official Mojave Mac Pro Metal GPU card list finally

[Auggie]

Don’t believe the delivery estimate, that’s worst case.
Mine had the same estimate, arrived in about a week, other members have the same experience also...

Well, unfortunately, all my experiences purchasing from a Chinese seller off eBay has been that the long shipping estimates have been accurate. And that cable is still in transit now going on 10 days since ordering.

I went ahead and got the US-based, US-made 18AWG version and it arrived 3 days later, having installed it a couple hours ago. As I expected, the cable is way too long for the MacPro5,1. I will eventually replace it with the shorter 16AWG Chinese one when it arrives.

Also of note, the Sapphire RX 580 is much thicker than the HD 5870 it replaced and the PCIe card installed above it was resting on the 580's fans due to gravity droop, in addition to being a PITA to install with almost no clearance. I used one of its plastic connector covers as a temporary spacer. When I replace the cable, I will try reseating all cards with the case lying on its board-side down and see if the cards stay level horizontally.

Anywho, Mojave beta 3 installed just fine after the GPU swap and now beta 4 is about to get installed. So far, so good...

 

[Squuiid]

Also of note, the Sapphire RX 580 is much thicker than the HD 5870 it replaced and the PCIe card installed above it was resting on the 580's fans due to gravity droop, in addition to being a PITA to install with almost no clearance. I used one of its plastic connector covers as a temporary spacer. When I replace the cable, I will try reseating all cards with the case lying on its board-side down and see if the cards stay level horizontally.

Yes, this unfortunately is an issue with these cards. The grey plastic on the cMP to prevent shorting of any card placed there along with the metal backplate of the Pulse means that everything is very tight.
I had to be selective as to what I placed in slot 2 so as it did not touch the fan of the RX 580.

 

[DPUser]

Can you remove the backplate from the RX580?

 

[h9826790]

Well, unfortunately, all my experiences purchasing from a Chinese seller off eBay has been that the long shipping estimates have been accurate. And that cable is still in transit now going on 10 days since ordering.

I went ahead and got the US-based, US-made 18AWG version and it arrived 3 days later, having installed it a couple hours ago. As I expected, the cable is way too long for the MacPro5,1. I will eventually replace it with the shorter 16AWG Chinese one when it arrives.

Also of note, the Sapphire RX 580 is much thicker than the HD 5870 it replaced and the PCIe card installed above it was resting on the 580's fans due to gravity droop, in addition to being a PITA to install with almost no clearance. I used one of its plastic connector covers as a temporary spacer. When I replace the cable, I will try reseating all cards with the case lying on its board-side down and see if the cards stay level horizontally.

Anywho, Mojave beta 3 installed just fine after the GPU swap and now beta 4 is about to get installed. So far, so good...

Looks like this is the reason why your cards are pulled down so much by gravity.

 

[Squuiid]

Looks like this is the reason why your cards are pulled down so much by gravity.
View attachment 771459

Wow. Is the case bent? It doesn’t seem like the case slots line up with the PCIe slots there.
Those cards should not be at an angle like that, as @h9826790 has pointed out.

 

[mattspace]

Wow. Is the case bent? It doesn’t seem like the case slots line up with the PCIe slots there.
Those cards should not be at an angle like that, as @h9826790 has pointed out.

I suspect the reinforcing bar isn't slotted into the... um, slot... at the top.

 

[h9826790]

I suspect the reinforcing bar isn't slotted into the... um, slot... at the top.

Exactly

 

[Squuiid]

Exactly
View attachment 771478 View attachment 771479

LOL. Nice!

 

[GForensic]

Hello All,

I am looking to update my Mac Pro Mid 2012 5,1 to run Mojave. I was looking at this particular card. Will this be sufficient? I do all my gaming on consoles so this would be for graphics, video, Internet....etc. I don't need anything heavy duty but want to be be able to handle at least the next few years of OS upgrades.

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11265-05-20G-Backplate-Graphics-Graphic/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8

Thanks!!
G-

 

[h9826790]

Hello All,

I am looking to update my Mac Pro Mid 2012 5,1 to run Mojave. I was looking at this particular card. Will this be sufficient? I do all my gaming on consoles so this would be for graphics, video, Internet....etc. I don't need anything heavy duty but want to be be able to handle at least the next few years of OS upgrades.

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11265-05-20G-Backplate-Graphics-Graphic/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8

Thanks!!
G-

Yes

 

[Auggie]

I suspect the reinforcing bar isn't slotted into the... um, slot... at the top.

Exactly

LOL. Nice!

Actually, that's not it at all.

The Sapphire is SO big, it can't fit perfectly aligned in its slot because it's physically interferring with
the top of the CPU/RAM cage.

This causes the 580 to rest at a cant with the 580's backplane tilted upwards, pushing all backplanes of immediately adjacent cards upwards, resulting in the "drooping" appearance from the misalignments.

FYI, the machine was placed with the mobo side down on the table when I was analyzing and attempting to adjust the cards.

I honestly can't imagine why Apple would be publicly recommending this card due to these physical issues, on top of the problem of boot screen support.
[doublepost=1532012077][/doublepost]

Hello All,

I am looking to update my Mac Pro Mid 2012 5,1 to run Mojave. I was looking at this particular card. Will this be sufficient? I do all my gaming on consoles so this would be for graphics, video, Internet....etc. I don't need anything heavy duty but want to be be able to handle at least the next few years of OS upgrades.

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11265-05-20G-Backplate-Graphics-Graphic/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8

Thanks!!
G-

This is the exact same card I purchased from Amazon. You will also need to purchase separately a mini dual 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power cable. If you are in the US, I'd recommend this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-male-m...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Although it works with Mojave natively sans boot screen, there is interference with the CPU/RAM cage which pushes the card slightly out of alignment with the PCIe slots so you may have fitment issues with cards in the adjacent slot.

When I have more time, I will investigate removing the aluminum frame that faces down. From online photos, it appears to be decorative only and may not serve any cooling function.

 

[mattspace]

The Sapphire is SO big, it can't fit perfectly aligned in its slot because it's physically interferring with
the top of the CPU/RAM cage.

I noticed that alignment when installing my pulse today - the alignment does work, you just need to apply a bit of gentle pressure, and it will align to the threaded sockets more closely than in that image.

I'm not seeing any drooping in the GT120 in slot 3

 

[thomasthegps]

you guys are asking for damage. Put the card in another slot.

 

[AliGT83]

you guys are asking for damage. Put the card in another slot.

it fits perfectly. Will take pictures later today when I get home but I was extremely careful about this when replacing my aging GTX 570HD with the sapphire. No damage will be done to the Mac Pro. Also the card is way too heavy for any other slot. Stop the FUD.

 

[Auggie]

I noticed that alignment when installing my pulse today - the alignment does work, you just need to apply a bit of gentle pressure, and it will align to the threaded sockets more closely than in that image.

I'm not seeing any drooping in the GT120 in slot 3

Massaging the backplane to fit closer to alignment only introduces twist and distortion into its PCIe card close to the backplane without resolving the contact distally with the adjacent Velocity Duo x2 card.

As far as the “drooping”, its due to all the backplanes being slightly higher from their alignments to their respective slots caused by the 580’s thicker size interference, which may be reduced by your suggestion of gentle persuasion of the 580’s backplane. It’s functional so I’d rather not force the 580 to better conformity.

 

[DPUser]

Can you remove the backplate from the RX580?

Anyone? Anyone? Ferris?

 

[Squuiid]

This won't work and is fixable.
I've purchased 3 of these cards and one of them exhibited this problem. I turned the card over and noticed that the screws holding the backplate on weren't screwed in as much as on the other two cards.
I tightened them up (quite a bit) and this then allowed the card to be seated correctly in the PCIe slot.
Give it a shot and let us know how you get on.

I really wasn't impressed with the build quality of these Sapphire cards to be honest. They're rather flimsy and there really shouldn't be discrepancies in how tight the screws are.

 

[MarkC426]

Have you had your 5.1 from new (Auggie)?
My RX580 went in very smoothly with a couple of millimetres clear....fits and lines up perfectly as it should (as do many others’ who have this card).
I have even swapped it out/in recently to do a FW updated with no issue.

 

[Auggie]

Have you had your 5.1 from new (Auggie)?
My RX580 went in very smoothly with a couple of millimetres clear....fits and lines up perfectly as it should (as do many others’ who have this card).
I have even swapped it out/in recently to do a FW updated with no issue.

It’s had almost its entire guts replaced by Apple two years ago (mobo, backplane, video card, CPU board, CPUs), for free I might add (they couldn’t figure out why it was constantly shutting down—it ended up being a bad power supply that they didn’t suspect and never replaced).

The HD 5870 had no interference issues but when I get home today, I’ll examine the screws on the backside of the 580. They definitely are protruding from the aluminum frame.

Is yours a Sapphire Plus?

 

[MarkC426]

Yes Sapphire Pulse 8gb.....
If I rest it on the casing and push it towards the pci-e slot , I actually need to lift it slightly to line up.

 

[jacekkr]

You will also need to purchase separately a mini dual 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power cable. If you are in the US, I'd recommend this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-male-mini-PCI-E-6-PIN-combine-to-1-x-male-PCI-E-8-pin-15-MADE-IN-USA/263792185350?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Is this the correct cable? It is described as being male to male but shouldn't the cable sockets all be female? It's hard to tell from the photographs on eBay.

 

[h9826790]

Is this the correct cable? It is described as being male to male but shouldn't the cable sockets all be female? It's hard to tell from the photographs on eBay.

male to male is the correct cable.
[doublepost=1532045802][/doublepost]

Anyone? Anyone? Ferris?

Yes, but not required on cMP.

Unless the CPU cage is higher than normal (I’ve seen this before). In worst case, remove the back plate screws that near the PCIe connector should be enough (the back plate will still stay with the remaining screws to offer proper protection)

 

[Auggie]

This won't work and is fixable.
I've purchased 3 of these cards and one of them exhibited this problem. I turned the card over and noticed that the screws holding the backplate on weren't screwed in as much as on the other two cards.
I tightened them up (quite a bit) and this then allowed the card to be seated correctly in the PCIe slot.
Give it a shot and let us know how you get on.

I really wasn't impressed with the build quality of these Sapphire cards to be honest. They're rather flimsy and there really shouldn't be discrepancies in how tight the screws are.

I took it apart and it's a no-go as far as tightening the screws further or taking the aluminum frame completely off. The screws are spring loaded with a smooth shank to keep the head offset from the frame/board; further tightening resulted in significant resistance that I was afraid would lead to stripping the threads. It appears that this built-in offset is to minimize vibration of the fans as these screws attach directly to the fan housing so as to keep them "floating":

Also, the aluminum frame appears to also serve as a heat sink, as witnessed by the small pads of thermal paste:

Ah well, I reassembled and reinstalled everything, but this time applying "gentle pressure" ala mattspace while tightening the hold-down clamp to better align the 580's backplane; this still didn't resolve the contact with the adjacent Velocity and continue to use a spacer to keep them apart so as not to impede fan rotation.
[doublepost=1532046996][/doublepost]

Is this the correct cable? It is described as being male to male but shouldn't the cable sockets all be female? It's hard to tell from the photographs on eBay.

This is the correct cable (male to male as this replaces your existing cables entirely; it does not "adapt" them) as I purchased this exact same one from the same seller and what is shown in my photos earlier (hint, he will take lower offers than asking price).

Even though I had already ordered another one from China, I just couldn't wait any longer (it's still in transit) and got his version. I will eventually swap in the China one once received as it's shorter and built with 16AWG (probably overkill and unnecessary).

 

[mattspace]

Ah well, I reassembled and reinstalled everything, but this time applying "gentle pressure" ala mattspace while tightening the hold-down clamp to better align the 580's backplane; this still didn't resolve the contact with the adjacent Velocity and continue to use a spacer to keep them apart so as not to impede fan rotation.

I just pulled and rechecked my card based on @Squuiid description of the screws, and found the same thing - they're springloaded to keep the plastic fan shroud floating, presumable to dampen vibration (also one of my DVI cable screw connectors unscrewed with the plug - clearly it's too tight to the cable's safety screw).

What's happening re the spacing, is the plastic strip on top of the processor section is contacting those screws, but again, once it was all plugged & slotted in, a little bit of pressure from one thumb seated the slot shields correctly, and I was able to get the support bracket screwed in.

I actually took the opportunity to pull my GT 120 at the same time, to see if the PCI fan issue was influenced by it (wondering if its temperature sensor was triggering the fans to ramp down ~2mins after boot), but no, boot the system, pci fans ramp up to ~2000rpm, and around 1.5 mins later drop down to 800.

 

[h9826790]

I just pulled and rechecked my card based on @Squuiid description of the screws, and found the same thing - they're springloaded to keep the plastic fan shroud floating, presumable to dampen vibration (also one of my DVI cable screw connectors unscrewed with the plug - clearly it's too tight to the cable's safety screw).

What's happening re the spacing, is the plastic strip on top of the processor section is contacting those screws, but again, once it was all plugged & slotted in, a little bit of pressure from one thumb seated the slot shields correctly, and I was able to get the support bracket screwed in.

I actually took the opportunity to pull my GT 120 at the same time, to see if the PCI fan issue was influenced by it (wondering if its temperature sensor was triggering the fans to ramp down ~2mins after boot), but no, boot the system, pci fans ramp up to ~2000rpm, and around 1.5 mins later drop down to 800.

The PCIe fan bug is a known issue. Nothing to do with time, but most likely becasue around 2min boot to desktop. Some of your action stress the card a little bit.

It’s known that once the card is stressed. The PCIe fan will back to normal. A simple automatic way to do it is download CL!ng from AppStore, and set it auto launch after boot. This apps will put some load on the GPU to measure the actual bandwidth. As a result, this little stress will make the SMC able to communicate with the GPU correctly, and stop the abnormal PCIe / PSU fan high idle issue.

Another even more automatic way is by using MacsFanControl to setup your own PCIe / PSU fan profile. This will completely override the system fan setting. Therefore, also can avoid the abnormal high RPM.