MP All Models AMD Polaris, Vega, & Navi GPU macOS Support

[AlexMaximus]

T

Well, I got it for 699 Euros. Buy it from Germany. Right now it‘s 650 Euros here. That‘s cheap. No need to buy it within the UK as long you are still part of the EU
After one week I can tell that the fan control is indeed working and performance is good. It‘s working fine in FCP X 10.4.1 and the latest Premiere Pro version. There were three small hick-ups: once my second monitor just randomly stop receiving a signal, a restart solved that. Another time the Mac randomly shut off, no GPU intensive things were happening. Last but not least it did not give a signal to my main display after a restart. I see that quite pragmatic, our Mac Pros are really old, the transistors age, the power adaptor is a little weak. Well, next year we will have our new Mac Pro and by then we can stick our nice little Sapphire Pulse or whatever Vega card in a Sonnet eGPU enclosure and continue to have fun with it. We also bought an iMac Pro (10 Core) recently, the one with the Vega 64. This thing feels much faster. It‘s not just the faster SSD, reaction times are much fast overall, it feels faster. Working with this iMac Pro in Adobe Premiere is fun. We put a Nvidia 1080 in a eGPU enclosure to use some CUDA 3D-rendering, but unfortunately that does not work reliable at the moment.

Thank you so much to everyone that contributes to this exceptionally important GPU thread.
So out of your experience, it sounds a lot like the Vega 56 upgrade for the CMP is finally working without a flaw or is at least heading there.
Would you jump ship and sell a mutant Nvidia card for a brand new Vega. On the other hand, if I would go for an iMac Pro myself in the future, I could put my Nvidia 980Ti in an external case as well. Great to hear that positive experience with the 10 core model!
Many thanks to Mr. Andrew as well for the info & pics, you help a lot to this community!

 

[thevidness]

Thank you so much to everyone that contributes to this exceptionally important GPU thread.

i can only second that!

 

[cube]

No need to buy it within the UK as long you are still part of the EU

No need after Brexit either. Just make sure then that the seller does not apply VAT and pay the British one when importing (processing fee varies depending on carrier). Some sellers may pre-charge it (which is more convenient and might be cheaper).

 

[MisterAndrew]

T


Thank you so much to everyone that contributes to this exceptionally important GPU thread.
So out of your experience, it sounds a lot like the Vega 56 upgrade for the CMP is finally working without a flaw or is at least heading there.
Would you jump ship and sell a mutant Nvidia card for a brand new Vega. On the other hand, if I would go for an iMac Pro myself in the future, I could put my Nvidia 980Ti in an external case as well. Great to hear that positive experience with the 10 core model!
Many thanks to Mr. Andrew as well for the info & pics, you help a lot to this community!

Thank you. I'm glad to be able to share helpful information. The Pulse 56 is working flawlessly for me. No issues with MacOS since I've installed it. I would definitely jump ship on an Nvidia card for one. It's nice that it doesn't need messing with drivers. It just works. It works better for eGPU than Nvidia cards also so you could still use it later with a new iMac Pro or the next Mac Pro. Just be sure you get the Sapphire Pulse model. The others have the fan issue which will probably not be resolved. And make sure you can adequately power a Vega card, such as Pixlas mod. The Pulse model may be okay using the cMP's existing power outputs on the logic board, but I don't have iStat Menus to test the power draw. As long as you didn't push it too hard it would probably be fine. You could use the secondary lower power bios as well by flipping the bios switch on the card.

If you purchase a card from a retailer that allows returns you could try the Sapphire Nitro+ model. That one is suppose to be quiet too, but I don't believe anyone has tested one in a cMP yet. I would look for the regular Nitro+ that has 2 power connectors, and not the limited edition that has 3 power connectors. I don't believe the custom Asus and Gigabyte Vega cards have been tested either. However, the reviews for the custom Gigabyte model aren't very good. Also, it isn't known if the custom models that have different port configurations than the reference and Pulse cards (1 HDMI + 3 DP) will work properly or if all the ports will function.

You could also hold out for the Pulse 64 which should be released soon, but note that it will have higher power consumption and of course a higher price tag.

 

[MisterAndrew]

Someone on Reddit claims the Nitro+ 64 BIOS works on the Pulse 56. I'm going to try it. That will tell us if the Nitro+ also behaves well in MacOS.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/89uzar/vega_nano_pcbvrm_analysis/

There's also a rumor circulating today that a Vega Nano with a 150w TDP will be launched soon.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Radeon-RX-Vega-Nano-cards-could-be-launched-soon.296858.0.html
[doublepost=1523478385][/doublepost]I tried the Nitro+ 64 (regular, not LE) bios and the Mac won't boot. It goes into an endless chime loop. I tried both the primary and secondary bios. I tried the Nitro+ 56 bios and it works. Perhaps my particular chip can't handle the increased frequencies of the 64. There doesn't appear to be any change in the fan behavior.

A little higher Luxball score.

 

[Master Tom]

I tried the Nitro+ 64 (regular, not LE) bios and the Mac won't boot. It goes into an endless chime loop. I tried both the primary and secondary bios. I tried the Nitro+ 56 bios and it works. Perhaps my particular chip can't handle the increased frequencies of the 64. There doesn't appear to be any change in the fan behavior.
View attachment 757918

Does that mean the Fans are working correctly or not?

 

[MisterAndrew]

Does that mean the Fans are working correctly or not?

The fans work correctly on the Nitro+. I just tried the reference 56 BIOS on the Pulse and the fans spin up fast. So it's definitely something with the bios. The Pulse bios should fix the fan problem on reference cards. You could use the Nitro+ bios as well, but I don't know if all the ports will work since they're 2 HDMI and 2 DP on those.

So far I've only been able to get one 64 bios to work on this card, the secondary reference bios. Impressive windows luxmark score though.

 

[MisterAndrew]

It looks like people have trouble flashing a 64 bios to the Nitro+ 56 as well. It seems a lot of those have Hynix memory. At least this Pulse has Samsung memory. It's probably hard to say whether the quality of the Vega chip or the memory is the issue. I don't have any problem running the stock BIOS since I prefer the lower power consumption, but don't expect to get a 56 and then be able to flash a 64 BIOS to it. I also don't know if the Nitro+ 64 model will even work in the Mac since I couldn't get it to boot with that BIOS.

https://hardforum.com/threads/sapphire-vega-56-nitro-bios-flashing-problems.1956670/

 

[MisterAndrew]

Some people have explained that flashing the Pulse or Nitro+ BIOS to a reference card may be a bad idea since the PCB is different and could cause damage to the card. It's up to you whether you'd like to take the risk.

 

[PowerMac84]

Some experiences with the Sapphire Pulse Vega 56:

Problems with the second monitor. Sometimes it stays black, even if it is incorrectly set to be the system‘s main display. Setting it to sleep and wake-up usually works. Two crashes related to heavy GPU rendering. Could not get it back to show an image.

 

[ilikewhey]

I agree that there should be very little different in CPU temperature. And the CPU cage fans can easily remove the extra heat. This fit my cMP with a open fan type 1080Ti.

But I believe ilikewhey means there is only one fan in the PCIe compartment and no obvious exhaust path for the heated air in the PCIe compartment.

In my own observation, a powerful open fan type GPU can easily heat up the PCIe compartment for 5-10C. And the cMP's PCIe compartment's ventilation is not that good. I tested it carefully. Leave the side panel open can let the GPU run 3-4 degree cooler (normal high demand, GPU factory auto fan control). It's a sign that the PCIe compartment is poorly ventilated.

If the PCIe compartment has good ventilation, keep the side panel close should have better cooling because all air flow is directed as per design.

this.

i had motherboard going bad on me cause the gpu dumps too much heat into a not so well ventilated case, the cmp's pcie compartment is not well designed for dual fan cooling gpus. if i drill holes on the side panels thn yah maybe.

 

[yosem20]

Finally today arrive my MSI Vega 56 Air Boost (just two slots only). My computer is Macpro 5,1, 3,46x2 , 64Gb ram. 13.4
Computer start as always, cinebench is 68fps. Better than nvidia.
I opened wirecast, a video tool, and all start to fault. Second video output is working bad inside wirecast. I opened old one version and i can make it work, but problem with frame rate conversion betweem 60 on ui, and 50 on video output.
All this problem are only with vega56. Other old ati or other nvidia card work well.

I recommend NOT go vega56 way.

About fan, my room is a bit noisy, but i think its working well.

I think Luxmark or cinebench or any other program are just tests, in the real applications this card drivers are not working well.

I just packed the card for return to amazon.

regards

 

[bsbeamer]

this.

i had motherboard going bad on me cause the gpu dumps too much heat into a not so well ventilated case, the cmp's pcie compartment is not well designed for dual fan cooling gpus. if i drill holes on the side panels thn yah maybe.

I found removing all HDDs from internal case helps tremendously.

I was operating with the cover off or propped open on several 5,1s at client offices in the past few months because of random "issues" when taxing GPU during video renders because of high and increased temps. I did consider drilling holes into the cover at one point and installing a side exhaust fan on one machine, but the cover off was the quick solution at the time.

It does seem like the NVIDIA GTX 1080 FE runs cooler than some other variants in Mac Pro. I do not have stats or screenshots to prove that. The fan design on that card is nearly identical to the EVGA GTX 680 Mac Edition.

 

[h9826790]

I found removing all HDDs from internal case helps tremendously.

I was operating with the cover off or propped open on several 5,1s at client offices in the past few months because of random "issues" when taxing GPU during video renders because of high and increased temps. I did consider drilling holes into the cover at one point and installing a side exhaust fan on one machine, but the cover off was the quick solution at the time.

It does seem like the NVIDIA GTX 1080 FE runs cooler than some other variants in Mac Pro. I do not have stats or screenshots to prove that. The fan design on that card is nearly identical to the EVGA GTX 680 Mac Edition.

AFAIK, the 1080FE use vapor chamber cooling, not the same cooler as the 680.

 

[bsbeamer]

AFAIK, the 1080FE use vapor chamber cooling, not the same cooler as the 680.

Isn't the vapor chamber basically integrated as part of the heat sink? The exhaust on both is nearly identical.

 

[h9826790]

Isn't the vapor chamber basically integrated as part of the heat sink? The exhaust on both is nearly identical.

Yes, but a vapour chamber suppose has better cooling ability then the traditional copper heatsink.

 

[MisterAndrew]

Several RX Vega cards are 10% off right now at Newegg with a promo code. That makes the Pulse 56 $620.99.

 

[cube]

Several RX Vega cards are 10% off right now at Newegg with a promo code. That makes the Pulse 56 $620.99.

MSRP for the reference 56 card is $399.

But I would not buy it with a reference cooler.

 

[ilikewhey]

i remember buying 64 vega for 600 oh the time have changed

 

[MisterAndrew]

Well at least Newegg is giving me a $34 gift card since the price went down. That's nice of them.

 

[MisterAndrew]

Some experiences with the Sapphire Pulse Vega 56:

Problems with the second monitor. Sometimes it stays black, even if it is incorrectly set to be the system‘s main display. Setting it to sleep and wake-up usually works. Two crashes related to heavy GPU rendering. Could not get it back to show an image.

Do you have this issue when the second monitor is connected by itself or only when both monitors are connected? Does it still have the issue if you plug it into a different port?

 

[cube]

i remember buying 64 vega for 600 oh the time have changed

MSRP for reference 64 is $499. You must have bought a pack.

 

[MisterAndrew]

MSRP for reference 64 is $499. You must have bought a pack.

I’m sure everyone agrees GPUs are overpriced, but unfortunately that’s just the way things are now. Cryptocurrencies are on the rise again so it’s likely GPU prices will start to go up again very soon. I would buy now while prices are still low.

 

[m3rob]

MisterAndrew,

Thanks for all your contributions to this thread and the forum!

I am trying to decide between Vega FE and the Sapphire Pulse Vega 56 that you have been talking about. For sure there is a big plus with the vega 56 because it has its fans under control. But in my situation I have the wires running through the wall so I can't hear the computer anyway. So I guess it comes to to speed... Is the Vega FE that much faster than than your Vega 56. I am having trouble finding a good source to compare the two cards in benchmarks for our computers. Barefeats has never tested this card...

Thanks!

Rob

 

[cube]

I’m sure everyone agrees GPUs are overpriced, but unfortunately that’s just the way things are now. Cryptocurrencies are on the rise again so it’s likely GPU prices will start to go up again very soon. I would buy now while prices are still low.

Prices are not low. I will not buy any graphics card while they are inflated.