Break through the gloom! Kepler comes to Mac Pro...GTX680!

[bradjshannon]

Have you tried a safe boot ? VNC ?

I tried booting without a GPU card (headless):
The machine seems to boot (I hear the chime), but I cannot ping it, see shared folders via Bonjour, or Screen Share. No VNC. Same results from safe boot.

I tried resetting the PRAM:
No change in outcome.

I tried booting with the new GTX650 card (headless):
No change in outcome.

I tried booting with the new GTX650 card (w/ DVI monitor):
No change in outcome.

I tried resetting the PRAM again:
No change in outcome.


Note that I am using 10.8.2, which appears to have issues with being "headless" (or in this case, GPU-less).
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4151334?start=30&tstart=0
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4158931?start=0&tstart=0
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1421779/mountain-lion-and-mac-htpc


I tried booting with the original 5770 card (headless):
No change in outcome.

I tried booting with the original 5770 card (w/ 1 or 2 DVI monitors):
All is normal.

The only way I can get this machine to boot AND communicate is with the original 5770 card.

I realize now that ping, file sharing, screen sharing, etc, don't work until I'm logged in, so those were not useful tests I performed earlier. Sigh.

If I assume that the computer boots correctly when it's headless, it should pause at the login screen. I should be able to press the right arrow, Enter, type my password, press Enter, and be logged in. Doing this from a headless boot has no apparent effect on the machine.

Blah, planning to return this card and get one that is known to work out of the box with ML.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

Haha yeah lets hope it passes your test I am sitting here looking at an EVGA GTX 680 Classified and two 6 to 8 pin adapters wondering if I should return the card and get a dual 6 pin version instead; or just be brave and go for it! As much as I want a new MacPro I think I would rather get a bit more out of this old one and wait for the revision next year... hmmmm...

C

If you're worried and want to ease into things do this. Use two standard Mac 6 pin cables and hook the card up using the six pins in the 8 pin connectors on the card. I did this for a while. It's safe because if the card doesn't see the extra two "sense" pins it will only draw what the six pin can safely handle.

Only down side to this is the card may operate in "reduced capability" mode when it needs the extra power.

 

[fergusonbk]

quick evga gtx 670 review

just wanted to let you guys know I installed the evga 670 FTW last night. The frigging 6pin was a bitch to connect on the motherboard, super tight in there but I got it in, hooked everything up in PCI-e lane 1, and fired up the mac. OSX (10.8.2) ran super nice, web browsing and video playing was def faster/smoother, didnt have time to get into anything too crazy as it was about 4am when I had finished everything. Did run the Heaven benchmark, and it basically played everything at max settings at about 60fps and looked beautiful

The only downside is I realized that I couldnt boot into my windows partition anymore. I had messed up the bootcamp install years ago and the macos doesnt recognize the windows partition as a mountable drive or as a startup disk, so my only option to get to Windows used to be holding down option at startup. Now that I have a black screen until login, no more getting to windows Im in the process of copying the windows partition to another drive so I can copy the files/games I want to keep, and will do a fresh bootcamp and windows install tomorrow.

Is it difficult for me to flash the 670 gtx with a mac EFI so I can get a bios/boot screen? This windows thing is annoying.. Anyway super stoked with the card, cant wait to get into it. If you guys have some other good benchmark apps to test cuda, opengl and opencl let me know, I'm trying to push this thing to the max. Holla

Dave

 

[Catch]

Only down side to this is the card may operate in "reduced capability" mode when it needs the extra power.

Thats very helpful! Thanks for the advice. Once I open the box its a keeper so I will sleep on it and have a play tomorrow

C

 

[Catch]

Installed the GTX 680 in my 3.1

Ok, so I chickened out and changed my dual 8 pin GTX 680 for a dual 6 pin version

Just thought I would update this for anyone else with a MacPro 3.1. I got myself the MSI GTX680 Twin Frozr 4GB version. Installed the drivers and CUDA updates, that have been linked elsewhere, on top of OSX 10.8.2 and restarted the computer. Having read a few scary stories I had prepared with a large coffee and was fully expecting to do some trouble shooting...

Everything works amazingly well with me having done nothing more than above. The computer is very responsive and everything I have thrown at it has been smooth and fast. No boot screen though... Just straight in to login screen. I don't dual boot so no problem there for me.

Early days yet so will update if anything goes wrong!


C

 

[avemestr]

The only downside is I realized that I couldnt boot into my windows partition anymore. I had messed up the bootcamp install years ago and the macos doesnt recognize the windows partition as a mountable drive or as a startup disk, so my only option to get to Windows used to be holding down option at startup. Now that I have a black screen until login, no more getting to windows Im in the process of copying the windows partition to another drive so I can copy the files/games I want to keep, and will do a fresh bootcamp and windows install tomorrow.

Or you could download Bootchamp and simply ask OS X to reboot into Windows.

 

[fergusonbk]

Or you could download Bootchamp and simply ask OS X to reboot into Windows.

I have bootchamp but like the startup disk it doesn't see the windows partition, super annoying. I guess I had this coming, I think instead of doing a regular bootcamp install I had partitioned the HD through disk utility and then done bootcamp? It's biting me in the ass now..

 

[stevedusa]

Well got the evga GTX 680 SC with the 2G VRAM installed today, replacing the 5870 on my latest Mac Pro model running 10.8.2.

No problems here. Haven't tested the game or Boot Camp yet but that's for tonight.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

Fyi....

I have bootchamp but like the startup disk it doesn't see the windows partition, super annoying. I guess I had this coming, I think instead of doing a regular bootcamp install I had partitioned the HD through disk utility and then done bootcamp? It's biting me in the ass now..

If you have Paragon NTFS installed it will keep OSX from seeing the bootcamp partition as a startup disk. You can switch to bootcamp via the NTFS sys pref.

Just in case you have Paragon NTFS installed.....

 

[Derpage]

Just a small note for all the Maya users: Don't go to a Kepler based card as they are not supported by autodesk.

Source: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=16820654

 

[mac666er]

Just a small note for all the Maya users: Don't go to a Kepler based card as they are not supported by Autodesk.

Source: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=16820654

And yet, I used maya 2012 and now 2013 with TWO Kepler cards on a mac pro without a single issue. In fact, performance has improved considerably over an AMD 5870.

One must understand that Autodesk does this because Apple doesn't officially support the cards and they can't vouch for maya if even Apple won't vouch for the hardware. Their official certification is, and my take is, will always be to buy a Quadro card either on Mac, Win or Linux.

 

[Derpage]

And yet, I used maya 2012 and now 2013 with TWO Kepler cards on a mac pro without a single issue. In fact, performance has improved considerably over an AMD 5870.

One must understand that Autodesk does this because Apple doesn't officially support the cards and they can't vouch for maya if even Apple won't vouch for the hardware. Their official certification is, and my take is, will always be to buy a Quadro card either on Mac, Win or Linux.

I just went from a gtx 480 to gtx 670. I get a lot of poly display order issues with the 670 when the scene's poly count gets high. I do get better frame rates with the 670 though.

 

[Asgorath]

And yet, I used maya 2012 and now 2013 with TWO Kepler cards on a mac pro without a single issue. In fact, performance has improved considerably over an AMD 5870.

One must understand that Autodesk does this because Apple doesn't officially support the cards and they can't vouch for maya if even Apple won't vouch for the hardware. Their official certification is, and my take is, will always be to buy a Quadro card either on Mac, Win or Linux.

Right, there's a big difference between "supported" and "works pretty well". It's the same thing with your no-EFI video card, these are not supported but we've all seen how well they work in general.

I just went from a gtx 480 to gtx 670. I get a lot of poly display order issues with the 670 when the scene's poly count gets high. I do get better frame rates with the 670 though.

What OS and driver are you using?

 

[Derpage]

What OS and driver are you using?

I run it on my windowz partition using 7 and am on the current driver which I believe is 306.97

 

[scottrichardson]

Are there any GTX680's that have 2 display ports?

 

[cricker]

Well got the evga GTX 680 SC with the 2G VRAM installed today, replacing the 5870 on my latest Mac Pro model running 10.8.2.

No problems here. Haven't tested the game or Boot Camp yet but that's for tonight.

I have a Mac Pro 5,1 2.4Ghz 8 core with a 5870. I do all my work in premiere pro and after effects, and would like to take advantage of the Mercury Playback Engine which utilises Nvidia graphics cards.

The above post looks promising to be able to just install a evga GTX 680 SC with the 2G VRAM with absolutely no setup changes.

My question was does does getting an even larger RAM on the card help me? Or does it create issues and i'd have to change binaries? I will be installing this setup on 3 Mac Pro's at work and dont want to have to constantly fix them if issues will occur, so want a very stable card.

 

[Asgorath]

I have a Mac Pro 5,1 2.4Ghz 8 core with a 5870. I do all my work in premiere pro and after effects, and would like to take advantage of the Mercury Playback Engine which utilises Nvidia graphics cards.

The above post looks promising to be able to just install a evga GTX 680 SC with the 2G VRAM with absolutely no setup changes.

My question was does does getting an even larger RAM on the card help me? Or does it create issues and i'd have to change binaries? I will be installing this setup on 3 Mac Pro's at work and dont want to have to constantly fix them if issues will occur, so want a very stable card.

The 2GB cards work great. Cards with more than 2GB of RAM still appear to need the OpenCL framework binary fix, which has caused problems for some people. If you're looking for a rock-solid card I'd definitely recommend sticking with a 2GB card for now.

 

[MacVidCards]

The 2GB cards work great. Cards with more than 2GB of RAM still appear to need the OpenCL framework binary fix, which has caused problems for some people. If you're looking for a rock-solid card I'd definitely recommend sticking with a 2GB card for now.

Yeah, it's weird. 99% of people read the description, follow the directions, and have OpenCl on next boot.

But there are 3 or 4 people who swear that they have done exactly this and end up with KPs. I really think it is a matter of interpretation and they are bringing their own definition of something into the process and consistently doing it their way instead of right way. My guess is maybe they are not overwriting the old string in Hexedit and instead adding new string after or before while leaving old string. Next time I revise the instructions I will include a note to check the overall length before you start and after. I don't know what else it could be.

 

[Flenser]

Next time I revise the instructions I will include a note to check the overall length before you start and after. I don't know what else it could be.

You could give the md5 checksum of the file before and after patching:

Open Applications > Utilities > Terminal

md5 ~/Desktop/OpenCL.framework/Versions/A/OpenCL

(Assuming you've copied the Framework to your desktop)

 

[flyman]

EVGA GTX 670 FTW Installed !!!

Weel I've got the card installed and everything seems to be working great.
From a gaming perspective I couldn't be happier !

I'd like to know what performance I'm getting so I've downloaded EVGA Precision X and Unigine Heaven but I'm not quite sure how to run any tests.
If anyone could give me some pointers that would be great.

 

[cricker]

I've done a bit of reading and it appears that a GTX 570 2.5GB may indeed be faster for CUDA use inside premiere and after effects than a GTX 680. Evidence is slim but I did find a couple of sites with benchmarks of various tests using CUDA effects and other such things.

The main thing is i'm on a budget and its about $400 per card. I can grab GTX 570 2.5GB for $350 from amazon including shipping to Australia.

I'm not afraid of giving the binary thinga ma chiggy a go, i'll make sure I read the instructions clearly once I find them. I figure i'll test 1 card on my mac pro and if it works fine for a month or so i'll purchase the same for the other Mac's.

Do people think this is a good idea, or am I just shooting myself in the foot with the extra .5GB RAM. If only I could figure out how much RAM will actually be useful for our editing environment. We dont use anything higher than 1920x1080 resolution video, and after effects compositions.

----------

Sorry do we get boot screens with this card as well? Or should I just be keeping my 5870's on standby incase I need to get boot screens?

Also does not getting a boot screen mean you get a log in screen? or do I need to implement auto login?

 

[Asgorath]

Sorry do we get boot screens with this card as well? Or should I just be keeping my 5870's on standby incase I need to get boot screens?

Also does not getting a boot screen mean you get a log in screen? or do I need to implement auto login?

Boot screens require an EFI. The boot screen includes the Apple logo on a grey background, and startup disk selection when you hold the Option key. The login screen counts as "booting to the desktop" since it's actually part of, or related to, the window server itself. Thus, the login screen works just fine (I have mine configured like this FWIW).

I definitely recommend keeping an official EFI card on hand, in case something goes wrong. For example, I switched back to my GT 120 recently when I upgraded to an SSD for my boot volume.

Regarding the 2.5GB situation, if you feel confident that you can make the necessary mods, then go for it. Hopefully Apple will remove this restriction in a subsequent Software Update, we'll have to wait and see I guess. MacVidCards has written up an extensive guide on how to make the modifications, you just have to be thorough and check your work (and keep an unmodified OpenCL framework in case you make a mistake).

 

[ghislain]

GTX680 not so good

I have installed a GTX 680 2Go in my mac pro 2010; Mountain Lion. Using Unigine-Heaven-3.0.app as benchmark, I get a score 10% lower than the score obtained with the Apple ATI 5870. In contrast, under bootcamp, the GTX680 get the same score as 2x5870 in SLI mode. It seems therefore that the 680 does pretty well under Windows 7 but behaves poorly under Mountain Lion, and this, even after installing the latest NVidia drivers for this card. I suggest that owners of 5870 wait before bying the GTX 680 that Nvidia or Apple provide decent drivers for this card...

 

[silvercircle]

I have installed a GTX 680 2Go in my mac pro 2010; Mountain Lion. Using Unigine-Heaven-3.0.app as benchmark, I get a score 10% lower than the score obtained with the Apple ATI 5870. In contrast, under bootcamp, the GTX680 get the same score as 2x5870 in SLI mode. It seems therefore that the 680 does pretty well under Windows 7 but behaves poorly under Mountain Lion, and this, even after installing the latest NVidia drivers for this card. I suggest that owners of 5870 wait before bying the GTX 680 that Nvidia or Apple provide decent drivers for this card...

This is not what I see on my Mac Pro 5,1. See my post: https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=15444914#post15444914
I also ran a new test today on my GTX 680 SC and attached the result.
I can not test the HD 5870 because it is in another computer now.
My current NVIDIA driver is 1.3.4.0 (304.00.05f02).

 

[MacVidCards]

I have installed a GTX 680 2Go in my mac pro 2010; Mountain Lion. Using Unigine-Heaven-3.0.app as benchmark, I get a score 10% lower than the score obtained with the Apple ATI 5870. In contrast, under bootcamp, the GTX680 get the same score as 2x5870 in SLI mode. It seems therefore that the 680 does pretty well under Windows 7 but behaves poorly under Mountain Lion, and this, even after installing the latest NVidia drivers for this card. I suggest that owners of 5870 wait before bying the GTX 680 that Nvidia or Apple provide decent drivers for this card...

I believe that you are in error.

Can you please specify which OS and drivers you are using?

I will recreate tests in a 5,1 Mac Pro as I have both cards handy.

Aside from which, basing purchase decisions solely on Unigine Benchmark is a good choice only if you plan to earn a living solely running the Unigine Benchmark. There are many aspects to GPU performance, this is only one of them.