MP 1,1-5,1 mac pro 5.1/ which GPU upgrade is bootcamp compatible

[macha-one]

Hi

I want to upgrade my mac pro 5.1 12 core running Sierra ( for now ) with a faster GPU.
It now has a AMD 280R9 with 3gb Ram.
I need bootcamp on my machine.
I understood that the rx580 does not support bootcamp.
What would be a bootcamp compatible GPU upgrade coming from the AMD280?

Is the new RX5700 ( XT ) an option?
I am willing to upgrade to Mojave if needed...

any advice highly appreciated.
thnx in advance

 

[crjackson2134]

I understood that the rx580 does not support bootcamp.

Do you mean pre-boot screens like the boot manger? The RX580 doesn’t support that out of the. box, but it works fine with a BootCamped Windows installation.

You can also get an MVC flashed RX580 that gives you all pre-boot screens so that your boot picker (boot manager) still works.

 

[macha-one]

thnx for your reply. So does that mean I can switch from mac os to windows without any hassle? Which RX580 would be MVV flashed? ( don t know what that is btw sorry for my ignorance )

 

[bsbeamer]

Believe that should be MVC, and see this link for more info on flashed Mojave GPUs:
http://www.macvidcards.com/store/c16/MacOS_10.14_Mojave_Compatible.html

 

[skizzo]

you can purchase a standard Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB (and other compatible RX580 variants from other manufacturers, such as Gigabyte, MSI, etc) and switch between Windows and macOS natively using the Startup Disk app or other third party apps.

if you were to purchase a "MVC flashed" version you are basically paying for the ability to hold the option key at boot startup to select your startup disk. Expect at least a $100 but more likely $150 surcharge for that ability.

The difference is ~$200 for a standard GPU and $350 for MVC flashed. personally having that feature is not worth that kind of upcharge to me. so just be sure to ask yourself if that is worth it to you before you make a purchase

 

[bsbeamer]

You can get Apple's own recommended Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB for under $160 if you shop around and are patient. Right now is $185 at Amazon and B&H.

 

[macha-one]

That clarifies a lot.
thnx bs beamer and skizzo!

Is it too early to consider the vega 56 or 64 or RX5700 or radeon VII?
these cards seem to perform much better even from what i read.
Want to jump in on the fastest possible card that is currently ( july 2019 ) available and working for the mac pro 5.1 with bootcamp option.

 

[skizzo]

I am itching to upgrade to one of the top of line GPUs too. So with that said I was holding out on the release Radeon VII, and then hearing about Navi I held off for that. So yes there are much better options than the RX580 when considering solely performance. I keep holding off my upgrade due to newer gear seems to keep changing my mind. There are some caveats of all four GPUs you listed though

Since you are still on Sierra I am not certain any of those GPUs will function, I am under the impression there are no drivers for any of those GPUs in Sierra. To run Vega 56 or 64 I think you want to be on High Sierra 10.13.4+

Radeon VII I think you will want to be on Mojave 10.14.5+

RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT were literally released this week so there are no drivers for macOS as of right now. Only time will tell if drivers will be introduced for Mojave or if it ends up being exclusive Catalina and future macOS releases

I believe Vega 56 can be powered by the internal mini 6 pins. Vega 64 and Radeon VII though use like 295 or 300 watts so you cannot get that from the mini 6 pins. You need to either use power from unused SATA ports, an external/auxiliary PSU, or mod the cMP's internal PSU with the Pixlas mod to power those GPUs properly.

I also believe there are fan behavior issues on the Vega 56/64 GPUs which was not corrected until a recent Mojave update, which again is 10.14.5

do you want the best GPU for gaming and/or workstation type tasks? Initial reports are suggesting the RX 5700 XT is pretty comparable to the Radeon VII for games, but if you have workstation type needs (such as video editing) then the 5700's sound like could be performing bad in that area. So that could be critical based on what you want to use the GPU for.

 

[crjackson2134]

Sorry for the typo (MVV should have read MVC), but @bsbeamer corrected it for me.

The information stands though. If you’re not looking for pre-boot screens, the Sapphire Pulse RX580 is the Apple recommended card.

If you need pre-boot screens (option boot, verbose boot, etc...) then the MVC flashed RX580 is an option (albeit expensive) you may consider too. It just depends on your particular needs. The non-flashed card works well for most people (including me).

Switching back and forth from win to macOS can be accomplished with Apple’s iMac Pro BootCamp driver for the BootCamp Control Panel (in Windows), and with the macOS Startup Disk applet in macOS settings. There are other options also, but this it the option I use.

 

[macha-one]

Such valuable feedback from you guys. A joy to read.

I do video editing.
Prepping my edit system for better 4k performance maybe even soon 8k.
On bootcamp windows I do real time graphics manipulations. The software i use runs mainly on the gpu.

I ll let your input sink in and slowly digest your shared knowledge.

Much appreciated.