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Frequently Asked Questions About NVIDIA PC (non-EFI) Graphics Cards

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monkeybagel said:
Hi everyone,

I know I am in completely unsupported territory, but that's why we run prerelease OS, right?

Finally after waiting to upgrade my Mac Pro 5,1 (2012) dual hex-core machine from Sierra, I decided to give it a whirl after having such a great experience on a MacBook Air (2017) and MacBook Pro 15" (2012, non-Retina). I have s MacVidCards GTX 980 Ti 6GB card I have been running for some time, and two 27" LED Cinema Displays. So after getting my raid situation cleared up to allow installation, the installation went great. I was introduced to the non-accelerated, one monitor desktop as expected. I was hoping there could be in-box support for the card, but no such luck.

Therefore, although I have gotten drivers to work in the past designed for a different OS/Build #, I was wondering if anyone has successfully got acceleration going on this card/machine/OS? The build number is 18A336e. The driver I installed picked up the second monitor and enabled it, and both are running at full resolution, but there is some acceleration missing. Using mission control it is very noticeable, as well as streaming a movie full-screen on one monitor is unwatchable. Just looking for some ideas as to what path to go down to see if we can get this working, as who knows when there will be an official drop from Nvidia.

If anyone needs help testing an idea, I would be willing to assist.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

I don’t think it can help, but you can try (with SIP disabled)

Code: 
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update/master/nvidia-update.sh) 387.10.10.10.40.105

Update 1: just read your post again. You already has driver installed. So, 99.99% the above script won’t help anything.
 
monkeybagel said:
Hi everyone,

I know I am in completely unsupported territory, but that's why we run prerelease OS, right?

Finally after waiting to upgrade my Mac Pro 5,1 (2012) dual hex-core machine from Sierra, I decided to give it a whirl after having such a great experience on a MacBook Air (2017) and MacBook Pro 15" (2012, non-Retina). I have s MacVidCards GTX 980 Ti 6GB card I have been running for some time, and two 27" LED Cinema Displays. So after getting my raid situation cleared up to allow installation, the installation went great. I was introduced to the non-accelerated, one monitor desktop as expected. I was hoping there could be in-box support for the card, but no such luck.

Therefore, although I have gotten drivers to work in the past designed for a different OS/Build #, I was wondering if anyone has successfully got acceleration going on this card/machine/OS? The build number is 18A336e. The driver I installed picked up the second monitor and enabled it, and both are running at full resolution, but there is some acceleration missing. Using mission control it is very noticeable, as well as streaming a movie full-screen on one monitor is unwatchable. Just looking for some ideas as to what path to go down to see if we can get this working, as who knows when there will be an official drop from Nvidia.

If anyone needs help testing an idea, I would be willing to assist.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Acceleration isn't working right when using Nvidia web drivers in the Mojave Public Betas.
 
I'm confused. There was a safety update for OS X 10.11.6 El Capitan on July 9th, so I waited for the NVIDIA Driver Manager to update, but it's still on 346.03.15f15 and it still says '(Up to date)'.

Meanwhile I see there is a f16 update for almost two weeks. Do I have to update manually by downloading this time?
 
Have you already installed the 10.11.6 update? If not, that is why the F16 update will not show.

BUT for an older OS, you MAY have to download manually. Was told there are/were minor issues with the auto-updater that were fixed in one of the 10.13 updates. Unsure if that would impact anything for this update or not.
 
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I have a cMP 5,1 running 10.13.6 with a flashed NVIDIA GTX 970 and GT120. Been working swimmingly well for 2-3 years or so. I've been running an old 23" Apple Cinema HD Display on the GTX 970 and a 20" Apple Cinema Display on the GT 120. With Mojave requiring Metal, I thought I'd try running both monitors from the GTX so I got some DisplayPort adapters. When I plug in both monitors to the GTX, it only drives one of the monitors (the other is black). Display Preferences is only detecting one monitor, doesn't matter if I use the DVI or DisplayPorts or combo.

The NVIDIA site shows instructions for how to recognize both monitors on Windows, but there's no FAQ for Mac users.

How do I get the GTX 970 to run 2 displays?

Thanks!
 
FYI - it was the DisplayPort to DVI adapters (Coboc from Newegg), both were not feeding signal. A TrippLite brand adapter is working fine. I advise avoiding Coboc brand henceforth.
 
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Hi guys

Having issue with my GTX980 from recently upgrading to High Sierra on MP 2012. Still getting glitches when opening / moving folders but mostly the computer feels very laggy and I'm pretty sure my FPS has gone down which is effecting my video editing / motion graphics work flow. Have the latest Nivida drivers installed. I also have a Samsung 970 evo m.2 running as a media drive, which is running great with HS (which is why I upgraded to HS in the first place)

Does anybody know any latest fixes for this problem and if anybody else has the same issue as I have? Would downgrading back to sierra be the best thing to do?

Cheers
Alex
 
blinds122000 said:
Hi guys

Having issue with my GTX980 from recently upgrading to High Sierra on MP 2012. Still getting glitches when opening / moving folders but mostly the computer feels very laggy and I'm pretty sure my FPS has gone down which is effecting my video editing / motion graphics work flow. Have the latest Nivida drivers installed. I also have a Samsung 970 evo m.2 running as a media drive, which is running great with HS (which is why I upgraded to HS in the first place)

Does anybody know any latest fixes for this problem and if anybody else has the same issue as I have? Would downgrading back to sierra be the best thing to do?

Cheers
Alex
Click to expand...

APFS or HFS+ for system drive?
Can you run a read/write speed test and report results?
CUDA installed? What CUDA driver version?
 
bsbeamer said:
APFS or HFS+ for system drive?
Can you run a read/write speed test and report results?
CUDA installed? What CUDA driver version?
Click to expand...

System drive is APFS
Read/Wright speed of system drive is around 150mb (not ssd)
Read/write of m.2 is around 1500mb
Cuda driver 396.148
GPU driver 387.10.10.10.40.105

Any ideas?
 
blinds122000 said:
Any ideas?
Click to expand...

If your system drive is NOT an SSD, there is no reason it should be formatted APFS at this time. APFS was designed for SSDs. Suggest changing your system drive to HFS+. Easiest way to do this is to clone to another drive that is HFS+ formatted with Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) and then replace as your system drive.

If you have the budget, upgrade system drive to an SSD - it will increase performance a lot.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208033
"APFS is optimized for solid-state drives (SSDs) and other all-flash storage devices."
 
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What are the odds of the next generation nVidia cards being supported by the web drivers? I'm weighing up getting a 1080 Ti or a 1180/2080 when they come out in the next couple of months.
 
Theophany said:
What are the odds of the next generation nVidia cards being supported by the web drivers? I'm weighing up getting a 1080 Ti or a 1180/2080 when they come out in the next couple of months.
Click to expand...

Think it really depends on what the next generation Mac Pro looks like and if it supports PCIe cards in some capacity. IF it does through direct attachment or an eGPU/expander box, the chances will increase. Would not expect functional support until several months after the Mojave drivers are released (if they are released) and then at least 4-6 months after the initial batches of cards are made available.

I would not rule out an official Mac Version of the 1080 (non-Ti) to squeeze some additional unit sales before the next generation NVIDIA cards are released, IF they can get it working with eGPU's. Unfortunately, eGPU is really going to dictate the NVIDIA future of GPU options on Mac unless NVIDIA cards become stock options again. Getting CUDA properly working with Mojave would also be a large factor moving forward, especially with the depreciation of OpenCL in favor of Metal.
 
Sorry my system drive is HFS+ not APFS. On the whole the system is working how it used it's just its laggy and a running at a lower frame rate using the NIVIDA card. Running the original graphics card the system doesn't lag.

Really don't want to do it but think my best option is to downgrade to Sierra
 
bsbeamer said:
Think it really depends on what the next generation Mac Pro looks like and if it supports PCIe cards in some capacity. IF it does through direct attachment or an eGPU/expander box, the chances will increase. Would not expect functional support until several months after the Mojave drivers are released (if they are released) and then at least 4-6 months after the initial batches of cards are made available.

I would not rule out an official Mac Version of the 1080 (non-Ti) to squeeze some additional unit sales before the next generation NVIDIA cards are released, IF they can get it working with eGPU's. Unfortunately, eGPU is really going to dictate the NVIDIA future of GPU options on Mac unless NVIDIA cards become stock options again. Getting CUDA properly working with Mojave would also be a large factor moving forward, especially with the depreciation of OpenCL in favor of Metal.
Click to expand...

I would think eGPU support on the next gen Mac Pro is a given as it will have Thunderbolt, but as it stands nVidia cards do not work in eGPU enclosures on Mac OS without hacking, right?
 
MacGamver said:
https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-5161-KR

This seem like a good choice for a 5,1 with HS? It mentions compatibility with the reference card in the specs.
Click to expand...

I personally would recommend sticking with a GTX 1080 Founders Edition or GTX 1070 Founders Edition. There are several with X/XX60 cards who have had issues with NVIDIA Web Driver compatibility. Unsure if that will present itself again in the future, or if its been resolved with the 10XX series.

Worth asking - if you're currently spending $300 on a new GPU for MacPro5,1 are you not considering Apple's recommended GPU for Mojave? You can fairly easily find the Sapphire RX 580 PULSE for under $300. If there's a need for utilization of CUDA I completely understand. If it's just for a new GPU, you may want to at least consider the RX 580.
 
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bsbeamer said:
I personally would recommend sticking with a GTX 1080 Founders Edition or GTX 1070 Founders Edition. There are several with X/XX60 cards who have had issues with NVIDIA Web Driver compatibility. Unsure if that will present itself again in the future, or if its been resolved with the 10XX series.

Worth asking - if you're currently spending $300 on a new GPU for MacPro5,1 are you not considering Apple's recommended GPU for Mojave? You can fairly easily find the Sapphire RX 580 PULSE for under $300. If there's a need for utilization of CUDA I completely understand. If it's just for a new GPU, you may want to at least consider the RX 580.
Click to expand...
I have been considering the RX580 actually... It's for gaming, and I really prefer Nvidia for that as it seems like that's their primary focus. You have a link for a reliable 580 in that price range? Also, I assume that runs on the stock drivers OOTB?
 
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I currently have a GTX 1080 FE and have been extremely happy with it. Use it for mostly for video production work and utilize CUDA almost daily.

Do not believe this is really the thread for RX 580 discussions, but there are several others in the forum.

See this page:
https://support.apple.com/macos/mojave

Sapphire Radeon PULSE RX 580 is the recommended card from Apple. Amazon directly selling the 8GB for $280 currently:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8

Have had terrible experiences with NEWEGG in the past, but they are selling the 8GB for $240 currently:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202278

Search around and you'll find some prices well below $300.

If you do want an NVIDIA card, would recommend the Founders Edition versions for maximum compatibility with the NVIDIA Web Drivers on Mac. Several are in stock, including 1080, 1070 and 1060:
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/products/10series/geforce-store/
 
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MacGamver said:
https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=06G-P4-5161-KR

This seem like a good choice for a 5,1 with HS? It mentions compatibility with the reference card in the specs.
Click to expand...

I am not anti Nvidia, I own a 1080Ti and used that on my cMP. But for this kind of price, I really believe the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB is a better choice. Unless you need CUDA and this is the best card you can get within your budget.

The web driver seems work best with reference 1070 or higher card. 1060 often reported with strange issues like web driver doesn’t load properly for no apparent reason.
MacGamver said:
I have been considering the RX580 actually... It's for gaming, and I really prefer Nvidia for that as it seems like that's their primary focus. You have a link for a reliable 580 in that price range? Also, I assume that runs on the stock drivers OOTB?
Click to expand...

You mean the primary usage is gaming in Windows?
 
h9826790 said:
I am not anti Nvidia, I own a 1080Ti and used that on my cMP. But for this kind of price, I really believe the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB is a better choice. Unless you need CUDA and this is the best card you can get within your budget.

The web driver seems work best with reference 1070 or higher card. 1060 often reported with strange issues like web driver doesn’t load properly for no apparent reason.


You mean the primary usage is gaming in Windows?
Click to expand...
Are you asking if *I* am gaming in windows, or stating that NVidia's focus is windows gaming. I'm, gaming on the Mac side primarily, but have a Bootcamp volume for windows.
 
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