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

[shenmuep3]

About the bios switch.

You can only overwrite the second bios. Primary bios is fixed and cannot be overwritten. I've tried, it doesn't allow the flash there.

This means nothing can go wrong. In case, you can always switch back to the working primary bios, boot, switch to secondary and flash.

You should be fine ;-)..

Hello,

I just received a Sapphire Reference RX Vega 56 GPU and am attempting to flash the bios to the Sapphire Nitro+ bios to fix the fan issue. I tried using ATIWinFlash run as administrator but kept getting the "Subsystem IDs Mismatch" error. After reading this thread it appears I need to force flash the bios using the DOS command prompt function in window per the instruction below found in the first post of this thread:

To flash a different BIOS to your card it must be done using Command Prompt in Windows ran as an Administrator. The following commands will force flash a different BIOS:
AtiFlash.exe -f -p 0 path-to-new-vbios.rom (with single card installed)
Note: It appears atiflash starts the slot position count at the top. For example, if you had 2 cards installed with one in slot 3 that would be 0 and one installed in slot 1 that would be 1. So then if you wanted to flash the card in slot 1 with 2 cards installed you would type, "AtiFlash.exe -f -p 1 path-to-new-vbios.rom". If you accidentally flashed the wrong card then quickly flash it again with the correct bios before restarting the computer.

If you put the new BIOS in the same directory then you just need to type the name of the new BIOS file (replace "path-to-new-vbios.rom" with the name of your rom). A new BIOS can be found online such as TechPowerUp’s VGA Bios Collection. Note that some BIOSes such as for the Pulse and Nitro+ are found under unverified uploads (the verified Nitro+ on their website is for the limited edition card and should not be used on a card that does not have 3 power connectors). Note that using a different BIOS on your card may void the manufacturer’s warranty (if you weren’t able to restore the original BIOS). Always backup your original BIOS using a program like GPU-Z.

I have never used the command prompt before, and I am having issues executing the above procedure. Is there a detailed instruction/video on how to do this? I have searched for hours and couldn't find a clear set of instructions on how to force flash using the command prompt. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[alchemistics]

Hello,

I just received a Sapphire Reference RX Vega 56 GPU and am attempting to flash the bios to the Sapphire Nitro+ bios to fix the fan issue. I tried using ATIWinFlash run as administrator but kept getting the "Subsystem IDs Mismatch" error. After reading this thread it appears I need to force flash the bios using the DOS command prompt function in window per the instruction below found in the first post of this thread:

To flash a different BIOS to your card it must be done using Command Prompt in Windows ran as an Administrator. The following commands will force flash a different BIOS:
AtiFlash.exe -f -p 0 path-to-new-vbios.rom (with single card installed)
Note: It appears atiflash starts the slot position count at the top. For example, if you had 2 cards installed with one in slot 3 that would be 0 and one installed in slot 1 that would be 1. So then if you wanted to flash the card in slot 1 with 2 cards installed you would type, "AtiFlash.exe -f -p 1 path-to-new-vbios.rom". If you accidentally flashed the wrong card then quickly flash it again with the correct bios before restarting the computer.

If you put the new BIOS in the same directory then you just need to type the name of the new BIOS file (replace "path-to-new-vbios.rom" with the name of your rom). A new BIOS can be found online such as TechPowerUp’s VGA Bios Collection. Note that some BIOSes such as for the Pulse and Nitro+ are found under unverified uploads (the verified Nitro+ on their website is for the limited edition card and should not be used on a card that does not have 3 power connectors). Note that using a different BIOS on your card may void the manufacturer’s warranty (if you weren’t able to restore the original BIOS). Always backup your original BIOS using a program like GPU-Z.

I have never used the command prompt before, and I am having issues executing the above procedure. Is there a detailed instruction/video on how to do this? I have searched for hours and couldn't find a clear set of instructions on how to force flash using the command prompt. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hey there.

You have to execute the commands in the directory where your atiwinflash installation is.

Do this with „cd C:\Users\yourname\desktop\atiwinflash“

Make sure the bios you are flashing is in the same directory.

Then simply execute the command you quoted above, replace new-vbios.rom with your downloaded one.

You might have to run the cmd prompt as an administrator. Note that you can only flash the secondary bios.

This should be doable, try it..
Otherwise post what you are getting as error‘s so we can help better.
Good luck!

 

[superparati]

According to the OP, the Sapphire Nitro+ Vega 56/64 has no fan issue. But it’s 2.5 slot width, blocks PCIE slot 2 and it’s too long.

For photo editing only, an RX 580 isn’t too shabby. It’s actually the sweet spot.

What do you mean by too long? It doesn’t fit into the computer?

 

[h9826790]

What do you mean by too long? It doesn’t fit into the computer?

Please re-visit post #477-492

 

[MitchMunro]

Has anyone run bootcamp windows with a BIOS switched card? Any reason why that would be a problem? Could that create a problem for installing drivers on the windows partition?

 

[superparati]

Please re-visit post #477-492

Thanks, so according to the previous posts, the card can fit but with the fan in open position.

 

[MisterAndrew]

I’ve never had a problem flashing the primary bios on a Vega card. When flashing, yes the command prompt needs to be ran as administrator.

Most of these questions have already been answered in this thread as others have pointed out. I think the best option for most people is to choose a card that doesn’t need to be flashed. So either Sapphire Pulse or PowerColor Red Dragon. Hopefully the Vega 20 accelerator driver will be released soon. I’d love to be able to recommend the Radeon VII card too. Although it may not happen until the new Mac Pro is close to launch.

 

[DCswitch]

Very odd, the forum says this:
"These combinations have been tested and appear to be working normally:
-Reference RX Vega 64 with Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64 secondary BIOS"

But when you scroll down to the links at the "No fan issue" BIOS list" there is no secondary BIOS. They have a standard PCB and a Primary, but no Secondary. So- I flashed both the Standard and the Primary and both don't fix the fan problem. Can someone please help?

 

[alchemistics]

Very odd, the forum says this:
"These combinations have been tested and appear to be working normally:
-Reference RX Vega 64 with Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64 secondary BIOS"

But when you scroll down to the links at the "No fan issue" BIOS list" there is no secondary BIOS. They have a standard PCB and a Primary, but no Secondary. So- I flashed both the Standard and the Primary and both don't fix the fan problem. Can someone please help?

You seem to be looking somewhere else..

There is a nitro+ vega 64 secondary bios linked in the first post:

https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/200284/200284

 

[MisterAndrew]

It looks like Radeon™ VII stock levels are improving. It's been in-stock from AMD all day today and the PowerColor branded one is in-stock at Newegg. Maybe stock will improve enough where we'll see some price reductions by the time hardware acceleration support is added to macOS.

 

[superparati]

Thanks, so according to the previous posts, the card can fit but with the fan in open position.

After all the card doesn’t fit inside I tried several options removing the fan, lets it in open position, close position.


Impossible without removing completly the fan.
And this card shows 3x 8pins connectors!

 

[itdk92]

After all the card doesn’t fit inside I tried several options removing the fan, lets it in open position, close position.


Impossible without removing completly the fan.
And this card shows 3x 8pins connectors!

Which card are you exactly using?

The reference has 2 x 8 pins and fit perfectly well inside a cMP

 

[superparati]

Which card are you exactly using?

The reference has 2 x 8 pins and fit perfectly well inside a cMP

I found a vega 56 Nitro+

 

[Reindeer_Games]

I found a vega 56 Nitro+

Which looks like it's 12.2 inches in length according to TechPowerUp's spec sheet (been a while since I measured the distance to the fan, but I thought 11 inches was "ideal"). Are you trying to use a Powerlink with it?

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/sapphire-nitro-rx-vega-56.b5258

 

[superparati]

Which looks like it's 12.2 inches in length according to TechPowerUp's spec sheet (been a while since I measured the distance to the fan, but I thought 11 inches was "ideal"). Are you trying to use a Powerlink with it?

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/sapphire-nitro-rx-vega-56.b5258

Correct that’s the one.
Yesterday I couldn’t find a way to have the card and the fan together. It was either the card without the fan or the fan without the card

I don’t have the powerlink.

 

[Reindeer_Games]

Correct that the one.
Yesterday I couldn’t find a way to have the card and the fan together. It was either the card without the fan or the fan without the card

I don’t have the powerlink.

Removing the fan completely is a bad idea (especially for the direction of air travel used by that card)-your only option (IMO) if you want to use a card that size is to mount the PCIe fan somehow, and pull the cord out enough the connect it still or mount a 4 wire fan on the grate and fashion a way to connect it to the logic board (or possibly basic two wire). None of these I would personally advise, and I'd stick with a card that fits natively since all of those option's create potential point's of failure. There are reports of people getting them in-but it take finagling. You want room between the back of the fan and the beginning of the card to allow the air time to start moving or it becomes like a clogged pipe (same reason if you mount a fan to the grate you'd want a to use a 1" spacer). Resistance creates friction (which can cool or create heat, dependent upon variables), which then causes the fan to work harder (creating more heat), which can result in hotter temps with faster fan speeds.

I have no idea about that card's application though-I just p/u a Pulse 580 myself (but thought hard about the Pulse 56), avoiding any Vega fan issues (currently listed as not present in the Pulse 56 in OP's #1 post, but I may upgrade again) and card size complications; plus Apple included it on their list. Still waitin' though.

The Powerlink question was just about the added bulk it has.

 

[superparati]

Removing the fan completely is a bad idea (especially for the direction of air travel used by that card)-your only option if you want to use a card that size is to mount the PCIe fan somehow, and pull the cord out enough the connect it still or mount a 4 wire fan on the grate and fashion a way to connect it to the logic board (or possibly basic two wire). None of these I would personally advise, and I'd stick with a card that fits natively since all of those option's create potential point's of failure. You want room between the back of the fan and the beginning of the card to allow the air time to start moving or it becomes like a clogged pipe (same reason if you mount a fan to the grate you'd want a to use a 1" spacer). Resistance creates friction (which creates heat), which then causes the fan to work harder (creating more heat), which can result in hotter temps with faster fan speeds.

I have no idea about that card's application though-I just p/u a Pulse 580 myself (but thought hard about the Pulse 56), avoiding any Vega fan issues (currently listed as not present in the Pulse 56, but I may upgrade again) and card size complications; plus Apple included it on their list. Still waitin' though.

The Powerlink question was just about the added bulk it has.

I’m going to return the card and look for a simple vega 56. I tried the rx 580 but wanted something better than my previous Nvidia GTX 980 ti.
The vega 56 is a good candidat just need to find the one

 

[MisterAndrew]

No Vega 20 / Radeon VII accelerator driver support in 10.14.4 beta 4.

 

[ikir]

No Vega 20 / Radeon VII accelerator driver support in 10.14.4 beta 4.

Damn i was hoping for it, over eGPU.it they had it working modifying kext but I hope to see a fully working support in macOS.

 

[shenmuep3]

Hey everyone,

I have a Sapphire RX Vega 56 Reference Card flashed to the Nitro+ Vega 56. My question is, can I flash my card to a Nitro + Vega 64? Would this result in better performance? Has anyone performed this flash and have good results?

Thanks!

 

[macjunkie2013]

Just going to post this here. Reading through the entire thread is the best option (and what I did..twice) before choosing and installing my GFX upgrade. I wonder if it would help if top post could be updated with 3 short bullet points at the top?

REALLY SHORT version:

• Easiest and fastest Mojave+ GPU upgrade RX580 (lowest recorded retail price ~$170)
• Fastest fully functioning GPU Pre Mojave only, Nivida GTX1080Ti or Titan XP (lowest recorded retail price ~$600/$1200)
• Fastest fully functioning Mojave+ upgrade Reference Sapphire Vega 64. (lowest recorded retail price $340)

Slightly longer?

• As stated hundreds of times, the RX580 is the easiest and more reliable Mojave option at this time, no mods, just plug it in.
• A top end Nividia card (1080ti/TitanXP) is still the fastest fully functioning MacPro option but limited to pre Mojave and needs drivers. Power mod (Pixlas) is often recommended.
• The fastest, and fully functioning Mojave card at this time is the Reference Sapphire Vega 64, needs Pixlas mod and flashing, drivers are native.

Here is my install experience from Post #1023. FYI after running both the RX580 and the Vega 64, the speed difference is not noticeable most of the time, as the bottleneck seems to be mostly the MacPro IO/Ram/SSD.

IMHO

In 2019, I don't think investing a lot in the old Mac Pro is a good choice. If you have bottomless pockets, get a Imac Pro with eGPU.

After building and running Hackintosh machines for years I simply wanted a "fast" (with as many cores as possible for software rendering) machine that was fully compatible with OSX with no hacks or driver issues, but still on a limited sub $2000 budget.

I think a fully loaded MacMini w EPU might be faster for a cost of roughly $3000, in 2019 that may be a good budget option too?

My installed Radeon RX Vega 64

Replaced my MSI Radeon RX 580 after I flashed the Vega 64 with the Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64 (standard PCB): SECONDARY Bios 113-D0500110-S01. ( I used a old DELL PC to flash)

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.

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.

 

[MisterAndrew]

No Vega 20 / Radeon VII accelerator driver support in 10.14.4 beta 5.
[doublepost=1552332646][/doublepost]

Hey everyone,

I have a Sapphire RX Vega 56 Reference Card flashed to the Nitro+ Vega 56. My question is, can I flash my card to a Nitro + Vega 64? Would this result in better performance? Has anyone performed this flash and have good results?

Thanks!

Probably, but it depends on the card ('silicone lottery'). Test the Nitro+ 64 bioses to find out if your particular card can handle it.
[doublepost=1552333114][/doublepost]

Just going to post this here. Reading through the entire thread is the best option (and what I did..twice) before choosing and installing my GFX upgrade. I wonder if it would help if top post could be updated with 3 short bullet points at the top?

REALLY SHORT version:

• Easiest and fastest Mojave+ GPU upgrade RX580 (lowest recorded retail price ~$170)
• Fastest fully functioning GPU Pre Mojave only, Nivida GTX1080Ti or Titan XP (lowest recorded retail price ~$600/$1200)
• Fastest fully functioning Mojave+ upgrade Reference Sapphire Vega 64. (lowest recorded retail price $340)

Slightly longer?

• As stated hundreds of times, the RX580 is the easiest and more reliable Mojave option at this time, no mods, just plug it in.
• A top end Nividia card (1080ti/TitanXP) is still the fastest fully functioning MacPro option but limited to pre Mojave and needs drivers. Power mod (Pixlas) is often recommended.
• The fastest, and fully functioning Mojave card at this time is the Reference Sapphire Vega 64, needs Pixlas mod and flashing, drivers are native.

Here is my install experience from Post #1023. FYI after running both the RX580 and the Vega 64, the speed difference is not noticeable most of the time, as the bottleneck seems to be mostly the MacPro IO/Ram/SSD.

IMHO

In 2019, I don't think investing a lot in the old Mac Pro is a good choice. If you have bottomless pockets, get a Imac Pro with eGPU.

After building and running Hackintosh machines for years I simply wanted a "fast" (with as many cores as possible for software rendering) machine that was fully compatible with OSX with no hacks or driver issues, but still on a limited sub $2000 budget.

I think a fully loaded MacMini w EPU might be faster for a cost of roughly $3000, in 2019 that may be a good budget option too?

My installed Radeon RX Vega 64
Replaced my MSI Radeon RX 580 after I flashed the Vega 64 with the Sapphire Nitro+ RX Vega 64 (standard PCB): SECONDARY Bios 113-D0500110-S01. ( I used a old DELL PC to flash)

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.

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.

Thanks for your contribution. Be aware that this thread if for AMD Polaris and Vega GPUs only so there will be no Nvidia card recommendations. Also, as you pointed out the Vega reference card needs a bios flash to resolve the fan issue. The only Vega cards working well 'out of the box' are the Sapphire Pulse 56 and PowerColor Red Dragon 56, so those are the only 2 Vega cards I've recommended. The reference card with a flashed bios is a good option, but not recommended for anyone except power users (who have experience with Windows command line, etc).
[doublepost=1552334877][/doublepost]However, this thread will be updated to add support for Navi and future AMD GPUs too, so it’s okay to post rumors and other info for those here too.

 

[Pval]

The only Vega cards working well 'out of the box' are the Sapphire Pulse 56 and PowerColor Red Dragon 56

Vega 64 LC works just fine and is quicker than just about anything, but please keep ignoring it

 

[MisterAndrew]

Vega 64 LC works just fine and is quicker than just about anything, but please keep ignoring it

The Vega 64 LC has been discussed quite a few times in this thread, such as here. People have reported that is has the high speed fan issue like other reference cards.

 

[Pval]

It hasn't got the high speed fan issue, quite the opposite, as you can read in the post you linked.
But it’s probably facing the same issue, caused by Apple’s interpretation of the PPT, but the LC has a different PPT from the aircooled Vega. You can avoid this in several ways, but if you are looking for an OOTB card, the LC qualifies.

- fan speed settles at 1500rpm when idle
- under load the speed drops
- after load it rises until temps drop and settles again at 1500

I have clocked the card up to 1800MHz with this behavior without any issues running luxmark, furmark or regular loads. Fan noise with a closed case is negligible, as it doesn't speed up. Probably could clock it higher if it were spinning correctly, but anyone running the default kexts won't have any issues.