Mac Pro 5,1 and Metal GPU compatibility…

[rawweb]

Great work, thanks!! So mine says two metal capable devices. Which is good. I was under impression if you had a dual GPU system the dedicated graphics GPU would not support metal, only the intel iris could. So is this not a true statement? Can the dedicated GPUs take advantage of metal? hmmmmm, perhaps I heard actually that the dedicated GPU could not take advantage of it for UI stuff in el cap but could for games.

Can anyone clear this up for me? =]

This is from a 15" rMbp.

It doesn't make sense for a dedicated GPU to not support metal. That would mean Mac Pro, iMac etc would not have metal support. Both GPU's in my case support the feature. So I'd benefit from metal in low power situations and when it switches. I could theoretically disable graphics switching and save power in crunch scenarios while still enjoying the benefits of metal, whatever they are .

 

[AtheistP3ace]

This is from a 15" rMbp.
View attachment 588965
It doesn't make sense for a dedicated GPU to not support metal. That would mean Mac Pro, iMac etc would not have metal support. Both GPU's in my case support the feature. So I'd benefit from metal in low power situations and when it switches. I could theoretically disable graphics switching and save power in crunch scenarios while still enjoying the benefits of metal, whatever they are .

Yea thats exactly what mine looked like too =]

 

[VAGDesign]

Okay then I put that code I posted above in to a really simple app, signed with my Apple Developer ID so you don't get the 'can't run this' warning the command line tools out there give you.

http://fabulouspanda.com/downloads/metaltest.app.zip
Needless to say, this app requires 10.11

I would put some Metal music in the background just for fun (Metallica preferred if you're into thinking of doing it)
This is a confirmation that my Flashed XFX 7950 works fine.
Thanks for the tool!

 

[MentalFabric]

I would put some Metal music in the background just for fun (Metallica preferred if you're into thinking of doing it)
This is a confirmation that my Flashed XFX 7950 works fine.
Thanks for the tool!

hehe, careful what you wish for, you'll end up with something from http://mentalfabric.co.uk and a particle generator visualiser burning out your GPU in the name of testing

Might flash my 7970 following that link, thanks back!

 

[TableSyrup]

Man... I haven't really been on here since I did the CPU swaps in a MP1,1 a few years ago.
I'm back trying to sort what a good option is for a metal compatible GPU for my 5,1.
I'm a full time audio engineer, doing more and more video jobs now too. Editing in FCPX
I'll still have to sit tight till Pro Tools is on board, or go dual boot.

At any rate, I want to breath some new life into this 5,1 - mainly on the video capability side.

So.... question. Say I throw a Metal compatible card in here....
Can I still also run the 5770?
If so, Any known issues with that?
Would OSX, and FCPX utilize both cards?

I'm also trying to find which cards might be good options... I guess I have a lot of reading to do.
(I'm thinking at least twice the card, so minimum 2GB... and want to stick within the 225W)

I am open to any suggestions. I see there will be massive benefit to Metal, in regards to video work, so I want to be compatible - in regards to FCPX

Thanks for any insight!!!!!!

 

[MentalFabric]

I swapped 2x5770 for a 7970

only problem is there are only 2 6 pin PCIe power plugs on the Mac Pro board, if you can find a Metal compatible card that only requires 6 pins that's fine (I had no luck looking, but didn't look hard), otherwise you need to get and external PSU to give the new card the power it needs

Without crossfire I don't think you can get both cards working at the same task. But they can process different tasks simultaneously. Someone should confirm or correct that, I'm not certain.

 

[h9826790]

Min 2GB, within 225W, use for FCPX, Metal compatible... 7950 may fit your needs. On top of that, it use native OSX driver, easy (and safe) to flash (for boot screen), easy to mod to run at PCIe 2.0...

However, it will use all two 6pin, so nothing left for your 5770.

I am running dual 7950 at this moment, and FCPX can utilise both of them. I assume it will do the same thing if you end up running 2 GPU (with the original 5770).

 

[h9826790]

Without crossfire I don't think you can get both cards working at the same task. But they can process different tasks simultaneously. Someone should confirm or correct that, I'm not certain.

There is no crossfire in OSX, and OpenCL can fully utilise both card regardless if it's setup for corssfire or not.

 

[TableSyrup]

Awesome! Thanks for the info guys! Really...

I'm not afraid to search and read.. always do... just having a bit of a hard time finding concise info on this one, likely due to this being new.

Is FCPX utilizing Metal yet? I know they stated AAE seeing a 8x rendering speed increase, but no mention of FCPX yet that I've seen.

I think I may just go for the 7950 or 7970... since I've seen that confirmed a couple times now.... I just need to be sure it's up and running quick when I do this. really don't know the difference between the two lol

I don't want to have to run an additional PSU.. so dual cards would be out for me... at least for now

So a couple more Q's if you don't mind:

Is there a particular version of the 7950? Or just any 7950?
Power - so I need another power cable right? I thought the 5770 only took one, so I need another? Any old cable? I want to be sure I don't get something with an incorrect pinout... don't wanna fry anything.

Thanks tons guys!

 

[VAGDesign]

So a couple more Q's if you don't mind:

Is there a particular version of the 7950? Or just any 7950?
Power - so I need another power cable right? I thought the 5770 only took one, so I need another? Any old cable? I want to be sure I don't get something with an incorrect pinout... don't wanna fry anything.

Thanks tons guys!

I will answer for what I like:
I took the hard way and went with XFX 7950. The reason is the looks of it and the great dissipation it has. Silent and stable. The reason I didn't went to 7970 was the power. All 7970 versions need 6+8 pins while 7950 6+6. That means no extra PSU. The only downside is that it doesn't have the dual BIOS switch. So more danger if you flash it and something goes wrong. Most of the other brands have that switch that reference board of AMD has too.

You will need a secondary mini 6pin to 6pin cable. Easy to find in eBay for $5.

7970 has little more power than 7950. The cards are the same as the nMP versions of D500 and D700.

I hope this helps.

 

[h9826790]

This card works very well for me.

R9 280 is the same as 7950, just a different name.

It only use 2x 6pin, so no power supply issue.

It use blower type cooler, so it push all the heat out of the Mac Pro like your current card does. And this card is very quiet even under load.

Reference with dual ROM design, perfect for flash.

The biggest down side so far is the cooler of this card is bigger than normal. Slot 2 still usable for small PCIe 2 (e.g. my USB 3.0 card is installed in slot 2). However, there is no way that you can install another full length card in slot 2 with this card.

 

[TableSyrup]

I see! Thank you... been searching looking for the power specs and connectors for the last 10 minutes - between the 7950 and 7970 and couldn't find it lol

7950 it is! I don't want to mess with power right now. I just wanna slap a card in and go.

I'll start research on flashing , and the PCIe 2.0 mod that was mentioned. I would like to maintain EFI screen just in case...

Thanks a ton. thanks thanks thanks. I haven't had the time to stay on top of this stuff, and am at a point I need the boost for video work... swapping my quad to a hex, and slappin a new metal compatible gpu in is gonna be a huge improvement!

I'm super stoked.

thanks a fifty-eth time

 

[TableSyrup]

Nearing my final decision.... one more Q... can a split power cable like this be used? Or is there danger of drawing too much from one plug on the board?
http://www.amazon.com/JacobsParts-E...sr=8-10&keywords=mac+pro+graphics+power+cable

Not sure quite yet if I wanna run a 7950 (dual 6 pin), or maybe dual GTX660's (single 6 pin) - or even dual dual-6pins

too many options... lol... I'll decide pronto... but want to know what I can safely do for power and cabling.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[pastrychef]

Or is there danger of drawing too much from one plug on the board?

Yes, there is a risk of drawing too much power with a cable like that.

 

[TableSyrup]

Yes, there is a risk of drawing too much power with a cable like that.

Thanks, that's what I thought....

 

[SDAVE]

Metal is hardware level on OSX. MP2010 is essentially the same as MP2012. If the GPU is supported then metal will work.

Metal is basically Apple's DirectX. It took them 15 years to get it out.

If Apple was smart theyd make porting pc games easy for devs and Apple wouldve had a bigger user base.

 

[pat500000]

Great work, thanks!! So mine says two metal capable devices. Which is good. I was under impression if you had a dual GPU system the dedicated graphics GPU would not support metal, only the intel iris could. So is this not a true statement? Can the dedicated GPUs take advantage of metal? hmmmmm, perhaps I heard actually that the dedicated GPU could not take advantage of it for UI stuff in el cap but could for games.

Can anyone clear this up for me? =]

what would you do if yours wasn't compatible??

 

[Stephen Daedulus]

what would you do if yours wasn't compatible??

Someone needs to create a list of metal compatible video cards. I have a Radeon 5770 which works just fine but it is not metal compatible. If I ever upgrade to get 4k it would be nice to have a list of monitors that support metal.

 

[AtheistP3ace]

what would you do if yours wasn't compatible??

I wouldn't do anything but that doesn't mean I don't want to know and understand.

 

[pat500000]

Someone needs to create a list of metal compatible video cards. I have a Radeon 5770 which works just fine but it is not metal compatible. If I ever upgrade to get 4k it would be nice to have a list of monitors that support metal.

Did you test it out?

 

[Demigod Mac]

Titan X here - tested positive for Metal support with Panda's app.

Are there any games or programs that use Metal yet?

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Early test, but when you consider OSX's OpenGL is up to 80% slower than Direct X 11...

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/1...-os-x-el-capitan-sometimes-great-often-mixed/

 

[Synchro3]

Someone needs to create a list of metal compatible video cards. I have a Radeon 5770 which works just fine but it is not metal compatible. If I ever upgrade to get 4k it would be nice to have a list of monitors that support metal.

Metal supported card families:
Nvidia – GeForce gtx 4xx and newer
Intel – HD4000 and newer (ivy bridge and newer)
AMD – HD7000 and newer
http://netkas.org/?p=1405

OSX 10.11 GUI doesn’t use Metal, except on Intel graphics.
http://netkas.org/?p=1410

An other possibility to get Metal support is an eGPU, if the built in graphics card does not support it. As an example my Mac Mini 2012:

 

[MacVidCards]

some new coming on eGPU

 

[Fl0r!an]

Team red and team green working peacefully together...

Btw, I think GCN 1.1 drivers have matured with El Capitano. I didn't manage to crash my HD 7790 once, even with multiple displays. Did you check Hawaii lately?