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zedex

macrumors 6502
Oct 21, 2018
312
134
Perth, WA
2560x1440 is enough, though. (Not 3840x2160 as in my original post)

If you use this combination, you can still do 4K@60Hz from 10.8 to 10.14..

GFX: SLOT 4.. QUADRO K4200 (USD 150)
GFX: SLOT 3.. GT120 [optional]

This is best/cheap option.
 

KeesMacPro

macrumors 65816
Nov 7, 2019
1,453
596
If you use this combination, you can still do 4K@60Hz from 10.8 to 10.14..
Mojave doesnt support running 2 different GPUs.
There are lots of reports about issues installing a GT120 with another GPU running Mojave.
 

zedex

macrumors 6502
Oct 21, 2018
312
134
Perth, WA
You are correct! I've come across this observation a few times. Scratch my reference to Mojave compatibility when using two different GPU models.
 
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Macgraphics

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2017
10
3
Will a HP Radeon Pro WX 3100 Graphics Card work in a Mac Pro 2012 using the Big Sur and upcoming Monterey patches? Assume it is Metal Compatible. Will it have hardware acceleration? Will it work at all? Will there be enough power for the card?
Thank you.
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,454
13,601
Will a HP Radeon Pro WX 3100 Graphics Card work in a Mac Pro 2012 using the Big Sur and upcoming Monterey patches? Assume it is Metal Compatible. Will it have hardware acceleration? Will it work at all? Will there be enough power for the card?
Thank you.
No, not supported - it's a Lexa GPU (RX 550) and macOS don't have driver support for it.

Won't work at all, don't buy it.
 

Macgraphics

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2017
10
3
No, not supported - it's a Lexa GPU (RX 550) and macOS don't have driver support for it.

Won't work at all, don't buy it.
i am thinking of this strategy: buy lowest price - low features - graphics card that will work with Monterey patch - go through now the heavy lifting of upgrading my cMP 2012 Mac Pro with the patch with this compatible low end graphics card - later - if ever the prices of new cards come down - swap out the low end graphics card with new one. I am looking for that lowest price but compatible graphics card - does it exist or am I looking for a unicorn?
Thank you for all of your help.
 

padams35

macrumors 6502a
Nov 10, 2016
502
348
I believe the RX 550 640SP variant is Baffin and will work.
I've seen people post success using the Biostar brand, but if Yeston also works then you have a single-wide option there.
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,454
13,601
i am thinking of this strategy: buy lowest price - low features - graphics card that will work with Monterey patch - go through now the heavy lifting of upgrading my cMP 2012 Mac Pro with the patch with this compatible low end graphics card - later - if ever the prices of new cards come down - swap out the low end graphics card with new one. I am looking for that lowest price but compatible graphics card - does it exist or am I looking for a unicorn?
Thank you for all of your help.
Nvidia GT 710/730.

I believe the RX 550 640SP variant is Baffin and will work.
I've seen people post success using the Biostar brand, but if Yeston also works then you have a single-wide option there.
Yes, the RX 550 640SP is a low-binned Baffin GPU (RX 460/560), not the real RX 550 that are Lexa and unsupported by macOS drivers.

It's practically impossible to find a RX 550 640SP today. Production of these Baffin GPUs stopped around 2018~2019.
 

Macgraphics

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2017
10
3
Does this work:

Yeston AMD Radeon RX550 Gaming Graphics Cards,4G/128bit/GDDR5 6000MHz VGA + HD + DVI-D Low Profile GPU,Desktop Video Card​


Thank you!
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,454
13,601
Does this work:

Yeston AMD Radeon RX550 Gaming Graphics Cards,4G/128bit/GDDR5 6000MHz VGA + HD + DVI-D Low Profile GPU,Desktop Video Card​


Thank you!
No, no RX 550 512SP (Lexa GPU) cards ever worked or will ever work.

Only the RX 550 with 640SP (Baffin GPU) that are made back in 2017 and 2018ish work. The RX 550 models that work with macOS are in reality very low grade/low-binned RX 560 chips that were downgraded to be sold as RX 550, these cards don't exist anymore.

Forget AMD RX 550.
 
Last edited:

padams35

macrumors 6502a
Nov 10, 2016
502
348
It's practically impossible to find a RX 550 640SP today. Production of these Baffin GPUs stopped around 2018~2019.
I noticed a bunch of RX 550 640SP cards on Newegg today which is what prompted my post. For ridicules prices of course, but still cheaper than any other retail card.

In theory the single slot Yeston Radeon RX550 2GB GDDR5 1071MHz 640processors fits this thread's single-width title, but now that I look closer look 4x HDMI output is very non-standard which on some past cards has been a problem.
 

Macgraphics

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2017
10
3
I found this:
YESTON AMD RX550 4G D5 LP 640SP PCI-Ex16 Video Card With DVI HDMI VGA Port

Does this one fit the bill?
 

padams35

macrumors 6502a
Nov 10, 2016
502
348
I found this:
YESTON AMD RX550 4G D5 LP 640SP PCI-Ex16 Video Card With DVI HDMI VGA Port

Does this one fit the bill?
Probably? The manufacturer self identifies their 4G D5 LP as a 640SP Polaris 11 which should would work if true, but the retailer listings I've seen almost universally claim 512SP implying Lexa. I'm inclined to trust the manufacturer over a retailer, but I'd still double check the return policy just in case.
 

Macgraphics

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2017
10
3
I decided to go with the Nvidia Geforce 730.

With all the rancor between Apple & Nvidia, I don’t know that “legacy” cards are still supported.

Also allows me to learn about Nvidia GPU’s.

Getting the right RX550 seems too risky a business also.

Much thanks tsialix and padams35 for their help in finding a solution to move forward!
 

Macgraphics

macrumors newbie
Apr 11, 2017
10
3
For $250 or less, can I go higher than the GeForce 730 with cPM 5,1/Monterey Compatibility?

Thanks.
 

macsforme

macrumors regular
Mar 16, 2007
146
88
Does anyone else run a AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 with dual monitors plugged in, and notice that it runs really hot? With a single monitor it idles in the low to mid 50's C (which still seems hot for an idle GPU, but manageable). With two monitors plugged in, mine idles in the upper 60's C while my PCI fan revs up to around 2000 RPM, then after a while the PCI fan usually returns to its normal 1300 RPM, and the GPU runs up to the low 70's C and stays there at idle (goes up to the low 80's C under load).

I already repasted the GPU recently. Also, the GPU fan itself doesn't seem to increase its speed very much as the temperature increases, which all seems very odd...
 

h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,656
8,587
Hong Kong
Does anyone else run a AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 with dual monitors plugged in, and notice that it runs really hot? With a single monitor it idles in the low to mid 50's C (which still seems hot for an idle GPU, but manageable). With two monitors plugged in, mine idles in the upper 60's C while my PCI fan revs up to around 2000 RPM, then after a while the PCI fan usually returns to its normal 1300 RPM, and the GPU runs up to the low 70's C and stays there at idle (goes up to the low 80's C under load).

I already repasted the GPU recently. Also, the GPU fan itself doesn't seem to increase its speed very much as the temperature increases, which all seems very odd...
Most issues sounds quite normal to me for a modern AMD GPU.

1) Low 50s is normal for single monitor idle especially if that's the hotspot temperature, but not the die edge temperature. Most modern graphic card's fan will just stay at a very low RPM until reach the target temperature, then spin faster and faster to keep the GPU at target temperature. In the case of WX5100, the target temperature is 85°C. Therefore, low fan speed when the temperature is still below 85°C is absolutely normal.

2) For dual monitors setup. The VRAM speed most likely will stay at 1000MHz or even straight to 1250MHz, rather than 300MHz (single monitor). This is why the graphic card will stay at a higher idle temperature.

3) High PCIe fan, this is the abnormal part. This is a known bug on cMP. There is no permanent fit for this, but quite a few easy work around. e.g. You can simply use AirOut (credit to cdf) to stress the GPU a bit every time after login, then the SMC will able to read the graphic card's reading correctly, and the PCIe fan will also behave normally.

4) When under high stress, you can expect the temperature fluctuate between 85°C to 95°C. This is how the card programmed to do so. Target 85°C means the card will let the GPU keep warming up until touch 85°C, then the spin should spin faster and faster to keep at that temperature. However, if the stress is really high, the temperature can keep increasing, until reach the Mac temperature 95°C. Then thermal throttling should kicks in, and keep the temperature won't go over 95°C. If fail to do that, then it's a sign that the cooling system (e.g. thermal paste) is failing.

A quick summary, "Keeping the GPU as cool as possible" is an outdated mindset. Modern graphic card simply not programmed to do that. One of the reason most likely because "thermal cycle" actually can actually shorten the die's life span. But keeping it at a higher temperature for long time won't. Therefore, modern graphic card's fan profile tends to let the GPU work at a higher (but narrower) temperature (range).
 
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Derek Morton

macrumors member
Aug 20, 2018
34
9
AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 it's an Ellesmere GPU and is the Pro version of the consumer/gamer RX 480. Both GPUs works out of the box with Mojave, just install it, see this old screenshot (back in the days of High Sierra and MP51.0089.B00, before 5GT/s with 138.0.0.0.0 and newer Mojave Mac Pro firmwares):

screen-shot-2018-06-04-at-08-05-04-png.764341



Exactly, both GPUs are single slot and a modern replacement for a GT120.
Any thoughts on using this in a 2019 Mac Pro without an MPX video card installed? Will I get a boot screen? Is it supported natively? I would rather not drop $400 on a card only to find it does not work.
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,454
13,601
Any thoughts on using this in a 2019 Mac Pro without an MPX video card installed? Will I get a boot screen? Is it supported natively? I would rather not drop $400 on a card only to find it does not work.

Just works, if you buy a GPU that fits and is compatible.

Apple never supported AMD RX 6950XT or any other 6x50 models, RX 6700XT or any RX 7xxx models.
 

Derek Morton

macrumors member
Aug 20, 2018
34
9
Just works, if you buy a GPU that fits and is compatible.

Apple never supported AMD RX 6950XT or any other 6x50 models, RX 6700XT or any RX 7xxx models.
I was asking about the Radeon Pro WX 5100 you had mentioned.

Should be good to go with that, correct?
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,454
13,601
I was asking about the Radeon Pro WX 5100 you had mentioned.

Should be good to go with that, correct?

Should work fine, but there are much better options for a late-2019 Mac Pro. Do you really need it to be single slot?
 

Derek Morton

macrumors member
Aug 20, 2018
34
9
Should work fine, but there are much better options for a late-2019 Mac Pro. Do you really need it to be single slot?
Ideally it needs to be single slot.

I just picked up a refurbished 2019 Mac Pro RM to replace my aging 2009 Xserve. My intention is to load both MPX slots with Promise Pegasus R4i units running RAID 50, 8x22TB drives providing 132 TB internal storage. That leaves 4 slots: Apple I/O card, 10+Gb Fiber Ethernet Card, 16+Gb Fibre Card for backup, and a slot for a video card. I have already loaded a pair of SSDs in a Promise Pegasus J2i for use as a scratch drive.

The system will be running headless and I expect the card to do little to nothing 99% of the time. To me, the most important aspects are: Native support, single slot, low power (wattage).

I really do appreciate you help. :)
 

AlexMaximus

macrumors 65816
Aug 15, 2006
1,232
578
A400M Base
Ideally it needs to be single slot.

I just picked up a refurbished 2019 Mac Pro RM to replace my aging 2009 Xserve. My intention is to load both MPX slots with Promise Pegasus R4i units running RAID 50, 8x22TB drives providing 132 TB internal storage. That leaves 4 slots: Apple I/O card, 10+Gb Fiber Ethernet Card, 16+Gb Fibre Card for backup, and a slot for a video card. I have already loaded a pair of SSDs in a Promise Pegasus J2i for use as a scratch drive.

The system will be running headless and I expect the card to do little to nothing 99% of the time. To me, the most important aspects are: Native support, single slot, low power (wattage).

I really do appreciate you help. :)
The MP7,1 came with three single slot “standard“ gpus.
1. In 2019 with the RX580
2. In 2021 with the AMD MPX 5500
3. In 2022 with the AMD MPX 6600

The original MPX Modules will be Hard to find, but you can easily go with the AMD Pro line of equivalents:

Both are single slot cards, to be found under AMD Radeon Pro W5500 or AMD Radeon Pro W6600.


IMG_0443.png
 

Derek Morton

macrumors member
Aug 20, 2018
34
9
The MP7,1 came with three single slot “standard“ gpus.
1. In 2019 with the RX580
2. In 2021 with the AMD MPX 5500
3. In 2022 with the AMD MPX 6600

The original MPX Modules will be Hard to find, but you can easily go with the AMD Pro line of equivalents:

Both are single slot cards, to be found under AMD Radeon Pro W5500 or AMD Radeon Pro W6600.


View attachment 2289133
That looks great! Thank you.
My Mac Pro currently has an MPX W5500X installed, so this would be (essentially) the same card.
Just to clarify, will this video card work natively out of the box or will it need to be flashed?
 
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