MP 1,1-5,1 FIXED - Help Needed - RX580 Hangs on Boot (cMP5,1)

[sfalatko]

I purchased a used Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX580 to try in my 2010 cMP5,1. Assuming it was used for mining I was prepared for some work but have hit an issue that I need some assistance with.

Background - I have applied EnableGOP (and EnableGOPDirect - tried both) version 1.1 to my reconstructed bootROM and my RX560 works with either and gives me the expected Apple Boot menu. I installed the RX580 to test and indeed only got a blank/black screen with the option key pressed. I have a legacy Windows 10 install and set that as my default boot and flashed the RX580 with what several people on TechPowerUp said was the vBIOS that was on the RX580 that came as part of the Apple Developer kit. I also flashed the second vBIOS (dual bios card) with a reportedly newer vBIOS. This took a bit of work and a force flash but I was able to get that flashed as well. The card works fine in Windows - both before and after the flashing with either vBIOS.

Issue - I tested the RX580 after flashing and indeed the Apple boot manager appears with the option key pressed so the card now has GOP. I first wanted to test the card with my stock Mojave install but was unsuccessful. The Apple logo appears, the progress bar appears and after about 3/4 of the way done the screen flashes, some artifacts appear and the boot hangs. If I try this with my RX560 I get the same artifacts but they only appear briefly then the screen flashes and the boot continues and completes successfully.

If I try OpenCore with the RX580 I get the OC boot picker, the Apple logo and progress bar appear but about 1/2 done the screen flashes and then goes black and the boot hangs. With my RX560 after the screen flashes and goes black the progress bar reappears and the boot completes successfully.

If I boot into Mojave in Safe Mode I do get to the desktop. However the memory size is not properly reported in "About This Mac" and in the System Report but the card does show the Orinoco framebuffer that I would expect with the vBIOS that came with the Apple Developer Kit. The memory size is reported correctly in Windows.

So - I would appreciate any advice, thoughts, or ideas on what I could try or is the card toast?

Regards,
sfalatko

 

[tsialex]

It's a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 CostReduced?

If it's the CR version, you can't use the normal firmware.

 

[sfalatko]

@tsialex - it is a "normal" version - 2 DP, 2 HDMI, 1 DVI. I've attached an image of the Part Number.

 

[startergo]

How did you get Orinoco framebuffer?

 

[h9826790]

How did you get Orinoco framebuffer?

113-4E353BU-O4E get that natively. Apple use this model in their eGPU kit.

 

[sfalatko]

I flashed the RX580 with this vBIOS -

Sapphire RX 580 VBIOS

8 GB GDDR5, 1366 MHz GPU, 2000 MHz Memory

www.techpowerup.com

The result is that macOS then provides the Orinoco framebuffer.

So anyone have any ideas on getting my RX580 working or do you think it is damaged? @tsialex - I seem to recall seeing somewhere that you had said that if the card only boots in Safe mode then something is wrong with the hardware...do I recall that correctly?

 

[startergo]

I flashed the RX580 with this vBIOS -

Sapphire RX 580 VBIOS

8 GB GDDR5, 1366 MHz GPU, 2000 MHz Memory

www.techpowerup.com

The result is that macOS then provides the Orinoco framebuffer.

So anyone have any ideas on getting my RX580 working or do you think it is damaged? @tsialex - I seem to recall seeing somewhere that you had said that if the card only boots in Safe mode then something is wrong with the hardware...do I recall that correctly?

Here are some ROM's for the same p/n:

Sapphire RX580 Pulse - Stock Bios and Modification Advice.

Hello and thanks for looking! I recently acquired an RX580 Pulse that looks like it's been in the mines for quite some time but still working! I've been in a ton of computers but this is unfamiliar territory for me and I want to learn more. I want to drop this in a 5,1 converted Mac Pro and...

www.techpowerup.com

This is supposed to be boot screen vbios:

rodbautis Flash Rx580 8GB Pulse

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.

www.mediafire.com

 

[sfalatko]

I'm still stumped - I tried another RX580 and had exactly the same result - boot hangs (as I understand it) when it switches to the OS graphics drivers midway through the progress bar (booting MOJAVE natively with EnableGop 1.2 in BootROM). Same with OC - hangs midway through when (as I understand it) it switches to the OS graphics drivers.

Any ideas on what might be happening or what I could try would be appreciated.

 

[bookemdano]

Was the second RX580 the same exact model or something different? New or used? Did you flash it with the same vBIOS or is it using the same one it came with?

Have you tried a brand new install of macOS and/or Windows just to rule out something in your existing installs that could be conflicting?

Are you powering the card fully (i.e. with both 6-pin PCIe cables)?

Have you tried all of the DP and HDMI ports, or even the DVI? Are you 100% sure the boot is hanging, or are you just seeing a black screen and assuming it hanged?

 

[sfalatko]

Was the second RX580 the same exact model or something different? New or used? Did you flash it with the same vBIOS or is it using the same one it came with?

Have you tried a brand new install of macOS and/or Windows just to rule out something in your existing installs that could be conflicting?

Are you powering the card fully (i.e. with both 6-pin PCIe cables)?

Have you tried all of the DP and HDMI ports, or even the DVI? Are you 100% sure the boot is hanging, or are you just seeing a black screen and assuming it hanged?

bookemdano,

Thanks for the reply -

Second RX580 was exactly the same as the first (same PN and SKU as the picture above). Both were used. I flashed both with the same vBIOS (but did use a second newer vBIOS in the second vBIOS "slot" on the first which didn't boot either). I believe that both were mining cards (no Gop in the vBIOS that they came with based on black screen on initial boot).

Both cards do boot to the desktop and work (unaccelerated) if I boot with Safe Mode (only tried with MOJAVE)

I have not tried a clean install of macOS (though my Monterey install was a clean install when I did it). I don't have a spare drive at the moment to install to.

Card is fully powered - two mini 6 pin to one 8 pin. I used to use a flashed NVIDIA GTX 680 which used about 200W max so a bit less than the RX580 but in the same ballpark.

I have not tried the HDMI or DVI ports - no cable - but have tried both DVI ports.

I am sure the boot is hanging - I cannot VNC into my MacPro after it "hangs". Booting into MOJAVE the boot screen actually freezes with a black stripe about an 1" down from the top and some small colored horizontal lines across the top 1/3rd of the display. Booting into Monterey or Catalina with OC the screen goes black about 1/2 way through the progress bar (during a normal boot with my RX560 the screen flashes back to the progress bar briefly and then the login window).

For what it's worth I've attached a screen shot of a verbose boot from the hang booting MOJAVE. Perhaps that will help. It seems to be related to graphics drivers which I suspect.

Regards,
sfalatko

 

[bookemdano]

Given that you can't know what was done to these cards in their former life I would say you would likely have better luck with a different type of RX580 card. Do you have the ability to borrow one temporarily to test with? Can you still return the two cards that aren't working?

 

[sfalatko]

I can certainly try - just interesting that both fail exactly the same way.

The Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 580 is Apple's recommendation and definitely fits in slot 1 and fits within the power envelope of the cMP. I've seen where others do not fit - impinge on slot 2.

I'll keep poking at it - it definitely seems like a driver issue which shouldn't be a problem with the RX 580. My next step will most likely be an attempt to do a clean install of MOJAVE and see if I have the same result.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[sfalatko]

Tried a clean install of Mojave - same failure. I did get through the first reboot but on the second reboot to boot into the completed install the boot hung in the same way - on trying to switch to the OS graphics drivers (at least that is what I surmize)

Another thought - while it appears to be graphics driver related is it possible that I have a bad 2 6 pin to 1 8 pin cable and am not getting enough power (though I can boot to the desktop using safe mode)?

Pretty much grasping at straws here since two RX 580s both failed in an identical fashion booting into Mojave while both working fine booting into Windows.

 

[bookemdano]

I don't think you should underestimate the possibility that there could be something different about/wrong with these two RX 580s you tried because they are both used and (apparently?) from the same source. Now, I profess almost total ignorance about what miners do with cards--I think it's primarily flashing a custom vBIOS--but who knows.

So that's why I suggest maybe trying to buy one from a different lineage to rule out something being wrong with this particular type of card you've procured.

But yes, by all means you should probably try replacing the miniPCIe cables you're using--far cheaper than buying another card!

EDIT: and just because the cards can boot into windows doesn't necessarily mean they are fine. Did you try playing a game or running a benchmark test or something in Windows to stress the card out? Actually, if you think the cables might be bad then maybe wait to do anything like that until after you replace them.

 

[sfalatko]

I don't think you should underestimate the possibility that there could be something different about/wrong with these two RX 580s you tried because they are both used and (apparently?) from the same source. Now, I profess almost total ignorance about what miners do with cards--I think it's primarily flashing a custom vBIOS--but who knows.

So that's why I suggest maybe trying to buy one from a different lineage to rule out something being wrong with this particular type of card you've procured.

But yes, by all means you should probably try replacing the miniPCIe cables you're using--far cheaper than buying another card!

EDIT: and just because the cards can boot into windows doesn't necessarily mean they are fine. Did you try playing a game or running a benchmark test or something in Windows to stress the card out? Actually, if you think the cables might be bad then maybe wait to do anything like that until after you replace them.

bookemdano,

I'm grasping at a lot here - the two cards came from different buyers so while similar PN I think they are different lineage. It just seems strange to me that both would seem to fail at the stage when the boot process switches to macOS drivers. I'll probably try a different power cable since they are cheap (though I don't hold out high hopes there).

I'm hoping some others may have some other suggestions on what I can try but I'm probably just going to stick with the RX 560 I have.

I'll update the post if I try other things.

thanks,
sfalatko

 

[bookemdano]

Ah OK I'm sorry I think I (wrongly) assumed they were from the same seller since you said the part numbers were the same and you knew/suspected they were both used for mining.

I'm not sure what else to suggest, as the RX 580 has proved to work wonderfully for a lot of people in Mojave, including myself.

Were both of these cards flashed by yourself with the same vBIOS you mentioned in the first post? On either card did you try booting from both BIOSes (both positions of the BIOS switch) prior to flashing the one you got from techpowerup?

I say the supplemental power situation is definitely worth investigating, since you had no problems with the RX 560. I know you said you also tested the GX680, but then again that uses less power than an RX580. I don't know--maybe a failing PSU could potentially be in mix too?

Weird problem for sure. I hope you can get to the bottom of it.

 

[sfalatko]

Ah OK I'm sorry I think I (wrongly) assumed they were from the same seller since you said the part numbers were the same and you knew/suspected they were both used for mining.

I'm not sure what else to suggest, as the RX 580 has proved to work wonderfully for a lot of people in Mojave, including myself.

Were both of these cards flashed by yourself with the same vBIOS you mentioned in the first post? On either card did you try booting from both BIOSes (both positions of the BIOS switch) prior to flashing the one you got from techpowerup?

I say the supplemental power situation is definitely worth investigating, since you had no problems with the RX 560. I know you said you also tested the GX680, but then again that uses less power than an RX580. I don't know--maybe a failing PSU could potentially be in mix too?

Weird problem for sure. I hope you can get to the bottom of it.

I hope so too - now that I have used the RX 580 I am fixated on it a bit as it is a better card than the 560. I'll keep trying whatever I can think of and perhaps some others with have some suggestions. It is somewhat tough to troubleshoot potential hardware issues without a second, known working, cMP to swap parts and test with.

 

[sfalatko]

Well I am still poking at my issue. I tried another dual 6 pin to 8 pin cable with the same result (not unexpected)

I did another verbose boot and it appears for some reason my Mojave install (probably also my Catalina and Monterey installs though I haven't verbose booted them) seems to recognize the vendor and device id of the RX 580 but then still fails. This is booting without OpenCore. Still boots to the desktop in Safe Mode (and properly registers the RX 580 as shown in the pictures in the first post).

Here's the relevant portion of what I captured on screen (love live text) -

[AGPM Controller] modelDict valid
LAGPM Controller] modelDict (test) valid
[AGPM Controller] gpuNode-›getProperty (vendor-id 1002)
[AGPM Controller] gpuNode-›getProperty (device-id 67df)
LAGPM Controller] Vendor1002Device67df
[AGPH Controller] gpuDict PXS1
[AGPM Controller] build gpuDict by GPU PXS1.
[AGPM Controller] GPU = PXS1 unknownPlatform (no matching vendor _id+device_id or GPU name): don't create AGPM class

So even though the vendor-id and device-id are correctly determined macOS is saying unknownPlatform - definitely beyond my ability to guess what is going on here.

Regards,
sfalatko

 

[tsialex]

When you open iStat, the sensors for voltage for the both PCIe AUX connectors are shown (PCIe Boost A & B)?

Did you run AHT and ASD to see if something is failing/failed?

 

[sfalatko]

When you open iStat, the sensors for voltage for the both PCIe AUX connectors are shown (PCIe Boost A & B)?

Did you run AHT and ASD to see if something is failing/failed?

@tsialex - iStat shows either 12.17 V or 12.16 V for both PCIe Boost A & B as well as all four PCIe slots (this is booted with my RX 560). Do I need to check with the RX 580 (only can boot with Safe Mode)?

I have not tried AHT or ASD yet (or ever - never had a need). Which would you recommend? I do not have an original Apple GPU - only a GTX 680 (EFI flashed), the RX 560, and the problematic RX 580.

Can you point me to instructions/advice that I can use to understand how to run AHT/ASD?

Thanks for the help. Happy Easter!

Regards,
sfalatko

 

[tsialex]

@tsialex - iStat shows either 12.17 V or 12.16 V for both PCIe Boost A & B as well as all four PCIe slots (this is booted with my RX 560).

Ok, but the RX 560 is connected to only one PCIe AUX connector, change it to the second one and try again.

Do I need to check with the RX 580 (only can boot with Safe Mode)?

No, Safe Mode will not give you a meaningful result.

I have not tried AHT or ASD yet (or ever - never had a need). Which would you recommend? I do not have an original Apple GPU - only a GTX 680 (EFI flashed), the RX 560, and the problematic RX 580.

You really need to get an AppleOEM GPU, without one AHT/ASD will throw an error when checking the sensors of the flashed GPU. You should borrow/buy a GT120 or HD 5770 for to be sure that your Mac Pro is working as expected.

Can you point me to instructions/advice that I can use to understand how to run AHT/ASD?

Thanks for the help. Happy Easter!

Regards,
sfalatko

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-pro-mid-2010-5-1-random-shutdowns.2373483/post-31803378

 

[sfalatko]

Ok, but the RX 560 is connected to only one PCIe AUX connector, change it to the second one and try again.

My RX 560 is only powered from the PCIe bus. I may not get to it until Monday but I'll connect my GTX 680 (which uses both aux connectors and see how that works (I haven't used it for a while since I moved primarily to Monterey.)

I'll work to track down an AppleOEM GPU and get to testing. It purchased a 5770 for $25 (US). Can I boot Mojave with it or do I have to install something earlier?

Thanks again,
sfalatko

 

[sfalatko]

It's been a while but I finally got a GT 120 and ran AHT - no issues. Still can only get the RX 580 to work in Windows or Safe Mode.

Any other thoughts anyone? I may try another RX 580 but it is frustrating given that it seems to hang with "unknown platform" not properly identifying the GPU...

@tsialex - can you point me to instructions on ASD? I guess I can try that as well to further check out my MacPro.

Regards,
sfalatko

 

[tsialex]

@tsialex - can you point me to instructions on ASD? I guess I can try that as well to further check out my MacPro.

Apple already included instructions on the pdf that is inside the dmg.

 

[sfalatko]

Apple already included instructions on the pdf that is inside the dmg.

@tsialex - thanks I found them.

I am having a heck of a time restoring to a USB stick. I finally got the OS partition restored and ran the tests. Every test passed except for the Airport module (I have replaced mine) with the GT120 installed so no hardware issues with AHT or the OS portion of ASD. I haven't been able to restore the EFI portion - keep having problems with the "disk being busy" and not unmounting.

In any event I'm fairly certain that my hardware is OK so I would suspect something with the RX 580 I have though it works fine in Windows and with Safe Mode.

I don't know if you or anyone else has other thoughts besides trying another GPU.

Thanks