MP 1,1-5,1 Mac Pro 5,1 - MSI RX580 - Apple 5k Studio Display

[Andrew Montreal]

Hi everyone,

I got my 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 running 4k smoothly with an MSI RX580. What I've realized is my eyes need 5k on a 27" screen. I'm considering the Apple Studio Display as I love the solidity of the image at various viewing angles (I am often on various instruments in the studio... not just in front of my screen).

I know this has been written about before but I am feeling a little concerned seeing as I am new to this portion of computers. Also, because I intend to buy the screen and it's EXPENSIVE!

If I pick up this:

Gigabyte GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C flashed Mac Pro 5,1 BootScreen | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Gigabyte GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C flashed Mac Pro 5,1 BootScreen at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

...and use it in tandem with my MSI RX580, should I be flying no problem?

- I have not flashed the MSI RX580 card in any manner... it is all original.
- I need to run the USB-C signal 30 feet from the computer to the screen.
- 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 3.33GHz Hexacore
- Mojave
- No Opencore thing-a-ma-gigue
- Intending to run the Apple Studio Display

Thanks.

Andrew

 

[arw]

For video only, shouldn't this (bi-directional) cable be able to drive any USB-C display (including the ASD at 5K) from DisplayPort without an additional Ridge?

Club3D CAC-1557 USB Type C to Displayport 1.4 Bi-Directional Cable with 8K 60Hz, 4K 120Hz HDR Video Support 1.8m-6ft M/M

The Club 3D cac-1557 is a DisplayPort signal converter. Powered by the USB Type C port, The adapter requires no external power and is ideal for use with the latest notebooks/ MacBook (Pro) and tablets. Supports up to 4K UHD resolution at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz and HDR

www.amazon.com

 

[tsialex]

The first thing that seems that you are not taking in consideration is that the Apple Studio Display requires Monterey 12.3 or newer.

Maybe you can get just the screen to work with earlier macOS releases, but not the camera, audio or the frequent firmware updates (for the A13 processor that controls camera/audio/etc).

 

[Andrew Montreal]

For video only, shouldn't this (bi-directional) cable be able to drive any USB-C display (including the ASD) from DisplayPort without an additional Ridge?

Club3D CAC-1557 USB Type C to Displayport 1.4 Bi-Directional Cable with 8K 60Hz, 4K 120Hz HDR Video Support 1.8m-6ft M/M

The Club 3D cac-1557 is a DisplayPort signal converter. Powered by the USB Type C port, The adapter requires no external power and is ideal for use with the latest notebooks/ MacBook (Pro) and tablets. Supports up to 4K UHD resolution at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz and HDR

www.amazon.com

HEY!

I had tried a similar cable (bought from Best Buy) to run a Dell (I believe) monitor but it didn't work. The HDMI output worked for that monitor. That being said, the DP port DID work on another screen so I know it works.

What you made me realize is I COULD go to a store with my desktop to see if it will work. Should be pretty easy if I don't make a big scene about it.

OH WAIT... I should mention that for the most part, when working in Logic Pro, I don't intend to run the 5k screen AT 5k. I would be sending it a 1440p signal. So maybe everything I'm contemplating is moot at this point.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

The first thing that seems that you are not taking in consideration is that the Apple Studio Display requires Monterey 12.3 or newer.

Maybe you can get just the screen to work with earlier macOS releases, but not the camera, audio or the frequent firmware updates (for the A13 processor that controls camera/audio/etc).

WOW! Okay. Thanks for the info. That being said, I didn't intend to use the speakers or the camera... it's a music studio so I have the sound part covered and when I use the camera it's with my laptop.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

For the firmware updates, perhaps I could use my 2015 MacBook Pro?

 

[tsialex]

For the firmware updates, perhaps I could use my 2015 MacBook Pro?

2015 MacBook Pro only have TB2, physically and logically different from TB3. Maybe Apple TB2 to TB3 adapter could make it work, but it's a lot of maybes here, no one tested if this works. There are reports of Studio Display bricking when firmware updates are done by older Macs.

Btw, you'll gonna need OpenCore to make the TitanRidge to work with your Mac Pro.

 

[mattspace]

Seriously, buy the LG 5k display if you're committing to a TB-based display solution. The Apple display has the added stupidity of being a full-fledged iOS device, so your display will end up buggy, crashing and needing to reboot more often than your computer.

Since you're just looking for bulk screen real estate, Have you considered a ~30"+ 4k display, at 1x and sitting further back from it? The critical sharpness difference between 4k 27" and 5k 27" is really only going to be obvious if you're quite close to the screen.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

This thread might be relevant:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/classic-mac-pro-4-1-5-1-driving-ultrafine-5k-full-resolution.2149675/?post=31298397#post-31298397

 

[Andrew Montreal]

Seriously, buy the LG 5k display if you're committing to a TB-based display solution. The Apple display has the added stupidity of being a full-fledged iOS device, so your display will end up buggy, crashing and needing to reboot more often than your computer.

Since you're just looking for bulk screen real estate, Have you considered a ~30"+ 4k display, at 1x and sitting further back from it? The critical sharpness difference between 4k 27" and 5k 27" is really only going to be obvious if you're quite close to the screen.

The issue is that 1440p on 27” as a resolution/size is perfect for me but 1440p screens don’t have the density. 1440p to 5k is a perfect 1 to 4 pixel ratio… I imagine it would be similar to when I do 1080p on the 4k.

Thanks for the ASD info. I think you might be right about the LG screen. Might be the path I take. Sadly I can’t test them here… Haven’t found one in a shop in Montreal and I have taken back WAY to many monitors along the way.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

For video only, shouldn't this (bi-directional) cable be able to drive any USB-C display (including the ASD at 5K) from DisplayPort without an additional Ridge?

Club3D CAC-1557 USB Type C to Displayport 1.4 Bi-Directional Cable with 8K 60Hz, 4K 120Hz HDR Video Support 1.8m-6ft M/M

The Club 3D cac-1557 is a DisplayPort signal converter. Powered by the USB Type C port, The adapter requires no external power and is ideal for use with the latest notebooks/ MacBook (Pro) and tablets. Supports up to 4K UHD resolution at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz and HDR

www.amazon.com

So... I went and tested the ASD at the Apple Store directly from the RX580 with a DisplayPort USB-C cable AND...? Nada.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

2015 MacBook Pro only have TB2, physically and logically different from TB3. Maybe Apple TB2 to TB3 adapter could make it work, but it's a lot of maybes here, no one tested if this works. There are reports of Studio Display bricking when firmware updates are done by older Macs.

Btw, you'll gonna need OpenCore to make the TitanRidge to work with your Mac Pro.

Looks like I'm going to try the LG 5k 27", which means that the Titan Range will be a necessity... which as you say I will need to enter the world of OpenCore (truly I have no idea what this means but I shall learn).

Do we know that this is will work? Mac Pro 5,1 - Mojave - OpenCore - RX580 - Titan Range - LG 5k 27" WITH Logic Pro running smoothly?

And for those who are in the know... will this work while using Universal Audio's PCIe processing? (This last part I imagine few here know if it works with the set up as it is getting a little more niche... figured I'd try.)

Thanks again for your input. I'm excited to learn. My EYES are excited to learn. They pray that this will work for they have gotten used to the high pixel densities... Spoiled brats they be.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

Seriously, buy the LG 5k display if you're committing to a TB-based display solution. The Apple display has the added stupidity of being a full-fledged iOS device, so your display will end up buggy, crashing and needing to reboot more often than your computer.

Since you're just looking for bulk screen real estate, Have you considered a ~30"+ 4k display, at 1x and sitting further back from it? The critical sharpness difference between 4k 27" and 5k 27" is really only going to be obvious if you're quite close to the screen.

By the way, if I could get 5k 27” without TB, I would do it. But I haven’t found it.

 

[arw]

So... I went and tested the ASD at the Apple Store directly from the RX580 with a DisplayPort USB-C cable AND...? Nada.

Well, it has to be explicitly a bi-directional cable which is highly uncommon and I therefore doubt the one you tested it with was one of those.
If it was in fact bi-directional, this is a useful information and it would coincide with the Amazon reviews of the linked cable… too bad.

By the way, if I could get 5k 27” without TB, I would do it. But I haven’t found it.

You could go the 5K DIY route and directly use DisplayPort.

DIY 5k Monitor - success :-)

My "latest Macs" are a heavily upgraded 2009 Mac Pro (6c CPU, M.2 SSD, USB 3, RX580...) and more recently a 12c 2013 Mac Pro with an eGPU (Vega 56) - both machines with more than enough CPU power, GPU power and RAM for my needs, but I long aspired to upgrade to a nice 5k monitor to replace my...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Andrew Montreal]

Well, it has to be explicitly a bi-directional cable which is highly uncommon and I therefore doubt the one you tested it with was one of those.
If it was in fact bi-directional, this is a useful information and it would coincide with the Amazon reviews of the linked cable… too bad.

You could go the 5K DIY route and directly use DisplayPort.

DIY 5k Monitor - success :-)

My "latest Macs" are a heavily upgraded 2009 Mac Pro (6c CPU, M.2 SSD, USB 3, RX580...) and more recently a 12c 2013 Mac Pro with an eGPU (Vega 56) - both machines with more than enough CPU power, GPU power and RAM for my needs, but I long aspired to upgrade to a nice 5k monitor to replace my...

forums.macrumors.com

I see. Yeah. It probably wasn’t a bi cable.

As for the DIY sceeen… I would love to if I had the time, but life continues marching forward and my primary raison d’être (aside from being my darling’s darling) is to make music. That’s sounds too involved. Is anyone selling them? ;-)

Seriously it might be time for me to venture into the other option… Titan Range / OpenCore / USB-C / stunning LG monitor. Hmmm?

Also, I need 30’ between the computer and the monitor.

 

[avro707]

Looks like I'm going to try the LG 5k 27", which means that the Titan Range will be a necessity... which as you say I will need to enter the world of OpenCore (truly I have no idea what this means but I shall learn).

Do we know that this is will work? Mac Pro 5,1 - Mojave - OpenCore - RX580 - Titan Range - LG 5k 27" WITH Logic Pro running smoothly?

And for those who are in the know... will this work while using Universal Audio's PCIe processing? (This last part I imagine few here know if it works with the set up as it is getting a little more niche... figured I'd try.)

Thanks again for your input. I'm excited to learn. My EYES are excited to learn. They pray that this will work for they have gotten used to the high pixel densities... Spoiled brats they be.

The LG Ultrafine 5K will work with the RX580 - but it needs:

- Titan Ridge Thunderbolt card in slot 4
- Put two video cables from your RX580 into the video-in ports of the Titan Ridge
- Now connect thunderbolt cable to the LG screen and the Titan Ridge.
- when starting the computer, leave the screen disconnected, then once MacOS has started, plugin the screen and it should connect properly
- you will not have the camera working or the brightness controls unless you do another restart
- Opencore (use Martin Lo's package, it's easier - then edit the config to enable Titan Ridge card.).

If you are using two screens then the better graphics card is the XFX RX580 GTS because it has three display-ports.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

The LG Ultrafine 5K will work with the RX580 - but it needs:

- Titan Ridge Thunderbolt card in slot 4
- Put two video cables from your RX580 into the video-in ports of the Titan Ridge
- Now connect thunderbolt cable to the LG screen and the Titan Ridge.
- when starting the computer, leave the screen disconnected, then once MacOS has started, plugin the screen and it should connect properly
- you will not have the camera working or the brightness controls unless you do another restart
- Opencore (use Martin Lo's package, it's easier - then edit the config to enable Titan Ridge card.).

If you are using two screens then the better graphics card is the XFX RX580 GTS because it has three display-ports.

This sounds amazing. I only need one screen. 1440p playing on a 27” 5k screen will be perfect. Pixel density will mean I can look at it from 20” and that is plenty of screen space.

Honestly, I know NOTHING about OpenCore or what it actually is. I shall learn, install and test. As for changing the script, I may leave that up to a friend because again… no idea.

And this won’t mess with other PCIe cards in my system nor Logic Pro? If not, I’m off to buy a 5k screen! Say a prayer for us!

 

[arw]

I only need one screen

It wouldn't be a problem nonetheless, as your RX 580 actually has three DP ports (and one HDMI).

 

[Andrew Montreal]

Oh… and I use an external audio interface via PCIe (Apogee Symphony). It is most often set to 96k. Is this an issue?

 

[exoticSpice]

Seriously, buy the LG 5k display if you're committing to a TB-based display solution. The Apple display has the added stupidity of being a full-fledged iOS device, so your display will end up buggy, crashing and needing to reboot more often than your computer.

Since you're just looking for bulk screen real estate, Have you considered a ~30"+ 4k display, at 1x and sitting further back from it? The critical sharpness difference between 4k 27" and 5k 27" is really only going to be obvious if you're quite close to the screen.

There is no iOS like ipad. It's just the firmware is based on iOS and is upgradable via macOS settings. The A13 controls the speakers and the mics and cameras. Have you even operated a Studio Display?

The Studio Display is not a Smart Monitor like some Samsung monitors. The "iOS" firmware only controls the functions the monitor has.
So it's plug and play and if there is any firmware updates it updates thru macOS. The LG 5K is a POS. It's build is so bad and clunky and the connection drops out. I had to switch to a Dell Ultrafine it's a much better option than the LG 5k for third party monitors.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

There is no iOS like ipad. It's just the firmware is based on iOS and is upgradable via macOS settings. The A13 controls the speakers and the mics and cameras. Have you even operated a Studio Display?

The Studio Display is not a Smart Monitor like some Samsung monitors. The "iOS" firmware only controls the functions the monitor has.
So it's plug and play and if there is any firmware updates it updates thru macOS. The LG 5K is a POS. It's build is so bad and clunky and the connection drops out. I had to switch to a Dell Ultrafine it's a much better option than the LG 5k for third party monitors.

Funny you say that… I was close to cancelling my Dell Ultrasharp order this weekend considering that I was planning to move up to 5k. But as it stands presently, reading about people having issues with external audio interfaces and sample rates and such with OpenCore, I am considering accepting the limitations of my setup and settling with 4k… Unless the story of the bi-directional USB-C to Display Port makes it possible to continue without OpenCore. I make music… audio stability is of utmost importance… then again, so are my eyes. Hmmm…

 

[Andrew Montreal]

For video only, shouldn't this (bi-directional) cable be able to drive any USB-C display (including the ASD at 5K) from DisplayPort without an additional Ridge?

Club3D CAC-1557 USB Type C to Displayport 1.4 Bi-Directional Cable with 8K 60Hz, 4K 120Hz HDR Video Support 1.8m-6ft M/M

The Club 3D cac-1557 is a DisplayPort signal converter. Powered by the USB Type C port, The adapter requires no external power and is ideal for use with the latest notebooks/ MacBook (Pro) and tablets. Supports up to 4K UHD resolution at 120Hz and 8K at 60Hz and HDR

www.amazon.com

Hi again,

Is there any way I can extend that cable to 30 feet? It has to be out of the main mixing room.

 

[joevt]

Hi again,

Is there any way I can extend that cable to 30 feet? It has to be out of the main mixing room.

Optical cable. They're expensive though.

 

[Andrew Montreal]

Optical cable. They're expensive though.

I found this, but it isn’t bi-directional, nor USB-C…

CABLEDECONN Fiber 8K 4K DisplayPort1.4 Cable DP 8K HBR3 8K@60Hz 4K@144Hz High Speed 32.4Gbps Optical Fiber Slim and Flexible DP to DP Cable 10m 33ft

CABLEDECONN Fiber 8K 4K DisplayPort1.4 Cable DP 8K HBR3 8K@60Hz 4K@144Hz High Speed 32.4Gbps Optical Fiber Slim and Flexible DP to DP Cable 10m 33ft

www.amazon.ca

 

[mattspace]

There is no iOS like ipad. It's just the firmware is based on iOS and is upgradable via macOS settings. The A13 controls the speakers and the mics and cameras. Have you even operated a Studio Display?

like the touchbar, it is an embedded version of iOS, with the full resources of an A13 in terms of memory, the ability to run applications (and no real ability as far as I've seen to audit what it's doing), and the ability to crash independently of the computer, which if you research it, happens a LOT.