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

[flowrider]

Sorry, perhaps I was unclear. I mean from your link, the downloads on NVidia's site; the OS choice does not offer OSX at all, just windows, Linux or FreeBSD. Cool to know you can choose which driver to use once installed though

The link leads to the two screen shots below. The first one you click on Search which brings up the second one and the download link.

Lou

 

[MacGamver]

The link leads to the two screen shots below. The first one you click on Search which brings up the second one and the download link.

Lou

Hmm... OK, well now I see the confusion; That's using the Quadro series as a starting point. This card in reference is a GTX 650 (GeForce 600 series) Would this be considered a K600 series, being a Kepler card?

 

[flowrider]

^^^^The Driver is for all both Quadro and GeForce Cards. Basically any Nvidia Graphics Card that will work in a Mac Pro.

Lou

 

[MacGamver]

^^^^The Driver is for all both Quadro and GeForce Cards. Basically any Nvidia Graphics Card that will work in a Mac Pro.

Lou

OK, I found that before, but was waiting for your input! Again, thank you SO much for all your time with this!

 

[Asgorath]

OK, I found that before, but was waiting for your input! Again, thank you SO much for all your time with this!

I put links in the OP for a reason The card you're talking about isn't officially supported under OS X, so the NVIDIA driver search page won't show you the Mac driver download page. If you search for the Mac Quadro cards, you will find the links, but since that's not obvious I just keep a list of links in the OP of this thread.

 

[MacGamver]

I put links in the OP for a reason The card you're talking about isn't officially supported under OS X, so the NVIDIA driver search page won't show you the Mac driver download page. If you search for the Mac Quadro cards, you will find the links, but since that's not obvious I just keep a list of links in the OP of this thread.

DOUBLE D'OH!!!! I've had this page bookmarked forever, and keep going back; today I forgot to *start* at the beginning!:O Thank Asgorath, and sorry for the noobish foible!

 

[jlsm511]

Help! GTX 660 Ti of GTX 660 SC

Hey guys, been trying to read through most of the posts, but 40 pages is tough to go through. I am looking to replace the 5770 in my 5,1. I tried the Sapphire ATI 7950 for Mac but the performance I got was less then stellar. I now found this thread and am interested in these two options and was hoping for some opinions.

I am between a
NVIDIA brand GeForce GTX 660 Ti
or a
EVGA GTX 660 SC

I know BestBuy isn't the best place to get video cards, but I have several gift cards which are financing this purchase and this is the budget I am aiming for. I am mostly going to be using it for Flight Simulator X on Windows Boot Camp and SimCity on the Mac side as well as some developer tools.

Any suggestions you guys can provide before I make my purchase this weekend would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Asgorath]

Any suggestions you guys can provide before I make my purchase this weekend would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

My advice always comes down to this: get the most expensive card you can afford. The GTX 660 Ti should be faster than the GTX 660, I would search the web for some reviews like this one:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6276/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-review-gk106-rounds-out-the-kepler-family

The 660 Ti is a stripped-down GK104, while the 660 is a GK106. Actually, skimming through that review suggests that perhaps the 660 is a better choice in some ways. It really depends on what games you want to play and so on. Either way, they are both excellent cards and you can't really go wrong.

 

[jlsm511]

My advice always comes down to this: get the most expensive card you can afford. The GTX 660 Ti should be faster than the GTX 660, I would search the web for some reviews like this one:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6276/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-review-gk106-rounds-out-the-kepler-family

The 660 Ti is a stripped-down GK104, while the 660 is a GK106. Actually, skimming through that review suggests that perhaps the 660 is a better choice in some ways. It really depends on what games you want to play and so on. Either way, they are both excellent cards and you can't really go wrong.

Thanks for the advice, based on what I've read on here and other sites, I think I'm gonna try out the 660 Ti. Just one more question, I know you suggest the PCIe power cable on amazon, but have you had any luck finding one of these at a brick and mortar location like best buy or tiger direct? Thanks again.

 

[Asgorath]

Thanks for the advice, based on what I've read on here and other sites, I think I'm gonna try out the 660 Ti. Just one more question, I know you suggest the PCIe power cable on amazon, but have you had any luck finding one of these at a brick and mortar location like best buy or tiger direct? Thanks again.

Given that they're specific to the Mac Pro, I highly doubt that a brick-and-mortar store will carry them (though I might be wrong). You might have more luck at a Mac-specific store, I know there are a few of those in my general area and you could also try an Apple Store as well.

 

[flowrider]

They are readily available on eBay. Example:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk....Xg5+video+cable&_nkw=g5+video+cable&_sacat=0

Lou

 

[bokdol]

hey everyone.

so one question.

i got the 550ti in my 3,1. i installed both the latest drivers and cuda. but i still have random freezes. is it a problem with the 500 series? i cant seem to find a definite answer. as some people have freezes and some don't.

and if it is, does the 600 series work better. i can get a 660 ti for about 200. the freezing is really annoying.

thanks if anyone can clear this up. this is a non flashed card as i don't need a boot screen.

 

[mamasboy]

Adobe CC Apps & Cuda!

Can anyone report whether the combination of 10.8.4, Cuda 5.0.61, and Nvidia 02f01 - still allow or break the GPU from being used in CS6 AE & PP?

And the same question regarding the newer CC versions of AE & PP?

I have an off the shelf GTX570 2.5GB in a MP5.1 still on 10.8.2 with its appropriate drivers that is a rock solid system. And because this is my livelihood (not a gamer), I'm looking to see if the latest versions are playing nicely together...

Thanks for any feedback!
Lonnie

I mentioned I'd report back between projects when I could afford the risk of testing.... All is well!

My Mac Pro 5,1 with 10.8.4 & most recent release of Nvidia & Cuda Drivers, with a GTX 570 2.5GB (non-flashed) works with Adobe (Version CC) PP & AE's Cuda. The only caveat - I had to add the card to the text files. But once added - GPU is recognized by both apps without a hitch! Both apps performed flawlessly...

Lonnie

 

[MacGamver]

I know BestBuy isn't the best place to get video cards, but.....!

Why? What's wrong the cards BestBuy sells? Don't they carry they same ones that every other shop has?

 

[ActionableMango]

Why? What's wrong the cards BestBuy sells? Don't they carry they same ones that every other shop has?

Small selection, much shorter than usual return period, full MSRP prices, you really need to buy this $150 Monster cable to make your HDMI faster, and would you like to buy an extended warranty?

 

[MacGamver]

Small selection, much shorter than usual return period, full MSRP prices, you really need to buy this $150 Monster cable to make your HDMI faster, and would you like to buy an extended warranty?

HA! OK, then just the obvious! I thought he was saying they sell a lower grade "special consumer edition" product!

Oh, and I guess my "bottom line" question is: Is the GTX 650 a decent card for the price, or will it be a bare minimum type card in less than a year?

 

[vgame64]

I can confirm that a (Galaxy) GTX 670 works without issue on a Mac Pro 1,1 (the Mac Pro was flashed to 2,1) running 10.7.5 (11G63) and the 295.00.05f03 Web Release drivers.

My testing thus far has comprised of playing Counter-Strike Global Offensive for 40 minutes and composing this message.

EDIT: Euro Truck Simulator runs without issue at 2560x1600.

 

[lighttuner]

Premiere CS6 CUDA problem with 660 Ti

Hi all,

I have looked at the issue I am having on forums and tried a few things, but I am still having issues.

I have an EVGA 660 Ti on slot 2 in a Mac Pro 4,1 (2009) with a GT120 on slot 1.

The system and Cuda-Z see the card fine so I assume the card works (screenshot attached), but I had no success previewing the timeline in Premiere (6.0.4, tried all CS6 updates) since the card has been installed (either rendering with Software mode or Mercury actually!). The files play fine when double-clicked from the project window.

Its on 10.8.4 (first installed from Apple store then tried the update combo link from tonymacx86), with latest Nvidia webdriver 313.01.02f01, Cuda driver 5.5.25 (very recent, tried with earlier ones). The computer goes to sleep, I can use the card for dual display, system froze a couple of time after using Blender.

Is anyone with similar setup having the same problem?
Thanks for your time

 

[bokdol]

Thanks for the advice, based on what I've read on here and other sites, I think I'm gonna try out the 660 Ti. Just one more question, I know you suggest the PCIe power cable on amazon, but have you had any luck finding one of these at a brick and mortar location like best buy or tiger direct? Thanks again.

how did it go. i picked up that same model card but refurbed from a microcenter. got rid of my 550 ti because it froze a fair amount. also got my cable form their too

but the 660 ti is running smooth. almost the day without a freeze. i will leave it on all night just to test it out.

non-flashed.

 

[lelando00]

GTX 660 freezing/not getting enough power?

Hey all,

Just added an MSI GTX 660 to my 3,1 and installed web drivers/CUDA. Was working fine but not really delivering performance I was expecting. Under heavy graphic load, screen would turn solid color (either red or blue) and system would crash. On looking at the card, I noticed that it had 1 PCIe connector and came with Y cable (PCIe to 2 molex to plug into board) to power it.

I tried plugging PCIe on card to PCIe on Mac Pro board -- am I not giving it enough power? If not, are there 2 molex connectors in the Pro somewhere? Or is there another way to power it? Thanks!

 

[ActionableMango]

I tried plugging PCIe on card to PCIe on Mac Pro board -- am I not giving it enough power? If not, are there 2 molex connectors in the Pro somewhere?

It sounds like you have it connected correctly, if you have the 6-pin connector on the card connected to the 6-pin PCIe power connector on the motherboard.

The molex adapter that came with the card is specifically for computers without supplemental PCIe power available, so it's not meant to be used in this case.

 

[lelando00]

Hmm then I wonder what's to blame for the color screens and sub-par performance (Starcraft 2 framed just as much as with the old 5770 with 1000 units on the screen, Witcher 2 crashed after 5 mins of ultra settings)? My friend said it sounded like overheating, but I bought the card with 2 fans (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E16814127702&gclid=CIS2_LeXo7kCFcie4Aod4V8AbQ) so that can't be, right? Is it a settings thing?

I got the overclocked edition of the card apparently... could it be an issue with OS X not responding to the OC?

 

[ActionableMango]

I got the overclocked edition of the card apparently... could it be an issue with OS X not responding to the OC?

I doubt it. Do you have the same problem in Windows? You might just have a bad card.

 

[MacVidCards]

Nvidia still cares for Macs - still supporting Tesla Cards in OSX

The recent days I spent working on Titan and GTX780 EFI taught me some things.

I went back to Tesla C2070 and fixed the one issue it had, the RAM was reported wrong by the EFI to OS and thus came up wrong in various places.

What this messed up was the ECC switching support in the Nvidia Control Panel.

Now that I have the EFI fixed and the RAM comes up right in System Profiler, I was able to utilize the ECC control panel.

And, as you can see from the screen shots, it works.

Nice to know Nvidia cares more for Macs in the serious world than...well, then Apple does at this point.

 

[bokdol]

I tried plugging PCIe on card to PCIe on Mac Pro board -- am I not giving it enough power? If not, are there 2 molex connectors in the Pro somewhere? Or is there another way to power it? Thanks!

the connectors are side by side owc has cables for sale also amazon. here is a snap shot of the inside of my 3,1.