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MP 1,1-5,1 The most powerful Graphics Card
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I'll only move to Catalina with my MP5,1 as a production/main disk after 10.15.6, too much a hassle now. If the last release of Catalina works fine with MP5,1, we will have two more years of Security Updates and MP5,1 will continue to be relevant until at least October 2022. After that, we will have to re-think.
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I don't have the exact numbers, I'll have to analyse the VEGA 64 firmware to see the real numbers, but from memory it's a lot over what MP5,1 can provide. People usually flash the VEGA 56 firmware to VEGA 64 cards, disabling 16 CUs, to make it work with MP5,1 without Pixla's mod.
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For VEGA 64, the nominal TDP is 295W, while it's just 210W for VEGA 56. Please note that the PowerPlay max power draw is considerably more than just the nominal graphics processor TDP. I'll check the firmware later to see the real total max power draw for a VEGA 64 like I did for the 56 model.
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I think this chart is more useful for cMP users. This is the card's power draw, but not total system power draw.For VEGA 64, the nominal TDP is 295W, while it's just 210W for VEGA 56. Please note that the PowerPlay max power draw is considerably more than just the nominal graphics processor TDP.
See this graphic:
I'll check the firmware later to see the real total max power draw for a VEGA 64 like I did for the 56 model.
Tom's Hardware also provide the power draw distribution / pattern.
AMD Radeon Vega RX 64 8GB Review
Radeon RX Vega 64 is here, and we've been testing the card's performance, power, temperatures, and noise. Should it be your next high-end graphics upgrade?
This graphic show another very interesting thing, the absurd power draw peak of 385.3W.I think this chart is more useful for cMP users. This is the card's power draw, but not total system power draw.
View attachment 901598
Tom's Hardware also provide the power draw distribution / pattern.
AMD Radeon Vega RX 64 8GB Review
Radeon RX Vega 64 is here, and we've been testing the card's performance, power, temperatures, and noise. Should it be your next high-end graphics upgrade?www.tomshardware.com
I've been talking a lot about this and people seems to not hear, a card that has a nominal TDP of 295W has a peak of 385.3W. Modern GPUs can draw much more power than the nominal TDP for short bursts.
Do the Pixlas mod; ok sure I haven’t done this mod either but a lot of other people have and I haven’t heard any horror stories. Plenty of tutorials on how to do this. Sure it seems scary to mod your power supply, but the 1KW unit in the Mac Pro generates all the power you need (from the wall power) just not enough of it is directed to the 2 6 pin connectors on the backplane.
I measured power spikes with the Vega56 low bios mode. Just tried it.
LuxBall = veru low or no spikes, even power draw
Unigine Heaven = low spikes, little higher than LuxBall
TwinMotion = Spikes; 89,5W high spike on PCIe booster 2
So without switching the card to low bios mode I might have had some shutdowns allready because of too high power draw. I feed it with both mini 6-pins to 8-pin, and dual sata power to 6-pin.
LuxBall = veru low or no spikes, even power draw
Unigine Heaven = low spikes, little higher than LuxBall
TwinMotion = Spikes; 89,5W high spike on PCIe booster 2
So without switching the card to low bios mode I might have had some shutdowns allready because of too high power draw. I feed it with both mini 6-pins to 8-pin, and dual sata power to 6-pin.
Disclaimer: I really really hate the way Tom's Hardware span reviews over 30 or 40 pages, but seems they are the only site that are checking for bursts and spikes of power consumption with scientifically methodology and equipment.
This is the graphic for Vega 56:
So, without using the power saving ROM, the card can have a power draw peak of 376.4W. This is deadly for a MP5,1 backplane.
Very ilustrated, @tsialex thank you very much for your answer. I think the best is save money for a new machine... maybe MacMini with an eGPU...
VEGA 56 and 64 cards have a double firmware, selectable by a switch, with normal and power saving settings. See here https://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/108889-amd-radeon-rx-vega-64-radeon-rx-vega-56/?page=3
These are the switch settings for a reference model, non-OC, VEGA 56:
With the power saving ROM selected, when in full load, a VEGA 56 will requires less power than a RX 580. No Pixla's mod needed.
- With the normal setting is 165W + 50% PowerTune (max ~247,5W).
- With the 25% power saving setting enabled, Vega 56 is 122W + 50% PowerTune (max ~183W).
I think that the safest way is to buy a reference model VEGA 56 and use an eVGA PowerLink and two standard mini-PCie 6pin cables to feed power the GPU. This way you will balance the power consumption between both PCIe AUX A and B simultaneously and always keep the power draw inside the safety parameters of the backplane power plane.
Please note that VEGA 56 non reference models usually use the NANO PCB design and you can't connect an eVGA PowerLink without mods. Save yourself lot's of trouble and only buy a VEGA 56 with the AMD reference layout.
I don't think a new Mac is a smart move right now, besides COVID-19, everyday we are getting reports of ARM Macs in the near future.
I think that I'm going to upgrade my old Macs whenever I can to try to not buy any new Macs until we have a clearer picture of the transition that Apple will adopt. A MP5,1 with a VEGA 56 still is a very powerful workstation, something near a low end iMac Pro with lot's of internal expansion.
We probably will have surprises this WWDC related to the ARM unification. Never forget the G5 Macs.
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You're so right @tsialex, those who didn't experience this have no idea how Apple let down the non-Intel Macs within a very short time. Within months, your top of the line G5 was hardly worth anything.
And it's true that a Vega 56 seems a sensible choice because investing more than that in a machine hardly worth more than 1000€/$ nowadays sounds overkill. Taking about that, I found several of those on our local Craigslist for 200€, recommended model?
And it's true that a Vega 56 seems a sensible choice because investing more than that in a machine hardly worth more than 1000€/$ nowadays sounds overkill. Taking about that, I found several of those on our local Craigslist for 200€, recommended model?
Very complicated site to access. I could only see a Sapphire Pulse.
Sapphire has two VEGA 56 models, there reference one and the Sapphire Pulse that have a non-reference heatsink/fan. The reference model don't have problems with slot-2 interference, while the Pulse model has the same problems or worse than Sapphire Pulse RX 580.
Use the TechPowerUp reference post to see what models have the reference/blower type fan:
AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 Specs
AMD Vega 10, 1471 MHz, 3584 Cores, 224 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 8192 MB HBM2, 800 MHz, 2048 bit
Yep the seller only put a photo of the box.
Here is another one, that's a Ref:
Here is another one, that's a Ref:
This one switched to the power saving ROM, plus an eVGA PowerLink, and you are good to go. No slot-2 interference and ~183W of maximum power draw.
This is the best combo that you can do without a Pixla's mod or external GPU. Even has the capability of booting High Sierra, while VII are limited to 10.14.5+ and RX 5700 can only boot Catalina.
I did the Pixlas mod back in the days of using a Nvidia, so I could even use that Sapphire in the high settings.
With Pixla's mod, I'd search for a reference VEGA 64 too. If you find one for less than 250 euros, grab it.
With a well done dual Pixla's mod, you can power two VEGA 64s and still have some power to spare.
Obviously doing that without a serious PSU revision is risky, since it's a 7 to 11 year's old PSU, but it's well within of capabilities of the 980W PSU.
but this are not the bios switch
you will find it on the front under the radeon letters
I'll share my latest development here with my Red Dragon Vega 56s. This is my secondary machine, which is for TwinMotion use mostly. BIOS dip switch can barely be seen, but you will get it. There are two of the switches, but I don't for sure know what the other one does. I guess it's the led light for the dragon or something even more important 
.
I have stripped this one down from everything not needed. It's a single 6-core X5680, 64GB RAM, 8GB Vega 56, Syba IO-Crest with Samsung EVO 1TB. No power mods other than dual optical SATA power to 6-pin. The other cable is dual mini 6-pin to 8-pin (like earlier posts). Power graphs can be seen earlier in this thread.
.I have stripped this one down from everything not needed. It's a single 6-core X5680, 64GB RAM, 8GB Vega 56, Syba IO-Crest with Samsung EVO 1TB. No power mods other than dual optical SATA power to 6-pin. The other cable is dual mini 6-pin to 8-pin (like earlier posts). Power graphs can be seen earlier in this thread.
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This guy here:
Gigabyte Vega 56
sells 70 Vega 56 at 160€ a piece. It's a mining rig he's updating. Whilst the price is pretty decent, what are the possible issues with a GPU that spent most of its life mining, as opposed to work in a computer that's being switched off everyday?
Gigabyte Vega 56
sells 70 Vega 56 at 160€ a piece. It's a mining rig he's updating. Whilst the price is pretty decent, what are the possible issues with a GPU that spent most of its life mining, as opposed to work in a computer that's being switched off everyday?
Site don't open here, again.
Besides the work for flashing back the original firmware and that you have to replace the fan/fans soon, I don't see immediate problems besides having to do a through maintenance and replace the thermal paste/pads.
Usually mining GPUs that are gonna fail, fail soon as the mining starts and are replaced. So, you are at the floor of the bathtub curve right now.
Ok that makes sense to do a pre-inspection/cleaning/replacinf thermal paste.
Weird that it won't open, here is the actual link to the french site - our "Craigslist":
Weird that it won't open, here is the actual link to the french site - our "Craigslist":