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

[TheTurboGinger]

Whoo hoo! Installed a Radeon RX Vega 64

Replaced my MSI Radeon RX 580 with a SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 after I flashed the Vega 64 with the Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64 (standard PCB): SECONDARY Bios 113-D0500110-S01. Note: the Primary BIOS does nothing.

The flashing process I used is demonstrated in THIS VIDEO the card was installed in a Dell PC with Win 7 Pro running.

The card is powered by the Mac Pro Pixlas Mod.

With the Nitro Secondary Bios fans run as expected:
#1 Fans run fast pre post at boot up, then slow down and stop (0 RPM) when at idle, not under load.
#2 The fans spin up under load, such as in LuxMark and slow down and go back to idle (0 RPM) after LuxMark is completed and some time has passed.
#3 I have not had any need so far to run a H.265 video or sleep to trigger the fans to slow down.
#4 Sleep and wake work as expected.
#5 All output ports work as expected.
#6 The "BLUE Logo light option" seems to not work in OSX, only Windows? In OSX it is RED.

The card is the reference design, occupies only two slots and when installed in slot #1, slot #2 is still available. It totally fits, being the same length and slightly narrower than my MSI RX 580 card.

Got it on sale on BlackFriday NewEgg/Ebay sale for $339.99.

The System specs with Mojave 10.14.1
Mid 2010 Mac Pro 5.1 Dual 3.46 X5690 64GB Ram Boot ROM Version: 140.0.0.0.0
Slot 1 SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 connected via DVI-D to Dell UltraSharp U2412M and a Wacom Cintiq 22HD via HDMI
Slot 2 OWC Accelsior S PCIe + WD Blue 1TB Internal SSD Solid State Drive - SATA Boot drive.
Slot 3 Ableconn PU31-1A1C USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C)


Thanks to:
MisterAndrew
bgdre12
fireedo
AlexMaximus

PS: I hope OP can update the first post. I found the info written there on flashing to be confusing. IMHO a reference design card is the best MacPro Vega solution, since it is more compact than others, and the fans seems to work as expected after flashing.

Thanks for the clear explanation.
I just got my Vega 64 Sapphire RX working with the BIOS flash instructions above.

System specs:
High Sierra 10.13.6
Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
Processor 2 x 3.33 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon, 32GB RAM
Radeon 5770 (for boot screen), Vega 64 sapphire RX

With the Nitro+ Vega 64 secondary BIOS flash, the fan is off at rest. I just get an occasional, brief fan burst here and there. Fan powers on appropriately with video editing and games. Fortnite runs better on the Nitro+ BIOS than either of the factory BIOS shipped with the card (nearly stable 60fps on high settings, full resolution output to 2010 27" cinema display).

I used Windows bootcamp running on my Mac Pro to flash the Vega 64 with new BIOS. It was kind of pain - needed to boot with monitors plugged into the Radeon 5770 and Vega 64 to get output each time booting with new vega BIOS (windows installing drivers?). Windows boots fine straight from Vega 64 afterwards.

My Vega 64 is powered with a 750W external PSU. I bought a cheap Bronze Cooler Master, but will be returning for something more robust (this PSU makes a weird clicking noise at high load). Tried a 500W EVGA which caused the system to shutdown shortly after booting.

 

[Logix1]

My Vega 64 is powered with a 750W external PSU. I bought a cheap Bronze Cooler Master, but will be returning for something more robust (this PSU makes a weird clicking noise at high load). Tried a 500W EVGA which caused the system to shutdown shortly after booting.

@TheTurboGinger how exactly did you power your Vega 64 with external PSU?
can i just buy a modular PSU and use 2 x 8 pin connector cables from the PSU to the Vega 64?
I want to buy the same card (SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64) for my Mac Pro 5,1 and i'm not sure how to make it work.

Do i have to do the BIOS flash or the card will work without it? my only computer is this MP 5,1 so no Windows.. i don't need a boot screen

 

[nampramos]

Could anyone please confirm if the Gigabyte Vega 56 Gaming OC 8GB will work just fine (plug-n-play) on an eGPU or will it need to be flashed?

Thank you!

 

[AlexMaximus]

Whoo hoo! Installed a Radeon RX Vega 64

Replaced my MSI Radeon RX 580 SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64after I flashed the Vega 64 with the Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64 (standard PCB): SECONDARY Bios 113-D0500110-S01. Note: the Primary BIOS does nothing.

The flashing process I used is demonstrated in THIS VIDEO the card was installed in a Dell PC with Win 7 Pro running.

The card is powered by the Mac Pro Pixlas Mod.

With the Nitro Secondary Bios fans run as expected:
#1 Fans run fast pre post at boot up, then slow down and stop (0 RPM) when at idle, not under load.
#2 The fans spin up under load, such as in LuxMark and slow down and go back to idle (0 RPM) after LuxMark is completed and some time has passed.
#3 I have not had any need so far to run a H.265 video or sleep to trigger the fans to slow down.
#4 Sleep and wake work as expected.
#5 All output ports work as expected.
#6 The "BLUE Logo light option" seems to not work in OSX, only Windows? In OSX it is RED.

The card is the reference design, occupies only two slots and when installed in slot #1, slot #2 is still available. It totally fits, being the same length and slightly narrower than my MSI RX 580 card.

Got it on sale on BlackFriday NewEgg/Ebay sale for $339.99.

The System specs with Mojave 10.14.1
Mid 2010 Mac Pro 5.1 Dual 3.46 X5690 64GB Ram Boot ROM Version: 140.0.0.0.0
Slot 1 SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64 connected via DVI-D to Dell UltraSharp U2412M and a Wacom Cintiq 22HD via HDMI
Slot 2 OWC Accelsior S PCIe + WD Blue 1TB Internal SSD Solid State Drive - SATA Boot drive.
Slot 3 Ableconn PU31-1A1C USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C)


Thanks to:
MisterAndrew
bgdre12
fireedo
AlexMaximus

PS: I hope OP can update the first post. I found the info written there on flashing to be confusing. IMHO a reference design card is the best MacPro Vega solution, since it is more compact than others, and the fans seems to work as expected after flashing.

I think you just created the new GOLD Standard for the cMP club for 2019!

This is an outstanding combo that will stand the test of time!

KUDOS, man !!!

 

[macjunkie2013]

My Vega have been running two displays a Dell UltraSharp U2412M @ 1920 x 1200 via DP/DVI adaptor and a Wacom Cintiq 22HD @ 1920 x 1080 via HDMI without any issues.

I am replacing the ancient Dell w a 4k monitor, the BenQ BL2711U

With the flashed bios, the DisplayPort next to the HDMI port will not turn on with my 4k monitor, the screen stays black. I tried all the Sapphire Nitro+ 56 and 64 BIOS primary and secondary, and it seems that none will enable that DisplayPort at 4k. It will display a non 4k monitor at 1920x1200.

All the other ports work as expected and display up to 4k 60Hz.

The ORIGINAL BIOS displays as expected on all ports (4k, retina, 1440...etc) but with the fan running full speed a few moments after loading the finder/desktop

My MSI RX 580 8gb will also drive the display at 4k, but it is nearly half the performance of the Vega 64 at 4k.

Thanks AlexMaximus, The credit should go to MisterAndrew, bgdre12, fireedo, and whoever went before.

 

[BillyBobBongo]

Okay, it's Navi...but AdoredTV has a video covering leaked details of AMDs Radeon RX 3000 GPUs as well as Ryzen 3000 processors. The leak is also covered over at VideoCardz.com for those that prefer to read.

Obviously take it all with a pinch of salt, but interesting all the same.

AMD Radeon RX 3060 (Navi 12)
4GB GDDR6
75W TDP (No 6-pin)
Equivalent to an RX 580

AMD Radeon RX 3070 (Navi 12)
8GB GDDR6
120W TDP
Equivalent to a Vega 56

AMD Radeon RX 3080 (Navi 10)
8GB GDDR6
150W TDP
Equivalent to a Vega 64 + 15%

 

[koyoot]

Its not first leak about Navi GPUs.

There are two leaks: Linux Drivers, and information about GFX Family of those GPUs. GFX1000 family of GPUs: Navi 10 Lite, and GFX1010 family: navi 10. Why is it this way? Nobody knows. P.S. Navi will have NGG enabled in the drivers(Next Generation Geometry).

Second leak/rumor comes from Youtube channel named Coreteks and it provided information that Navi 10 will launch in two SKUs.

Big one for 250-300$ price target with RTX 2070 performance level, which falls in line with Adored's information about it, however where it changes compared to Adored's is about lower, sub-200$ GPU: It is meant to also be made based on Navi 10 design, not based on navi 12 design like Adored is slaiming. The leak also suggest it is Between Vega 56/GTX 1070 performance level.
The leak on Coreteks does not say anything about Vega 12.

Both leaks are saying the same thing about performance targets, and price targets.

Now here is the most important thing. Why those leaks appear on random Youtube channels?

Because AMD is very confident in their upcoming gaming GPU lineup, once again, and they leak them purposely. It is just one month to CES, in which we are supposed to see those GPUs and CPUs. There is absolutely NO coincindence here.

Price/performance/power targets are interesting.

 

[nampramos]

So would you say that in early 2019 anyone will be able to grab a Vega 56 for under $300?

 

[namethisfile]

Its not first leak about Navi GPUs.

There are two leaks: Linux Drivers, and information about GFX Family of those GPUs. GFX1000 family of GPUs: Navi 10 Lite, and GFX1010 family: navi 10. Why is it this way? Nobody knows. P.S. Navi will have NGG enabled in the drivers(Next Generation Geometry).

Second leak/rumor comes from Youtube channel named Coreteks and it provided information that Navi 10 will launch in two SKUs.

Big one for 250-300$ price target with RTX 2070 performance level, which falls in line with Adored's information about it, however where it changes compared to Adored's is about lower, sub-200$ GPU: It is meant to also be made based on Navi 10 design, not based on navi 12 design like Adored is slaiming. The leak also suggest it is Between Vega 56/GTX 1070 performance level.
The leak on Coreteks does not say anything about Vega 12.

Both leaks are saying the same thing about performance targets, and price targets.

Now here is the most important thing. Why those leaks appear on random Youtube channels?

Because AMD is very confident in their upcoming gaming GPU lineup, once again, and they leak them purposely. It is just one month to CES, in which we are supposed to see those GPUs and CPUs. There is absolutely NO coincindence here.

Price/performance/power targets are interesting.

The person's tone when speaking at around the 2 minute mark on the video when he shows text about Navi 7nm being $200-$300 price for $500-$600 performance sounds rather plain or nonchalant, at best. He simply says "That sounds pretty good to me."

That sounds pretty good to me?

That sounds really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really f**king good! Excuse my French!

Same nonchalant (at best) drawl when speaking about $200 cut-down Navi with GTX 1070 performance!

If, this is true, this would be in stark contrast to history and AMD's track record.

I, also, feel cringey when he speaks of "us" the "enthusiasts."

The person was also being disingenuous when he calls the $599 2070 being the "proper" 2070 and the $500 one is a "cut-down," "cheaper" version.

Technically, he is right but he is using like insider-chip-engineer lingo to say that there are two chips that 2070's use. One is its own SKU and another that is cut-down from RTX 2080 SKU, If I am correct. But, both $599 versions and $500 versions are the same in that they have all the same number of CUDA Cores, RTX cores, Tensor Cores, VRAM, etc. The only difference between the $599 version, which there is only one, is that it is for the Nvidia FE version. It has that Nvidia FE bling and I blelieve it is midly Overclocked. That's it!

Ugh...

There are so many gross things about this video and it doesn't even matter because "Like" or "Unlike" the dude will get like points or something on Youtube.

One more thing...

He also uses GTX 970 as reference to how expensive the RTX 2070 is.

What about the one before the 2070? The 1070?

If memory serves me right when Pascal launched in May or June of 2016, the GTX 1070, the Nvidia FE version was $499. The GTX 1080 FE version was $699. The price was cut down $100 lower a year later or shortly after the GTX 1080 Ti was released, if memory serves me right.

So, is he just being Youtube-y when he says the RTX 2070 should be $353?

Yeah, he is.

 

[koyoot]

If, this is true, this would be in stark contrast to history and AMD's track record.

What track record? RV770? Radeon 9700 Pro?

In this industry one of the competitors got advantage over the other usually. Its how competition works.

 

[namethisfile]

What track record? RV770? Radeon 9700 Pro?

In this industry one of the competitors got advantage over the other usually. Its how competition works.

The Radeon 9700 Pro is a card from 2002....

And, the HD4000 series was released in 2008....

Were these AMD cards that were considered "wins" or something over Nvidia?

My reference to track record is actually from recent memory... the launch of the Vega64!

And, then the one prior to that... the Fury cards... was also like a let down.

I consider Polaris pretty good though since it is suppose to be in the $100-$250 range. Suppose to be. But, AMD cards in the ranges above $400 and up like the Fury, Vega64 didn't live up to expectation is the general consensus.

 

[koyoot]

Slight update. The guy, who leaked the information on 12 nm Polaris 30 now claims that real performance target for Navi 10 is... RTX 2080.

 

[namethisfile]

Slight update. The guy, who leaked the information on 12 nm Polaris 30 now claims that real performance target for Navi 10 is... RTX 2080.

What the heck is Polaris 30?

Nevermind.

 

[koyoot]

What the heck is Polaris 30?

Nevermind.

RX 590.

This is the source. And he leaked genuinely quite a lot of AMD, Intel and Nvidia related information in the past.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.chiphell.com/thread-1937354-1-1.html

 

[TheTurboGinger]

@TheTurboGinger how exactly did you power your Vega 64 with external PSU?
can i just buy a modular PSU and use 2 x 8 pin connector cables from the PSU to the Vega 64?
I want to buy the same card (SAPPHIRE Radeon RX Vega 64) for my Mac Pro 5,1 and i'm not sure how to make it work.

Do i have to do the BIOS flash or the card will work without it? my only computer is this MP 5,1 so no Windows.. i don't need a boot screen

Yes, you can use a modular 750W+ PSU with 2 x 8 pin connector cables (you'll have to plug-in the 20 pin motherboard cable and jump the power supply too). I'm using a Seasonic 750 focus plus gold PSU now and it works great. I had to return the 750 watt bronze Cooler Master because it buzzed/clicked under high load (maybe that unit was just defective, but I'd still recommend getting a reliable PSU).

The original BIOS in the Sapphire RX 64 worked, but had the issue of the blower being on at all times. I didn't think it would bother me, but it was truly excessive (I was almost regretting my upgrade from RX580). It is worthwhile to either make a windows bootcamp or otherwise access a windows desktop computer to flash with the Nitro+ bios.

 

[mattferg]

Could anyone please confirm if the Gigabyte Vega 56 Gaming OC 8GB will work just fine (plug-n-play) on an eGPU or will it need to be flashed?

Thank you!

eGPU? This is the MAC PRO forum, not MacBook Pro. You don't need to flash a GPU at all for those.

 

[fireedo]

well what is the status of eGPU with nMP (late 2013) ? I try to find latest info in the egpu forum but can't find recent update news.
I know that apple dropped their support to the TB1 and TB2
so, can nMP works with eGPU using TB3 to TB2 connector?

 

[h9826790]

eGPU? This is the MAC PRO forum, not MacBook Pro. You don't need to flash a GPU at all for those.

May be he want something like this

 

[Hakster777]

Will the Gigabyte Radeon RX Vega 64 work on the Mac?

 

[thunder72fr]

I have a Sapphire RX580 Pulse 8Go.
I bought a Sapphire Vega 56 (reference).
I intend to flash it with the secondary nitro bios. Can I changing the ventilation profile, underclocking too?

 

[Coyote2006]

Just a question regarding heat:

Is there a problem having a NVMe SSD with a Lycom DT-120 adapter, no cooling, in slot2 while running a GPU like Sapphire RX580 Nitro Plus SE in slot 1 as one of the GPU fans is just next to the SSD?

 

[tsialex]

Just a question regarding heat:

Is there a problem having a NVMe SSD with a Lycom DT-120 adapter, no cooling, in slot2 while running a GPU like Sapphire RX580 Nitro Plus SE in slot 1 as one of the GPU fans is just next to the SSD?

Unless you live above the Arctic circle, you will need a heatsink. NVMe controllers get hot easily with constant load, after the controllers get to a certain temperature, they start to do thermal throttling.

 

[Coyote2006]

Unless you live above the Arctic circle, you will need a heatsink. NVMe controllers get hot easily with constant load, after the controllers get to a certain temperature, they start to do thermal throttling.

So do I need a heatsink in any case of just when I use it next t a RX560? I'm currently using a Geforce 680 and this GPU has just one fan "after" the NVMe controller.

Something like this? https://www.amazon.de/ICY-BOX-Wärme...r,+Cooler+Heatsinks+with+Fan,Dual+M2+SSD+NVME

 

[tsialex]

So do I need a heatsink in any case of just when I use it next t a RX560? I'm currently using a Geforce 680 and this GPU has just one fan "after" the NVMe controller.

Are there any heatsinks for the Lycom DT-120?

AliExpress have lots of heatsinks for M2 blades. MP6,1 people found some high end ones that clamp into the blade, read around here #833.

 

[Coyote2006]

AliExpress have lots of heatsinks for M2 blades. MP6,1 people found some high end ones that clamp into the blade, read around here #833.

Thanks!