champ! So far, so good. To connect it, you need a cable which adapts its 8-pin connection to dual mini-6-pin. You can find the cable on Amazon, for 13 USD.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zoltm
Has anyone put up Amazon Links to the power connectors necessary for this card and a 2010 Mac Pro?
 
GCSMatt said:
I bought a PULSE RX580 8Gb. It will be shipped today, with any luck i will have it Thursday.
I will post my results after I install the card! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Wow, WHERE did you find one?
And we look forward to hearing how you get on.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
  • Like
Reactions: ActionableMango
Ok, I just installed my Sapphire Pulse RX580 - but I do not get the boot screen, except for just a second or 2 right at the end, and it shows up as an R9 XXX. Is there more than one iteration of the Sapphire Pulse RX580? Mine has 2 HDMI, 2 DP and 1 DVI. Pics attached.
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 2.10.09 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 2.10.09 PM.png
    242.2 KB · Views: 1,798
  • Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 2.10.03 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 2.10.03 PM.png
    236.1 KB · Views: 1,722
  • Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 2.14.41 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 2.14.41 PM.png
    77.5 KB · Views: 1,849
  • Like
Reactions: dabotsonline
You will not get the boot screen with an RX580, and the R9..... description is normal in Sierra.
I believe in High Sierra it lists correctly, as its the card in Apple's eGpu.
This is the same card I have in my mac.
 
  • Like
Reactions: foliovision
Ok, I incorrectly assumed that working OOTB meant that the card would have the boot screen. So that is my bad.
 
OOTB meaning no setup, no drivers required..... unfortunately no boot screen :)
But, really is it required?
One thing I recently discovered, is to upgrade to HS, you need an Apple EFI card to perform a firmware update.
Luckily I still have my old card.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dabotsonline
I'm going to run a few Benchmarks to see if it's worth it to ditch the R9280x, and go to the RX580. What should I run aside from Geekbench.
 
Sorry thats out of my expertise, I don't dabble with benchmarks/speeds etc, just plug it in and use it.
Have a look at the other threads, these benchmarks have all been done by others.
 
Here are my scores.

With the R9 280x

Geekbench: 27265
Cinebench 58.25 fps
Luxmark 14540
BruceX: 42 seconds

with the RX580

Geekbench: 26817
Cinebench 59.57 fps
Luxmark 15245
BruceX: 38 Seconds
[doublepost=1509652495][/doublepost]Unless if someone can make sense of this for me and tell me something I don't know - I'm not sure the RX580 is all that much better than the R9280x.
 

Attachments

  • Luxmark RX580.png
    Luxmark RX580.png
    109.3 KB · Views: 1,025
  • Cinebench RX580.png
    Cinebench RX580.png
    110.6 KB · Views: 1,200
  • GB RX580.png
    GB RX580.png
    204.9 KB · Views: 1,461
  • Luxmark R9 280x.png
    Luxmark R9 280x.png
    70.9 KB · Views: 1,091
  • Cinebench R9280x.png
    Cinebench R9280x.png
    106.6 KB · Views: 2,361
  • GB R9280x.png
    GB R9280x.png
    189 KB · Views: 844
CineBench and Geekbench is benchmarking the CPU, not GPU. If you want to see why upgrade to RX580, try some real OpenGL benchmark (e.g. Unigine Valley, or Unigine Heaven, etc).

Anyway, Luxmark 3 should be a good OpenCL benchmark.
 
h9826790 said:
CineBench and Geekbench is benchmarking the CPU, not GPU. If you want to see why upgrade to RX580, try some real OpenGL benchmark (e.g. Unigine Valley, or Unigine Heaven, etc).

Anyway, Luxmark 3 should be a good OpenCL benchmark.
Click to expand...
Another benefit, and to me the primary benefit, is that you can now run 4K and 5K displays (in theory) due to the RX580 having the more modern DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI2.0 standards.
[doublepost=1509710449][/doublepost]
GCSMatt said:
and it shows up as an R9 XXX.
Click to expand...
Yep, as someone else has pointed out, you would need High Sierra to have the correct name shown.
Indeed the drivers in High Sierra will likely be more up to date and probably perform better than the RX580 driver in Sierra.
 
Does anyone know where to get this cable in the UK?
Could not find the dual 6 pin ones on ebay :(
 
GCSMatt said:
Here are my scores.
with the RX580
BruceX: 38 Seconds
[doublepost=1509652495][/doublepost]Unless if someone can make sense of this for me and tell me something I don't know - I'm not sure the RX580 is all that much better than the R9280x.
Click to expand...

The RX 580 should be running 19-20 seconds on bruceX. 38 seconds seems a bit high.
 
  • Like
Reactions: h9826790
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back