MSI R9 280X 6GB VRAM - yes 6GB VRAM

[stmp]

Been following a few different GPU threads here and other places, and it seems like the R9 280X 3GB VRAM version is the most powerful AMD GPU that will run in the cMP. One of the EFI geniuses at Netkas even wrote an EFI for it that will enable boot screens.

For many of us still keen on running cMPs for years to come, the 6GB version of the R9 280X seems to be the holy grail of aftermarket GPUs.

(Assuming that official Mac Versions of either Nvidia or AMD GPUS will not be updated again due to the nMP design).

In addition to just being a beastly, beefy GPU with a ridiculous amount of VRAM, it has two 6 pin power connections, so if the leaked specs are correct, than it will run reliably within the limits of the cMP power supply.

Pertinent links:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/msi-radeon-r9-290x-280x,25632.html

http://www.hardware-360.com/msi-prepping-two-new-amd-graphics-cards-for-ces/

The purpose of this thread is to collect and consolidate any information on the R9 280X 6GB model - that's the 6GB version, NOT the 3GB model - in hopes of enabling PCIe V.2 link speeds and any EFI/rom (sorry I still don't quite comprehend the difference between EFI and rom) that will allow boot screens under OS X.

Thanks much for reading and for any info you might have to share!

 

[666sheep]

Great news. 2x 6pin is impossible on 280x, though. Regular 280x TwinFrozr has 6+8, like all Tahiti XT/XT2/XTL cards do. I hope that they're improved cooling. 3GB one was getting a little hot under load. 270x looks promising as well. I'll be waiting for pricing and availability. Thanks for sharing.

 

[stmp]

Cool + totally agree re: power, but check out the image in the second link in my first post.

I'm including the images here for reference. Perhaps it's not a reliable source but we can hope!

Would have included direct links to these images but could not find anything other than what I shared in post #1.

 

[Bonkersbanana]

pointless to plug in 5,1 pro. PCIE 2.0 will throttle card hard for good 3d works etc, thats what happened to my 680 4gb, 2.0 slowed it down and 680MX in iMac (theoretically identical card, with lower clock) had pcie 3.0 and wins hard over mac pro.

 

[stmp]

Do you think the 2.0 will be throttled due to the high amount of VRAM?

Other research seems to show that the 680 and 7970 will not saturate the PCIe 2 connection:

http://www.overclock.net/t/1188376/hardwarecanucks-hd-7970-pci-e-3-0-vs-pci-e-2-0-comparison


http://www.techpowerup.com/mobile/reviews/Intel/Ivy_Bridge_PCI-Express_Scaling/23.html

Thanks for sharing your experience, hopefully it doesn't hold true with the R9 280X, which is an update on the 7970.

 

[spookybathtub]

You can see in Newegg's high-res photo that the card has one 6-pin and one 8-pin connector, but the package includes an 8 to 6 adapter cable.

 

[theone29]

I just picked on one. I spent the last two days researching to see if I can flash it. Can anyone confirm if it is? Thank you.

 

[h9826790]

I just picked on one. I spent the last two days researching to see if I can flash it. Can anyone confirm if it is? Thank you.

If it's a dual ROM card, then just flash it, you can't brick it anyway.

If only same as the others case (can boot, can show boot screen, but not completely stable). Then I think it's OK to leave one ROM has the Mac EFI for emergency use, but using the PC ROM for daily use.