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EVGA announces a GTX 680 Mac Edition

S

stevedusa

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2012
151
4
I'm happy to report back that the dumped ROM from Abulia (#111) works.

I have this eVGA GTX680 I bought from Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130769

It's a 2Gig, reference card with two 6-pin connectors.

However do rename the extension of the gtx680mac.bin file to .rom otherwise the flash program won't take it.

Flash with nvflash in Windows, "nvflash -4 -5 -6 -y gtx680mac.rom"

Took around a minute, rebooted and VOLIA! I have EFI boot screen on my MacPro 5,1.

Thanks dude :D
 
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lewdvig

lewdvig

macrumors 65816
Jan 1, 2002
1,416
75
South Pole
stevedusa said:
I'm happy to report back that the dumped ROM from Abulia (#111) works.

I have this eVGA GTX680 I bought from Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130769

It's a 2Gig, reference card with two 6-pin connectors.

However do rename the extension of the gtx680mac.bin file to .rom otherwise the flash program won't take it.

Flash with nvflash in Windows, "nvflash -4 -5 -6 -y gtx680mac.rom"

Took around a minute, rebooted and VOLIA! I have EFI boot screen on my MacPro 5,1.

Thanks dude :D
Click to expand...

Can you check system monitor and tell us what pci speed you have?
 
S

stevedusa

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2012
151
4

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tomvos

tomvos

macrumors 6502
Jul 7, 2005
344
110
In the Nexus.
Flashing an EVGA GTX680 with the Mac ROM

  1. Prerequirements
    • Mac Pro (I used a 5.1)
    • EVGA GTX 680 (I have a 02G-P4-2680-KR)
    • Old ATI graphics card like the 5770
    • Windows within a virtual machine
    • Wired USB keyboard
    • Blank CD-R/W

    Caution: Proceed at your own risk.

  2. Download the following files:

    NVFlash for DOS from
    http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/2229/NVFlash%205.128.0.1.html

    The EVGA GTX 680 Mac Edition ROM file from
    https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/17132316/

    A bare minimum DOS to put on a boot-cd like bootcd.zip from
    http://www.hiren.info/pages/bootablecd

  3. Preparing the boot-cd

    1. Start Windows in your virtual machine. Copy the following files to windows
      • bootcd.zip
      • nvflash_5.128.0.1.zip
      • gtx680mac.bin.zip

    2. Extract gtx680mac.bin.zip and rename the extracted file from "gtx680mac.bin" to "gtx68mac.rom" because DOS has a 8.3 filename convention and the nvflash utility expects a filename extension like *.rom or *.nvr.

    3. Next, extract nvflash_5.128.0.1.zip. It should contain the files
      • CWSDPMI.EXE
      • nvflash.doc
      • nvflash.exe

    4. Extract bootcd.zip. This should create a folder called "bootcd". The nvflash utility and the ROM have to be integrated into this folder structure. Normally any additions would be placed into the "bootcd/CD" folder. But since this boot disk works only with ATAPI CD drives and the Mac Pro uses SATA CD drives, the solution is to put all required files into the "bootcd/floppy" folder.

      Copy the files
      • gtx68mac.rom
      • nvflash.exe
      • CWSDPMI.EXE
      into the folder "bootcd/CD".


      Hint: In case of emergency a backup BIOS file stored in the "bootcd/floppy" folder might be handy. Look for your original BIOS here:
      http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/127446/EVGA.GTX680.2048.120307.html
      Remember to rename your backup BIOS according to DOS 8.3 convention.
      ​


    5. Modify the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. A very basic configuration is sufficient and will avoid potential problems. Here are examples of the contents of the modified files:

      CONFIG.SYS
      Code: 
      LASTDRIVE=Z

      AUTOEXEC.BAT
      Code: 
      @ECHO OFF
PATH=A:\
ECHO   HINT: nvflash -5 -6 gtx68mac.rom

      All the other DOS configuration menu stuff was removed. No additional device drivers, memory managers or RAM-Disk have been loaded because these might interfere with the nvflash utility.

    6. Before creating the ISO image, edit the file "bootcd/Build-ISO.cmd". Since there are now additional files on the virtual floppy, the size limit of 1.44 MB has been exceeded for disk. Fortunatly, there is the option to use 2.88 MB disk size.

      Change the line

      Code: 
      .\Tools\bfi.exe -b=Floppy\boot.dat -f=cd\Floppy.ima Floppy

      to

      Code: 
      .\Tools\bfi.exe -b=Floppy\boot.dat -f=cd\Floppy.ima -t=7 Floppy

      The additional argument -t=7 indicates that a 2.88 disk size should be generated.

      Now save the file, close it and execute "Build-ISO.cmd". This should write an ISO file called BootCD.iso. When the command window shows done. in the last line, close the window.

    7. Copy the "BootCD.iso" file back to your Mac. A test of the ISO image in a virtual machine is advisable.

  4. Burn the BootCD.ISO to a CD-R/W. You can use Mac OS X built in Disc Utility. Keep the CD-R/W in the drive.

  5. Power down the Mac Pro. Disconnect the video cable and power line.

  6. Place the ATI 5770 into the lowest PCIe slot (closest to the CPU and RAM). Connect one internal power cable to the ATI 5770.

  7. Place the EVGA GTX 680 in the next slot and connect the other internal power cable to the EVGA GTX 680.

    Important: Do not try any heavy task on the GTX 680 with only one power cable connected!

  8. Optionally remove all other PCIe cards and the harddisk bays.

  9. Plug in the USB keyboard.

  10. Boot from the CD-R/W by either pressing ALT/OPTION key during startup or let your Mac boot to the only valid boot device since all HD bays have been removed before.

  11. Your Mac will greet you with the funky retro looking message:

    Code: 
    Starting...

  HINT: nvflash -5 -6 gtx68mac.rom
A:\>_

    Now, follow the hint and type

    Code: 
    nvflash -5 -6 gtx68mac.rom

    There are going to appear some messages about some mismatches.

    Acknowledge both messages with Y.

    About half a minute later the flashing should be finished successful.

  12. Well done. Power down you Mac Pro. Remove the ATI 5770. Place the GTX 680 in the lowest slot again. Connect both internal power cables to the GTX 680. Put back the HDDs and any other PCIe cards.

  13. Start your Mac and you should see a dull gray Apple on dull grey Background.


----------
lewdvig said:
Can you check system monitor and tell us what pci speed you have?
Click to expand...

CUDA-Z shows
Host-to-Device ca. 5600 MiB/s
Device-to-Host ca. 6300 MiB/s​
so I guess, the flashed GTX 680 has to work as a PCIe 2.0 device in a x16 slot using 5.0 GT/s mode.
 
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X

xcodeSyn

macrumors 6502a
Nov 25, 2012
548
7
PCIe 2.0 Speed

Thanks to Abulia for providing the EFI rom, and to both stevedusa and tomvos for confirming that the flashed GTX 680 is running at PCIe 2.0 speed. Looks like EVGA didn't bother to block its EFI and this is great news for people who want to flash their PC card.
 
Killerbob

Killerbob

macrumors 68000
Jan 25, 2008
1,847
612
I have the EVGA GTX680 SC card, the 02G-P4-2682-KR. I know it will go "down" to normal speeds (the SC card is slightly overclocked), but will the standard GTX680 ROM work on it? And, if I do this, I guess I can download the original ROM first, and have that to revert to?
 
P

proxtoyz

macrumors newbie
Aug 23, 2009
23
5
thanks tomvos stevedusa and Abulia

appreciate your help and feedback in allowing others to flash this card for themselves, looks like a fun project I will save it for when I have a day free :D
 
derbothaus

derbothaus

macrumors 601
Jul 17, 2010
4,093
30
Great work all!
So I went the pedestrian expensive way, as I needed to perform some testing, and bought the EVGA Mac edition. Works fine except all that extra dough and I still have the expansion slot fan rev to 1300RPM at differing times after boot ala PC only cards.
I was hoping for a more seamless experience:mad:
I have to run a stress test after initial boot to quite the Pro back down to regular 800RPM speed. Any hints on how to squash this annoyance? PRAM has been zapped SMC has been reset. Booting into Windows and then into OS X does seem to keep fans under control but any shut down and then a re-start will ramp the fans again. I have yet to find a definite pattern but it is a bother and makes me wonder why I didn't save the extra bucks and get a FTW model with higher clocks and the same issues.
 
Abulia

Abulia

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2004
1,786
1
Kushiel's Scion
stevedusa said:
I'm happy to report back that the dumped ROM from Abulia (#111) works.

However do rename the extension of the gtx680mac.bin file to .rom otherwise the flash program won't take it.

Thanks dude :D
Click to expand...
Happy to help and hear that it worked. Apologies for naming the file .bin; it was late and I just wanted to get it up quickly.
derbothaus said:
Great work all!
So I went the pedestrian expensive way, as I needed to perform some testing, and bought the EVGA Mac edition. Works fine except all that extra dough and I still have the expansion slot fan rev to 1300RPM at differing times after boot ala PC only cards.
I was hoping for a more seamless experience:mad:
I have to run a stress test after initial boot to quite the Pro back down to regular 800RPM speed. Any hints on how to squash this annoyance? PRAM has been zapped SMC has been reset. Booting into Windows and then into OS X does seem to keep fans under control but any shut down and then a re-start will ramp the fans again. I have yet to find a definite pattern but it is a bother and makes me wonder why I didn't save the extra bucks and get a FTW model with higher clocks and the same issues.
Click to expand...
I don't experience this at all, bouncing between Windows and OS X. The only time the fans peak is just prior to startup, as per normal. This card is really quiet, even under considerable load.

You may have a defective card or an issue with your Mac Pro. :(
 
A

Atmos4

macrumors newbie
Apr 15, 2013
11
0
Can someone please verify that audio over DisplayPort and HDMI is working under OS X?
(You need at least MacPro5,1 or MacPro4,1 flashed to 5,1 for HDMI audio to work, at least for ATI cards.)
 
X

xcodeSyn

macrumors 6502a
Nov 25, 2012
548
7
The new Mac GTX680 rom works on many GTX680 2GB cards.

It will NOT work on your card if the EEPROM is not 256K.

It will NOT work on any "oddball" cards that difer from reference.

It will NOT work on 4GB cards.
Click to expand...
The above quote from the Rominator's post here should answer some of your questions regardingflashing the Mac GTX 680 rom. The EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR and 02G-P4-2682-KR have been confirmed to work fine with flashing.
 
A

aphexz

macrumors newbie
Feb 23, 2013
15
0
xcodeSyn said:
No, it requires MP 2008 or later models and OS X 10.8.3 as stated here.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but what actually works often has nothing to do with the spec-sheets of the vendor in the case of mac pros.

The question is, if this card has the 32bit efi part like the 7950, which is also not officially supported but shows boot-screens in my 1,1
 
K

KBS756

macrumors 6502a
Jan 27, 2009
548
14
xcodeSyn said:
The above quote from the Rominator's post here should answer some of your questions regardingflashing the Mac GTX 680 rom. The EVGA 02G-P4-2680-KR and 02G-P4-2682-KR have been confirmed to work fine with flashing.
Click to expand...

Do superclocked cards lose their superclocking when running the ROM?
 
X

xcodeSyn

macrumors 6502a
Nov 25, 2012
548
7
aphexz said:
The question is, if this card has the 32bit efi part like the 7950, which is also not officially supported but shows boot-screens in my 1,1
Click to expand...
No, I don't think NVIDIA supported EFI32 since the GTX 120, let alone the newer GTX 680. If you don't believe it, no one is stopping you to try it yourself.
 
Last edited:
Killerbob

Killerbob

macrumors 68000
Jan 25, 2008
1,847
612
So cost of Boot Menu and full PCI 2.0 in OSX and Bootcamp is 5-10% clockspeed... Good deal!
 
F

fouel

macrumors member
May 14, 2008
68
1
MSI GTX 680 4GB works but...

patlee88 said:
anyone flash GTX680 4GB ram successfully?
Click to expand...

THANKS Abulia for uploading Mac rom.


Don't directly flash the "EVGA Mac GTX 680 2GB rom" to the "MSI GTX 680 4GB card" without modding BIOS and EFI part.
If you did that, you may get a GTX 680 4GB brick card.

I tried the MSI GTX 680 4GB Twin Frozr III OC edition and it works.
1.apple boot screen --OK.
2.It works on Mac OS X 10.7.5 but shows up GK104 in OpenGLviewer and Luxmark. (On 10.8.3, it shows up GTX 680 normally.)

one issue has to solve:
I only got 2.5GT/s. Will try to get it running 5.0GT/s.
 

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Last edited:
P

patlee88

macrumors member
Jul 15, 2010
60
1
fouel said:
THANKS Abulia for uploading Mac rom.


Don't directly flash the "EVGA Mac GTX 680 2GB rom" to the "MSI GTX 680 4GB card" without modding BIOS and EFI part.
If you did that, you may get a GTX 680 4GB brick card.

I tried the MSI GTX 680 4GB Twin Frozr III OC edition and it works.
1.apple boot screen --OK.
2.It works on Mac OS X 10.7.5 but shows up GK104 in OpenGLviewer and Luxmark. (On 10.8.3, it shows up GTX 680 normally.)

one issue has to solve:
I only got 2.5GT/s. Will try to get it running 5.0GT/s.
Click to expand...

That's the great news for my GTX 680 4GB, may you provide your 4GB modified rom image? That's definitely help me a lot.

The way of flashing process is just same as 2GB ver., just using the modified rom file? thanks.
 
M

Macuser789

macrumors newbie
Oct 26, 2011
2
0
got the GTX 680 mac a few days ago...

got the GTX 680 mac a few days ago...

ordered directly from EVGA website in Europe; arrived two days later (Berlin)

Here my totally unscientific benchmark results:

Witcher 2; everything cranked up to ultra or enabled, including ubersampling

AMD 5770 (mac edition): 10 fps in opening scene
GTX 680 mac: 30 fps in opening scene

Running Windows 7 with Bootcamp using FRAPS, latest Nvidia Windows drivers
16 GB RAM
2x Quad Core Xeon 2.8 Ghz
Mac Pro Early 2008

In other words, it crushes the 5770. Haven't tried any other games yet.

Installation was a breeze.

Of course as an early adapter, had to bend over regarding price: EUR 599
 
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