MP 1,1-5,1 RX580 not seem to be working on Mac Pro (Mid 2010)

[lijiaxuan]

Hello guys,
I've recently got a Mac Pro Mid 2010 and it seems to run decently well. I've used it as my linux machine for a while but then I wanted to upgrade its gpu. I acquired an HP-OEM AMD Radeon RX580, and it works just fine when I tested it on my other PC. However, after I installed it in the Mac Pro, it just cannot output anything no matter I connected my monitor to the HDMI or the Displayport. I then tried swapping in a Radeon RX5500, but still nothing. I am using a dual 6-pin pcie power to 8-pin adapter I got on Amazon to power the cards, and it seems to fit well, but I just don't know if that is the problem. Only the original card is able to output the video and take me to the graphic login screen at this point.
Best regards,
William

 

[keksikuningas]

What macOS are you using? Are you on Mojave?

 

[tsialex]

Hello guys,
I've recently got a Mac Pro Mid 2010 and it seems to run decently well. I've used it as my linux machine for a while but then I wanted to upgrade its gpu. I acquired an HP-OEM AMD Radeon RX580, and it works just fine when I tested it on my other PC. However, after I installed it in the Mac Pro, it just cannot output anything no matter I connected my monitor to the HDMI or the Displayport. I then tried swapping in a Radeon RX5500, but still nothing. I am using a dual 6-pin pcie power to 8-pin adapter I got on Amazon to power the cards, and it seems to fit well, but I just don't know if that is the problem. Only the original card is able to output the video and take me to the graphic login screen at this point.
Best regards,
William

Your RX 580 is a 2304SPs or a 2048 one? 2048SPs are fakes and won't work with macOS. You can check with Windows and GPU-Z.

A real RX 580 is supported by 10.12.6 on wards, test with a clean install of High Sierra or Mojave WITHOUT OC/OCLP.

Do not use OCLP installed macOS for testing GPUs, OCLP removes the drivers for any other GPU but the GPU that you used for installing OCLP and you can't change the GPU after that.

RX 5500 is not supported by macOS before Catalina.

 

[lijiaxuan]

What macOS are you using? Are you on Mojave?

Debian Linux

 

[lijiaxuan]

Your RX 580 is a 2304SPs or a 2048 one? 2048SPs are fakes and won't work with macOS. You can check with Windows and GPU-Z.

A real RX 580 is supported by 10.12.6 on wards, test with a clean install of High Sierra or Mojave WITHOUT OC/OCLP.

Do not use OCLP installed macOS for testing GPUs, OCLP removes the drivers for any other GPU but the GPU that you used for installing OCLP and you can't change the GPU after that.

RX 5500 is not supported by macOS before Catalina.

It is a 2304 SP version

 

[tsialex]

It is a 2304 SP version

Install High Sierra with the AppleOEM GPU, fully updated it and then install the RX 580, this way you can test if the GPU works or not. Do not use OCLP.

Btw, with a MacPro5,1 you won't have pre-boot configuration support with a PC GPU, your RX 580 will only work after macOS/Windows/Linux loads the GPU drivers. To overcome this limitation you'll need to inject EnableGop to the MacPro firmware or to the GPU firmware to have pre boot configuration support with your UEFI GOP supported GPU.

 

[lijiaxuan]

Install High Sierra with the AppleOEM GPU, fully updated it and then install the RX 580, this way you can test if the GPU works or not. Do not use OCLP.

Btw, with a MacPro5,1 you won't have pre-boot configuration support with a PC GPU, your RX 580 will only work after macOS/Windows/Linux loads the GPU drivers. To overcome this limitation you'll need to inject EnableGop to the MacPro firmware or to the GPU firmware to have pre boot configuration support with your UEFI GOP supported GPU.

Thanks so much. Could you please provide a link to a tutorial about updating the machine's bios to enable EnableGOP? Thanks.

 

[tsialex]

Thanks so much. Could you please provide a link to a tutorial about updating the machine's bios to enable EnableGOP? Thanks.

Before even thinking about that you need to install High Sierra and test the GPU.

If you GPU does not work with High Sierra, is a moot point to inject EnableGop and you'll need macOS to flash the BootROM anyway.

This is the reference thread about EnableGop, do not forget that any error will brick your Mac Pro.

EnableGop: Pre-OpenCore GOP support for EFI-era iMacs and Mac Pros

You wait ten years for a driver to enable pre-boot graphics on unsupported GPUs in EFI era Macs, and then two come along at once... This post is to announce a firmware driver to enable the native Apple boot picker and early macOS boot progress bar (plus other parts of the firmware UI: target...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[lijiaxuan]

Install High Sierra with the AppleOEM GPU, fully updated it and then install the RX 580, this way you can test if the GPU works or not. Do not use OCLP.

Btw, with a MacPro5,1 you won't have pre-boot configuration support with a PC GPU, your RX 580 will only work after macOS/Windows/Linux loads the GPU drivers. To overcome this limitation you'll need to inject EnableGop to the MacPro firmware or to the GPU firmware to have pre boot configuration support with your UEFI GOP supported GPU.

Thanks

Before even thinking about that you need to install High Sierra and test the GPU.

If you GPU does not work with High Sierra, is a moot point to inject EnableGop and you'll need macOS to flash the BootROM anyway.

This is the reference thread about EnableGop, do not forget that any error will brick your Mac Pro.

EnableGop: Pre-OpenCore GOP support for EFI-era iMacs and Mac Pros

You wait ten years for a driver to enable pre-boot graphics on unsupported GPUs in EFI era Macs, and then two come along at once... This post is to announce a firmware driver to enable the native Apple boot picker and early macOS boot progress bar (plus other parts of the firmware UI: target...

forums.macrumors.com

Thanks for the note. I'll try

 

[lijiaxuan]

Before even thinking about that you need to install High Sierra and test the GPU.

If you GPU does not work with High Sierra, is a moot point to inject EnableGop and you'll need macOS to flash the BootROM anyway.

This is the reference thread about EnableGop, do not forget that any error will brick your Mac Pro.

EnableGop: Pre-OpenCore GOP support for EFI-era iMacs and Mac Pros

You wait ten years for a driver to enable pre-boot graphics on unsupported GPUs in EFI era Macs, and then two come along at once... This post is to announce a firmware driver to enable the native Apple boot picker and early macOS boot progress bar (plus other parts of the firmware UI: target...

forums.macrumors.com

There is one thing though. When I tried installing High Sierra, it prompts that a firmware upgrade is required. I then tried 'updating' as instructed, but nothing happened. In order to install high sierra, I installed an empty hdd to the machine. I just don't have any drive with Mac OS installed on it. Should I go and install sierra instead and upgrade later?

 

[tsialex]

Start from Sierra, do all the steps here:

MacPro5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (10.13/10.14 BootROM upgrades instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

To run Mojave there are two steps of firmware upgrade, first to MP51.0089.B00, the firmware version that High Sierra will install and then Mojave will install 144.0.0.0.0.

You'll gonna need 144.0.0.0.0 already installed for EnableGop.

 

[lijiaxuan]

Start from Sierra, do all the steps here:

MacPro5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (10.13/10.14 BootROM upgrades instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

To run Mojave there are two steps of firmware upgrade, first to MP51.0089.B00, the firmware version that High Sierra will install and then Mojave will install 144.0.0.0.0.

You'll gonna need 144.0.0.0.0 already installed for EnableGop.

Thank you.

 

[lijiaxuan]

Thank you.

Hello, I did exactly as stated, and now it seems like my rx580 is outputting video signal. However, all I can get is a white screen and I don't know how to make it display high sierra UI.

 

[tsialex]

Hello, I did exactly as stated, and now it seems like my rx580 is outputting video signal. However, all I can get is a white screen and I don't know how to make it display high sierra UI.

Are you sure the GPU even works or have the factory installed GPU firmware instead a mining one?

A working RX 580 2304SPs still with the factory installed firmware works without doing absolutely nothing with High Sierra - just install the GPU, power on and it will display after the GPU drivers are loaded midway boot.

Maybe cut your losses and get one that works.

 

[tsialex]

Also test all the GPU outputs, some GPUs that doesnt follow AMD reference design have weird output configuration that is not what the Apple GPU drivers expect, so, not all outputs works.

To me seems most probable is that the GPU is either defective or have a mining firmware installed, which the Mac Pro EFI will reject/ignore since not signed/incorrectly signed firmwares are NOT ALLOWED by Apple EFI since at least 2008.

 

[lijiaxuan]

Also test all the GPU outputs, some GPUs that doesnt follow AMD reference design have weird output configuration that is not what the Apple GPU drivers expect, so, not all outputs works.

To me seems most probable is that the GPU is either defective or have a mining firmware installed, which the Mac Pro EFI will reject/ignore since not signed/incorrectly signed firmwares are NOT ALLOWED by Apple EFI since at least 2008.

Yeah I think this is the most probable reason. The gpu works perfectly on PC, but also this CPU has no dvi output so I am sure it doesn't follow the standard design guide. I will go ahead and purchase a sapphire pulse rx570/580 instead.

 

[tsialex]

Yeah I think this is the most probable reason. The gpu works perfectly on PC, but also this CPU has no dvi output so I am sure it doesn't follow the standard design guide. I will go ahead and purchase a sapphire pulse rx570/580 instead.

Working with a PC do not say much more besides that the GPU can show a display. A BIOS/CSM based PC will not reject a mining firmware. PCs can be BIOS or UEFI, UEFI have classes, a class 4 UEFI PC (probably you need a Intel 12th and newer with no CSM support and full SecureBoot) to have more or less the same security restrictions as a MacPro5,1, like only running signed OPROM and no CSM support.

So, maybe the PC you tested is just too laxed on security and is running the GPU firmware as BIOS/CSM unsigned.

There are Polaris GPUs that does not have DVI outputs and follow the reference design, like the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100.

 

[lijiaxuan]

Working with a PC do not say much more besides that the GPU can show a display. A BIOS/CSM based PC will not reject a mining firmware. PCs can be BIOS or UEFI, UEFI have classes, a class 4 UEFI PC (probably you need a Intel 12th and newer with no CSM support and full SecureBoot) to have more or less the same security restrictions as a MacPro5,1, like only running signed OPROM and no CSM support.

So, maybe the PC you tested is just too laxed on security and is running the GPU firmware as BIOS/CSM unsigned.

There are Polaris GPUs that does not have DVI outputs and follow the reference design, like the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100.

For sure. My daily driver pc is an Intel 9th gen monster with all kinds of random expansion cards, so yeah, I guess that's probably why. Thanks so much for your active help and I hope that the new gpu will work.

 

[lijiaxuan]

For sure. My daily driver pc is an Intel 9th gen monster with all kinds of random expansion cards, so yeah, I guess that's probably why. Thanks so much for your active help and I hope that the new gpu will work.

Little update here. It worked with a sapphire rx580 8gb, so I think I can mark this as resolved.
Big thanks especially to @tsialex. I've learned a lot under your help, and I would like to thank you again for that.