MP 1,1-5,1 RX 580 performance improvements for macOS?

[eicca]

Got my Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB GPU firmware all sorted and it's running great. However, I get significantly worse gaming performance in macOS than Windows.

Overload playable teaser on max graphics drops into the 20fps range on macOS, but the same game on my Windows drive runs right around 60fps.

I can also play Call of Duty Warzone at 60fps at medium-high graphics settings, but playing Call of Duty 4 (the 2007 one) in macOS drops into the 30fps range. I get that there is quite a difference in age and engine programming with these games, but the fact that Overload runs better in Windows tells me it ain't running all that effectively on the macOS side.

Anything I can do, or is this just the nature of macOS drivers?

 

[kohlson]

Drivers improved from 13.6 on to the latest Mojave. Maybe even Catalina. Are you running the latest OS?

 

[eicca]

Drivers improved from 13.6 on to the latest Mojave. Maybe even Catalina. Are you running the latest OS?

Latest sanctioned OS, 10.14.6 or whatever the final release of Mojave is.

 

[MarkC426]

12gb of ram can't help, if your running big games.

 

[jeanlain]

If the game uses openGL, as it is the case of overload and CoD4, then more recent drivers aren't going to improve frame rates. Apple no longer supports openGL.
Though I am surprised that CoD4 does not run better on your system. What resolution are you using?
EDIT : I'm typically getting more than 100 fps at 1440p at max settings on my iMac with radeon Pro 580, Mojave 10.14.6.

 

[eicca]

If the game uses openGL, as it is the case of overload and CoD4, then more recent drivers aren't going to improve frame rates. Apple no longer supports openGL.
Though I am surprised that CoD4 does not run better on your system. What resolution are you using?

Makes sense. I'm running at 2560x1440, 60hz.

Don't think RAM is my issue. Warzone, Halo MCC, Overload, all runs great in Windows.

 

[t8er8]

Got my Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB GPU firmware all sorted and it's running great. However, I get significantly worse gaming performance in macOS than Windows.

Overload playable teaser on max graphics drops into the 20fps range on macOS, but the same game on my Windows drive runs right around 60fps.

I can also play Call of Duty Warzone at 60fps at medium-high graphics settings, but playing Call of Duty 4 (the 2007 one) in macOS drops into the 30fps range. I get that there is quite a difference in age and engine programming with these games, but the fact that Overload runs better in Windows tells me it ain't running all that effectively on the macOS side.

Anything I can do, or is this just the nature of macOS drivers?

Mac OS drivers are quite simple to start, they dont offer any sort of customization, but the big reason you’re running into disappointing fps in MacOS is because of poor porting to OpenGL from the developers. Many games are built with the DirectX API initially, since DirectX is a windows thing, they need to port it to OpenGL to be playable on Mac’s. Its not easy to port and be well optimized too, normally they do the bare minimum to port to mac’s, just to make it playable. Most ports are also 32 bit, limiting hardware usability like ram (max 4gb).

This is mostly the fault of the devs porting the game, not worrying about stability or optimization, so there isn’t much you can do about this. This is also partially because of how locked down and simple the MacOS drivers are, and the lack of a well built gaming API (yes Metal exists but apple barely cares about it themselves, and devs would take OpenGL over it).

 

[h9826790]

Not driver, but API, and optimisation.

The API for gaming in macOS still far behind DirectX. Not just much lower FPS. In fact, worse graphics (less effects) but still much lower FPS.

Also, almost no game out there is written for macOS. Most of them are developed on PC, tested on PC, optimised for PC. Then downgrade the graphics to fit consoles (Xbox is actually running Windows 10, and use DirectX for gaming).

There are few ways to make the same game run in macOS.

1) Re-write
2) port to macOS
3) VM

Option 1 isn't an option in general, too expensive and time consuming for a very little market.

Option 2 sometimes can do quite well (e.g. Tomb Raider). However, since DirectX cannot direct "translate" to the API that in macOS. Some features (graphic effects) will be lost. Also, the original optimisation won't applicable anymore. As t8er8 pointed out, the developer usually only do bare minimum to port the game. Again, the Mac gaming market is just too small. They can't afford to spend too many resources on it for little to no return.

Option 3 rarely do well, and a VM can never perform better than the host OS can do.

 

[eicca]

Well it's a good thing I saved my Windows 10 license for all those years because it looks like that's my best solution.