Suggestions about GPUs

[zerom]

You would need to route the SATA power cables somehow to the card. You can do it, but not with those in my link, I believe they are too short for that.

I think it might be easier to put your drives in optical bay. If they are 3.5" HDDs, then I would use a physical adaptor of some kind. If your drives are 2.5" SSDs, they can rest there almost or without anything supporting them. There are adapters for different kind of installations to optical bay in a cMP. I bought some adapters from OWC, but I have not yet tried them.

I use 3.5 HDD for data. I can by the way remove that for now, and get a time capsule (I always wanted one). Found one cheap 2TB TC. I may search for a sort of adapter later on.

Sorry if I sound like a fool, I am a bit of new in this sort of things.

I appreciate all your help.

 

[mikas]

I think I bought something like this earlier:
OWC MultiMount
It's for 2.5" and 3.5" drives.
And another one like this too.

Good Luck with Your project.

ps. I have found this forum to be very helpful with my own Mac Pro upgrades. Users here are willing to help and share their knowledge. Just trying to give some of it back.

 

[zerom]

I think I bought something like this earlier:
OWC MultiMount
It's for 2.5" and 3.5" drives.
And another one like this too.

Good Luck with Your project.

ps. I have found this forum to be very helpful with my own Mac Pro upgrades. Users here are willing to help and share their knowledge. Just trying to give some of it back.

Thank you for sharing the adapter.
I will surely look into it.

Yeah. This community has been really helpful to me.
Thank you to all of you, sincerely.
I will buy the card and cables and when I have mounted it I will report the results. It may take some time though.

I hope in the future I will have enough knowledge to help others as you did with me.

Thank you very much.

 

[zerom]

Greetings,

I am back with the results.
(It took some time for the cables to arrive from china).

The setup was not easy (it was the first time for me). I successfully moved the ati 5770 in an upper slot but the RX580 would not fit.

I had to move, push, move, push again, and I finally I got it.
I was terrified I could have broken something but it works fine. I spent a good 30 min or more to get it to fit, I was too afraid to commit some crime on the hardware.

Now both cards are connected; I used the cable suggestions mikas kindly provided.
About the sata power plug, I had to knife cut the slim edge to make it fit.

The only downside is that my monitor is a bit too small for the RX580: the resolution is terrible, so I guess I will buy a 27inch screen from Asus, I saw cheap ones.
I tried with a cintiq24HD and it looks just fine, so it is my monitor size.

Windows on Bootcamp won't recognise the RX580, macOS works just fine. I am updating windows, maybe something will happen.

Thank you to all of you who kindly supported me in this.
Without your help I probably would have gotten something wrong.

Kind regards and nice day.

 

[MisterAndrew]

I don't think connecting a GPU to HDD SATA power is the best idea. You don't need a boot screen to switch between Windows and macOS. See this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-boot-camp-without-a-boot-screen.2114788/

 

[zerom]

I don't think connecting a GPU to HDD SATA power is the best idea. You don't need a boot screen to switch between Windows and macOS. See this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/how-to-boot-camp-without-a-boot-screen.2114788/

Hello,


Thank you very much for the answer.
I guess it is not the optimal setting for a GPU. But it should receive enough power (2x sata + board pci).
I am not planning to use it much, I will keep it there though. Windows does not work on the RX580 so until the problem is solved I have to keep it for the sake of using Windows.

I tried installing the drivers but the installer gives me error 173.
I downloaded an update from windows update but I have yet to install it. Next time I get home I will reboot and see.

 

[mikas]

I don't think connecting a GPU to HDD SATA power is the best idea.

Me too am using this 2xSATA power to 6-pin with Ati Radeon HD 5770. That's because RX570 takes the two 6-pins on the motherboard.

Made a test with unigine Valley. I think even only one SATA power would be enough, but I want to be sure and not tax too much the SATA wirings on the motherboard. Attached Bresink Hardware Monitor screenshot after 15 minutes of Unigine Valley with HD 5770:

12V, 1.7 amperes and 20 watts from both of the connectors.
PCIe gives approx. 55W, that's a 95W total for HD 5770.

I do not use the card for anything serious though, so it will only draw something like 0.25 amperes and 3 watts continuously from SATA power connections.

PCIe fan is quit loud though, even when idling the card (~1600rpm). This is with automatic thermal settings. Maybe I need to move the cards to different slots and give them some more space to breathe.

If there are some risks using SATA power like this, I can't see them. But then again, I ain't got no computer science degree neither am I no electrician. Luckily I've got 4 Mac Pros, so my work does not get interrupted if (when) the bad happens.

 

[zerom]

Me too am using this 2xSATA power to 6-pin with Ati Radeon HD 5770. That's because RX570 takes the two 6-pins on the motherboard.

Made a test with unigine Valley. I think even only one SATA power would be enough, but I want to be sure and not tax too much the SATA wirings on the motherboard. Attached Bresink Hardware Monitor screenshot after 15 minutes of Unigine Valley with HD 5770:

12V, 1.7 amperes and 20 watts from both of the connectors.
PCIe gives approx. 55W, that's a 95W total for HD 5770.

I do not use the card for anything serious though, so it will only draw something like 0.25 amperes and 3 watts continuously from SATA power connections.

PCIe fan is quit loud though, even when idling the card (~1600rpm). This is with automatic thermal settings. Maybe I need to move the cards to different slots and give them some more space to breathe.

If there are some risks using SATA power like this, I can't see them. But then again, I ain't got no computer science degree neither am I no electrician. Luckily I've got 4 Mac Pros, so my work does not get interrupted if (when) the bad happens.
View attachment 775363

I use it just for boot, but probably I will end keeping it inside without using it. I need it for windows though.
Windows cannot handle the rx580 on my MacPro, not sure why. It recognises it under devmgmt but it won't use it, giving me an error.
When I try to install the drivers, the installer gives me error 173.
So until I figure out how can I fix that, ati5770 is required for windows to run.

MacOS works fine with the rx580,
the fans do not spin though, maybe not hot enough. Under windows they spin all the time, although the card is not working.

About the sata thing, I hope nothing bad happens. I use the ati5770 mostly in idle. For heavy task the RX580 is the one (also because it would not make sense not to use it).
I have just my MacPro 5.1 I got in mid 2012... it has to last.

 

[ammoune78]

Hey guys,
I've just ordered and GIGABYTE AORUS RX 570 4GB for my Mac Pro 4.1 (2009), and i would know if it will work OOB, and if there's a tweak for the BootScreen. For the power cable, i've bought an 6 pin (Motherboard) to 8 pin (RX 570), would it work or not. I'll receive the card the second week, because i just did the order two days ago from eBay.
Thanks!

 

[mikas]

Most likely it will work with Sierra and High Sierra, Mojave betas too. No boot screen though.

I have used an Asus RX 570 4GB with 6-pin to 8-pin for a few days, maybe weeks. It worked allright, and there was enough power feed to the card, it never shut down. But still, your card could be different, and nevertheless I would get the recommended Dual mini 6-pin to 8-pin cord. It would be a safe bet. If you don't need the other 6-pin connector for anything else, I would suggest you order this.

 

[crjackson2134]

Hey guys,
I've just ordered and GIGABYTE AORUS RX 570 4GB for my Mac Pro 4.1 (2009), and i would know if it will work OOB, and if there's a tweak for the BootScreen. For the power cable, i've bought an 6 pin (Motherboard) to 8 pin (RX 570), would it work or not. I'll receive the card the second week, because i just did the order two days ago from eBay.
Thanks!

No boot sceens, no FileVault, and you need a dual-mini6 to 8 Pin cable (assuming it has the same requirements as the RX580).

 

[zerom]

Quick update about windows.

After the update, Windows recognises and uses RX580 as primary GPU.
If you have problems after installing the GPU, I do not know if it counts also for the RX570, just keep both cards at first and let windows update do the thing. Then you can pull out the old one and enjoy the new GPU on both MacOS and Windows. If you just use MacOS then no worries at all.
Please note installing drivers from AMD on a bootcamp environment will result in a code error. (at least with RX580's)

Kind regards,

 

[mikas]

The setup was not easy (it was the first time for me). I successfully moved the ati 5770 in an upper slot but the RX580 would not fit.

I had to move, push, move, push again, and I finally I got it.
I was terrified I could have broken something but it works fine. I spent a good 30 min or more to get it to fit, I was too afraid to commit some crime on the hardware.

I understand that first time is a first time, for all of us.
I managed to stack my cards fit enough. But now I am considering to give more space between them, to let some more air in. Fans are way louder than what I would like them to be.

Are you sure you remembered to push the button and release the PCIe securing latch to the real bottom of it?
Of course you did, it's almost impossible to fit a long card otherwise.

 

[h9826790]

I understand that first time is a first time, for all of us.
I managed to stack my cards fit enough. But now I am considering to give more space between them, to let some more air in. Fans are way louder than what I would like them to be.

Are you sure you remembered to push the button and release the PCIe securing latch to the real bottom of it?
Of course you did, it's almost impossible to fit a long card otherwise.
View attachment 775424

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...mac-with-2-d700s.1732849/page-5#post-21722712

 

[yuzgen]

Most of you are complicating stuff. There will always be problems using two different model cards. I'm all for using two sane cards, eg. 2 x R9 270 (both of them has one 6 pin power connectors. Could be used for great game performance in crossfire on Windows etc.) but please stop using SATA ports for PCIe power, using a 5770 always connected for bootscreens only etc.

If your GPU can't be flashed yet (BTW I feel RX 580 flash will be possible soon), take your original GPU out of your Mac and hook it up if you ever need it. If the GPU can be flashed, sell your original GPU for a good price. There's always a cMP user willing to pay for your original GPU.

 

[mikas]

Most of you are complicating stuff.

Sure we are. We wouldn't be here otherwise. I (we) should have bought a modern Win10 PC a long time ago, I have to admit that. You are right, it's not good to mix GPU models, at least not today. I have had my problems with nVidia GT120+ AMD RX-series allready (Apple Photos quirks).

I've got at least one or two perfectly working machine(s) at hand all the time. With the others I can do some experiments with. I am not gonna fry anything purposefully, but I will try all of it if it seems doable.

Allready bought the cables for Pixla's mod too. Moddiy was/is down still, so I bought 60cm cable which I can cut from the other end. Still in the middle of deciding what kind of connectors I should use to attach to the power supply cables.

I am going to do it all there is to it, it seems. This is educating and fun. And I can use these old Pros for my work too, which is a great addendum.

And thanks for the link h9826790, I know I am late something like 3 years with my experiments.

ps. moddiy seems to be up again.

 

[yuzgen]

All good. I saw a photo of a 185W TDP rx 580's fans covered by a 5770 and wanted to chime in.

Sure we are. We wouldn't be here otherwise. I (we) should have bought a modern Win10 PC a long time ago, I have to admit that. You are right, it's not good to mix GPU models, at least not today. I have had my problems with nVidia GT120+ AMD RX-series allready (Apple Photos quirks).

I've got at least one or two perfectly working machine(s) at hand all the time. With the others I can do some experiments with. I am not gonna fry anything purposefully, but I will try all of it if it seems doable.

Allready bought the cables for Pixla's mod too. Moddiy was/is down still, so I bought 60cm cable which I can cut from the other end. Still in the middle of deciding what kind of connectors I should use to attach to the power supply cables.

I am going to do it all there is to it, it seems. This is educating and fun. And I can use these old Pros for my work too, which is a great addendum.

And thanks for the link h9826790, I know I am late something like 3 years with my experiments.

ps. moddiy seems to be up again.

 

[mikas]

Thanks for taking care, I appreciate.

In my pic there was an Asus RX570 (+HD 5770 above it). It's (RX570) not quite as power hungry as RX580's. It once chucked along with only one 6-pin PCIe power cable -> connected to the cards 8-pin plug (see earlier posts). Didn't feel comfortable with that though, so now it's 2x6-pin to 8-pin, and 2xSATA for 5770.

I do not need the 5770 for anything really, just testing the variables of all of it.

 

[yuzgen]

So a disclaimer would be nice:

Like "Don't try this at home."

Thanks for taking care, I appreciate.

In my pic there was an Asus RX570 (+HD 5770 above it). It's (RX570) not quite as power hungry as RX580's. It once chucked along with only one 6-pin PCIe power cable -> connected to the cards 8-pin plug (see earlier posts). Didn't feel comfortable with that though, so now it's 2x6-pin to 8-pin, and 2xSATA for 5770.

I do not need the 5770 for anything really, just testing the variables of all of it.

 

[mikas]

Yes, I'm definitely not gonna try any of this at home.

 

[yuzgen]

Yes, I'm definitely not gonna try any of this at home.

You know what? Try glueing those fans and wrapping your GPU with some towel to make sure it can't breath. Could be fun stuff to try at home.

 

[zerom]

I understand that first time is a first time, for all of us.
I managed to stack my cards fit enough. But now I am considering to give more space between them, to let some more air in. Fans are way louder than what I would like them to be.

Are you sure you remembered to push the button and release the PCIe securing latch to the real bottom of it?
Of course you did, it's almost impossible to fit a long card otherwise.
View attachment 775424

Yeah I did... otherwise the ati5770 would not get out of there. Fitting the rx580 was horrible and I hated it.

I scatched badly the metal cover trying to put the metal cover back... my OCD kicked in and I hate those scratches.

My ati5770 is not just up the RX580, I left space between the two.

Most of you are complicating stuff. There will always be problems using two different model cards. I'm all for using two sane cards, eg. 2 x R9 270 (both of them has one 6 pin power connectors. Could be used for great game performance in crossfire on Windows etc.) but please stop using SATA ports for PCIe power, using a 5770 always connected for bootscreens only etc.

If your GPU can't be flashed yet (BTW I feel RX 580 flash will be possible soon), take your original GPU out of your Mac and hook it up if you ever need it. If the GPU can be flashed, sell your original GPU for a good price. There's always a cMP user willing to pay for your original GPU.

Yeah... I just wanted to keep the ati5770 inside so bad... and now I am wondering why I did. I can boot on also without seeing the boot, not with bootchamp, pressing alt, waiting a bit and then doing the thing blindly.
But the ati5770 was helpful when windows didn't want to work on the rx580.

 

[ammoune78]

Guys thanks for the reply, but i feel i'm scared when i see "don't do that at home"! I'm not going to put two cards that are hungry in therm of Power consumption, i only need one, the AORUS RX 570 4 GB that need 8 pin power. So, if no problem for few days, while using an 6 pin (motherboard) to 8 pin (RX 570), until i have the 2x 6 pin (motherboard) to 8 pin (RX 570), please let me know. Because, i'll test some games on windows, so here, the need of the power will be required from the RX 570. I don't want to make a terrible experience at home, no, for sure guys .
Thanks

 

[zerom]

Guys thanks for the reply, but i feel i'm scared when i see "don't do that at home"! I'm not going to put two cards that are hungry in therm of Power consumption, i only need one, the AORUS RX 570 4 GB that need 8 pin power. So, if no problem for few days, while using an 6 pin (motherboard) to 8 pin (RX 570), until i have the 2x 6 pin (motherboard) to 8 pin (RX 570), please let me know. Because, i'll test some games on windows, so here, the need of the power will be required from the RX 570. I don't want to make a terrible experience at home, no, for sure guys .
Thanks

To be safe, do not use the mono mini6pin to 8pin.
You might overdraw power and burn something. Maybe not at idle but just wait for the dual mini6pin to 8pin.
That is the safest thing to do.
I had to wait 3weeks but now I am sure it is safe (not mentioning the Frankenstein ati5770).

About windows, you might not be able to use it at first.
When i first installed the rx580 windows did not want to use it.
So I had to keep the ati5770 to see what I was doing, letting windows update find the drivers and install them.
I could not install the drivers manually, only by wauserv.

After that you can plug out the old one.

If you are lucky windows will use it with no problem (remember you still have to let windows update do the thing, probably windows would use it as a generic video adapter at first).

About the boot, as @h9826790 kindly suggested, try bootchamp.

I hope everything will work out.

Edit: I see you want to game on it. Difinitely wait for the double mini6pin.
[doublepost=1534063527][/doublepost]

but please stop using SATA ports for PCIe power, using a 5770 always connected for bootscreens only etc.

I am seriously thinking about removing it since now windows works fine.
You know what, bye ati5770.

Thank you. Now I can use my Mac with no anxiety issues.

 

[ammoune78]

Thanks @zerom, it's clear now. I will wait for that dual 6 pin to 8 pin cable, to be safe .