MP 1,1-5,1 April 2020 alternatives to RX 560?

[fhturner]

Hey Guys 'n' Gals—

I have a couple of Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580s, and they're great. Using @h9826790's OpenCore config, playback and encoding of H.264 and HEVC is easy and fantastic. As I own and frequently work on multiple Mac Pro towers, I'd like to pick up a simpler, cheaper card or 2 with Mojave support. The MSI Gaming RX 560 4GB recommended by Apple would be a fine choice...if it weren't out of stock everywhere.

So, since we're 2 years down the road and availability has changed, can anyone offer recommendations for an alternative? My main goals for this card are:

1. Metal/Mojave support (duh) & good macOS compatibility
2. Power from PCIe slot only (want simple installation and removal w/o add'l power cables needed)
3. Inexpensive ($100-125USD or lower)
4. Quick availability

Any go-to budget cards y'all are using these days?

Thx,
Fred

 

[tsialex]

Hey Guys 'n' Gals—

I have a couple of Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580s, and they're great. Using @h9826790's OpenCore config, playback and encoding of H.264 and HEVC is easy and fantastic. As I own and frequently work on multiple Mac Pro towers, I'd like to pick up a simpler, cheaper card or 2 with Mojave support. The MSI Gaming RX 560 4GB recommended by Apple would be a fine choice...if it weren't out of stock everywhere.

So, since we're 2 years down the road and availability has changed, can anyone offer recommendations for an alternative? My main goals for this card are:

1. Metal/Mojave support (duh) & good macOS compatibility
2. Power from PCIe slot only (want simple installation and removal w/o add'l power cables needed)
3. Inexpensive ($100-125USD or lower)
4. Quick availability

Any go-to budget cards y'all are using these days?

Thx,
Fred

Any equivalent card but newer than AMD RX 560, like AMD RX 5500, require Catalina. NAVI support starts with 10.15.1.

 

[fhturner]

Any equivalent card but newer than RX 560, like RX 5500, require Catalina. NAVI support starts with 10.15.1.

Thanks, Alex. I should have been more specific— I don't really need or want a newer-gen card...just want something equivalent that's available. The MSI Gaming RX 560 would be fine, but I just can't find any available.

 

[tsialex]

Thanks, Alex. I should have been more specific— I don't really need or want a newer-gen card...just want something equivalent that's available. The MSI Gaming RX 560 would be fine, but I just can't find any available.

While you can get an AMD RX 550, only models that have the same PCIe id as RX 560 will work.

GT 630/640 work fine too, but without HEVC support. GT 740 driver is problematic and will need frequent reboots, but shouldn't be a problem for someone that shutdowns everyday.

 

[fhturner]

While you can get an AMD RX 550, only models that have the same PCIe id as RX 560 will work.

GT 630/640 work fine too, but without HEVC support. GT 740 driver is problematic and will need frequent reboots, but shouldn't be a problem for someone that shutdowns everyday.

Cool, thanks. Are there particular ones that are known to work? Otherwise, how do I figure that compatibility out before purchase (or can I)? Anything significant that I lose w/ a 550 vs. 560?

 

[tsialex]

Cool, thanks. Are there particular ones that are known to work? Otherwise, how do I figure that compatibility out before purchase (or can I)? Anything significant that I lose w/ a 550 vs. 560?

RX 550 models that work are basically RX 560 with less CUs.

An user here bought and checked the RX 550 some time ago and showed all data relevant, you probably will find the post with the search.

 

[fhturner]

RX 550 models that work are basically RX 560 with less CUs.

An user here bought and checked the RX 550 some time ago and showed all data relevant, you probably will find the post with the search.

I looked around a good bit and found a few bits of information from a while back. Here's one that will hopefully be accurate and helpful:

It looks like there are different variants of the RX 550. The ones with Device ID 67FF should work. Perhaps you can edit the BIOS or flash it with a compatible BIOS.
It looks like the RX 550 cards that are supported are the Sapphire Pulse that have a different chip. They have the correct 67FF Device ID.

https://www.techpowerup.com/241121/...550-graphics-cards-with-640-stream-processors

I've since found and ordered the Sapphire 550 4GB from NewEgg. I will give it a shot when it arrives hopefully 4/29 or 4/30 and post back.

Thanks,
Fred

 

[tsialex]

I looked around a good bit and found a few bits of information from a while back. Here's one that will hopefully be accurate and helpful:


I've since found and ordered the Sapphire 550 4GB from NewEgg. I will give it a shot when it arrives hopefully 4/29 or 4/30 and post back.

Thanks,
Fred

Brand new entry level Mojave supported GPUs are becoming more scarce everyday. Or you pay a little more for a brand new RX 580 or you need to buy an used RX 460/560. Down the road, even NOS RX 580 will disappear from stores since NAVI production seems to be replacing or already replaced Polaris.

 

[MisterAndrew]

The workstation variants such as the WX 4100 might stick around for a little longer.

 

[tsialex]

The workstation variants such as the WX 4100 might stick around for a little longer.

Yes, but the cheapest WX 4100 on Newegg costs $260.

Radeon Pro WX 4100 100-506008 4GB 128-bit GDDR5 Low Profile Workstation Video Card - Newegg.com

Buy Radeon Pro WX 4100 100-506008 4GB 128-bit GDDR5 Low Profile Workstation Video Card with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[Snow Tiger]

Hey Guys 'n' Gals—

I have a couple of Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580s, and they're great. Using @h9826790's OpenCore config, playback and encoding of H.264 and HEVC is easy and fantastic. As I own and frequently work on multiple Mac Pro towers, I'd like to pick up a simpler, cheaper card or 2 with Mojave support. The MSI Gaming RX 560 4GB recommended by Apple would be a fine choice...if it weren't out of stock everywhere.

So, since we're 2 years down the road and availability has changed, can anyone offer recommendations for an alternative? My main goals for this card are:

1. Metal/Mojave support (duh) & good macOS compatibility
2. Power from PCIe slot only (want simple installation and removal w/o add'l power cables needed)
3. Inexpensive ($100-125USD or lower)
4. Quick availability

Any go-to budget cards y'all are using these days?

Thx,
Fred

Gigabyte Gaming RX 570 4GB .
Model number = GV-RX570GAMING-4GD REV2.0 .
UPC = 889523019474
Brand new from NewEgg for $120 .
Requires a standard 8 pin PCIe to two mini 6 pin PCIe power booster splitter cable .
It's advantage is that it only takes up two slot inches and no more ( unlike the fatter official RX 580 ) .
And it also has three 4K 60 Hz capable DisplayPort channels .
It's only shortcoming is that it has an open air type cooling system , which means it recycles hot air within the chassis .
It is only a little bit slower than the official RX 580 .

GIGABYTE Radeon RX 570 4GB Gaming 4G GDDR6 Graphics Card (GV-RX570GAMING-4GD Rev 2.0) for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for GIGABYTE Radeon RX 570 4GB Gaming 4G GDDR6 Graphics Card (GV-RX570GAMING-4GD Rev 2.0) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Open CL and Metal benchmark scores in Mojave :

 

[fhturner]

The workstation variants such as the WX 4100 might stick around for a little longer.

Gigabyte Gaming RX 570 4GB .
Model number = GV-RX570GAMING-4GD REV2.0 .
UPC = 889523019474
Brand new from NewEgg for $120 .
Requires a standard 8 pin PCIe to two mini 6 pin PCIe power booster splitter cable .

Thanks for the replies and additional options, guys! The cost of the WX4100 and the power cable requirement of the RX 570 rule them for me w/ this particular need. Don't get me wrong— I've got 2 personal RX 580s and have set up 3 or 4 more for other folks, but in this case, I just want simple and cheap for easy swapping in and out. Thx again! Will let y'all know how the RX 550 goes...

 

[padams35]

I've seen reviews reporting the MSI RX 560 Aero ITX and Biostar Gaming RX 560 cards work as alternatives to the Apple endorsed model. One of those might be your best bet if a slot-powered card is essential.

 

[fhturner]

Hey Guys—

Well, rats. Got the RX 550 and tried it today...no dice. I remoted to the Mac Pro and am looking at the System Profiler. Device ID shows as 0x699f. Going back over the information, I see that I didn't understand well enough what I needed to get. The NewEgg listing clearly shows "512 Stream Processors", but I overlooked that; plus, I didn't realize when ordering that the one being discussed in the big AMD thread back in 2018 had to be the 640-stream-processor model to be that 0x67FF ID (sorry, re-quoting @MisterAndrew):

RX550 doesn't work in MP5,1. Device ID 0x699f, Revision ID 0x00c7. Upgraded to 10.13.4.

It looks like there are different variants of the RX 550. The ones with Device ID 67FF should work. Perhaps you can edit the BIOS or flash it with a compatible BIOS.
It looks like the RX 550 cards that are supported are the Sapphire Pulse that have a different chip. They have the correct 67FF Device ID.

https://www.techpowerup.com/241121/...550-graphics-cards-with-640-stream-processors

Yup, also visible here:
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios...el=RX+550&interface=&memType=&memSize=&since=
The top two entries have the 0x699f ID, and the bottom has the 0x67 ID.

Oh well...going back today. I guess I'll just get the 560.

Searching for the part # of "11268-15" as mentioned in the TechPowerup thread yields results that are either out of stock or over $170 (definitely not worth that to me). What is involved in this "editing the BIOS or flashing it with a compatible BIOS"? Is it worth the trouble? If so, where do I find more about doing that? If not, any other suggestions on how to get card that meets my goals above? Thanks, @padams35 for those suggestions, BTW, but they seem to be either overly expensive or out of stock also...

Thx,
Fred

 

[fhturner]

I've seen reviews reporting the MSI RX 560 Aero ITX and Biostar Gaming RX 560 cards work as alternatives to the Apple endorsed model.

Okay, finally tracked one down that looks to be available and at a reasonable cost (considering that an RX 580 is a mere $190 or so). It's a NewEgg "marketplace" listing...does this look like it would work?

Used - Very Good: Biostar OC Gaming Radeon RX 560 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit DirectX 12 PCI Express 3.0 x16, DVI-D Dual Link, HDMI, DisplayPort and Vortex Cooling Fan - Newegg.com

Buy Used - Very Good: Biostar OC Gaming Radeon RX 560 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit DirectX 12 PCI Express 3.0 x16, DVI-D Dual Link, HDMI, DisplayPort and Vortex Cooling Fan with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[tsialex]

Okay, finally tracked one down that looks to be available and at a reasonable cost (considering that an RX 580 is a mere $190 or so). It's a NewEgg "marketplace" listing...does this look like it would work?

Used - Very Good: Biostar OC Gaming Radeon RX 560 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit DirectX 12 PCI Express 3.0 x16, DVI-D Dual Link, HDMI, DisplayPort and Vortex Cooling Fan - Newegg.com

Buy Used - Very Good: Biostar OC Gaming Radeon RX 560 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit DirectX 12 PCI Express 3.0 x16, DVI-D Dual Link, HDMI, DisplayPort and Vortex Cooling Fan with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

There are several reports of success with Biostar RX 560 in the past, did you checked if someone posted the PN that you found?

 

[fhturner]

There are several reports of success with Biostar RX 560 in the past, did you checked if someone posted the PN that you found?

Yes, but hard to find much. There's a thread about VNC performance where it sounds like the Biostar RX 560 was working, but nothing definitive that I could tell...the main focus was on the VNC operation. And this card listing doesn't appear to have any particular part # in it...just "Biostar OC Gaming Radeon RX 560". I did look at TechPowerup for RX 560, and while there's no Biostar listed, pretty much every other brand I clicked on had the 0x67FF Device ID. Does this suggest that most RX 560s should be recognized and work?

 

[tsialex]

Yes, but hard to find much. There's a thread about VNC performance where it sounds like the Biostar RX 560 was working, but nothing definitive that I could tell...the main focus was on the VNC operation. And this card listing doesn't appear to have any particular part # in it...just "Biostar OC Gaming Radeon RX 560". I did look at TechPowerup for RX 560, and while there's no Biostar listed, pretty much every other brand I clicked on had the 0x67FF Device ID. Does this suggest that most RX 560s should be recognized and work?

AFAIK, only RX 560 from the Chinese/South Asian market, that use graphics processors with less CUs enabled, what would be binned rejects in the western market and here become RX 550s, are a problem. Several reports of those not working.

 

[padams35]

Most RX 560 cards work. (The XFX 560 is the only exception I can think of that does -not- work.)

 

[fhturner]

AFAIK, only RX 560 from the Chinese/South Asian market, that use graphics processors with less CUs enabled, what would be binned rejects in the western market and here become RX 550s, are a problem. Several reports of those not working.

Most RX 560 cards work. (The XFX 560 is the only exception I can think of that does -not- work.)

Okay, thanks guys. So, the Biostar that I linked has 896 stream processors. Does that seem to jive w/ what they should have if not the "binned rejects"? Looking at the other specs on that link, does it look to you like it would probably work?

It's certainly a much more sensible price than some of the 640-stream-processor RX 550s @ nearly the same price as an RX 580 ($170+)! Weird for 550 to be that high and a 560 is 1/3 less.

 

[tsialex]

Okay, thanks guys. So, the Biostar that I linked has 896 stream processors. Does that seem to jive w/ what they should have if not the "binned rejects"? Looking at the other specs on that link, does it look to you like it would probably work?

It's certainly a much more sensible price than some of the 640-stream-processor RX 550s @ nearly the same price as an RX 580 ($170+)! Weird for 550 to be that high and a 560 is 1/3 less.

Be aware that the cards with 896SPs are Polaris 21XL and not the Polaris 21 of the standard RX 560 that have 1024SPs.

@MisterAndrew do you now any compatibility problems with the drivers?

 

[padams35]

Okay, thanks guys. So, the Biostar that I linked has 896 stream processors. Does that seem to jive w/ what they should have if not the "binned rejects"? Looking at the other specs on that link, does it look to you like it would probably work?

That sounds right. The 896SP variant is the one that is usually slot-powered. The original full 1024SP card is faster but usually requires a 6-pin power connector.

 

[fhturner]

That sounds right. The 896SP variant is the one that is usually slot-powered. The original full 1024SP card is faster but usually requires a 6-pin power connector.

Okay, so we're thinking this one will probably work then? I don't want anything other than slot-powered, so it sounds like the 896SP version is what I need. Any concerns about compatibility of that one vs. 1024SP ones? Or...

Be aware that the cards with 896SPs are Polaris 21XL and not the Polaris 21 of the standard RX 560 that have 1024SPs.

@MisterAndrew do you now any compatibility problems with the drivers?

...is that what Alex is wondering and asking @MisterAndrew about between the Polaris 21XL and 21?

Thanks for all the discussion and help guys!

 

[fhturner]

And following up on the non-working Sapphire RX 550 that I got...is it best just to RMA that and take the 15% restocking fee + $13 return shipping (so I'll lose about $30 in fees and shipping total for that ~$90 card)? Or anything I should try first?

 

[MisterAndrew]

Be aware that the cards with 896SPs are Polaris 21XL and not the Polaris 21 of the standard RX 560 that have 1024SPs.

@MisterAndrew do you now any compatibility problems with the drivers?

I don't know. I just know the details from the drivers. It's a shame this one isn't compatible. I'll update the big thread because I wasn't aware there are some Sapphire Pulse RX 550 models that have the wrong device ID.