NO, you should connect BOTH 8pin, but it should be OK to power them by just the two mini 6pin.
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Which GPU for Mac Pro 5,1 Gamer?
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NO, you should connect BOTH 8pin, but it should be OK to power them by just the two mini 6pin.
I just realised and edited my post hoping you hadn't seen it yet. No such luck. I'm really tired, and with that I'm going to bed hahahah! I'll pick up the adapters tomorrow, thanks!!
What kind of GTX 1070 do you have? GTX 1070's TDP is only around like 150-180w (IIRC) -- it shouldn't require two 8-pin PEG connectors.
If it's not too much of a pain in the a$$, try and swap it for an Nvidia reference design which should feature just one 8-pin PEG connector (you can then get a cheap 2 * 6-pin PEG -> 8-pin PEG adapter).
Most easy solution would be either the 7950, 7970 or 280X (try and get the AMD reference designs -- or anything EXCEPT XFX models). They're fully supported under macOS.
The boot screen requirement is a little bit more tricky... You'll need to buy a video card with a flashed ROM.
Suuure, absolutely... Only if we are talking about stock Macs and forget time wasted fiddling with hand made "awesomeness" and patched OSX. Leaps and bounds are nanoscale if we start comparing
My advice for those who value their time (adults mostly) and brain cells. Get professionally upgraded MacPro 5,1. Get TitanX from MVC and you have perfectly working MacPro. So far only thing that could bring it down were crappy drivers from nVidia (Bootcamp).
Sure, but what say you about the 7970 not meeting the 5,1 TDP specs? Is it safe to run it over the actual spec?
I just want something in the year of 2017 that works without wasting braincells that would match the power of a 3.33GHz or a 3.46 Westmere. If the answer is still a GTX 680, I'm OK with that. One member disagrees with that on this thread alone. Since I'm spending $200 on a GPU, I'm aware that there are other options in this range that I need to know about that are qualitatively better than the GTX 680. Those are 7970, GTX 770, GTX 680 4GB, etc. I feel still that there's too much confusion while looking at these forums without any definitive answers. I'm fully aware that asking for a capable gaming 5,1 isn't the same as asking for the best gaming PC. I'm just asking for a Mac to basically be able to run at smooth frame-rates at 1440p without any doubt that it's harming my system in MacOS Sierra. I'm all good if the answer is still the GTX 680, but it's weird to me that the answer is "GTX 680" in 2012, but also "GTX 680" in 2017. Most of the time I browse Steam in MacOS and play with friends on PCs that support MacOS. If the need calls, I'll boot into Windows 10 and play on there if necessary, but that's not a main use case. I want it to be smooth as possible when I do so no .kext modifying. No need to worry about drivers in Mac OS, etc. I want to buy an already-flashed card at $200 price-range.
Just trying to find a consensus. I can't gather any consensus from MacRumors after hours and hours of browsing. MacVideoCards is not a good answer. Most of their stuff is out of stock. And it's not right to pay $700 for a video card that they DO have available, either. That's not saying I don't find their work on the level of "epic', but I need a solid recommendation for a 5,1 Mac Pro that's no-frills and no worry. I just find it interesting that the answer is still "GTX 680" throughout all this time.
Several benchmarks show the 7970 absolutely spanking the GTX 680 in modern games. That seems to be a real phenomenon, and not by chance. Well, a flashed 7970 is the same price than a GTX 680. Should I still buy a GTX 680? Help me understand the ins and outs.
1440P gaming is what I do. I have no reason to enable FSAA at that resolution. Back in the 3DFX days, I still didn't give a hoot about FSAA, even at 900P. I DO primarily play games on console, but I just want a 5,1 gaming-capable Mac when the need to be on a PC arrises.
Help!
I just picked up a 2010 Apple Mac Pro 5,1 on eBay. It's scheduled to be delivered this Friday.
12-cores @ 3.06GHz, 64GB of RAM, 1TB HD, and an AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB, running macOS Sierra.
Curious if anyone can give me some #'s on what sort of FPS to expect from Counter-Strike: Source or CS:GO running at 1920x1200 on this rig..
12-cores @ 3.06GHz, 64GB of RAM, 1TB HD, and an AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB, running macOS Sierra.
Curious if anyone can give me some #'s on what sort of FPS to expect from Counter-Strike: Source or CS:GO running at 1920x1200 on this rig..
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What are you talking about? Nvidias drivers are worlds better on windows than on OSX.
Hi, guys.
The cpu usage during the game varies. Cores jump from 0%-3%- up to 60-70% max all the time.
Sometimes some cores sit idling around 3%-8% and some on 0%.
But I've found place in Novigrad where I loose my stable 60fps to 52 fps, when I disable cpu monitoring it is around 55 fps so no problem for me.
In Novigrad gpu usage is around 75-90%.
When I turn in HairWorks it jumps to 90%+.
But when I'm outside the city and turn horizon to uber it sits on 90-99% all the time, but fps dips to 45 fps at times, that's why I choose this option to be set at high.
So too sum it up, there is no real cpu bottleneck (none of the cores hits 100% in Novigrad and overall gameplay) as is for 2xgtx680 4GB in 1080p.
The lower fps count in Novigrad is I believe due to SLI, which is very problematic at times in different games.
I think the switch to gtx1080ti will iron things out, eliminate SLI and give me strong 60fps in 1080p for years
Hope it helps!
The cpu usage during the game varies. Cores jump from 0%-3%- up to 60-70% max all the time.
Sometimes some cores sit idling around 3%-8% and some on 0%.
But I've found place in Novigrad where I loose my stable 60fps to 52 fps, when I disable cpu monitoring it is around 55 fps so no problem for me.
In Novigrad gpu usage is around 75-90%.
When I turn in HairWorks it jumps to 90%+.
But when I'm outside the city and turn horizon to uber it sits on 90-99% all the time, but fps dips to 45 fps at times, that's why I choose this option to be set at high.
So too sum it up, there is no real cpu bottleneck (none of the cores hits 100% in Novigrad and overall gameplay) as is for 2xgtx680 4GB in 1080p.
The lower fps count in Novigrad is I believe due to SLI, which is very problematic at times in different games.
I think the switch to gtx1080ti will iron things out, eliminate SLI and give me strong 60fps in 1080p for years
Hope it helps!
The 7970 is absolutely fine in a Mac Pro 5,1.
Answer: 7970/280X. Simple as that.
Both myself and @koyoot have provided enough benchmarks which show Tahiti (7970/280X) > GK104 (GTX 680/GTX 770).
7970/280X.
You may have to turn down some settings when you play, but at least your system will be 100% stable.
My system with 2x gtx 680 4gb is perfectly stable
That's great news.
What 680s are you running? Have you flashed the BIOS to get boot screen?Also 2 * 7970/280Xs would be faster, cheaper and just as stable too. OP is looking for something with the least amount of headaches, and so Tahiti based graphics cards are the best solution here.
Here it is, one from MVC and one I flashed myself: https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-680-4gb
But it's true, I've got worse performance in Vulkan in Doom, I read that newest drivers may help but I'm stuck on old driver from december due to the problems with SLI
But it's true, I've got worse performance in Vulkan in Doom, I read that newest drivers may help but I'm stuck on old driver from december due to the problems with SLI
Pardon my ignorance, by I'm also struggling to understand how a 680 is the best solution for a Mac Pro in 2017. I personally don't run Windows, and I don't need to access to the boot screen either. I rarely shut my Mac Pro down. When I do need it, I just drop my Radeon in there, and hey presto. It's not ideal, but it's a minor inconvenience at worst. Like I said, I rarely reboot, and I'd do need the boot screen I just swap the cards over. Like Whirk I just want to be able to play a couple of games on my Mac. Namely Counter Strike and WoW: Legion. I haven't fitted my 1070 yet, but I believe it'll play both of Mac graphics without any problems. Not bad for a seven year old machine.
I fitted my 5690s last night and ran some benchmarks which were encouraging:
Single core speed:
2347 - 2743
Multi core speed:
25319 - 31511
I also ran some benchmarks in Heaven. I don't have any numbers, but the results were so bad that I uninstalled it. The CPU was seriously bottle necking my 960, I think I was only getting around 10-15 FPS. It was awhile ago now. Anyways I ran a benchmark last night and won everything set to max, I got an average of 47FPS. Looking forward to getting my 1070 in there to see if I can get 60fps. Once I get internet, I'll be able to test WoW and get some real world results.
Someone started beating the Hacintosh drum earlier. Whilst I appreciate this is a thing that people do, it's not really relevant is it?
I fitted my 5690s last night and ran some benchmarks which were encouraging:
Single core speed:
2347 - 2743
Multi core speed:
25319 - 31511
I also ran some benchmarks in Heaven. I don't have any numbers, but the results were so bad that I uninstalled it. The CPU was seriously bottle necking my 960, I think I was only getting around 10-15 FPS. It was awhile ago now. Anyways I ran a benchmark last night and won everything set to max, I got an average of 47FPS. Looking forward to getting my 1070 in there to see if I can get 60fps. Once I get internet, I'll be able to test WoW and get some real world results.
Someone started beating the Hacintosh drum earlier. Whilst I appreciate this is a thing that people do, it's not really relevant is it?
I beg to differ. nVidia drivers are rubbish (in Windows 7). Latest "gaming optimized" crash(BS) in ME:Andromeda to the point entire Mac switches off. Get earlier version and 10-12 hours without a break at max settings no problems. OSX never had any problems so far. But I don't play there - just work. I wish I could blame the hardware.
That's great news.
Also 2 * 7970/280Xs would be faster, cheaper and just as stable too. OP is looking for something with the least amount of headaches, and so Tahiti based graphics cards are the best solution here.
Mac EFI + crossfire = crash (BSOD in Widnows)
It's a known issue. This issue still exist in the up to date Windows 10. It is NOT the least amount of headaches solution! Quite a few games cannot run well in Crossfire. A single stronger card is a much better option, especially the current mid level card is not expensive at all.
Also, it's a bit hard to power 2x 7970 by the cMP's internal power only. It's possible, but require some down volt / down clock / hardware mod, or use the SATAs' power.
In fact, some single 280X (factory overclocked) CAN shutdown a cMP if the 8pin draw too much. They can work well on the cMP, but may required some power management (e.g. using a bridge to share the loading between mini 6pin etc). The 7970 / 280X is OFFICIALLY outside the cMP's power envelope. They are NOT necessarily 100% plug and play without trouble (again, I means those OC model).
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In theory, the cMP can safely power a 225W graphic card (official limit). As you said, 2x 75W = 150W from the mini 6pins, and 75W from the slot.
And that 215W from EVGA most likely is on the safe side already. The standard 1070 is just a 150W card. Review shows that 150W is a very accurate number. Therefore, 215W is 43% on top of that. It's a lot. I doubt if your 1070 will really draw that much in stock setting. I bet that dual 8pin is a marketing strategy more than actual needs.
And even if your card can pull more than that, since it's a dual 8pin design. The power draw can be evenly distributed between the two 8pins, which is very very important on the cMP. Because you don't want to heavily rely on only one of the mini 6pin and leave the other one at idle. The actual power avail is about 120W from each 6pins. Anything more than that may trigger the self shutdown protection (I tested this by myself, it's safe, nothing damaged. Just a protection. However, I do not recommend anyone to stress their cMP to this level). In real world, the cMP can power a card up to about ~315W (real world limit).
Assuming your card draw power evenly on the 8pins, and we allow 20W buffer on each mini 6pin (experience shows constant ~110W drawing from the 6pins are actually OK). So 100W from each mini 6pin + 75W from the slots is 275W available (personal limit). Way higher than your 1070's TDP.
That means your 1070 is officially and technically safe by just using the mini 6pin to drive. The only concern is the spec of the 8pin is rated up to 150W each. However, I am very sure your card cannot draw anything near 375W. In fact, most likely not even 275W even under heavy overclock.
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Hi, guys.
The cpu usage during the game varies. Cores jump from 0%-3%- up to 60-70% max all the time.
Sometimes some cores sit idling around 3%-8% and some on 0%.
But I've found place in Novigrad where I loose my stable 60fps to 52 fps, when I disable cpu monitoring it is around 55 fps so no problem for me.
In Novigrad gpu usage is around 75-90%.
When I turn in HairWorks it jumps to 90%+.
But when I'm outside the city and turn horizon to uber it sits on 90-99% all the time, but fps dips to 45 fps at times, that's why I choose this option to be set at high.
So too sum it up, there is no real cpu bottleneck (none of the cores hits 100% in Novigrad and overall gameplay) as is for 2xgtx680 4GB in 1080p.
The lower fps count in Novigrad is I believe due to SLI, which is very problematic at times in different games.
I think the switch to gtx1080ti will iron things out, eliminate SLI and give me strong 60fps in 1080p for years
Hope it helps!
The reading can be confusing. When we talk about CPU bottleneck, we talk about single "thread" performance. However, the CPU can use more than one core to finish a single thread process. e.g. 50% in core 1, and 50% in core 2. I know it sounds strange. However, a single thread process actually consists millions of calculation. The real problem is that they cannot be done in parallel.
e.g. A process consist 3 calculations. Part A, B, and C. Part B require the result from part A, and Part C require the the result from Part B. Therefore, they cannot be done in parallel. It's a single thread process.
In this case. your computer may use core 1 to perform part A calculation, then pass the result to core 2 and finish part B, and then let core 3 to do Part C.
To simplify the big picture. Let's assuming it's 3Hz CPU, and each Hz mean can do 1 part to calculation.
When you monitor the CPU's usage in that particular second. You will see core 1 33%, core 2 33%, core 3 33% None of them reach 100% utilisation rate. However, you are CPU single thread (speed) limiting. If you get a 9Hz CPU, the process can be finished 3 time faster.
Since we don't know how the games programmed to use the CPU. It's hard to tell if the process is CPU single thread limiting by just read the CPU cores' utilisation rate.
You will need something like activity monitor to check if the game is CPU limiting (single thread). If we see a process stuck at 100% demand. That's a clear sign of CPU single thread limiting. But in Windows gaming, you can't see that info from the OSD.
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Dude. Thanks so much for taking the time to write this reply and explain this to me. You've taught me something! I'll post the benchmarks once I get it all up and running?
For 7950 / 7970. I will recommend the user flash the card by himself, but no buy a flashed card from an unknown source. Those reliable source will be much more expensive. And generally not worth for these AMD cards.
The biggest problem of buying flashed card is the seller may not even know how to do that properly. If they didn't keep the original ROM on the card. The buyer may never able to let the card run properly.
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You are welcome. If you want to know more about what the cMP's mini 6pin can do. You can refer to my post here.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...or-approaching-silence.1982499/#post-23120938
I finally found a game that shuts my cMP down. Project Cars dialled up to max at 1600p forces the 980Ti to draw too much power.
Good job I don't play that game.
Good job I don't play that game.
I understand your pain. Frankly, this is because of the current state of GPU support on the cMP (which requires workarounds for modern cards), combined with your personal requirements/preferences/priorities, and your perfectly understandable desire to avoid those workarounds.
Basically you (well, a lot of us really) want a modern card that just works, doesn't require any unusual mods or workarounds, costs under $200, runs games smoothly, and does so at 1440p on a 7 year old Mac while running OS X. That would be the Holy Grail. The reason why you've searched hours without finding a good answer is that there is no good answer. If there was one card that guaranteed all that, everyone would be using it.
The quite old 7970/280x and 680 cards are being recommended to you because they are the closest matches. The newer cards require workarounds you prefer to avoid.
There are benches that show the AMD on top, and benches that show the Nvidia on top. If you see any of the actual games you use in those benches, then you might pick your card based on that, rather than on games you don't run.
But for reference, even my GTX 980 won't run games smoothly in OS X at 1440p, and I don't use AA either. So I am certain from experience that the much slower cards being recommended to you will not meet all of those requirements, unless we stretch the definitions a bit. Maybe if you turn quality settings way down, and if you accept that 25-40 fps is smooth, and if you cherry pick certain titles.... but in general? No. And for future titles coming down the pike? No.
Everything might change in the future. With a new GPU in a future iMac, MBP, or mMP, we might see newer/better Polaris options. We might see Nvidia return to Mac with Pascal options. With those changes would come native driver support and much better, more modern choices.
Good luck with your chase.
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Don't forget graphics in MacOS are way behind Windows because of factors like DirectX and Vulkan support, but also, running modern cards like the 980 or 1080 are still way less of a hassle than a Hackintosh. I can't remember the last time I needed boot screens, but it does require you to remember not to just blindly update your OS every time you get a notification that a new version of MacOS is available.
Personally, I think it makes more sense to buy the cheapest GPU you can flash yourself as a backup to keep in a cupboard and buy the best GPU that has driver support in MacOS. That way if you really need a boot screen you can always swap the card if necessary. I keep my GTX 680 in a box because should the worst happen I can do a Time Machine restore and day to day blast my 980 Ti.
I doubt there are many about, but if you can get hold of a cheap GT120 second hand on eBay or the ATi equivalent you've got that safety net just in case.
I'm aware of that and I agree. My reply was specifically to @fendersrule who said he didn't want to do any of those things. What you do is different, what I do for myself is also different, and what I would recommend to someone else is also different. There are wildly differing needs and preferences that are addressed in different ways.
For anyone interested. I fitted my 1070 today. Had to update Siera over 3G because I don't have tinternet. It was worth it though. Please see bench mark results below (on extreme)
Yesterday it was
FPS: 41.4
Score: 1042
Min FPS: 7.9
Max FPS: 92.3
Today it's:
FPS: 76.7
Score: 1931
Min FPS: 9.0
Max FPS 162.6
Like I said. I don't have internet. So no WoW/CS for me. For now I have Jedi Academy lol! Not exactly intensive
Yesterday it was
FPS: 41.4
Score: 1042
Min FPS: 7.9
Max FPS: 92.3
Today it's:
FPS: 76.7
Score: 1931
Min FPS: 9.0
Max FPS 162.6
Like I said. I don't have internet. So no WoW/CS for me. For now I have Jedi Academy lol! Not exactly intensive