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GTX 750ti - High Sierra 10.13.4 - Mac Pro 2008 Graphics Problems

aaronlroberts

aaronlroberts

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 19, 2017
43
21
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Hi all.

I've just invested in a lovely Mac Pro 2008 and got it up and running with High Sierra 10.13.4. Except I have this VERY big problem with my GTX 750 ti (which was working in my Mac Pro 1,1).

I'm getting lags and UI glitching everywhere. When dragging a window, it lags terribly, very choppy / interlacing issues.

I'm using the most recent version of Nvidia web driver and even tried rolling back, to no success.

Login screen flickers with black / white bars and transparency problems basically everywhere. I've come to learn that this is something to do with the recent update to 10.13.4 as I have found threads on other sites (mainly hackintosh sites) with regards to this issue.

For example: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...s-high-sierra-10-13-4-387-10-10-10-30.249039/

However, the problem remains, and there's so many pages in that forum that people end up talking about all sorts of stuff, mostly unrelated.

I really need some help with this, so if anyone is having the same problems or has a solution, please comment!
 
Check your security preference, may be you didn't "allow" the Nvidia web driver yet.

e.g. Something like this.
Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 17.46.50.jpg
 
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h9826790 said:
Check your security preference, may be you didn't "allow" the Nvidia web driver yet.

e.g. Something like this.
View attachment 756917
Click to expand...

Checked, nothing showing here.. Device detected properly everywhere in the OS, just severe lagging and graphics acceleration problems. Working fine on the same system with El Capitan and under Windows 10.

ActionableMango said:
Is this a flashed card?
Click to expand...

The card is not flashed, it's original Windforce Gigabyte GTX 750 ti 2GB. - Has been working fine under El Capitan, just not working properly with the recent update of High Sierra. My understanding is that this happened recently, but the tread I included originally just rambles on about things I don't care about (like Clover configurator etc).
 
aaronlroberts said:
The card is not flashed
Click to expand...

Interesting. I was not expecting that.

The reason why I ask is that your symptoms seem similar to a card running in basic EFI mode without drivers. I think this is why h9826790 is guessing that your drivers aren't loading.

But only flashed cards can run in basic EFI mode. So this means your drivers ARE loading, but everything is slow and crappy anyway.

All I can do is lamely suggest is that you go back to Sierra since this is due to a recent update, and then use that until such time that the problem is fixed.
 
What hack did you use to get your 3,1 to install High Sierra?
Did you change the model identifier to 5,1?
 
Thanks... wasn't asking for myself, was asking to try to help you troubleshoot.

Some of the hack methods on older machines basically trick the model identifier to read as an iMac or iMacPro. This is causing an issue on some of the latest 10.13.4 machines hacked with that method. It's likely because the OS builds have merged. There is no longer an iMac/iMacPro specific OS build with specific NVIDIA web driver build released (as previous 10.13.X versions have done).

Was the system firmware updated with your hack at all, or was it just patched to install High Sierra?
With the 10.13.4 update, were you prompted to install a firmware update by the OS installer?
Are you certain you're using the latest NVIDIA web driver? (387.10.10.10.30.103)
Are you using CUDA at all, or have it installed? (CUDA Driver Version 387.178)
Who or where did you originally purchase or acquire the GPU from?
Is your system drive APFS or HFS+?
 
ActionableMango said:
Interesting. I was not expecting that.

The reason why I ask is that your symptoms seem similar to a card running in basic EFI mode without drivers. I think this is why h9826790 is guessing that your drivers aren't loading.

But only flashed cards can run in basic EFI mode. So this means your drivers ARE loading, but everything is slow and crappy anyway.

All I can do is lamely suggest is that you go back to Sierra since this is due to a recent update, and then use that until such time that the problem is fixed.
Click to expand...

Yes that's true, it's exactly like that but indeed, this card is loaded and in theory running.
[doublepost=1522880802][/doublepost]
bsbeamer said:
Thanks... wasn't asking for myself, was asking to try to help you troubleshoot.

Some of the hack methods on older machines basically trick the model identifier to read as an iMac or iMacPro. This is causing an issue on some of the latest 10.13.4 machines hacked with that method. It's likely because the OS builds have merged. There is no longer an iMac/iMacPro specific OS build with specific NVIDIA web driver build released (as previous 10.13.X versions have done).

Was the system firmware updated with your hack at all, or was it just patched to install High Sierra?
With the 10.13.4 update, were you prompted to install a firmware update by the OS installer?
Are you certain you're using the latest NVIDIA web driver? (387.10.10.10.30.103)
Are you using CUDA at all, or have it installed? (CUDA Driver Version 387.178)
Who or where did you originally purchase or acquire the GPU from?
Is your system drive APFS or HFS+?
Click to expand...

  • The installation was made from a direct download of Mac OS X from the Mac App Store (using the utility provided by DosDude1) and no firmware updates have taken place on this Mac to the best of my knowledge (only acquired this 3,1 yesterday after replacing my 1,1). - To the best of my knowledge this "bug" wasn't present until macOS 10.13.4 was released recently.
  • Drivers are indeed up-to-date with the version mentioned.
  • No CUDA installed
  • The GPU was originally purchased second-hand, but has been working flawlessly and still works perfectly on this machine running El Capitan.
  • The File System is HFS+ as I don't want to mess around with boot patches.
 
aaronlroberts said:
Yes that's true, it's exactly like that but indeed, this card is loaded and in theory running.
[doublepost=1522880802][/doublepost]

  • The installation was made from a direct download of Mac OS X from the Mac App Store (using the utility provided by DosDude1) and no firmware updates have taken place on this Mac to the best of my knowledge (only acquired this 3,1 yesterday after replacing my 1,1). - To the best of my knowledge this "bug" wasn't present until macOS 10.13.4 was released recently.
  • Drivers are indeed up-to-date with the version mentioned.
  • No CUDA installed
  • The GPU was originally purchased second-hand, but has been working flawlessly and still works perfectly on this machine running El Capitan.
  • The File System is HFS+ as I don't want to mess around with boot patches.
Click to expand...

Can you confirm if the driver is really loaded properly?

In the Extensions page, use Version or Last Modified to sort the list. And then locate the Nvidia stuff.
Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 06.32.52.jpg
 
aaronlroberts said:
Ohhh damn, didn't noticed the status (sorry, I've only had about 4 hours sleep in the past 2 days working on this lol) So, what can I do now?
Click to expand...

Not sure what cause that. But you may try

1) If SIP is disabled, try enable it, and check security preference again.

2) Or completely remove web driver, then install it again (recommend with both SIP and Gatekeeper ON)

3) Or completely disable SIP, and let the following script to install the web driver for you.
Code: 
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update/master/nvidia-update.sh)
 
h9826790 said:
Not sure what cause that. But you may try

1) If SIP is disabled, try enable it, and check security preference again.

2) Or completely remove web driver, then install it again (recommend with both SIP and Gatekeeper ON)

3) Or completely disable SIP, and let the following script to install the web driver for you.
Code: 
bash <(curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Benjamin-Dobell/nvidia-update/master/nvidia-update.sh)
Click to expand...
So, after much testing and working.. I've tried everything you mentioned, disabled / enable SIP, "allowed" the security prompt, removed and reinstalled drivers (both v103 and v105) but still nothing.

I've spoken with NVIDIA who basically say the drivers released recently (specifically for this model of Mac) are not designed for this card, and that they don't plan to release an update either.. but the fact is, this worked perfectly until just recently when this update occurred.

I'm fresh out of ideas :(
 
FYI, NVIDIA does not officially support cards past GTX 680 for Mac. Their driver works with newer cards but not officially. Opening a case or ticket with NVIDIA on Mac requires an officially supported card.

Suggest to fix the missing loader files, that’s not normal and likely part of the problem. On the face looks like it’s an installation issue... but you’re saying it’s not.
 
I agree with you 100% that it's an installation issue, but then again, how many ways can you install the driver. If I'm missing something, then I'll be sure to correct it, but here's an overview of the steps I've taken:

  1. Enabled SIP to see if it would prompt for "security Allow" - which it did, and I "Allowed" the extensions
  2. Rebooted to see if that resolved - which it did not.
  3. Uninstalled the web drivers (with SIP enabled) and reinstalled the drivers directly from NVIDIA
  4. This did not solve the issue, so uninstalled the drivers again.
  5. Rebooted - driverless
  6. Rebooted again and disabled SIP
  7. Downloaded the drivers using the bash command by Benjamin
  8. Rebooted the system
  9. Tested graphics, same issue present
  10. Rebooted and Enabled SIP again to see if it prompts me to allow the extensions
  11. Same issue present.
So you see, I think I've tried everything. I REALLY appreciate you sticking with me on this and trying to get it sorted. If we manage to resolve this, it'll please a lot of people!
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 01.45.38.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 01.45.44.png
 
What does system report > hardware show?

Why are you not on the latest NVIDIA web driver if you’re using 10.13.4? That alone is an issue, unless you really know what you’re doing with driver rollbacks. And even then, the newest drivers WORK but have some color issues for some users with flashed cards.
 
Well, since messing around so much, the card isn't even detected in the system anymore. I am on the previous drivers as a result of using the script by Benjamin Dobell (which apparently detects the most compatible card) but of course, the first drivers I installed were the most up-to-date ones.

I've been battling with this situation for days. Tomorrow, I will wipe the drive and start-over. What do you guys think I should be doing to ensure 100% successful installation when I try this tomorrow?
 
UPDATE: So I've installed macOS Sierra (not High Sierra) and installed using the script by Benjamin.

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

Managed to perform all software updates in macOS and can confirm that it's working 100% totally fine.

Extensions are as follows:
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 06.22.55.png

I am now downloading a new installation of macOS High Sierra and will complete the EXACT same steps as I did to install Sierra.

Once this is done, I'll provide the next update. I'll also be installing this version of High Sierra onto a USB HDD in order to preserve the version installed on the actual Mac SSD. - Hopefully, this won't affect it.
 
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Don't install onto a USB HDD - you're asking for more problems and headaches. Either take the HDD out of the USB enclosure and put into a SATA sled... OR use Carbon Copy Cloner and CLONE your system drive (Mac SSD) to the USB HDD. Then you will have a bootable backup that can be cloned back to the SSD.

Showing both the Hardware Overview with the Extensions summary will help in the future, FYI.
 
bsbeamer said:
Don't install onto a USB HDD - you're asking for more problems and headaches. Either take the HDD out of the USB enclosure and put into a SATA sled... OR use Carbon Copy Cloner and CLONE your system drive (Mac SSD) to the USB HDD. Then you will have a bootable backup that can be cloned back to the SSD.

Showing both the Hardware Overview with the Extensions summary will help in the future, FYI.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I didn't see your reply before installing High Sierra onto the USB HDD, it's done now. In fact, I'm writing to you from it.. The purpose is just so I can go in and test it if I need to see if there have been any updates or fixes for this problem in the future. But sure, I can also always slide it into the Mac itself to try out.

So, installation complete, using DosDude1's High Sierra patch tool and installed default recommended patches.

Here's the overview of the "fresh installed" extensions, without NVIDIA being installed yet.

I've also included a print file of my entire Extensions list, and then I'll upload the new versions when the NVIDIA drivers have been installed, using the script mentioned earlier.
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 07.35.35.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 07.37.54.png

[doublepost=1523027372][/doublepost]Just completed the Installation of NVIDIA Web Driver 378.10.10.10.25.106 via the terminal command and it's done exactly the same. Inverted menu bar, weird grey areas in the heading of windows etc.
aaronlroberts said:
Thanks. I didn't see your reply before installing High Sierra onto the USB HDD, it's done now. In fact, I'm writing to you from it.. The purpose is just so I can go in and test it if I need to see if there have been any updates or fixes for this problem in the future. But sure, I can also always slide it into the Mac itself to try out.

So, installation complete, using DosDude1's High Sierra patch tool and installed default recommended patches.

Here's the overview of the "fresh installed" extensions, without NVIDIA being installed yet.

I've also included a print file of my entire Extensions list, and then I'll upload the new versions when the NVIDIA drivers have been installed, using the script mentioned earlier.
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 07.35.35.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 07.37.54.png
Click to expand...

UPDATE:

Installed the NVIDIA Web Driver 378.10.10.10.25.106 using the script mentioned previously, system restarted, graphics card detected, but same issue with corruption / lagging interfaces etc.

System profiler seems to be reporting all is well, but still not okay. I've included a video also, this will show you the sorta of issues that are present. (notice the boxes and flickering.. also the inverted menu bar colour).


Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 07.55.25.png

Screen Shot 2018-04-06 at 07.57.31.png
 

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Last edited:
aaronlroberts said:
Thanks. I didn't see your reply before installing High Sierra onto the USB HDD, it's done now. In fact, I'm writing to you from it.. The purpose is just so I can go in and test it if I need to see if there have been any updates or fixes for this problem in the future. But sure, I can also always slide it into the Mac itself to try out.

So, installation complete, using DosDude1's High Sierra patch tool and installed default recommended patches.

Here's the overview of the "fresh installed" extensions, without NVIDIA being installed yet.

I've also included a print file of my entire Extensions list, and then I'll upload the new versions when the NVIDIA drivers have been installed, using the script mentioned earlier.
View attachment 757160 View attachment 757161
[doublepost=1523027372][/doublepost]Just completed the Installation of NVIDIA Web Driver 378.10.10.10.25.106 via the terminal command and it's done exactly the same. Inverted menu bar, weird grey areas in the heading of windows etc.


UPDATE:

Installed the NVIDIA Web Driver 378.10.10.10.25.106 using the script mentioned previously, system restarted, graphics card detected, but same issue with corruption / lagging interfaces etc.

System profiler seems to be reporting all is well, but still not okay. I've included a video also, this will show you the sorta of issues that are present. (notice the boxes and flickering.. also the inverted menu bar colour).


View attachment 757168
View attachment 757169
Click to expand...

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