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HD 7950 not working on Mac Pro 2009

S

schrodingerw

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 22, 2014
7
0
Hi everyone

Please bear with me if my question is stupid but I have been reading for several days without finding an answer.

So I have a mac pro 2009, running 10.9.2. I decide to upgrade it with a Sapphire HD 7950, pc version. From what I read and heard, the only draw back of using a PC card is the missing boot up screen.

Sadly after I installed the card and try to boot the computer, the screen remains black all the time no matter how long I waited. However it boots up windows perfectly.

So I am wondering if I am missing something here? Because I saw a video someone used this card in his mac pro and booted up into mac, just missing the boot screen.

Thank you.
 
schrodingerw said:
Hi everyone

Please bear with me if my question is stupid but I have been reading for several days without finding an answer.

So I have a mac pro 2009, running 10.9.2. I decide to upgrade it with a Sapphire HD 7950, pc version. From what I read and heard, the only draw back of using a PC card is the missing boot up screen.

Sadly after I installed the card and try to boot the computer, the screen remains black all the time no matter how long I waited. However it boots up windows perfectly.

So I am wondering if I am missing something here? Because I saw a video someone used this card in his mac pro and booted up into mac, just missing the boot screen.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

WWindows on same machine?

If not, how are you powering?
 
MacVidCards said:
WWindows on same machine?

If not, how are you powering?
Click to expand...

Yes, windows on the same machine.

After waiting for a while, I put my old card back and booted into mac, set to boot up from bootcamp, turned it off, installed 7950, then turned on and booted into windows.
 
MacVidCards said:
should work fine, how are you connecting and to which type of display?

You need to try different inputs/outputs, etc
Click to expand...

I am using a dell u2312 display, through DVI. Tried both DVI port. I can try to use the HDMI port next time.
 
Just one suggestion. Upgrade to 10.10 and try again. Better do a clean install, and without login password (or use auto login).
 
MacVidCards said:
DVI should work, is it DVI at both ends of cable?

And you waited a while?

You don't have a login screen or encryption?
Click to expand...

Installed 10.10 used auto login and tried again, still not working. I put back the old stock card come with the Mac Pro and I can see the boot screen. It looks like the computer crashes at booting and goes in a loop.
 
schrodingerw said:
Hi everyone

Please bear with me if my question is stupid but I have been reading for several days without finding an answer.

So I have a mac pro 2009, running 10.9.2. I decide to upgrade it with a Sapphire HD 7950, pc version. From what I read and heard, the only draw back of using a PC card is the missing boot up screen.

Sadly after I installed the card and try to boot the computer, the screen remains black all the time no matter how long I waited. However it boots up windows perfectly.

So I am wondering if I am missing something here? Because I saw a video someone used this card in his mac pro and booted up into mac, just missing the boot screen.

Thank you.
Click to expand...


where you able to get it to work? What did you do?

I have a Mac Pro 1,1. I bought a flashed Sapphire 7950. I used the old card to instal Yosemite, Mavericks, etc and I do not see anything. Even my windows 7 won't show.

Installed the Sapphire drivers on the windows bootcamp and still no luck...

Can anyone with experience please help on what to do?
 
Last edited:
Both PCIe power connectors are plugged in properly? Should usually work OOB in Yosemite and ofcourse in Win7 (with Catalyst).
 
Fl0r!an said:
Both PCIe power connectors are plugged in properly? Should usually work OOB in Yosemite and ofcourse in Win7 (with Catalyst).
Click to expand...

I thought so too. Both PCIe connectors are in, I see the fan spin.
Have no idea why it will not load on win7 either even after installing Catalyst drivers.

I heard of people editing the system/ Extension.../AMD... .kext file, people using clover, switching some nub on the card from 1 to 2 or 2 to 1, deleting AMD4000 and the ATI7000 something something file, etc

Burnt out and am about the be on fire ... please someone, anyone help
 
I did experience the "no screen issue", because I forgot to connect the mDP cable after swap card :p.

May be it's time to check the cable / monitor, rather than just the card.
 
Every 7950 should work out of the box in Yosemite and in Windows you should get at least some basic output even without drivers.
I'd double-check if the card is sitting correctly in the PCI slot, maybe try another one.
 
h9826790 said:
I did experience the "no screen issue", because I forgot to connect the mDP cable after swap card :p.

May be it's time to check the cable / monitor, rather than just the card.
Click to expand...

The screen is just blank.

I also swapped the cable just in case.

Typically, you can tell when there is signal in the monitors.
I am using 2 monitors, when nothing is connected one says no signal and the other retrieving check video cable. But the messages are off.

Something is not making them display.

System info:
Mac Pro 1,1
Yosemite, Mavericks, Lion 7.5 (with sapphire HD 7950 mac drivers installed)
BootCamp (Removed and reinstalled)
32GB ram (removed and reinstalled for checks)
GT 7300 card works fine on Yosemite, Mavericks and Lion

Please my mac family, been on this for 2 weeks now and I have projects over due.
 
Fl0r!an said:
Every 7950 should work out of the box in Yosemite and in Windows you should get at least some basic output even without drivers.
I'd double-check if the card is sitting correctly in the PCI slot, maybe try another one.
Click to expand...


I have 2 7950
 
So, you have 2 identical Sapphire 7950? Which version? Any pic?

And regardless which card you use, which monitor you use, the computer still doing exactly the same thing?
 
It's a flashed card? And never work? Then you better contact the seller.

This card should work OOTB (but no boot screen). If it's poorly flashed, then anything can happen.

If that card has another working ROM, may be you can try to flip the switch, and boot from the other ROM. Hopefully the other one is the stock ROM and able to boot.
 
Last edited:
I had an issue where I couldn't boot into OS X with my 7970. After some investigation I noticed it was because the graphics card booted in UEFI mode. Likely, this caused a memory space conflict while loading drivers.

On my card, there's a little BIOS switch by the crossfire connector. It has two states, 1 or 2. By switching it, the card goes into either UEFI or legacy (BIOS) mode. BIOS mode was the correct mode for my MacPro5,1.

Later on I booted in UEFI mode into Windows 8.1, overwrote the UEFI part with a modded Mac EFI header for boot screens.

But, just flipping the switch is most likely sufficient in your case.

350x700px-LL-141428a2_Untitled213212.jpeg
 
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