MP 7,1 Nvidia’s RTX 3090/ 4090/ A6000/ 6000 Ada in a Mac Pro (2019)

[MadJuju]

I'm having the same issue in MacOS, when it goes to sleep it doens't wake up from that, so I have disabled the computer going to sleep completely. I thought it was just something in my setup, as multiple people have reported they are not experiencing issues with sleep.

If anyone that is not experiencing issues with sleep can share their setup it will be amazing. Maybe the PCI slot and monitor they used. I'm thinking it might also be connected to having an XDR display

Sleep does however work under Windows

Also I really hope they will address your feedback, although I find it unlikely as they don't care about supporting any Nvidia products from breaking the mac, sadly

L had the same issue.
Juste checked in power management the first item in French "Empêcher la suspension d'activité automatique de l'ordinateur lorsque l'écran est éteint"

No more issue

 

[Maxim Glukhov]

I've been playing a few games, with the fans in auto, and the system is virtually silent.

I just played GTA V in 4k, 60 fps, with most of the settings to the max, and the GPU hovers around 47 celsius. The same for The Witcher 3. I guess this will do for Cyberpunk .

Any idea how well would it run on 6k with the Pro Display XDR?
I am tempted to do something similar...

 

[aagribeiro]

I'm also using the Belkin cable in MacOS Big Sur with an Aorus RX5700XT. Previously used a Monoprice bidirectional cable. I also had to trim trim the DP port to get the thing to work. No boot screen, but everything else works including brightness and it powered the USB ports on my monitor. Why would Belkin build a cable that has to be cut to work? Makes no sense to me.

Lou

I just bought two DisplayPort to MiniDP to connect my other monitors and I had the same problem, so I looked closely to see what's happening. If the cable's plastic casing is too thick, it bumps against the Mac Pro's chassis (the metal part where the PCI covers slide). One of the reasons why this happens is GPU sag. Even when placed in port 3, it sags just a bit, enough to prevent DP cables being fully connected (because they bump into the chassis). I pushed a bit harder and they snapped in.

 

[aagribeiro]

Any idea how well would it run on 6k with the Pro Display XDR?
I am tempted to do something similar...

To run it at 6k at 60fps I had to scale back to MSAAx2. More modern games should take advantage of DLSS and run at 6k/60 fps with no problems. DLSS and ray tracing were the main reasons I went with nVidia instead of AMD.

 

[joevt]

If the cable's plastic casing is too thick, it bumps against the Mac Pro's chassis (the metal part where the PCI covers slide).

People had the same problem with the Belkin Charge and Sync cable. Their solution was to shave some of the plastic off. I don't know if it was with the MacPro7,1 though or not.

It seems to me that the MacPro7,1 does have extra thick PCIe cutouts because of the black rear aesthetic?

I remember a similar situation with a two slot PCIe riser that came with an enclosure that fit in a DVD drive bay. My solution there was to file the openings larger to accomodate the USB-C cables because the USB-C ports of the Thunderbolt 3 add-in card were too close to the edge.
https://hardforum.com/threads/use-usb-c-monitor-without-usb-c.1911817/post-1043180044
https://hardforum.com/threads/use-usb-c-monitor-without-usb-c.1911817/post-1043572728

 

[joevt]

deleted - duplicate

 

[Maxim Glukhov]

To run it at 6k at 60fps I had to scale back to MSAAx2. More modern games should take advantage of DLSS and run at 6k/60 fps with no problems. DLSS and ray tracing were the main reasons I went with nVidia instead of AMD.

Thanks for updating! the capabilities of this card are truly amazing. I saw some reviews trying to run 8k with this card and it seems to handle it pretty well.

 

[flowrider]

I just bought two DisplayPort to MiniDP to connect my other monitors and I had the same problem, so I looked closely to see what's happening. If the cable's plastic casing is too thick, it bumps against the Mac Pro's chassis (the metal part where the PCI covers slide.

Well I just checked, and you are right. It's not Belkin, It's Apple But, the I have used two previous DP cables on the same card in the same port on my NcMP and they both worked

Lou

 

[FiveEcco]

Hi everyone,

i am thinking about putting in a 3080 or a 3090 to my 2019 MacPro.
I don't want to use it for gaming, only for rendering.
So is it possible to use both cards under windows? Screens plugged in to the AMD card and teh renderer runs on the NVidia?

Thank you for your support!

Greetings
five

 

[IA64]

Hi everyone,

i am thinking about putting in a 3080 or a 3090 to my 2019 MacPro.
I don't want to use it for gaming, only for rendering.
So is it possible to use both cards under windows? Screens plugged in to the AMD card and teh renderer runs on the NVidia?

Thank you for your support!

Greetings
five

As far as I've been reading you need to completely disable/ uninstall the AMD card drivers for the nVidia to work.

There are also rumors about a 3080Ti coming in January so if I were you, I'd wait a bit.

 

[MadJuju]

As far as I've been reading you need to completely disable/ uninstall the AMD card drivers for the nVidia to work.

There are also rumors about a 3080Ti coming in January so if I were you, I'd wait a bit.

For my part l did not remove any amd drivers. L can switch from one card to the other in windows. no issues

 

[IA64]

For my part l did not remove any amd drivers. L can switch from one card to the other in windows. no issues

Does it mean you can use both cards for rendering? First time I read such a statement which if true is great news.

 

[copypasteman]

Hello, I would like to report my experience with an ASUS TUF 3090.

I have installed it in slot 3. In slot 1 I have a Vega II Duo. After installing, I booted into windows with an XDR and 4k monitor attached to the Duo. I switched from Duo to the 3090 using the VR sync cable. This also required me to to shave a little off the bottom for it to fit. I have 6k output in addition to control of the display. Nvidia drivers were successfully installed without uninstalling the AMD drivers or disabling the GPU.

I am able to run the XDR off of the 3090 and my 4k monitor off of the Duo at the same time with no visible issues.

Performance seems in line with all other 3090 benchmarks. The fans only spin up when the card is being used, otherwise quite in both Windows and MacOS. The card is in performance mode, not quiet mode.

Performance example:
Control Max RTX settings:
1440p - 60 fps+
4k - 45fps

MacOS Issues: The system seems to crash when the computer sleeps or the display turns off. The screensaver works without problem. Checking "Prevent computer from sleeping" in Energy Saver does not seem to fix it when the screen turns off. Does anyone have a solution to this? I dont need it to sleep I would just like a black screen. (UPDATE: This works now. It was just first boot that it did not work)

Thanks! Happy to answer questions as well.

 

[joevt]

MacOS Issues: The system seems to crash when the computer sleeps or the display turns off. The screensaver works without problem. Checking "Prevent computer from sleeping" in Energy Saver does not seem to fix it when the screen turns off. Does anyone have a solution to this? I dont need it to sleep I would just like a black screen. Thanks! Happy to answer questions as well.

Put Computer Sleep and Display Sleep to never in Energy Saver. Then in Desktop & Screen Saver, set a Hot Corner for Display Sleep?

 

[copypasteman]

Put Computer Sleep and Display Sleep to never in Energy Saver. Then in Desktop & Screen Saver, set a Hot Corner for Display Sleep?

Actually checking "Prevent computer from sleeping" works now. It was just on the first boot it didn't.

 

[frankiee]

So it looks like a side effect of those cards is that sleep in macOS does not work anymore (which would be a big bummer for me). Since there are reports of cards that DO allow macOS to sleep properly, I would like to find out which type of cards are affected and which are not. Any insights?

 

[MadJuju]

Does it mean you can use both cards for rendering? First time I read such a statement which if true is great news.

L don't know L think that it depend of the software you use

 

[frankiee]

So yeah, I have finally decided to ignore my budget and get myself a nice xmas present, i.e. a RTX 3090.

However, I am still wary about interference with macOS, especially regarding sleep.

I would be quite thankful if users who have a 3090 in a MP7,1 with working sleep on macOS (i.e. no crashes when waking up) could post their exact model here. Also I am interested in noise, so if the card in question is not too noisy (or even with no fans on idle) that would be a big plus. And yes, it should fit without cutting anything and no problems with weight.

Any insights and help greatly appreciated!

 

[Jupiter-8]

- Underclocked the RTX as shown here:

- Underclocking the RTX made it cooler, with apparently no performance hit. Now the Mac Pro's fan that went to 1600 RPM only went to 1300RPM. The RTX itself was virtually silent (I turned all fans of the Mac Pro to 600 RPM with Macs Fan Control to hear it)

Hi Alex

Thanks for the fantastic post. I too just purchased an ASUS 3090 TUF OC for my 16-core Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.

I'm keen to copy your config. Would you be able to share the exact values you used for your underclocking profile in MSI Afterburner. The YouTube video you shared (for a 3080 card) shows a setting of of -291 on the Core Clock (MHz) and +240 on the graph at point 806. Did you copy these settings exactly or did you use something slightly different?

FYI…

I spent days weighing up the different card options. Aesthetically I wanted the design of the 3090 FE inside my machine, but I just couldn't get past the idea of forcing it into the case while bending the fan bezel plastic and putting continuous stress on it with a $15k machine.

The ASUS STRIX seems to have the best reviews, but it's far too long at 313mm. I considered the shorter EVGA with its three power ports and high overclocking potential, but like you, I'm trying to find a balance between performance and noise and (to me) it just didn't make sense. That, plus the card looks cheap IMO.

The ASUS TUF 3080 OC got a crazy good review on Hardware Unboxed and based on my research, the ASUS TUF 3090 OC is just as good. Fantastic build quality, great cooling and a great option at the smaller 300mm card size.

I also bought a Belkin Charge and Sync Cable (for Huawei VR Glass) to get the whole setup working nicely with my XDR.

Thanks again!

 

[IA64]

Hi Alex

Thanks for the fantastic post. I too just purchased an ASUS 3090 TUF OC for my 16-core Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.

I'm keen to copy your config. Would you be able to share the exact values you used for your underclocking profile in MSI Afterburner. The YouTube video you shared (for a 3080 card) shows a setting of of -291 on the Core Clock (MHz) and +240 on the graph at point 806. Did you copy these settings exactly or did you use something slightly different?

FYI…

I spent days weighing up the different card options. Aesthetically I wanted the design of the 3090 FE inside my machine, but I just couldn't get past the idea of forcing it into the case while bending the fan bezel plastic and putting continuous stress on it with a $15k machine.

The ASUS STRIX seems to have the best reviews, but it's far too long at 313mm. I considered the shorter EVGA with its three power ports and high overclocking potential, but like you, I'm trying to find a balance between performance and noise and (to me) it just didn't make sense. That, plus the card looks cheap IMO.

The ASUS TUF 3080 OC got a crazy good review on Hardware Unboxed and based on my research, the ASUS TUF 3090 OC is just as good. Fantastic build quality, great cooling and a great option at the smaller 300mm card size.

I also bought a Belkin Charge and Sync Cable (for Huawei VR Glass) to get the whole setup working nicely with my XDR.

Thanks again!

What about the fan noise under load please ?

BTW, hardware unboxed got banned by Nvidia.

 

[frankiee]

Thanks for the fantastic post. I too just purchased an ASUS 3090 TUF OC for my 16-core Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.

Hi Jupiter, thanks for your report as well! So this sounds good so far, but the million dollar question remains:

Will sleep work under macOS, i.e. without crashes on waking up again? And, do you know if the fans of this card will be running when the card is idling?

Aesthetically I wanted the design of the 3090 FE inside my machine, but I just couldn't get past the idea of forcing it into the case while bending the fan bezel plastic and putting continuous stress on it with a $15k machine.

Ah btw, and I can tell you that WON'T work anyways. I have no idea how the guy that posted here was able to fit the 3090FE into the MP7,1 case, but I wasn't. Maybe because I had to choose a slot above (the W5700X taking more height than the 580) but it won't fit - at least for me. So yeah, I recommend to not try this, you have been warned.

 

[aagribeiro]

Hi Alex

Thanks for the fantastic post. I too just purchased an ASUS 3090 TUF OC for my 16-core Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.

I'm keen to copy your config. Would you be able to share the exact values you used for your underclocking profile in MSI Afterburner. The YouTube video you shared (for a 3080 card) shows a setting of of -291 on the Core Clock (MHz) and +240 on the graph at point 806. Did you copy these settings exactly or did you use something slightly different?

FYI…

I spent days weighing up the different card options. Aesthetically I wanted the design of the 3090 FE inside my machine, but I just couldn't get past the idea of forcing it into the case while bending the fan bezel plastic and putting continuous stress on it with a $15k machine.

The ASUS STRIX seems to have the best reviews, but it's far too long at 313mm. I considered the shorter EVGA with its three power ports and high overclocking potential, but like you, I'm trying to find a balance between performance and noise and (to me) it just didn't make sense. That, plus the card looks cheap IMO.

The ASUS TUF 3080 OC got a crazy good review on Hardware Unboxed and based on my research, the ASUS TUF 3090 OC is just as good. Fantastic build quality, great cooling and a great option at the smaller 300mm card size.

I also bought a Belkin Charge and Sync Cable (for Huawei VR Glass) to get the whole setup working nicely with my XDR.

Thanks again!

Hi,

This is the voltage/frequency curve I have. I don't know the exact values, but it's similar to the site I previously mentioned.

The card itself is very quiet (if not silent). It's the Mac Pro's fans that make the most noise. Undervolting the 3090 makes the Mac's fans spin much slower. Even then I'm not sure why the Mac Pro's fans ramp up so much, so I used MacsFanControl to see if the system would be stable and silent, and it is. That being said, depending on the game I'm playing and/or that hours I'm playing at, many times I don't use MacsFanControl, because the fan noise is low and easily drowned by a game's sounds.

 

[Jupiter-8]

What about the fan noise under load please ?

BTW, hardware unboxed got banned by Nvidia.

I don't have the card installed yet, so I'd recommend checking Alex's post for his experiences. I'll post my own once I get everything up and running.

And Nvidia has apologized to Hardware Unboxed and unbanned him. Rightly so!

 

[Jupiter-8]

Hi Jupiter, thanks for your report as well! So this sounds good so far, but the million dollar question remains:

Will sleep work under macOS, i.e. without crashes on waking up again? And, do you know if the fans of this card will be running when the card is idling?


Ah btw, and I can tell you that WON'T work anyways. I have no idea how the guy that posted here was able to fit the 3090FE into the MP7,1 case, but I wasn't. Maybe because I had to choose a slot above (the W5700X taking more height than the 580) but it won't fit - at least for me. So yeah, I recommend to not try this, you have been warned.

You're welcome. I personally don't use the sleep function on my Mac. It's wither always on (or powered off) so it's not a big deal for me, but I'll test it and report back.

Yeah I wasn't into spending a ton on the 3090 FE to gamble with the fit and/or stress against the fan bezel. It looks ace but the smaller cards seem to be just as good, and most importantly, fit ok. The ASUS TUF 3090 OC seems to be the most balanced based on my research and it's good to know that a few owners have already chosen it too.

I think Alex mentioned in his post that the card is silent when the card idles. The fans should switch off when not in use, but I'll report back once I have my card installed.

 

[CatoTheElder]

I have so far tested the Palit 3090 GamingPro and the Gainward 3090 Phoenix.
Both fit well into the case (297mm) and work like a charm under Windows.
But both do not support sleep under MacOS and will cause a crash/kernel panic.
The fans though are switched off when not used.

Disabling an Nvidia card under MacOS seems to be possible when using Clover, but I haven't tried that (yet):
https://dortania.github.io/Getting-Started-With-ACPI/Desktops/desktop-disable.html