MP 1,1-5,1 MP 5,1 Windows 10 gaming GPU - no MacOS

[russkny]

Hey guys,

Hoping to get some recommendations. I've read as many threads as I could find, but still not sure which GPU to choose.

I know it might sound dumb, but I'm planning to use my Mac Pro 5,1 (mid-2010) solely as a Windows 10 machine to play MS Flight Simulator 2020 until the game comes out on Xbox. Getting a dedicated gaming PC just seems too costly, especially since I only usually game on Xbox.

Currently I have a Radeon RX 580 installed (dual-booting into Windows 10 and Mojave, 144 BootROM), but it can barely sustain stable 30 fps even at low-medium settings and 1080p. My monitor is 1440p so I'd like to play at native resolution, a stable 30+ fps and hopefully medium-high settings.

What would be a better GPU than RX 580, that (preferably) wouldn't require any power mods if I don't care about booting into MacOS for the time being? Oh and also cost under $500

I'm seeing that RX 5700 XT seems like it might be a good choice, but would NVIDIA offerings be better (in terms of power requirements) in my particular case? Perhaps RTX 2060/2070 Super? I didn't see these on the GPU compatibility list, but did see some threads where it looks like people were able to use them inside MP 5,1 running Windows 10.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Flint Ironstag]

Might check the new Nvidia cards announced today.

 

[t8er8]

Hey guys,

Hoping to get some recommendations. I've read as many threads as I could find, but still not sure which GPU to choose.

I know it might sound dumb, but I'm planning to use my Mac Pro 5,1 (mid-2010) solely as a Windows 10 machine to play MS Flight Simulator 2020 until the game comes out on Xbox. Getting a dedicated gaming PC just seems too costly, especially since I only usually game on Xbox.

Currently I have a Radeon RX 580 installed (dual-booting into Windows 10 and Mojave, 144 BootROM), but it can barely sustain stable 30 fps even at low-medium settings and 1080p. My monitor is 1440p so I'd like to play at native resolution, a stable 30+ fps and hopefully medium-high settings.

What would be a better GPU than RX 580, that (preferably) wouldn't require any power mods if I don't care about booting into MacOS for the time being? Oh and also cost under $500

I'm seeing that RX 5700 XT seems like it might be a good choice, but would NVIDIA offerings be better (in terms of power requirements) in my particular case? Perhaps RTX 2060/2070 Super? I didn't see these on the GPU compatibility list, but did see some threads where it looks like people were able to use them inside MP 5,1 running Windows 10.

Thanks in advance!

Might be a little over your price range but those brand new nvidia cards like the RTX 3070 comes out in october and are surprisingly “cheap” for what you’re getting, the 3070 is 500MSRP and itll give you clearance for at least the next 5 years of games handling anything at 1440p easily.

also don’t worry about compatibility with mac, once you’re a windows machine theres practically no difference

 

[lukesturr]

This benchmark/review is pretty handy information when picking a GPU for MS Flight Sim 2020:

• 1080P Ultra GPU Chart
• 1440P Ultra GPU Chart
• 2160P Ultra GPU Chart

From these charts it seems like the RTX 2060 Super or RX 5700 XT would perform pretty well, but you need to keep the age and speed of your CPU in mind. I'd recommend the 2060 Super since it has a single 8-pin power connector that can be connected using this dual mini 6-pin to 8-pin adapter. The 5700 XT is trickier since it needs an 8-pin and a 6-pin. You might be able to use an EVGA powerlink with some 6-pin to 8-pin adapters (and your original mini 6-pin adapters) to balance the load on the back plane or you could do the Pixla's mod if you want unlimited GPU options.

 

[russkny]

Thanks everyone! The new RTX 3070 is tempting, but I don’t know if I want to wait that long ?

I think I might go with 2060 Super or 2070 (Super, if I work up the courage to do the Pixla’s mod.)

Thanks for linking those charts @lukesturr, those are definitely helpful! Is there any reason to choose 2060 Super over 2070? I see that some 2060 Super cards have a higher Boost Clock speed, but does that mean it’ll perform better than a standard 2070?

Cheers!

 

[lukesturr]

Thanks everyone! The new RTX 3070 is tempting, but I don’t know if I want to wait that long ?

I think I might go with 2060 Super or 2070 (Super, if I work up the courage to do the Pixla’s mod.)

Thanks for linking those charts @lukesturr, those are definitely helpful! Is there any reason to choose 2060 Super over 2070? I see that some 2060 Super cards have a higher Boost Clock speed, but does that mean it’ll perform better than a standard 2070?

Cheers!

You're welcome! Like the 5700 XT, the 2070 Super needs 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power which complicates things. Looking at the benchmarks, the 2070 Super would only get you about 5 more FPS on average than the 2060 Super at 1440p Ultra settings, which doesn't justify the cost imo.

Edit: My bad. misread your post. The 2060 Super and 2070 (founders editions) are very similar cards, it all comes down to price and availability.