What's the best (or, at least, good passively-cooled GPU for my 1,1 Mac Pro?

[JoSch]

The 3,1 is able to utilize the EFI64 on the GPU thus showing a boot screen which let's you easily enter single user mode to disable the nvda drivers

That's true, only if you flash your 750Ti and use it as your only card, which is able to show a bootscreen.
So in the scenario of the OP (doesn't care about the bootscreen), EFI64 still doesn't matter.

 

[karsten]

I got a gtx 950 for a good deal on ebay and it's working great, can't even hear it run. you need to get a dual 6 pin to 8 pin cable adapter though for it

edit- I should add the reason I got this card were the plentiful displayport outputs, i'm running dual 4K monitors with ease on a 4,1->5,1 flashed

 

[iMattux]

Please forgive me if this question has been asked and answered somewhere in the several hundred pages of discussion. I've been needing to upgrade to Yosemite for a while as I'm (very broke and) trying to teach myself to code and running into issues because I can't run a recent version of Xcode.

I got a $150 Amazon gift card two days ago and I hastily, stupidly, pulled the trigger on an EVGA GTX 750 Ti SC (http://amzn.to/1VDpXzp ) without reading the italicized caveat about maxwell generation cards on page 1. Mea culpa. However, if I'm reading correctly, the card should work in my MacPro 1,1 with the nVidia web drivers, albeit with no boot screen.

So, what am I doing wrong? Here's what I've done:

MacPro 1,1 (flashed to 2,1, but I'm pretty sure that's irrelevant unless/until I upgrade the CPUs, haven't done that yet, so 2x Xeon Dual core 2.66)

I installed Yosemite in target disk mode from an eligible iMac; Swapped out the boot.efi files; installed the nVidia web driver 346.02.03f01; restarted (still on iMac in target disk mode); enabled nVidia drivers via System Preferences; shut down; swapped out the Radeon with the GTX 750; restarted (normally): chimes; black screen... no login window

If I'm reading correctly, others with MacPro 1,1s are using GTX 750 and get a login screen when the OS loads fully. Is that correct or are all of those people on >2,1?

FWIW - I tried everything I could think of and (perhaps stupidly?) booted with both cards installed.

With the GTX 750 in slot 1 (bottom) and the Radeon in slot 2, I'm able to boot Yosemite with video tearing and other graphics badness. The PCI utility kicks in and reports that the Radeon in slot 2 is not running at maximum. It says slot 1 is empty .

With the Radeon in slot 1 and the GTX 750 in any other slot, the PCI utility does see the GTX 750 ( !) and, if I plug the monitor (Apple Cinema w/DVI) in, the OS thinks I'm using a separate display, but I do get video out of the GTX 750, so at least I know it's not defective.

Please, somebody tell me what to do next.

Is there another driver?
Will El Capitan be any different? (I'll probably try that while I wait for a response, I've got multiple extra drives and 4 bays...)
Should I send it back to Amazon and get a different card (no more than $150)?

If I'm gonna do that and wait a few more days, I might as well say it would be nice to have (not manadatory) a card that gives me a boot screen so I can choose Ubuntu with the option key. I put a lot of work into getting that running on this box, but it's just a hobby and what I really need is just to be running Yosemite/El Capitan so I can run XCode and continue learning to code for another 9-12 months.

Any help is appreciated, but (obviously) someone who has fairly recently made the switch and can tell me exactly what currently available card will positively work with Yosemite (and presumably EC as well) in a 1,1 would be the most helpful.

TIA,

Matt

Update: I'm on MacVidCards site and it mentions that I need the CUDA drivers for CUDA support but I don't think that matters for now or will make a difference as far as booting. Correct?

 

[MacVidCards]

If I read your post correctly you choose the Nvidia drivers while fire wired in from iMAC. That won't work as the on/off toggle is held in NVRAM on host machine.

Using 2600 to "see" from verify that web drivers are chosen, then shut down and remove 2600. Connect display to 750 and boot, remain patient.

 

[iMattux]

If I read your post correctly you choose the Nvidia drivers while fire wired in from iMAC. That won't work as the on/off toggle is held in NVRAM on host machine.

Using 2600 to "see" from verify that web drivers are chosen, then shut down and remove 2600. Connect display to 750 and boot, remain patient.

Sorry if I wasn't clear: I chose the nVidia drivers when I had both cards installed, booted "normally". I really thought that would do the trick, removed the Radeon X1900, put the GTX 750 in slot 1, rebooted, chimes, no login screen after >10 min... Put both cards in again, verified that nVidia drivers were active, tried again, same result.

2600?

(God I wish I could somehow give you guys the $150 amazon credit and be done with this!)

 

[iMattux]

Radeon X1900 in slot 1, GTX 750 recognized in slot 2, nVidia drivers enabled.

View attachment 590263

Then I shut down, swapped the cards (GTX 750 in slot 1, Radeon x1900 in slot 2) rebooted and got:

 

[MacVidCards]

Login screen ?

Have you tried typing password blind and hitting return?

or just set to auto login until you figure out

Whenever trying to troubleshoot computer stuff, best to reduce complexity

 

[iMattux]

Ok, easy enough. Trying auto login...

And just a black screen. >10 minutes

I don't understand how the GTX 750 is recognized and functional in any slot except the first one. It just makes no sense. How is that possible?

I'm in Yosemite now, using the Radeon card with some video issues, but no kernel panics.

MacVidCards - I really appreciate your help and wish I could give you my business.

I'm pretty much over trying to get this card to work in Yosemite. Am I crazy to think anything would be different in El Capitan? I've come this far, why not try that?

In the meantime, can anyone recommend a $150 card that is available at Amazon right now that will solve my problem? There are ~200 cards that are comparable in terms of price and specs. Clearly I need to avoid maxwell generation nVidia cards but I'd love to not have to go thru another 2 days of troubleshooting without success.

 

[orph]

dose the 750ti need power cables? have you plugged them in correctly.
sorry if it sounds simple but some people forget.

also worth doing a search for gtx 750 ti, find some one with it and send them a pm and ask for advice.

also if the card works in slot 2 then why not use it in slot 2, it's a better slot for cooling so it'll run quieter.

have you tried booting with both cards in dvi cable in ati, installing nvidia drivers, turning them on, shut down, switch you dvi cable from ati card to nvidia then reboot

sometimes a pram reset helps if all fails.

ps with that card once you get it working never update the os untill nvidia has new drivers or you'll need to redo the dance

 

[iMattux]

Thanks for the suggestions, orph.

dose the 750ti need power cables? have you plugged them in correctly.
sorry if it sounds simple but some people forget.

The version I have does not, although there is a Gigabyte version that apparently does. My Radeon card does require an additional cable so I am familiar and have removed and reinistalled it dozens of times in the last couple of days.

also worth doing a search for gtx 750 ti, find some one with it and send them a pm and ask for advice.

I've done that over at Netkas.org. Still awaiting response from Netkas and/or Rominator who may have a card that is very close and there's one post that says it's working on a 1,1...

also if the card works in slot 2 then why not use it in slot 2, it's a better slot for cooling so it'll run quieter.

Well, it kinda works in slot 2 with the Radeon in slot 1. But for whatever reason I get the same tearing and other video issues as I get using the Radeon - i.e. with the Radeon in the box, video is funky from either card, no matter what slot they're in.

have you tried booting with both cards in dvi cable in ati, installing nvidia drivers, turning them on, shut down, switch you dvi cable from ati card to nvidia then reboot

Yep. I've done that in every permutation I can think of. The GTX is not recognized in slot 1 no matter what I do.

sometimes a pram reset helps if all fails.

That would be the same as deactivating the nVidia drivers. From what I've read, with a maxwell card, that will lead to a kp and reboot loop.

ps with that card once you get it working never update the os untill nvidia has new drivers or you'll need to redo the dance

Card is going back to amazon as soon as UPS gets here. I'd LOVE someone to recommend another ~$150 card that I can buy today...

Thanks again for the suggestions

 

[orph]

what do you want from your GPU, if it's FCX then ati (or any openCL apps) and ati can be flashed
for web/email you can get something cheaper if thats all you need.

I use a gtx 660 which works fine, the 760 seems to start about £140 and 960 £150 on amazon uk
on this chart even an old 660 scores a tad higher than the 750ti http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

(im not a fan of the gtx x50 ti line, to close in price to the gtx x60 line for what you get in speed)

ps
if you can use slot 2 it runs cooler, there where heat problems with some cards in slot 1 for prolonged use.

 

[iMattux]

I got a used Radeon 7950 for $150 on Amazon. Here's hoping all goes well with flashing it tomorrow. Thanks!