MP5,1 & Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB - Spacer/Wedge for PCIe Slot 2?

[bsbeamer]

Does anyone know of a legitimate non-conductive spacer or wedge to use with the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB in an official MacPro 5,1 (Mid-2012) for the card in PCIe Slot #2? Looking for some kind of pad in the area around the first fan so it does not knock, hit or interfere with the PCIe card above. Thinking of using those clear furniture bumper dots, but wondering if there is something more computer oriented.



Currently have an Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 in PCIe #2 slot. It is completely seated and installed correctly, but it does slightly "droop" and hit the fan. You can completely hear it during boot and whenever the GPU fans activate, unless some kind of wedge/spacer is placed. Slot #2 was previously occupied by an Apricorn Velocity Duo X2 (when using with GTX 1080 FE), but moved the Duo to PCIe #3 so the one fan on the GPU has full vent access.

Temporarily using a plastic tool as a wedge for initial RX580 testing. With the EXTREMELY tight fit of the card, plus the fans sitting slightly above the surrounding plastic housing, will need to come up with a more permanent solution to continue using the PCIe slot.

This is the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB card:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8

REALLY hope the GTX 1080 FE works with Mojave. The RX580 just feels cheaply constructed when looking at them side by side.

 

[bookemdano]

I also experienced this issue. The Sapphire Pulse card is a monster! And its fans sit up slightly above the heatsink. I killed my GT120 by (stupidly) trying to carefully lift the edge of it up with a PCI slot cover.

After that debacle, I moved my USB 3.0 card to slot 2 but it has a couple of chips mounted on the underside that got hit by the fans. In fact, the fan closest to the backplate couldn't spin at all with that card inserted, no matter how I tried to wedge the two cards apart.

So I moved that card to Slot 3 and installed my RocketRAID eSATA card in slot 2. It has no components on the underside so as long as I made sure it was shifted as high up as possible (and the Sapphire pushed down as far as possible) I don't get any fan interference now.

 

[handheldgames]

If the contraption used to secure the pci slots in place is not working, throw it aside and screw it in place like you would in a PC case.

 

[bsbeamer]

If the contraption used to secure the pci slots in place is not working, throw it aside and screw it in place like you would in a PC case.

It's working. Both thumb screws are secure and the bar is in place. The issue is the Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 slightly drooping into one of the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB fans. That is not good for the GPU or the Solo X2.

 

[orph]

tempted to say just stick the GPU above the problem PCI card so there's no problem but if not just get some kind of object to separate the two cards and use some double sided tape to stick it on.

if you want to go fancy you can get PCI support's or just get some lego or something and make one
https://www.google.com/search?q=pci...JIcAKHfJ-C_UQsAR6BAgGEAE#imgrc=T0PzESs1a_j9nM:

 

[bsbeamer]

I also experienced this issue. The Sapphire Pulse card is a monster! And its fans sit up slightly above the heatsink. I killed my GT120 by (stupidly) trying to carefully lift the edge of it up with a PCI slot cover.

After that debacle, I moved my USB 3.0 card to slot 2 but it has a couple of chips mounted on the underside that got hit by the fans. In fact, the fan closest to the backplate couldn't spin at all with that card inserted, no matter how I tried to wedge the two cards apart.

So I moved that card to Slot 3 and installed my RocketRAID eSATA card in slot 2. It has no components on the underside so as long as I made sure it was shifted as high up as possible (and the Sapphire pushed down as far as possible) I don't get any fan interference now.

That's basically what I have going on now. Luckily the physical bottom of the Velocity Solo X2 is smooth, except for screw heads. The card "droops" slightly. It's likely a slight or minor bend in the card itself. The Solo X2 is longer being made, so cannot easily replace. Setup works perfect with GTX 1080 FE, no spacing issues at all.
[doublepost=1535559277][/doublepost]

tempted to say just stick the GPU above the problem PCI card so there's no problem but if not just get some kind of object to separate the two cards and use some double sided tape to stick it on.

if you want to go fancy you can get PCI support's or just get some lego or something and make one
https://www.google.com/search?q=pci...JIcAKHfJ-C_UQsAR6BAgGEAE#imgrc=T0PzESs1a_j9nM:

Using a plastic screen puller tool currently and it's working fine for testing for now. Ideally will get a more adhesive/permanent solution. Using all PCIe slots, so limited in which slot I can use the RX580.

 

[skizzo]

wedging things to keep the fan of the RX580 from hitting the card above is not good in my experience. You will not get proper air flow/cooling to the RX580, especially if you use it for anything other than just reading emails.

Please refer to my posts in the past about doing this same thing and being unsuccessful.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-random-restarts.2120481/page-2#post-26130788

 

[bsbeamer]

wedging things to keep the fan of the RX580 from hitting the card above is not good in my experience. You will not get proper air flow/cooling to the RX580, especially if you use it for anything other than just reading emails.

Please refer to my posts in the past about doing this same thing and being unsuccessful.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-random-restarts.2120481/page-2#post-26130788

Yes, it's not even close to ideal. Not a great fan setup of this RX 580 for MacPro 5,1 usage and only picked it up because it is Apple's recommended Mojave card and was on sale. This is not at all an issue with the NVIDIA GTX 1080 FE. If the GTX 1080 works with Mojave, I'll absolutely stick with using that over the RX 580.

I need to use all 4 PCIe slots, so will need to figure something out to keep the card in slot 2 from "drooping" into the RX 580 GPU fan.

 

[bookemdano]

Yes, it's not even close to ideal. Not a great fan setup of this RX 580 for MacPro 5,1 usage and only picked it up because it is Apple's recommended Mojave card and was on sale. This is not at all an issue with the NVIDIA GTX 1080 FE. If the GTX 1080 works with Mojave, I'll absolutely stick with using that over the RX 580.

I need to use all 4 PCIe slots, so will need to figure something out to keep the card in slot 2 from "drooping" into the RX 580 GPU fan.

Have you looked at your other two PCIe cards to see if maybe they'd fit better in slot 2 than your Solo X2?

 

[bsbeamer]

Have you looked at your other two PCIe cards to see if maybe they'd fit better in slot 2 than your Solo X2?

Yes. The Velocity Solo X2 is actually the smallest footprint. It's a pretty short and narrow card. Covers part of the 1st GPU fan, but only on one half. Basically from the deep part of the case until about the end of the center logo. The 2nd GPU fan has full access.

The Velocity Duo X2 is longer and wider than the Solo X2. Would fully block the 1st GPU fan and much more partially block the 2nd GPU fan. Not a good candidate at all.

The other card right now is a USB3 card. Likely could pickup a smaller one, but this card often gets swapped for an external PCIe RAID storage controller/expander style card for working on certain client projects. Do not have this card right now, but swap frequently enough that having easy access would be ideal.

The fans on the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB are pretty massive compared to the GTX 1080 FE. Was easily able to place the Velocity Duo X2 above the GTX 1080 FE and had no issues with the single fan or cooling.

 

[crjackson2134]

I had the same problem too. I ended up placing the card in slot 2, and putting my HighPoint 7101A in slot 1.

This makes me more comfortable with cooling for sure, and no clearance issues.

I did have to sacrifice slot 3 usage where my SSUBX was installed. I would like to have the use of all slots, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen as long as the RX580 is there.

Incidentally, SSUBX/Adapter/HeatSink are for sale if anyone is interested.
I’m
Once Mojave has been out for a while, I'll probably look for a capable/updated replacement GPU that fits properly. This is NOT a double wide card. It's a Double+ card regardless of what marketing says.

Even if you do manage to get all your cards inside with no fans knocking, it's still to tight and will likely cause overheating of the GPU and the adjacent PCIe card. Slot 2 is the only place for this particular GPU I'm afraid (if you need 2 x16 slots). It will be okay in slot 1 as long as nothing is in slot 2.

What a pitiful mess... Either way, best option is to not fully populate the PCIe slots when using this GPU.

Just my 0.02¢

 

[bsbeamer]

The Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB is absolutely at least 2.25 wide. I can easily fit and position in slot 1 in my authentic mid-2012 Mac Pro 5,1 and did not run into some of the issues that several people were having with the bottom height of the card to the PCIe slot alignment. The bar with two thumbscrew knobs also easily reattached with the RX580 in slot 1 (and slots 2, 3, and 4 populated) which some people were not able to do.

In case it's helpful for anyone, here's a side by side of the Sapphire PULSE RX 580 8GB and NVIDIA GTX 1080 Founders Edition.



Just put the GTX 1080 FE back in. Tested the RX580 enough for right now to make sure was working and not a DOA unit. Stressed with a few video renders and no issues with power, overheating, or rebooting in that period of time. Will add back to the machine next week and figure something out for slot 2.

Despite getting the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB on sale and it being Apple's recommended GPU, still considering returning. A design like the AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB OEM or MSI Gaming Radeon RX 580 8GB Crossfire would likely be a much better fit for the Mac Pro 5,1 and my setup (if NVIDIA does not work with Mojave).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075G3279T
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RW7SCT

 

[crjackson2134]

I had no problems installing it or attaching the PCIe Slot Cover Retention Bracket either. My issue was fans banging on my HighPoint 7101A NVMe card which is more expensive. Having just lost my HD7970 GPU (probably due to heat/age), I was hoping for a straight forward replacement, but it wasn't, in my case. The 7101A also has surface mounted components on the back and one of them hits innermost fan hub severely. I tried to space and wedge with poor results. No Joy there for me.

Trying to avoid heat/damage, so something had to be sacrificed in my case, due to the massive size of this boat Anchor. Slot 2 is a better location for me, with both sides of the GPU clear for airflow. I could have left it there if I weren't going to use Slot 2 for my x16 NVMe Raid card, but there would be no point for the card if not in a x16 slot.

 

[h9826790]

Thinking of using those clear furniture bumper dots, but wondering if there is something more computer oriented.

Thermal pad?

You can adjust the required clearance by adjusting the layer count. It's computer orientated, compressible to absorb sock, non conductive, good heat endurance, cheap, and you can cut it into whatever shape you want.

 

[bsbeamer]

Thermal pad?

You can adjust the required clearance by adjusting the layer count. It's computer orientated, compressible to absorb sock, non conductive, good heat endurance, cheap, and you can cut it into whatever shape you want.

Thanks! Stacking thermal pads in a few spots could probably work for this and may be the safer option. May need to leave the top layer with the non-adhesive cover intact.

 

[h9826790]

Thanks! Stacking thermal pads in a few spots could probably work for this and may be the safer option. May need to leave the top layer with the non-adhesive cover intact.

The thermal pad isn't that sticky, I won't worry about its adhesiveness. In fact, a little bit sticky to make sure it always stay at the same place is good (it's so close to the fan)

 

[MisterAndrew]

I didn't know the Pulse RX 580 is slightly wider than 2 slots. If you need to use PCIe slot 2 then you could choose a different RX 580 card that is 2 slot, and there is also the single slot WX 7100.

 

[h9826790]

The Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB is absolutely at least 2.25 wide.

The PULSE is definitely a 2.0 slot wide card. It's higher than the 1080FE, shorter than the 1080FE, but both of them are 2 slot wide.

If it's a 2.25 slot wide card, it would block slot 2 (like what the Nitro+ does)

The Nitro+ (lower) is 2.2 slot wide (43mm), and the PULSE (upper) is 2.0 slot wide (40mm).

 

[crjackson2134]

The Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB is absolutely at least 2.25 wide. I can easily fit and position in slot 1 in my authentic mid-2012 Mac Pro 5,1 and did not run into some of the issues that several people were having with the bottom height of the card to the PCIe slot alignment. The bar with two thumbscrew knobs also easily reattached with the RX580 in slot 1 (and slots 2, 3, and 4 populated) which some people were not able to do.

In case it's helpful for anyone, here's a side by side of the Sapphire PULSE RX 580 8GB and NVIDIA GTX 1080 Founders Edition.

View attachment 778536

Just put the GTX 1080 FE back in. Tested the RX580 enough for right now to make sure was working and not a DOA unit. Stressed with a few video renders and no issues with power, overheating, or rebooting in that period of time. Will add back to the machine next week and figure something out for slot 2.

Despite getting the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB on sale and it being Apple's recommended GPU, still considering returning. A design like the AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB OEM or MSI Gaming Radeon RX 580 8GB Crossfire would likely be a much better fit for the Mac Pro 5,1 and my setup (if NVIDIA does not work with Mojave).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075G3279T
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RW7SCT

Yeah, I wish I had went with one of those cards myself. I would have saved me some angst at having to sacrifice a PCIe slot. It's tempting to try a return and get one of those. the MSI Gaming Card looks to be a better fit regarding output connections. I'm only using a 1920x1080 DL-DVI on a 25" monitor. So the MSI card looks better to me. The price on those 2 particular cards are almost 2x the price I paid. I guess I should have researched and spent the money, but I wrongly expected this card (as recommend by Apple) would be a decent size fit as well. Clearly it's not for some of us.
[doublepost=1535576517][/doublepost]

The PULSE is definitely a 2.0 slot wide card. It's higher than the 1080FE, shorter than the 1080FE, but both of them are 2 slot wide.

If it's a 2.25 slot wide card, it would block slot 2 (like what the Nitro+ does)

The Nitro+ (lower) is 2.2 slot wide (43mm), and the PULSE (upper) is 2.0 slot wide (40mm).
View attachment 778544

It's the protrusion of the fan beyond the card housing that encroaches into Slot 2 airspace. It may not be 2.25x wide, but it pushes the limit to the extent that the adjacent slot is limited in use. Perhaps it's a 2.1x wide card...

 

[h9826790]

Yeah, I wish I had went with one of those cards myself. I would have saved me some angst at having to sacrifice a PCIe slot. It's tempting to try a return and get one of those. the MSI Gaming Card looks to be a better fit regarding output connections. I'm only using a 1920x1080 DL-DVI on a 25" monitor. So the MSI card looks better to me. The price on those 2 particular cards are almost 2x the price I paid. I guess I should have researched and spent the money, but I wrongly expected this card (as recommend by Apple) would be a decent size fit as well. Clearly it's not for some of us.
[doublepost=1535576517][/doublepost]

It's the protrusion of the fan beyond the card housing that encroaches into Slot 2 airspace. It may not be 2.25x wide, but it pushes the limit to the extent that the adjacent slot is limited in use. Perhaps it's a 2.1x wide card...

There is no such problem in my case.

May I know if you removed the 2 screws for the backplate right next to PCIe connector? I did

 

[crjackson2134]

There is no such problem in my case.
View attachment 778560

May I know if you removed the 2 screws for the backplate right next to PCIe connector? I did
View attachment 778562

No, I didn't remove them. They aren't causing a standoff on my card at all.

In your pic of the USB card placed in slot 2, it's a skinny A-Typical card to be in a x16 slot. That card doesn't even go to the edge of the PCIe connector on it's backside.

The PCIe connector itself isn't blocked, correct... But, most x16 cards do need their own Air-space which is wider than the actual PCIe connector. I could put my USB card in slot 2 and have room for the RX580 as well, but I need the x16 lanes for an x16 full sized card. The RX580 fan hubs violate that space "ever so slightly" but it's enough to cause damage to either card via heat/contact. In my case, I find that if another x16 card needs to be used in conjunction with the Sapphire RX580, it's best to move RX580 into Slot 2, and pretend you only have a 3 Slot Mac Pro.

I will probably wait a while to see what Apple does (probably nothing) to further support THIS SPICIFIC GPU. If nothing happens with that, then I'll get one of the other cards to see if it solves clearance issues. That still doesn't mean heat won't be an issue. One can only test.

Hopefully, someone here will try one of the other cards and report back about width compared to the RX580 Pulse card.

 

[h9826790]

No, I didn't remove them. They aren't causing a standoff on my card at all.

In your pic of the USB card placed in slot 2, it's a skinny A-Typical card to be in a x16 slot. That card doesn't even go to the edge of the PCIe connector on it's backside.

The PCIe connector itself isn't blocked, correct... But, most x16 cards do need their own Air-space which is wider than the actual PCIe connector. I could put my USB card in slot 2 and have room for the RX580 as well, but I need the x16 lanes for an x16 full sized card. The RX580 fan hubs violate that space "ever so slightly" but it's enough to cause damage to either card via heat/contact. In my case, I find that if another x16 card needs to be used in conjunction with the Sapphire RX580, it's best to move RX580 into Slot 2, and pretend you only have a 3 Slot Mac Pro.

I will probably wait a while to see what Apple does (probably nothing) to further support THIS SPICIFIC GPU. If nothing happens with that, then I'll get one of the other cards to see if it solves clearance issues. That still doesn't mean heat won't be an issue. One can only test.

Hopefully, someone here will try one of the other cards and report back about width compared to the RX580 Pulse card.

All those screws on your card is completely flushed?

The very first thing I did was remove that two screws when I got mine. I know they shouldn't affect the card to slide into the slot. But as long as those screw can touch the cMP's CPU cage. That means even 1mm extra thickness may cause some unwanted annoying issue like what you have now.

I don't know if it help anything in your case, but may be worth to try.

 

[bsbeamer]

May I know if you removed the 2 screws for the backplate right next to PCIe connector?

I did not remove any screws, kept the card "as-is" when installing for this test. Next time I install (likely next week) will look at removing those two screws to see if it addresses anything. With the drooping of the card above, I doubt it will make any difference.

Measuring from the base of the bottom screw that overhangs the backplate to where the fan blades protrude above the case/housing, I'm seeing approximately 44.5mm. My previous understanding was standard two-slot/double-width/dual-slot cards were 40mm (maximum) and single-slot GPUs were 20mm (maximum), but I guess this is not a universal standard. I've seen several single slot GPUs under 20mm (such as the GTX 1070 Katana at 16mm).

The official published specs from SAPPHIRE Technology for this RX580 state 230(L)X125(W)X40(H)Dimension/mm (40mm height). My copy of the card exceeds this measurement by approximately 4.5mm when including the protrusions (screws to fan) in the measurement.

 

[crjackson2134]

All those screws on your card is completely flushed?

The very first thing I did was remove that two screws when I got mine. I know they shouldn't affect the card to slide into the slot. But as long as those screw can touch the cMP's CPU cage. That means even 1mm extra thickness may cause some unwanted annoying issue like what you have now.

I don't know if it help anything in your case, but may be worth to try.

I already checked that, the screws aren’t causing a standoff in my install. It would be fine if I were using a smaller card for slot 2, but my particular card encroaches on PCIe Slot 2 airspace for a full size card.

 

[bsbeamer]

I didn't know the Pulse RX 580 is slightly wider than 2 slots. If you need to use PCIe slot 2 then you could choose a different RX 580 card that is 2 slot, and there is also the single slot WX 7100.

I didn't either, until I ran into this issue and then measured. The published specs say 40mm but measuring at approximately 44.5mm with protrusions.

Only picked up the Sapphire PULSE RX 580 because it was Apple's recommended card. Thought MAYBE there was some magic with this particular GPU for when Mojave was released. Guess losing a functional PCIe slot technically meets the magic definition...

Seriously considering returning the GPU. Have a GTX 1080 FE that I am very happy with for 10.13.6 right now.