Frequently Asked Questions About NVIDIA PC (non-EFI) Graphics Cards

Can't start or remove Nvidia Drive Manager

The Nvidia Driver Manager will not open. I have re-installed the latest drivers (10 times) but the result is the same. Even tried to install older drivers- NO GO. SEE Screen Image.

I can’t open the Driver Manager to remove to run official uninstall. What ever is preventing it from running is in the system and untouchable. Any suggestions would be helpful. If necessary I will wait until NVIDIA updates their Drive Manager again to see if that will solve the issue. In the mean time my MAC PRO is running fine just not using NVIDA drivers.

NOTES
1. The CUDA preference pane will open.
2. Photoshop is showing that "Detected Graphics Processor” Open GL
3. Ran Disk Utilities from Single user and also ran FSCK.
4. Removed the SSD from the Velocity and connected it to the mother board directly and ran utilities and tried to re-install NVIDIA. No luck.
5. I may have to reformat and start over.

Bob

Mac Pro, MacPro5,1, 6-Core Intel Xeon, 3.33 GHz, Memory: 32 GB
MAC OS version 10.10.2 (14C1514)
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2048 MB
System is on Samsung 1TB SSD connected to Velocity Solo X2

Erased and installed new system

Gave up and Erased my SSD drive and reinstalled OS 10.10.2. Then rebuilt from time machine. I had to remove the SSD from the Velocity Solo X2 PCI card.

Trying to reinstall Nvidia Driver Manager and I now get a message that I need to update my MAC OS 10.10.2 to a newer system before installing (WebDriver-343.02.02f04).

Not having any luck with this. But the Mac Pro is running fine for now.

Bob

flowrider said:

The latest Nvidia driver update is 343.02.02f04. Available here:

http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/83493/en-us

Comparable with the latest Apple Security Update (14C1514)

You should periodically check here for Nvidia Driver and Cuda Updates:

http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Lou

Click to expand...

OK, I'm a little thrown off because of the last security update hassle; I thought the process was running Apple updates first, then the corresponding NVidia web driver? The last time that happened, the stock Apple driver would NOT give me a visible desktop. Should I run the new NVidia driver from the system prefs, then patch the Apple security update?

How's the stability and performance been with the GTX 970? I have a 2009 MP with a flashed 5770 (and can't find my old GT 120) but the 5770 has been working flawlessly (no boot screen but who cares it works). I'm tempted to upgrade so games can run at higher frame rates and maybe even try 4K out but was curious about other people's experiences.

capitanbuzo said:

How's the stability and performance been with the GTX 970? I have a 2009 MP with a flashed 5770 (and can't find my old GT 120) but the 5770 has been working flawlessly (no boot screen but who cares it works). I'm tempted to upgrade so games can run at higher frame rates and maybe even try 4K out but was curious about other people's experiences.

Click to expand...

I've had mine since October, and it's working great in my 4.1 -> 5.1. I haven't tried it in 4K yet. I keep the old GT-120 installed as well so I can get boot screens. Helps especially when upgrading the OS and the Nvidia drivers.

MacGamver said:

OK, I'm a little thrown off because of the last security update hassle; I thought the process was running Apple updates first, then the corresponding NVidia web driver? The last time that happened, the stock Apple driver would NOT give me a visible desktop. Should I run the new NVidia driver from the system prefs, then patch the Apple security update?

Click to expand...

The process and beta driver link are detailed a page or two back. To summarize:

1) Install nvidia BETA driver; reboot
2) Install Apple update; reboot
3) Install latest nvidia driver via the System Preferences nvidia pane; reboot

The beta driver works on all the 10.10.2 builds, but the new drivers work on only specific builds, thus you can't pre-install the new driver before installing the Apple update.

jwdawso said:

The process and beta driver link are detailed a page or two back. To summarize:

1) Install nvidia BETA driver; reboot
2) Install Apple update; reboot
3) Install latest nvidia driver via the System Preferences nvidia pane; reboot

The beta driver works on all the 10.10.2 builds, but the new drivers work on only specific builds, thus you can't pre-install the new driver before installing the Apple update.

Click to expand...

Oh, I see; so you must install the beta, because it's a security update, and not a full "point" update?

capitanbuzo said:

How's the stability and performance been with the GTX 970? I have a 2009 MP with a flashed 5770 (and can't find my old GT 120) but the 5770 has been working flawlessly (no boot screen but who cares it works). I'm tempted to upgrade so games can run at higher frame rates and maybe even try 4K out but was curious about other people's experiences.

Click to expand...

Well, I can't vouch for the GTX 970, since I'm still running an old GTX 670. I ordered a bit earlier than nVidia decided to release a 680 for OSX But as far as 4K goes, it's well happen stance to say the least. Previously on the older 343 drivers I could do HiDPI for only up to 1080p, now with the newest 346 drivers I can run at 4K but lost the ability to do HiDPI. At least now my screen doesn't go blank when changing to 4K, but I'm still sticking to 1080p at 60. Using 4K on my Samsung UN60HU8550F will drop it down to 30 Hertz, even when it's set to UHD 4:4:4 on the HDMI port.

Originally Posted by jwdawso View Post
The process and beta driver link are detailed a page or two back. To summarize:

1) Install nvidia BETA driver; reboot
2) Install Apple update; reboot
3) Install latest nvidia driver via the System Preferences nvidia pane; reboot

The beta driver works on all the 10.10.2 builds, but the new drivers work on only specific builds, thus you can't pre-install the new driver before installing the Apple update.

Click to expand...

MacGamver said:

Oh, I see; so you must install the beta, because it's a security update, and not a full "point" update?

Click to expand...

OK wait, I'm still stumped; The problem is that last time, Apple's *stock* driver would not boot to the desktop after the security update. As it stands now, I have 10.10.2 with the previous security update, then the NVidia web driver. I have not updated to Apple security update 2 for 10.10.2 or the subsequent NVidia driver.

Does Apple stock driver still allow OOTB compatibility, or has this changed recently?

MacGamver said:

OK
Does Apple stock driver still allow OOTB compatibility, or has this changed recently?

Click to expand...

That's been my question, as well.

I've not heard anyone explicitly state that the Apple stock driver no longer supports the PC cards (as of Yosemite).

My 600-series nVidia PC card worked OOTB in Mavericks using stock OS X drivers. This was no longer the case in Yosemite. Web drivers appear to be a requirement now.

Studio K said:

That's been my question, as well.

I've not heard anyone explicitly state that the Apple stock driver no longer supports the PC cards (as of Yosemite).

My 600-series nVidia PC card worked OOTB in Mavericks using stock OS X drivers. This was no longer the case in Yosemite. Web drivers appear to be a requirement now.

Click to expand...

Yeah, mine's a 650ti. WTF? So unless you have as 7/8/900 series you're screwed each time Apple pulls an update?

This can't be right? When 10.10.0 came out, the stock drivers loaded just fine; it was the 10.10.2 sec update that started this. Optimally, 10.10.3 should run smoothly independent of the web driver

Actually I posted somewhere recently that I was surprised to discover that recent OS X versions no longer "self inited" some old cards. Specifically I found this with GT120 cards (9500GT) These cards work fine if used with EFI but don't "self init" without it.

This might be what is happening with GTX660. I don't know, have never toyed with one. I'll toss in an unflashed 670 if I think of it and update.

Frequently Asked Questions About NVIDIA PC (non-EFI) Graphics Cards

MacVidCards said:

Actually I posted somewhere recently that I was surprised to discover that recent OS X versions no longer "self inited" some old cards. Specifically I found this with GT120 cards (9500GT) These cards work fine if used with EFI but don't "self init" without it.



This might be what is happening with GTX660. I don't know, have never toyed with one. I'll toss in an unflashed 670 if I think of it and update.

Click to expand...

My PC EVGA GTX-670 FTW 4GB still works great in OSX 10.10.2 with newest Nvidia driver and CUDA, using an ancient ATI XT 2600 HD (Mac Pro 3.1 - Early 2008 original) for bootscreen. All systems are still GO! ;-)

I'm using a GTX 650 and it never played well with any version of Yosemite.

With 10.10.0, the Mac Pro would restart itself 2 or 3 times before landing at the desktop. With 10.10.1, I never arrived at the desktop---just a never ending restart cycle with no startup 'bong'.

I had to reinstall Yosemite with my OEM Apple GPU slotted in, then install the web drivers from nVidia, then re-insert the 650 to get it to work.

It looks like we now have to use this Beta driver as a crutch to get to the next OS X update. At least there's a way to do it without swapping cards, and for that I am grateful.

MacVidCards said:

Actually I posted somewhere recently that I was surprised to discover that recent OS X versions no longer "self inited" some old cards. Specifically I found this with GT120 cards (9500GT) These cards work fine if used with EFI but don't "self init" without it.

This might be what is happening with GTX660. I don't know, have never toyed with one. I'll toss in an unflashed 670 if I think of it and update.

Click to expand...

Hmm... weird! Well the 650ti is not an "old" card, though it's certainly not new. Do you think this is just something to do with the security updates, as I have not had a single issue with any point update in the past.

I don't have any 650s here as 640 almost as fast and doesn't need power cable.

Final Nvidia updates for 10.10.3 (Cuda and Web Driver here):

http://us.download.nvidia.com/Mac/Quadro_Certified/346.01.02f01/WebDriver-346.01.02f01.pkg

and Cuda:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/macosx-cuda-7.0.36-driver.html

Lou

flowrider said:

Final Nvidia updates for 10.10.3 (Cuda and Web Driver here):

http://us.download.nvidia.com/Mac/Quadro_Certified/346.01.02f01/WebDriver-346.01.02f01.pkg

and Cuda:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/macosx-cuda-7.0.36-driver.html

Lou

Click to expand...

Thanks for the infos and links. Lou!

I hope I didn't misread this somewhere, but if I flash my GeForce 760 GTX with a Mac EFI, will I be able to see the boot screen? Since I need to do a triple boot of MacOSX, Windows and Linux, it's going to be kinda hard to boot into those OSes without being able to see the boot screen.

Thanks,

Shogun.

Yes, that is what you need.

Note that Boot screens don't work on most 4K displays, especially with Kepler cards like 760

Web Driver 313.01.04f04 for OS X Mountain Lion available through the Nvidia control panel.

Web Driver 334.01.03f03 for OS X Mavericks available through the Nvidia control panel.

Nvidia and ATI Cards supported now at Yosemite

I own a 8800GT baked once and now after three months it failed again. So i have to rebake it, but I want to buy a new one to replace it with a non EFI one.

So I searched the Nvidia site to find which cards are now supported atYosemite and I only found these 8 models:
http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/83647/en-us

I cannot find the supported cards from ATI.
Which are my options from ATI?
I want a low budget card with 2 DVI ports as 8800GT has, or 1 HDMI and 1 DVI port.
Can anyone help me?

geoplr said:

I own a 8800GT baked once and now after three months it failed again. So i have to rebake it, but I want to buy a new one to replace it with a non EFI one.

So I searched the Nvidia site to find which cards are now supported atYosemite and I only found these 8 models:
http://www.nvidia.com/download/driverResults.aspx/83647/en-us

I cannot find the supported cards from ATI.
Which are my options from ATI?
I want a low budget card with 2 DVI ports as 8800GT has, or 1 HDMI and 1 DVI port.
Can anyone help me?

Click to expand...

Pretty much every card will work. Read the first post again and then install the drivers from here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20955800/

MacVidCards said:

Yes, that is what you need.

Note that Boot screens don't work on most 4K displays, especially with Kepler cards like 760

Click to expand...

Well, I don't have a 4K display (I wish I had room for such a thing). My monitor only goes up to 720p at the moment. So I guess I'm in the clear for now. Thanks.

Shogun.

romanboy said:

Pretty much every card will work. Read the first post again and then install the drivers from here:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/20955800/

Click to expand...

1) If I have understood well, every nvidia card I buy, works with the apple stock drivers and I have the additional option to install the nvidia drivers from the link you shared me for better performance, because these drivers support pretty much all the models of Nvidia although Nvidia says that it supports some specific models?
(GeForce 600 Series:GeForce GTX 680
GeForce 200 Series:GeForce GTX 285
GeForce 100 Series:GeForce GT 120
GeForce 8 Series:GeForce 8800 GT)
I have to be carefull because if I buy one that doesn't play I will lose money!!!


2) As I told I have the 8800GT. Which model series of Nvidia is equivalent or better from that today at performance and silence, having 6-pin connector?

3) If the card I buy is not pci-e 2.0 as mine, but pci-e 2.1 or 3.0 will it plug in and play in my Macpro 3.1?

4) although my card is dead and I have already disconnected it from my mac, I still can use my mac via teamviewer ( to be honest I am afraid to use it above 10 mins every time). How is that possible? I even used Handbreak and converted a short movie from mov to mp4 format.
I've always noticed that Handbreak was taking all the cpu juice when doing convertions although I thought that the GPU does the major job for that. I even saw some seconds of a short movie. But then, when the GPU gets working? Only when sending picture to displays?

I know it's many questions so answer me for 1,2,3,4 individually!!!
thank you so much for your time!!!