MP 1,1-5,1 GPU Compatibility List for cMP

[Rossthephotographer]

Which software won’t work in Sierra (min for RX580)?
I have PS CS5, which works.
You just need to install the legacy java runtime.

But tbh I have replaced it with Affinity Photo.

Sierra was mentioned purely to do with the GPU, but I plan to use Mojave. I have already tried CS5 on Mojave on my backup machine and it kept crashing (CS5) Photoshop and InDesign. Office for Mac 2011 seems to work fine though.

I did see something about legacy java runtime, I can't remember now if I couldn't find the right link to download or if I tried it and it didn't work. I'll have another look again soon.

I've also got Capture One 10, and I think that needs to be upgraded if I go past El Capitan, which I am currently on (main machine).

 

[MarkC426]

Get the java runtime from Apple downloads

 

[Rossthephotographer]

Get the java runtime from Apple downloads

Just waiting on some NVMe blades to arrive, then I'll start working on the backup machine and do the OS/Java updates and fiddling about.

 

[combatphotog]

I have not seen any mention of the GTX 1050TI, could somebody enlighten me on this card, just wanting to do the Mojave mod to enable nvme and then go back to High sierra. Thank you

 

[Flocarino]

Here is a photo so you can see space left, PowerLink and the 2 cables used are 2 x 6 Pin mini from the Mac to 2 x 6 pin going into the 2 x 8 Pin sockets, they go to to one side of each 8 pin socket.
Go to thread page (link below) post 55 for the original chat I had with tsialex about this (you were there too at post number 52).

Compatible RX580 8GB Brands on Mac Pro 5,1

Ive got a ref Vega 56 on the way and a power link, and Ive already got the 2 x 6 pin to 6 pin in use with a gtx980 that I want to upgrade, then jump into Mojave or even Catalina come the day, using the patch thats around.

forums.macrumors.com

Thanks for the reply, yes I was attentive at the chat but all these cables conversions get me dizzy honestly...as I plan to install a Powercolor radeon vega 56 which has different placement for the power connectors...and all these cables mini 6 pin (2) to Powerlink, then from Powerlink to the card get me really confused as the 2 cables from Powerlink to the PowerColor card are different kind of 8pin and 6pin, I believe. Sorry for all this confusion, but I know that with your ”blower” version of Vega 56, the installation is more neat and clean as it fits the Powerlink like a glove but with the PowerColor version of the Vega 56 is a slight different approach.

 

[Pending]

Thanks for the reply, yes I was attentive at the chat but all these cables conversions get me dizzy honestly...as I plan to install a Powercolor radeon vega 56 which has different placement for the power connectors...and all these cables mini 6 pin (2) to Powerlink, then from Powerlink to the card get me really confused as the 2 cables from Powerlink to the PowerColor card are different kind of 8pin and 6pin, I believe. Sorry for all this confusion, but I know that with your ”blower” version of Vega 56, the installation is more neat and clean as it fits the Powerlink like a glove but with the PowerColor version of the Vega 56 is a slight different approach.

I know what you mean. Are you wanting to install the Powercolor Red Devil version as that has 1x8 and 1x6 pin. They do a reference 'blower' style model too.

 

[Flocarino]

No, it is the PowerColor Red Dragon Vega 56, 3 fans version.

 

[Pending]

No, it is the PowerColor Red Dragon Vega 56, 3 fans version.

Thats 316mm long I believe, therefore not sure that's going to fit.
Why not go with a reference card for ease?

 

[h9826790]

Thats 316mm long I believe, therefore not sure that's going to fit.
Why not go with a reference card for ease?

If that number is accurate, the card should fit.

My PNY XLR 1080Ti is 313mm long, and it can fit into the PCIe compartment with some buffer. Sure that's more than 3mm from the fan.

 

[Pending]

If that number is accurate, the card should fit.

My PNY XLR 1080Ti is 313mm long, and it can fit into the PCIe compartment with some buffer. Sure that's more than 3mm from the fan.
View attachment 889579
View attachment 889578

Looks ok for length...nice one ?
I guess the PowerLink could be stored somewhere else.

 

[h9826790]

Looks ok for length...nice one ?
I guess the PowerLink could be stored somewhere else.

If no HDD in bay in, you should able to put the PowerLink above the PCIe fan.

 

[Flocarino]

If no HDD in bay in, you should able to put the PowerLink above the PCIe fan.

Exactly what I am planning to do, once I sort out the power cables headache. Thanks.

 

[joevt]

Thats 316mm long I believe, therefore not sure that's going to fit.

If the measurement only includes the cooler and not the I/O bracket then it definitely won't fit.

The "PCI Express Card Electromechanical Specification" has a section describing "Add-in Card Form Factors". One of the form factors is called "Full Length" and measures 312 mm without the I/O bracket (and 325.33 mm with the I/O bracket). The classic Mac Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, and the Sonnet Echo Express III-D are example enclosures that use that length and have guides at the end of the slot that a card slides in which holds the card more securly (no side-to-side motion at the end of the card). The guide the card slides into can be up to 5 mm deep, since the spec says no components can exist in the final 5.08 mm of the card.

Do any PC desktops have those guides? I don't know. My PC desktop case does not.

Do any PCIe cards exceed this length? I guess the PowerColor Red Dragon Vega 56 does might.

Here is a picture of a full length card and the guides in the Sonnet Echo Express III-D.

There's a video showing removal of full length GPU from Mac Pro 2010. It shows the guides of the Mac Pro that hold the full length card.

The spec also describes a "Retainer" which seems to add 26.96 mm to the 312 mm length and adds an offset of 14.27 mm in the component side direction of the card. I don't think I've ever seen that before. Such retainers, if they exist, are optional and can be removed to allow the card to fit in something like the classic Mac Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, and the Sonnet Echo Express III-D.

My PNY XLR 1080Ti is 313mm long, and it can fit into the PCIe compartment with some buffer. Sure that's more than 3mm from the fan.

That 313 mm must be including the 13.33 mm of the I/O bracket or something.

 

[Pending]

If the measurement only includes the cooler and not the I/O bracket then it definitely won't fit.

The "PCI Express Card Electromechanical Specification" has a section describing "Add-in Card Form Factors". One of the form factors is called "Full Length" and measures 312 mm without the I/O bracket (and 325.33 mm with the I/O bracket). The classic Mac Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, and the Sonnet Echo Express III-D are example enclosures that use that length and have guides at the end of the slot that a card slides in which holds the card more securly (no side-to-side motion at the end of the card). The guide the card slides into can be up to 5 mm deep, since the spec says no components can exist in the final 5.08 mm of the card.

Do any PC desktops have those guides? I don't know. My PC desktop case does not.

Do any PCIe cards exceed this length? I guess the PowerColor Red Dragon Vega 56 does might.

Here is a picture of a full length card and the guides in the Sonnet Echo Express III-D.
View attachment 889669

There's a video showing removal of full length GPU from Mac Pro 2010. It shows the guides of the Mac Pro that hold the full length card.

The spec also describes a "Retainer" which seems to add 26.96 mm to the 312 mm length and adds an offset of 14.27 mm in the component side direction of the card. I don't think I've ever seen that before. Such retainers, if they exist, are optional and can be removed to allow the card to fit in something like the classic Mac Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, and the Sonnet Echo Express III-D.


That 313 mm must be including the 13.33 mm of the I/O bracket or something.

Yes I believe the measurement of 316mm I mentioned must include the bracket.
I got it from here - https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-rx-vega-56.c2993

 

[Flocarino]

Thats 316mm long I believe, therefore not sure that's going to fit.
Why not go with a reference card for ease?

I’m concerned about the blower fan noise, if I’m not mistaken, I think is louder than dual or tri fan models!?
As for space, I think it is safe to say that it is a 2 slot card and leaves the 2nd 16X slot available, correct?
Thank you

 

[Pending]

I’m concerned about the blower fan noise, if I’m not mistaken, I think is louder than dual or tri fan models!?
As for space, I think it is safe to say that it is a 2 slot card and leaves the 2nd 16X slot available, correct?
Thank you

I don't know about double and triple fan models but the single blower was certainly heard with High Sierra, since installing Mojave its quiet and no issue. The ref cards are 2 slot, as is the Red Dragon you are considering I believe, and the 2nd PCI slot is clear for something slim, as you can see in my photo at post 296.

 

[h9826790]

I’m concerned about the blower fan noise, if I’m not mistaken, I think is louder than dual or tri fan models!?
As for space, I think it is safe to say that it is a 2 slot card and leaves the 2nd 16X slot available, correct?
Thank you

Correct, blower usually louder when under stress. And more than that, not just the dB, but the pitch. In my own experience (with HD4870 reference blower, HD7950 reference blower, R9 280 blower, R9 380 dual fan, RX580 dual fan, GTX1080 Triple fan, Radeon VII reference triple fan), for open fans cooler, at the same dB (or even higher), the pitch (noise signature) usually much less annoying.

Anyway, anything shorter than 40mm can fit in slot 1.

 

[mikas]

Just happened to receive two new pieces of this above mentioned Powercolor Red Dragon 56.

The length is ok for cMP. There is a gap of something like 2-3 mm's from the PCIe fan assembly. It's quite a tight fit to install though.

In theory you could fit three of these in to a cMP (see pic with 2x Red Dragon + RX 460). Two Red Dragons is a matter of installing everything in the right order, and maybe a little bit of patience is needed too.

Fitting three cards you would have to cut some metal out of one cards back plate or from cMP PCIe back plate assembly. And still, there might not be enough space to fit the Dragons, or if they fit you might not be able to fit the cMP PCIe securing plate to it's original position (the metal plate with two thumb screws with it). There might be a procedure for that too, but I highly doubt it.

And of course you would need some external power. I have a seasonic 600W fanless power source available, I just might try that one too. I'll come back later with that.

Which one of the two dip switches is the low power bios switch? Is it the one next to PCIe connectors on the card, farther away from the back plate? And if so, in which position it should be for low power bios? There is no explanation in the card, nor do I find any manual or info from the box or from the web.

I'd like to test the card(s) with 2x mini 6-pin PCIe power only, at least at first to confirm they are in working order.

 

[serpico007]

Wooh, that's tight. Guess these wouldn't work in a 3,1.

 

[mikas]

I don't think these would do well in a 3,1. I've got a 3,1 too waiting for some memory upgrades from eBay and a flashed GTX 680 4GB is ready allready for it. A GTX 680 would be the best for a 3,1 as I recall it.

This Red Dragon is thinner than a RX 580 Sapphire Pulse. I think a 1-1,5 mm thinner. if I had to guess. This would be a real and proper measured 2 slot card, and Sapphire Pulse is a little bit more than 2 slots thick. It's been discussed allready mulptiple times here I guess.

I need to decide my NVMe slot though besides these Red Dragons. I' might have to go with slower throughput and without a PCIe switch maybe. Or I could install 2 Red's into slots 2 and 4, and keep this Syba IOCrest card in slot 1 (see pic).

I really don't need USB 3 for example. Everything goes to cloud via fast internet anyways. And I've got no need for multiple SATA bays and SATA drives either. I think can manage with 1 biggish NVMe and 1 bigger 2,5" backup drive. My use is 3D, CAD, BIM and office apps with a little bit of graphics design (bitmap and vector, Affinity apps).

ps. I do have a reasonable backup computer aside of these cMPs I upgrade mostly like a hobby (it's a HP Z440). I am using it too almost daily, regardless of the operating system installed in it.
[automerge]1579714592[/automerge]
Found my german measurement tool..

 

[serpico007]

Funny I use AutoCAD daily too for work. But not on the 3,1 of course. I have a work laptop for that.

Yes, I've been looking for a GTX 680 for my 3,1. I found a used 2GB EVGA PC version for $70CAD but not sure if that is priced too high or how to flash it. I also found a 5,1 for sale with the Mac Edition GTX 680 but he won't sell it separately.

It really is tight in that system and I agree, if you don't need the USB 3 ports then take it out.

 

[MarkC426]

Surely those GPU’s are going to get very very hot, that close together.

 

[mikas]

They certainly are going to warm up together at heavy load.
And an external power supply would not help there either with heat.

I do consider testing alternative builds:

slot 1) Red Dragon
slot 2) PCIe NVMe
slot 3) nothing
slot 4) Red Dragon

or

slot 1) Red Dragon
slot 2) nothing
slot 3) PCIe NVMe
slot 4) Red Dragon

Just now I have to think about getting enough power supply to those two Vegas. I have an idea for routing external PS power cables just under motherboard power supply cable. I would need two of these for two cards (you can see onlu one in the pic). And yes, I know and have read all about Pixla's mod. I have bought the cables necessary too. Just thinking different for a change.

As a side note, I could fit some SSD's in motherboard slots even with a Red Dragon in slot 4. They would just hang in there without a sled. I have tried this earlier with a RX 460. I don't need them there jsut now, just saying for the adventurous guys.

I hope Marcel Bresinks's HW monitor still works in Mojave. Anybody using it still?

 

[serpico007]

Is that a dust bunny sitting on the case? Good that you're taking it apart. Good idea routing it under the board.

 

[mikas]

Good observing! But maybe it's more of a mouse head though, wouldn't you think ?

I look for reassuring AMD Prorender speed with this mod/hack. Thank You for all earlier testers and witnessers for and about this particular card.