MacPro 5.1 GTX 980Ti

[flowrider]

Is there any way to flash a GTX 980?

You can get it flashed here:

http://www.macvidcards.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Lou

 

[MichaelB1835]

Sorry, I need to jump in here again. I got on here in July (I think) and decided on a 980Ti for my son's 5,1 High Sierra, updated firmware, Mac Pro. I bought one on eBay and had it flashed at MacVidCards and it resulted in odd and severe video artifacts. I thought I got a bum card and bought another 980Ti from MacVidCards and I still get artifacts. I am a PC guy and I presume that I am doing something wrong since so many here have great luck with the 980Ti. Can someone point me in the right direction to get this card working. I couldn't attach the video, but you can get it from my Google Drive folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B40u2qqJVxghMkEwZF9FZmV0dGs?usp=sharing

I'd really like to help out my son on this.

 

[h9826790]

Sorry, I need to jump in here again. I got on here in July (I think) and decided on a 980Ti for my son's 5,1 High Sierra, updated firmware, Mac Pro. I bought one on eBay and had it flashed at MacVidCards and it resulted in odd and severe video artifacts. I thought I got a bum card and bought another 980Ti from MacVidCards and I still get artifacts. I am a PC guy and I presume that I am doing something wrong since so many here have great luck with the 980Ti. Can someone point me in the right direction to get this card working. I couldn't attach the video, but you can get it from my Google Drive folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B40u2qqJVxghMkEwZF9FZmV0dGs?usp=sharing

I'd really like to help out my son on this.

Which OS (build number)? Which driver (version number)? How you power the card?

this 3 direction often give some hints

 

[Andretti]

No, what you are doing now is.

Cable A: mini 6pin -> 6pin
Cable B: mini 6pin -> 8pin

So, what actually happening is.... Your card draw
1) up to 75W from the slot, Nvidia usually make good use of the slot on high end card. So, let's say it draw 70W.
2) up to 75W from the 6pin. So, again, we assume another 70W from one of the mini 6pin.
3) all the rest from the 8pin. So, it may be up to 110W from the other mini 6pin.

Since no manufacture will intentionally make a card that draw more than 75W from the PCIe slot (well, apart from the RX480). So no matter the card is the base model or OC model, they are only designed to draw more (when required) from the 6pin / 8pin, but not from the slot.

The cMP's mini 6pin official limit still 75W, same as normal 6pin. However, it can actually deliver up to 120W before the cMP shut itself down. So, in your case, even thought the 8pin may constantly draw more then 100W, the cMP still working as usual.

MVC know this limit very well. May be he did fine tune the card and make sure it's power draw always stay within the real world limit. Or simply your 980Ti always pull less then 120W from the 8 pin even under 100% load.

However, the power draw vary between cards. If another brand's 980Ti (or any other 250W TDP card) draw power as follow.
1) 60W from the slot
2) 65W from the 6pin
3) 125W from the 8pin

It still stay within the 250W TDP limit, however, the cMP will shut itself down when the 8pin draw more then 120W.

This is why some 980Ti users reported that their cMP suddenly shutdown when stressing the GPU.

Since the 980 Ti is not designed for cMP, no manufacture will try to make the 8pin power draw stay within 120W. In fact, it make more sense to utilise the 8pin but not stressing the 6pin / slot to 100%.

Anyway, it's a little bit hit and miss. It's depends on if you get a good card, from which manufacture, and how's the firmware programmed to draw the power.

If you want to make sure everything stay within the official limit, and you don't want any extra PSU, or mod. You can...

Cable A: 2x SATA -> 6pin
Cable B: 2x mini 6pin -> 8pin

In this config, 2x SATA rated up to ~110W, and the 6pin should only draw up to 75W. 2x mini 6pin rated up to 150W, and exactly fit the 8pin power draw limit.

So, even though any 6+8pin graphic card really draw 75+75+150 = 300W. The cMP will still able to perform, and in fact, everything stay within official limit.

For anyone already fill up all HDD / optical bay. There is another method which to make sure won't over stress any mini 6pin to reach the 120W limit.

Cable A: 2x mini 6 pin -> 8pin
Cable B: 8pin (female) -> 2x (6+2)pin

So, we will plug Cable A into the cMP's logic board, and connect Cable A and B together, then plug one of the 6+2 into the 6pin, the other 6+2 into the 8pin.

In this case, the power draw will be something like
1) 70W from the slot
2) 110+70=180W from Cable A

Since Cable A is connected to both mini 6pin, therefore, each mini 6pin only need to deliver around 90W. A little bit above the official limit, but still well below the shut down protection limit.

Anyway, since your card works fine. So, obviously no need to do anything.

And OP has 2 HDD bay empty, he can choose to get a 2xSATA -> 6pin cable to power his 980 Ti.

It’s been a while ago that you wrote this. Some time ago I did this with our company 5.1:
2x mini 6 pin to 8 pin
2x sata to 6 pin
Now I find a collague changed this to:
-mini 6 pin to 6 pin
-2x sata and mini 6 pin to 8
pin
Do you regard this as better/equal/worse?
Thank you!

 

[h9826790]

It’s been a while ago that you wrote this. Some time ago I did this with our company 5.1:
2x mini 6 pin to 8 pin
2x sata to 6 pin
Now I find a collague changed this to:
-mini 6 pin to 6 pin
-2x sata and mini 6 pin to 8
pin
Do you regard this as better/equal/worse?
Thank you!

Technically, it will also work as expected.

Obviously mini 6pin -> 6pin will work.

Then 2xSATA + 6 -> 8.

In worst case, 8 pin pull 150W. So, 50W from SATA 1, 50W from SATA 2, and 50W from mini 6pin. All within limit.

I didn't suggest this config because I don't think it's a good idea to stress the SATA ports (I have no idea if the SATA port can handle the GPU power spike. So I prefer to leave it more margin).

When use 2x SATA -> 6. In worst case, 6pin pull 75W. So, each SATA port only need to deliver 37.5W, still ~17.5W buffer from the rated ~55W limit.

But if use that to power the 8pin, the buffer will reduce to ~5W.

So, my understanding, everything will still work as expected. Just less margin. But if the computer still working, then I will say nothing to worry about.

 

[Demigod Mac]

Think an EVGA PowerLink would help balance out the power draw on the SATA ports if a spike in demand were to occur?

 

[h9826790]

Think an EVGA PowerLink would help balance out the power draw on the SATA ports if a spike in demand were to occur?

It should, but connect 2x SATA + 2x mini 6pin to a EVGA PowerLink seems quite messy already.

Also, need to be careful on how to connect the cables. If in wrong order, the PowerLink may draw too much from one of the source.

e.g. In Andretti's case.

If his colleague simple connect mini 6pin to the PowerLink 6pin. And then the that 2xSATA + mini 6pin to the PowerLink 8pin.

Then when the 980Ti really demand 225W from the 6+8 pin, it will try to draw 112.5W from the 6pin, another 112.5W from the 8pin.

So, now the 8pin is under use. Each SATA port only need to deliver up to ~37.5W. The mini 6pin paired up with the SATA ports also only need to deliver 37.5W.

But the other stand alone mini 6pin now need to deliver 112.5W.

 

[Andretti]

Technically, it will also work as expected.

Obviously mini 6pin -> 6pin will work.

Then 2xSATA + 6 -> 8.

In worst case, 8 pin pull 150W. So, 50W from SATA 1, 50W from SATA 2, and 50W from mini 6pin. All within limit.

I didn't suggest this config because I don't think it's a good idea to stress the SATA ports (I have no idea if the SATA port can handle the GPU power spike. So I prefer to leave it more margin).

When use 2x SATA -> 6. In worst case, 6pin pull 75W. So, each SATA port only need to deliver 37.5W, still ~17.5W buffer from the rated ~55W limit.

But if use that to power the 8pin, the buffer will reduce to ~5W.

So, my understanding, everything will still work as expected. Just less margin. But if the computer still working, then I will say nothing to worry about.

Thanks! I was kinda baffled that someone would change my setup.

Obviously this person seemed to think it to be better (he is technically smarter then me and an experienced hackintosher).

It looks ok, but lately the users (non technical video editers) complain about screen going black sometimes.

Them being non technical they can't tell me exactly when this is happening and thats why I checked if all cables and cards were still properly attached.

Talking to them, it does seems to happen sometimes when they open Premiere by double clicking a project on an external disk (Raid 1, 2x 8TB seated in a dock, connected with the Mac via an USB 3 cable and a PCIE card from Inatek

 

[Andretti]

Think an EVGA PowerLink would help balance out the power draw on the SATA ports if a spike in demand were to occur?

I know the powerlink is used here for stability, but it was designed by EVGA for tidyness, right? Looking in our 5.1 I think it would be harder to connect all these cables because of the placement of the Mac fan

 

[Andretti]

Technically, it will also work as expected.

Obviously mini 6pin -> 6pin will work.

Then 2xSATA + 6 -> 8.

In worst case, 8 pin pull 150W. So, 50W from SATA 1, 50W from SATA 2, and 50W from mini 6pin. All within limit.

I didn't suggest this config because I don't think it's a good idea to stress the SATA ports (I have no idea if the SATA port can handle the GPU power spike. So I prefer to leave it more margin).

When use 2x SATA -> 6. In worst case, 6pin pull 75W. So, each SATA port only need to deliver 37.5W, still ~17.5W buffer from the rated ~55W limit.

But if use that to power the 8pin, the buffer will reduce to ~5W.

So, my understanding, everything will still work as expected. Just less margin. But if the computer still working, then I will say nothing to worry about.

Do you (or someone else) know if its possible to get the 2x SATA from somewhere else in the mac pro? I/m willing to use the SATA in the DVD/CD bay, but thats seems to be 1x SATA split in 2. Thnx!

 

[mikas]

You can take power from HDD-slots, you just need cables long anough for your card. They tend to be short.

I just wondered myself about the safety aspects of drawing power from different sata-ports ( #354 ).
I use optical sata-power ports for Vega56 (low bios mode). I seem to be at the safe side at least on SATA pin specs:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#Power_connectors)
It says:

"To reduce impedance and increase current capability, each voltage is supplied by three pins in parallel, though one pin in each group is intended for precharging (see below). Each pin should be able to carry 1.5 A."

My amperage at full load with my card draws 2,66 amperes from dual SATA cables to six pin port at my Vega. That makes 1,33 per 12V pin at the connector (two yellow 12V cables, one in each connector). And in watts that would be 2,66x1,5 12=31,92 ~ 32 W. This is exactly what I am getting, and it is exactly according to specs max number. I am just wondering if apple is controlling that somehow, or is it just a coincidence? It's been working 45 days now. I have monitored the wattage and amperage at background at full load.

What is perhaps most important in my opinion are the splitter cables. You want good quality. Andthere is no means to a consumer to check that quality easily before hand installing them. Or is there?

It seems most of those splitter cables use only one 12V cable and two ground wires. That means only one 12V pin is in use. Max amps for it is 1,5A according to specs (it might take a lot more, but we don't know.). My cable seems to have AWG 18 cables (at least it's printed to it. Apple cables for optical cable reads AWG20 (a little thinner).

So to answer my own wonderings link above. You should use the dual splitter most of the times feeding 6-pin power, at least with modern power hungry cards you should.

[automerge]1584341159[/automerge]

 

[webbp]

I highly recommend not running a 980 Ti using only PCIe power with one 6-pin to mini 6-pin and one 8-pin to mini 6-pin. Maybe it's ok for graphical or gaming uses which don't push the card to card 100% for more than a few seconds at a time, but not for applications that use the card near 100% for sustained periods, e.g., machine learning. I killed the backplane of my Mac Pro 4,1 flashed to 5,1 like this.

 

[yukdave]

I highly recommend not running a 980 Ti using only PCIe power with one 6-pin to mini 6-pin and one 8-pin to mini 6-pin. Maybe it's ok for graphical or gaming uses which don't push the card to card 100% for more than a few seconds at a time, but not for applications that use the card near 100% for sustained periods, e.g., machine learning. I killed the backplane of my Mac Pro 4,1 flashed to 5,1 like this.

It makes sense that if you are pushing GPU's and do not have enough power, strange things might happen. Surprised that it did not just have the power supply shut down which is what we normally see. Sounds like a grounding fault to cause what you had happen.