Recommend me a metal compatible, affordable card for MP 5.1 Mojave ?

[rhbmcse]

As per the title.
I'm not up to speed with this current range of cards - I'm not a gamer and I don't need a powerful card. My MP is used for music production as such GFX is unimportant apart from the fact that I need to use my NVMe to boot from which requires Mojave F/W update which requires a sodding new GFX card!

Happy to flash myself providing that a suitable flash is available for MAC if purchasing a windoze card which will inevitably be cheaper.

What would a low cost entry level metal supported card be please?

Many thanks.

Rob.

 

[bsbeamer]

As posted in the other thread...

----

This has been discussed numerous times. This is the only info you need. Suggest you buy the bolded.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208898

These specific third-party graphics cards are Metal-capable and compatible with macOS Mojave on Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012):

• MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon PULSE RX 580 8GB GDDR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition
• NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition

 

[rhbmcse]

Star man.
I'm not adverse to searching and had done so. However it's a minefield when you're so out of the loop on this stuff.

Thank you.

Rob.

 

[casperes1996]

Happy to flash myself providing that a suitable flash is available for MAC if purchasing a windoze card which will inevitably be cheaper.

I'll just chime in to say that there are now Mac EFIs to flash onto cards newer than, I believe, the R9 280X. There is no Mac Edition and the cards Apple recommend are "Windows" cards. You will not have a boot screen with this card, but it is fully supported in your Mac with the OS; Just not the pre-boot environment

 

[t8er8]

As per the title.
I'm not up to speed with this current range of cards - I'm not a gamer and I don't need a powerful card. My MP is used for music production as such GFX is unimportant apart from the fact that I need to use my NVMe to boot from which requires Mojave F/W update which requires a sodding new GFX card!

Happy to flash myself providing that a suitable flash is available for MAC if purchasing a windoze card which will inevitably be cheaper.

What would a low cost entry level metal supported card be please?

Many thanks.

Rob.

If you don’t need a boot screen, I highly recommend the RX560, solid and budget card that covers all grounds and will last you a while if bought retail.

 

[JeffPerrin]

I'm not a gamer and I don't need a powerful card.

MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5

This is the one I'm using. High Sierra and Mojave compatible. No power cables needed, just plug it in and go!

RX 580 gets lots of love here, but it is more expensive, uses twice as much power at idle, and can be relatively noisy doing even the most basic common tasks like web surfing or email. Best suited for gamers or pro video editors working on large 4K projects and the like. Otherwise, the MSI 560 listed above should fit the bill...

 

[bsbeamer]

Now that the recommended RX580 8GB is back in stock, have a hard time recommending anything else. Get the dual mini 6-pin to standard 8-pin power cable for $10-15 or less and be done with it. Will likely be the last GPU you’ll ever purchase for MP5,1 for the majority of people.

Look at the RX560 eGPU restrictions announced last month. This will likely impact PCIe at some point. Personally recommend to save yourself a headache later (and more expense) and go with RX580. Price difference is usually less than $50 if you shop around.

 

[JeffPerrin]

Look at the RX560 eGPU restrictions announced last month.

560 is working perfectly fine on the 5,1 today. No guarantees a future Mojave or later update won't affect the 580 in some way either, as I doubt Apple will be doing much testing with 5,1 compatibility moving forward...

Again, 580 comes with it's own caveats. Definitely not the ideal pick for a music studio or light editing suite due to the issues I mentioned above.

 

[tsialex]

560 is working perfectly fine on the 5,1 today. No guarantees a future Mojave or later update won't affect the 580 in some way either, as I doubt Apple will be doing much testing with 5,1 compatibility moving forward...

RX 580 as eGPU don't have any limitations, it's the best supported card and the card that Apple sold as eGPU kit. https://developer.apple.com/development-kit/external-graphics/

RX 560 eGPU support from the start had the HDCP limitation.

 

[JeffPerrin]

But we're not talking about eGPU here. There's no predicting what sort of future compatibility issues may arrive with either GPU as the 5,1 is no longer official supported...

Neither is perfect, each unit has it's trade-offs. For ex., in addition to the other drawbacks I mentioned above, the 580 is a super-wide card that can also prevent other cards from using slot 2 due to it's size. Some people may find that more of a hinderance the possibility of not being able to stream movies on their cMP someday.

 

[tsialex]

But we're not talking about eGPU here. There's no predicting what sort of future compatibility issues may arrive with either GPU as the 5,1 is no longer official supported...

Neither is perfect, each unit has it's trade-offs. For ex., in addition to the other drawbacks I mentioned above, the 580 is a super-wide card that can also prevent other cards from using slot 2 due to it's size. Some people may find that more of a hinderance the possibility of not being able to stream movies on their cMP someday.

Anyone in the market for a new Mac Pro GPU need to have all information and make the right decision, HDCP problem won't affect your use case, but will affect a lot of other people. More people read this and have different needs.

 

[bsbeamer]

For ex., in addition to the other drawbacks I mentioned above, the 580 is a super-wide card that can also prevent other cards from using slot 2 due to it's size.

This is pretty easily worked around:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-for-pcie-slot-2.2134562/page-2#post-26413743

Currently have Mojave 10.14.3 18D109 with Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB and using all available PCIe & SATA.

Slot 1: RX580
Slot 2: PX1 NVMe with EVO 970
Slot 3: Apricorn Velocity Duo X2
Slot 4: USB3
4x SATA sleds: SATA SSDs
SATA optical bay #1: DVD
SATA optical bay #2: SATA SSD (no mount)

Setup with PX1 is nearly identical to those images posted when was using Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 as boot, but the thermal pad stack placement has shifted slightly. PX1 has screws on bottom in a few locations, but otherwise is extremely smooth. No issues using it at all. No GPU fan interference or knocking.

Also as an FYI, the RX 580 GPU is dead silent the majority of the time. Fans run at machine startup and that's usually about it. Adobe CC 2018 (AE/Premiere Pro/Media Encoder) rarely "kick" the fans on when normally engaging GPU acceleration. Typically only kick on during heavy renders. (Unfortunately, less options with Metal acceleration vs. CUDA, but that's another topic.)

Overall, the machine itself is extremely quiet without spinning HDDs present. Often more silent than MBP11,3.

 

[JeffPerrin]

Anyone in the marker for a new Mac Pro GPU need to have all information and make the right decision

Agreed, tsialex!

Just contributing my direct experience with having tried both the RX580 AND the RX560 in my 5,1 Mac Pro.
[doublepost=1552062116][/doublepost]

Also as an FYI, the RX 580 GPU is dead silent the majority of the time.

Noise is a very subjective topic.

When the fans are spinning, they ARE quiet indeed. However, the card comes set-up to shut down the fans below a certain temperature. And what you CAN hear over the MP case fans, are a mid-to-high-pitched drone whenever the fans turn on or off. This happens a lot over the course of a day's work, and may be distracting if you edit audio or video in a quiet studio. Yes, I am aware you can change the fan behavior by modding the card bios using Windows, but those users unwilling to delve into that sort "hackintoshery" should be aware they may hear the sound of the 580 fans spinning up or down. By comparison, the MSI 560 fan has been completely inaudible under normal use.

 

[h9826790]

MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5

This is the one I'm using. High Sierra and Mojave compatible. No power cables needed, just plug it in and go!

RX 580 gets lots of love here, but it is more expensive, uses twice as much power at idle, and can be relatively noisy doing even the most basic common tasks like web surfing or email. Best suited for gamers or pro video editors working on large 4K projects and the like. Otherwise, the MSI 560 listed above should fit the bill...

I agree most, except "noisy". Most RX580's fan should be stay at 0 RPM for most basic common tasks. So, should be dead silent.

In fact, for same demand, RX560 has to work harder, more chance need to spin up the fan, and more chance to produce noise.

Also, lots of after market's RX580 is quite quiet even under high stress. I think you were talking about the reference RX580, which can be quite noisy indeed. But since your RX560 is an after market card as well. I think it's better to compare it to other after market cards. e.g. my PULSE RX580 is dead silent for most day to day normal use.

560 is working perfectly fine on the 5,1 today. No guarantees a future Mojave or later update won't affect the 580 in some way either, as I doubt Apple will be doing much testing with 5,1 compatibility moving forward...

Again, 580 comes with it's own caveats. Definitely not the ideal pick for a music studio or light editing suite due to the issues I mentioned above.

Quite a big difference here. Apple never sell any RX560 (standard PCIe graphic card) by themselves. But They sell PULSE RX580 8GB (hide inside the Apple eGPU developer kit). They need to provide proper support for this card. It's nothing about 5,1.

In fact, back in Mojave beta stage. When I submitted bug reports. Every time if I mentioned the issue is "the Apple recommended Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB" related. There is a reply within 48hours, sometimes within few hours. So, it's apparently in a relatively high priority.

 

[StellarVixen]

As posted in the other thread...

----

This has been discussed numerous times. This is the only info you need. Suggest you buy the bolded.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208898

These specific third-party graphics cards are Metal-capable and compatible with macOS Mojave on Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012):

• MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon PULSE RX 580 8GB GDDR5
• SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition
• NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition

Only that?

Where is Vega 56, Vega 64, RX 590???

 

[tsialex]

Only that?

Where is Vega 56, Vega 64, RX 590???

Read the full support article…

Some other third-party graphics cards* based on the following AMD GPU families might also be compatible with macOS Mojave on Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012):

• AMD Radeon RX 560
• AMD Radeon RX 570
• AMD Radeon RX 580
• AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
• AMD Radeon RX Vega 56
• AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
• AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100
• AMD Radeon Frontier Edition

If the graphics card in your Mac Pro isn't listed above, you need to install one that's compatible with macOS Mojave. If you need additional help, contact Apple Support.

* Third-party graphics cards vary, so you should check with the vendor of your specific graphics card for compatibility details.

RX 590 don't have the correct ID on the drivers yet, probably Apple will update the suggested list after correct driver support.

 

[JeffPerrin]

I agree most, expect "noisy". Most RX580's fan should be stay at 0 RPM for most basic common tasks. So, should be dead silent.

In fact, for same demand, RX560 has to work harder, more chance need to spin up the fan, and more chance to produce noise.

This has not been my experience (with either card). The MSI 560 fan does not shut down and keeps the card at a cool 40c. The Sapphire RX 580 temp, by comparison hovered around 47-52c. The fans appear to be set to come on around 52c, so they do spin up and down. Granted, my dual-monitor set-up might be a contributing factor, but these are low-power 19" 1440x900 displays, so it's not like I was pushing the 580 hard at all.

I think you were talking about the reference RX580, which can be quite noisy indeed.

The Sapphire Pulse RX580 and MSI RX560 4GB cards I have are the exact model GPUs recommended by Apple.

Apple never sell any RX560 (standard PCIe graphic card) by themselves. But They sell PULSE RX580 8GB (hide inside the Apple eGPU developer kit). They need to provide proper support for this card.

If you're talking eGPU support, then it's worth mentioning, Sonnet just recently released an eGPU with the RX560 which supports Mojave. A very fresh release, so apparently they are confident Apple will have 560 compatibility for the foreseeable future.

 

[bsbeamer]

In case it's helpful for OP at all, here are some noise meter readings:
48.2 dB average at machine startup
47.4 dB average during renders with GPU fan on
43.3 dB average with machine on and no GPU fan "kick"
41.1 dB average in room with machine off

For reference on this same meter:
39.8 dB average in bathroom with door closed
54.1 dB average in bathroom with exhaust fan running
72.6 dB average in bathroom with faucet running at full blast

Overall, a very minor perceived difference. If you're in a sound isolation studio environment, the machine shouldn't be in the room anyway. I've recorded voices in this room in the past and nothing that recording simple "room tone" in cannot fix with EQ/FX. It's barely white noise.

The fans on my Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB are extremely quiet. Maybe I just got really lucky with a good batch with really good bearings on them? Model SKU# is 11265-05-20G.

 

[tsialex]

If you're talking eGPU support, then it's worth mentioning, Sonnet just recently released an eGPU with the RX560 which supports Mojave. A very fresh release, so apparently Apple will have 560 compatibility for the foreseeable future.

Mojave drivers for RX 560 eGPUs are the limitation here, all eGPUs with RX 560 have the same HDCP block:

5. Playback of HDCP-protected content from iTunes and some streaming services is not supported on displays attached to Radeon 560-based eGPUs. You can play this content on the built-in display on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac.

You can't use Netflix/Hulu/Prime or watch iTunes movies with RX 560 eGPUs.

If you use another models besides the recommended MSI, RX 560 have other problems too, most 2GB GPUs don't work, some have inoperative video output ports and have the pink screen with some monitors/DVI-HDMI connections.

 

[crjackson2134]

The fans on my Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB are extremely quiet. Maybe I just got really lucky with a good batch with really good bearings on them? Model SKU# is 11265-05-20G.

I've also had 2 of these, and neither of them were noisy with normal use. In fact, they seem silent to me. Granted, others may have better hearing than I do, but they are quiet to me.

 

[h9826790]

This has not been my experience (with either card). The MSI 560 fan does not shut down and keeps the card at a cool 40c. The Sapphire RX 580 temp, by comparison hovered around 47-52c. The fans appear to be set to come on around 52c, so they do spin up and down. Granted, my dual-monitor set-up might be a contributing factor, but these are low-power 19" 1440x900 displays, so it's not like I was pushing the 580 hard at all.

The Sapphire Pulse RX580 and MSI RX560 4GB cards I have are the exact model GPUs recommended by Apple.

If you're talking eGPU support, then it's worth mentioning, Sonnet just recently released an eGPU with the RX560 which supports Mojave. A very fresh release, so apparently they are confident Apple will have 560 compatibility for the foreseeable future.

Dual monitors setup will cause AMD GPU unable to get into the lowest power state. Now I understand why you said the RX580 consume 2x more power during idle now. Multi monitor idle can be very different then single monitor idle.

And regardless the monitor's resolution. As long as multi monitors are connected, the GPU will stay at high power state. Which makes it run much warmer than single monitor idle, and in your case, it's right at the point that makes the fan spin up and down. However, I will say this is really very very case specific. On another setup, may be the RX560 has this issue, but the 580 doesn't.

And NO, I am not just talking about eGPU, but APPLE themselves sell the Sapphire PULSE RX580 8GB card inside their own eGPU kit. That's a very very big difference than Sonnet release a RX560 eGPU kit. Both kit works at this moment. But Apple has no obligation to support Sonnet's eGPU kit in future.

 

[crjackson2134]

You can't use Netflix/Hulu/Prime or watch iTunes movies with RX 560 eGPUs.

That would be an absolute deal stopper for me. I watch a fair amount of video content from these services on my machine.

 

[JeffPerrin]

Overall, a very minor perceived difference.

Again, noise is subjective. And no, I'm not sitting on the floor with a stethoscope up to my Mac Pro. Just relating my real-world experience with the these stock GPUs.

 

[tsialex]

That would be an absolute deal stopper for me. I watch a fair amount of video content from these services on my machine.

For now it's working with PCIe RX 560, but we all know how Apple shared codebase works.

 

[JeffPerrin]

And regardless the monitor's resolution. As long as multi monitors are connected, the [RX 580] GPU will stay at high power state. Which makes it run much warmer than single monitor idle, and in your case, it's right at the point that makes the fan spin up and down. However, I will say this is really very very case specific.

TONS of people use more than one monitor with their Mac Pros. For those users, I think I am contributing valuable information. The 560 is handling these same monitors cool and casual!