5,1 MP w/ Quadro P4000 - 4 Displays - 5K and other questions.

[Vecchiarelli]

Hello. I am currently running a 2012 Mac Pro 3.46GHz 12 Core with the original HD 5770 graphics card in it which is driving two 1920 x 1080 Raven MTi2 27" multitouch displays. In a few months I will be adding a considerable amount of screen real estate to my existing setup in the form of the upcoming Samsung 49" 5120 x 1440 ultra wide display and the currently available Philips 40" 3840 x 2160 display at a side station in my studio. The intention is to buy the Pascal based NVIDIA Quadro P4000 since it can drive 4 displays simultaneously at 5120 x 2880 resolution each using DisplayPort 1.4. The monitors will be connected as follows:

Monitor 1: Samsung 49" 5120 x 1440 - DisplayPort 1.4
Monitor 2: Philips 40" 3840 x 2160 - DisplayPort 1.2
Monitor 3: Raven MTi2 27" 1920 x 1080 - HDMI port only so a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter is necessary.
Monitor 4: Raven MTi2 27" 1920 x 1080 - HDMI port only so a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter is necessary.

I've spoken with NVIDIA as well as Apple tech support to see if there are any potential problems or hurdles that would prevent me from running these 4 displays at their native resolutions simultaneously and neither seemed to think I'd have an issue although they weren't entirely sure either. I'd like to get some more feedback before dropping $2500 on a card and two more displays. Does anyone know if it's possible to run a 5K display over DisplayPort 1.4 on a 2012 Mac Pro with an NVIDIA Quadro P4000 and the Mac OS beta drivers for Pascal based cards? If I can run the 49" 5K display, will I also be able to run the 40" 4K display and two 27" 1080p displays simultaneously?

I appreciate any help or thoughts on the matter and thank you for your time!

Edit: Here's the link to the graphics card: https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/...ization/documents/Quadro-P4000-US-03Feb17.pdf

 

[AlexMaximus]

Hello. I am currently running a 2012 Mac Pro 3.46GHz 12 Core with the original HD 5770 graphics card in it which is driving two 1920 x 1080 Raven MTi2 27" multitouch displays. In a few months I will be adding a considerable amount of screen real estate to my existing setup in the form of the upcoming Samsung 49" 5120 x 1440 ultra wide display and the currently available Philips 40" 3840 x 2160 display at a side station in my studio. The intention is to buy the Pascal based NVIDIA Quadro P4000 since it can drive 4 displays simultaneously at 5120 x 2880 resolution each using DisplayPort 1.4. The monitors will be connected as follows:

Monitor 1: Samsung 49" 5120 x 1440 - DisplayPort 1.4
Monitor 2: Philips 40" 3840 x 2160 - DisplayPort 1.2
Monitor 3: Raven MTi2 27" 1920 x 1080 - HDMI port only so a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter is necessary.
Monitor 4: Raven MTi2 27" 1920 x 1080 - HDMI port only so a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter is necessary.

I've spoken with NVIDIA as well as Apple tech support to see if there are any potential problems or hurdles that would prevent me from running these 4 displays at their native resolutions simultaneously and neither seemed to think I'd have an issue although they weren't entirely sure either. I'd like to get some more feedback before dropping $2500 on a card and two more displays. Does anyone know if it's possible to run a 5K display over DisplayPort 1.4 on a 2012 Mac Pro with an NVIDIA Quadro P4000 and the Mac OS beta drivers for Pascal based cards? If I can run the 49" 5K display, will I also be able to run the 40" 4K display and two 27" 1080p displays simultaneously?

I appreciate any help or thoughts on the matter and thank you for your time!

Edit: Here's the link to the graphics card: https://www.nvidia.com/content/dam/...ization/documents/Quadro-P4000-US-03Feb17.pdf

Could you tell us a little bit about the application you are running on that final setup?

Because actually, the application determines the configuration of the GPU card.
The way I grew up in the industry, Nvidia Quadro cards are great for CAD applications like Catia V5, ProE, SolidWorks
and UX/NX Siemens CAD/CAM software. Apple did not really target that market full-blown in the past but it always was possible and it worked like a charm if you use the Mac Edition CAD cards. The latest edition to my knowledge has been the Quadro K5000 that works with Nvidia Web drivers. To be in the save zone, I would go for only that card.

The question remains. Why do you need a Quadro card. In case you do not work with CAD/CAM, a regular TITAN X or XP would be advisable form this vendor. If it has to be a single slot version, then, of course, it is a different question altogehter.

http://www.macvidcards.com

As someone that uses a Nvidia GTX 980TI card for almost three years now, I can assure you the web driver support has been absolutely flawless so far. It is to this day an excellent card. It is in fact, the very best card I ever had. I guess Nvida do not take any s@'§t from Apple, hance Apple's reaction to go all crappy on inferior AMD cards with somewhat bad drivers. (My own experience with the white Mac Edition 7950)
A flashed version is more expensive, but after all you do get what you pay for in the GPU world of options.

 

[Vecchiarelli]

Could you tell us a little bit about the application you are running on that final setup?

Because actually, the application determines the configuration of the GPU card.
The way I grew up in the industry, Nvidia Quadro cards are great for CAD applications like Catia V5, ProE, SolidWorks
and UX/NX Siemens CAD/CAM software. Apple did not really target that market full-blown in the past but it always was possible and it worked like a charm if you use the Mac Edition CAD cards. The latest edition to my knowledge has been the Quadro K5000 that works with Nvidia Web drivers. To be in the save zone, I would go for only that card.

The question remains. Why do you need a Quadro card. In case you do not work with CAD/CAM, a regular TITAN X or XP would be advisable form this vendor. If it has to be a single slot version, then, of course, it is a different question altogehter.

http://www.macvidcards.com

As someone that uses a Nvidia GTX 980TI card for almost three years now, I can assure you the web driver support has been absolutely flawless so far. It is to this day an excellent card. It is in fact, the very best card I ever had. I guess Nvida do not take any s@'§t from Apple, hance Apple's reaction to go all crappy on inferior AMD cards with somewhat bad drivers. (My own experience with the white Mac Edition 7950)
A flashed version is more expensive, but after all you do get what you pay for in the GPU world of options.

The single width of the Quadro P4000 is important to me since I have other PCIe cards taking up slots and don't want to run an expansion chassis to add another card. I'm not running graphics software, CAD, or anything like that. I'm a music producer and DJ first and foremost although I do some photo and video editing here and there. The Quadro P4000 appeals to me because it is capable of driving four 5K displays simultaneously. Granted, I'll only be running one 5K display, one 4K display, and two 1080p displays but it's nice to have the ability to expand down the road. When I was looking at specs of cards the Quadro P4000 looks like the first one that should work for driving the displays I plan on buying. The NVIDIA site is light on details when it comes to the GTX cards but very specific on the Quadro cards.

 

[bookemdano]

Can't you just buy the card from somewhere that has a decent return policy and try it? I somehow doubt you're going to find anyone who has already tried such a niche setup.

Looks like it's $775 on Amazon with Prime shipping, which has easy returns.

 

[Vecchiarelli]

Can't you just buy the card from somewhere that has a decent return policy and try it? I somehow doubt you're going to find anyone who has already tried such a niche setup.

Looks like it's $775 on Amazon with Prime shipping, which has easy returns.

It wouldn't be just the card but also the Samsung 49" 5K display and either an LG, Phillips, or comparable 43" 4K display. That's a lot of stuff to order and return especially if I have to pay return shipping on the monitors.. If it was just the card then I'd order it to test.

 

[bookemdano]

It wouldn't be just the card but also the Samsung 49" 5K display and either an LG, Phillips, or comparable 43" 4K display. That's a lot of stuff to order and return especially if I have to pay return shipping on the monitors.. If it was just the card then I'd order it to test.

If you can't run those exact four monitor models is the whole project off? What if the card doesn't support the DQHD ultrawide but does support two 4K monitors plus the two 1080p ones you already have--is that completely unworkable?

If your requirements are that strict I think you're going to have little choice but to acquire it all and test it yourself. I really doubt anyone here has ever even used that card, much less that specific array of monitors with it. Actually, from googling I see that the Sammy isn't even out yet.

Seems to me it's a better than 50-50 shot it would work, especially since NVidia and Apple have both given you assurances. But you may want to hold off on purchasing anything until the monitor you want to use with it is on the market.

 

[Vecchiarelli]

If you can't run those exact four monitor models is the whole project off? What if the card doesn't support the DQHD ultrawide but does support two 4K monitors plus the two 1080p ones you already have--is that completely unworkable?

If your requirements are that strict I think you're going to have little choice but to acquire it all and test it yourself. I really doubt anyone here has ever even used that card, much less that specific array of monitors with it. Actually, from googling I see that the Sammy isn't even out yet.

Seems to me it's a better than 50-50 shot it would work, especially since NVidia and Apple have both given you assurances. But you may want to hold off on purchasing anything until the monitor you want to use with it is on the market.

I was about to pull the trigger on the Samsung CHG90 but wasn’t crazy about the 1080 vertical resolution so I’m holding off for the updated model. I recently gave up two Apple 27” Thunderbolt displays to go with the multitouch Raven MTi2’s fitted in the Raven Core Station which looks like this: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ogy-raven-mti-core-station-with-2-raven-mti2s
The Samsung monitor will fit perfectly across the top of this setup when using a floor standing mount while not being so tall that I’d be craning my neck upwards to work since it’s simply extra wide. The other monitor will be at a separate station in the room. I am going for maximum screen real estate since that monitor will sometimes have to fill the role of the other 3. I’m seeking information from people who may either have experience with the Quadro cards or who know enough about running multiple high res displays from a 5,1 Mac Pro. If, for example, someone knows that DisplayPort 1.4 will not be supported in the beta drivers for the Pascal based Quadro cards then I’d like to know that. Or, if only certain resolutions can be driven due to limitations in the bandwidth of PCIe 2.0 architecture (or whatever else).

 

[bookemdano]

Hopefully someone knows something. If and when you get all that set up and working, come back and post a pic here--I'd love to see it.

 

[Vecchiarelli]

Dell ended up being the first to release a 5120 x 1440 ultra wide monitor and the Samsung will likely be a gaming version with more curvature when it's released anyway so I went with the Dell. Here's some pics of it with my two 27" Raven touch screens. The 4th monitor isn't shown since that part of the room isn't done yet and I plan on replacing the 31.5" 2560 x 1440 monitor currently residing there with a 40" 3840 x 2160 monitor after I get the rest of the equipment in place.

 

[joevt]

5120 x 1440 does not require DisplayPort 1.4 for RGB 8bpc color.

Can you report the output of the following command:

/System/Library/Extensions/AppleGraphicsControl.kext/Contents/MacOS/AGDCDiagnose -a > AGDCDiagnose_a.txt 2>&1

It will show if the displays are running at DisplayPort 1.4 (HBR3) or DisplayPort 1.2 (HBR2) speed. I'm looking for an example of displays connected to an Nvidia Pascal card running at HBR3 speed.

 

[ClaudAA]

Dell ended up being the first to release a 5120 x 1440 ultra wide monitor and the Samsung will likely be a gaming version with more curvature when it's released anyway so I went with the Dell. Here's some pics of it with my two 27" Raven touch screens. The 4th monitor isn't shown since that part of the room isn't done yet and I plan on replacing the 31.5" 2560 x 1440 monitor currently residing there with a 40" 3840 x 2160 monitor after I get the rest of the equipment in place.

I got a Quadro M4000 card and the web driver sees the card but I cannot get the full resolution on my Apple Cinema Display 30", it does on the AMD through DVI connector and also on the Quadro 4000, but on the Quadro M4000 I had a DP to DVI adapter and can only displays 1280x800. Using Mac OS Sierra 10.12.6 for software compatibiliy needs.

Any ideas ? Thanks.

 

[joevt]

had a DP to DVI adapter

Was it a DP to DVI Dual Link adapter (these usually have a USB power connection since the DP connector doesn't have enough power to do DVI dual link)?

 

[ClaudAA]

Was it a DP to DVI Dual Link adapter (these usually have a USB power connection since the DP connector doesn't have enough power to do DVI dual link)?

These are the combos I tried:
1. DP to DVI Adapter (Moread)
2. DP 1.2a to DVI Active Adapter (Monoprice).
3. DP to MiniDP adapter to Apple MiniDP to DVI.
All the above with the same results.
I have similar HP monitor and has the same problem, I tried all the combinations.
What am I having wrong ? Thanks.

 

[joevt]

These are the combos I tried:
1. DP to DVI Adapter (Moread)
2. DP 1.2a to DVI Active Adapter (Monoprice).
3. DP to MiniDP adapter to Apple MiniDP to DVI.
All the above with the same results.
I have similar HP monitor and has the same problem, I tried all the combinations.
What am I having wrong ? Thanks.

None of them support DVI Dual-Link. Learn the difference between Dual-Link and Single-Link at

Digital Visual Interface - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

DVI single link is used for HDMI (dual link HDMI has a spec but no-one used it)

HDMI - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

1) The Moread doesn't have USB power connection so is probably Single Link. The amazon page says it only supports 1920x1200 or 2048x1536. Does not support 2560x1600.

Moread DisplayPort (DP) to DVI Adapter, 5 Pack, Gold-Plated Display Port to DVI-D Adapter (Male to Female) Compatible with Computer, Desktop, Laptop, PC, Monitor, Projector, HDTV - Black

Moread DisplayPort (DP) to DVI Adapter, 5 Pack, Gold-Plated Display Port to DVI-D Adapter (Male to Female) Compatible with Computer, Desktop, Laptop, PC, Monitor, Projector, HDTV - Black

www.amazon.com

2) The comments for the Monoprice say that their claim of Dual Link support is false. The connector is Dual Link but the signal is only Single Link. Plus, it doesn't have a USB power connection so it probably can't do Dual Link.

Monoprice DisplayPort 1.2a to DVI Active Adapter, Black - Monoprice.com

Connect your DisplayPort® equipped PC to a DVI™ monitor using this DisplayPort 1.2a to DVI Active Adapter from Monoprice™! This adapter is designed to allow you to c

www.monoprice.com

3) Apple has two MiniDP to DVI adapters. One is Single Link. The other (with USB power connection) is Dual Link.

About the Apple Mini DisplayPort adapters - Apple Support (CA)

Use these adapters to connect a Mac that has a Mini DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, or Thunderbolt 2 port to a display that uses a DVI or VGA cable.

support.apple.com

Here are some other DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI adapters:

DisplayPort to DVI Dual Link Adapter - DisplayPort & Mini DisplayPort Adapters | Display & Video Adapters | StarTech.com

DisplayPort to DVI Dual Link Active Adapter Converter - DP to Dual Link DVI-D Active Adapter - 2560x1600 - 3D support

www.startech.com

Club 3D | DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI-D HDCP ON version Active Adapter M/F

The Club 3D CAC-1010 DisplayPort™ + USB Type A to Dual Link DVI HDCP ON version Active Adapter signal format converter seamlessly connect DisplayPort™ based source to conventional DVI displays, such as CRT, LCD monitors and projectors, that support HDCP, you can enjoy the ultimate widescreen...

www.club-3d.com

Here's one that works with USB-C (USB power comes from USB-C port):

Club 3D | USB3.2 Gen1 Type-C to Dual Link DVI-D HDCP ON version Active Adapter M/F

The Club 3D CAC-1510 is a USB Type C input to Dual Link DVI-D or Single Link DVI output adapter HDCP ON version for displays which do support HDCP. USB3.2 Gen1 Type-C to Dual Link DVI or Single Link DVI Adapter is the easiest solution for connecting your USB3.2 Gen1 Type-C source device...

www.club-3d.com

Max Pixel Clock of Dual Link DVI is usually 330 MHz (8 bpc).
Max Pixel Clock for Single Link HDMI 1.4 is usually 340 MHz (8 bpc). Be careful of adapters that claim 2560x1440 dual link but are actually just single link.

 

[ClaudAA]

Thanks a lot !!! all of the above is true. I did not know that Monoprice 'cheated'... but is true, does NOT work at other than 1800x1200.

I just ordered the appropriate Club 3D. Now I have a collection of DVI adapters for low res...

 

[ClaudAA]

Well, Club 3D CAC 1010 not working, black screen wether USB is connected or not. When USB is connected the screen shows black RGB snow...
This is the worst of all the connectors, cause don't even get a low res image. Am lost.
I sent email to Support... we will see.

 

[tommy chen]

club 3D sucks

 

[joevt]

Well, Club 3D CAC 1010 not working, black screen wether USB is connected or not. When USB is connected the screen shows black RGB snow...
This is the worst of all the connectors, cause don't even get a low res image. Am lost.
I sent email to Support... we will see.

Turn on screen sharing so you can see what is going on using a different Mac.

Disconnect the adapter from the computer completely. Connect the display to the adapter. Connect the adapter's USB. Finally, connect the adapter to DisplayPort.

Use SwitchResX to see the timing info. The Apple 30" Cinema Display only supports two timings:
1280x800@59.910Hz 49.306kHz 71.00MHz h(48 32 80 +) v(3 6 14 -)
2560x1600@59.860Hz 98.529kHz 268.00MHz h(48 32 80 +) v(3 6 37 -)

 

[ClaudAA]

Turn on screen sharing so you can see what is going on using a different Mac.

Disconnect the adapter from the computer completely. Connect the display to the adapter. Connect the adapter's USB. Finally, connect the adapter to DisplayPort.

Use SwitchResX to see the timing info. The Apple 30" Cinema Display only supports two timings:
1280x800@59.910Hz 49.306kHz 71.00MHz h(48 32 80 +) v(3 6 14 -)
2560x1600@59.860Hz 98.529kHz 268.00MHz h(48 32 80 +) v(3 6 37 -)

Using the Club3D I followed the connection sequence but no luck, tried 3 times. Same black snow screen.
No response yet from Club3D support.

Then, I used the other adapter with SwitchResX and got to display the resolution @ 2560x1800 but blury fonts and shapes all over.
Thanks for the ideas.

 

[joevt]

Using the Club3D I followed the connection sequence but no luck, tried 3 times. Same black snow screen.
No response yet from Club3D support.

Then, I used the other adapter with SwitchResX and got to display the resolution @ 2560x1800 but blury fonts and shapes all over.

I think you mean 2560x1600?

What other adapter?

Did you use SwitchResX to verify that the timing info matches the numbers I posted?

 

[ClaudAA]

I think you mean 2560x1600?

What other adapter?

Did you use SwitchResX to verify that the timing info matches the numbers I posted?

Yes, I see some discrepancy but don't know how to change that and am afraid to screw it up.... and end up without a monitor.

 

[joevt]

Can you show us the discrepancy? Or anything? Post the EDID from SwitchResX so I can compare with my own. Use SwitchResX to create the 2560x1600 timing if it doesn't have one for the display.

 

[ClaudAA]

Can you show us the discrepancy? Or anything? Post the EDID from SwitchResX so I can compare with my own. Use SwitchResX to create the 2560x1600 timing if it doesn't have one for the display.

I was advised by SwRx to get the Apple adapter cable. According to them the soft SwRx was trying to up the resolution and does the blury texts/image at 2560x1600... nothing to do with timing. (I tried different timings, etc. with SwRx)
So I purchased the cable. Once I test it... will report results. Thanks.

 

[joevt]

I was advised by SwRx to get the Apple adapter cable. According to them the soft SwRx was trying to up the resolution and does the blury texts/image at 2560x1600... nothing to do with timing. (I tried different timings, etc. with SwRx)
So I purchased the cable. Once I test it... will report results. Thanks.

Probably a waste of money. If you don't post the information, we cannot help you. Why would you try different timings after I told you that the Apple 30" Cinema Display only supports two specific timings?

 

[ClaudAA]

Probably a waste of money. If you don't post the information, we cannot help you. Why would you try different timings after I told you that the Apple 30" Cinema Display only supports two specific timings?

I saw that the timing was exactly what you posted and was not giving me clear image. So, I tried different timings (am an Aero engineer, we try things) and could not find one that works. Once I receive the Apple cable I will report like I said. Thanks.