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Which RX580 card will fit in my 5.1 allowing me to fully use slot 2?
- Thread starter Inzajeano
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this sapphire pulse RX580 SAP 11265-05-20G (not the nitro+) is very well fit in a cMP in slot 1 and you can use slot2
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I tried this and found the fans protrude so I'm unable to use my Sonnet USB 3.0 card.
https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/194686/194686
I got this one .no obstruction whatsoever. 6 pin power input . It is not the best performing rx580 but the synthetic results are pretty good . Although osx reports it as 480 Windows reports it 580. I have played with the BIOS .and I was able to change the part number which reported the card as 580 in osx .
I have the MSI Armor MK2 RX 580 and it fits perfectly in slot one and does not interfere with my cards above it.
The spec sheets usually list the dimensions, start there.
Founder's Edition blower cards are 3.5 cm wide (1.38"). Those fit easily, with enough clearance for cooling. Anything wider than 3.5cm is a problem.
29.8 x 13.4 x5.25 Centimeter https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/ROG-STRIX-RX580-T8G-GAMING/specifications/ Way too wide!
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Got the Sapphire RX580 Pulse 8GB in the upper 16x slot and a Sonnet USB card just above; fits - but not with a heap of clearance though. Systems seems to run cool enough, though. The Nitro+ is indeed a 2.2 slot card; don't even bother trying to put that into a MacPro 4,1/5,1.
Sadly it did'ntfot for me. The fans were portruding and skimming the underside of my Sonnet card
Sorry to hear that the Sapphire Pulse 8GB RX580 interfered with your Sonnet card. I also have that card (and several other similar 2-fan RX580s and 570s from other vendors) and while the Sapphire Pulse is thicker than many similar cards, it has never interfered with my slot 2 cards. I've put an Amfeltec Squid (fully-populated with four NVMe SSDs) next to it with no issues, as well as a spare NVidia GT-120 video card, various Apple AHCI M.2 SSD to PCIe adapter cards, and a Highpoint RocketU 1144 4-port USB card.
MSI Armor cards are particularly thin relative to similar 2-fan, RX5xx designs.
Using an RX5xx in a cMP running Mac OS X, I can't think of a situation where 3 fans would be the difference between success and failure. I believe a dual-fan card would be equally useful/successful in those scenarios.
Also, your situation may constrain your card placement but remember that slot 2 has 16 PCIe lanes. The Sonnet Allegro 3.0 4-Port USB card (Mfr. PN: USB3-4PM-E, assuming that's the one you're using) only uses one (1) PCIe lane. 15/16 of slot 2's potential throughput goes unused if the slot is populated with a single lane card. Even the fastest 4-port USB 3.0 cards only use 4 lanes; I try to put USB 3.0 expansion cards in slot 3 or 4 whenever practical, saving slot 2 for higher-throughput devices (SSD arrays, 2nd Video Cards, etc.). Newer USB cards (3.1+) may use more lanes, so YMMV.
MSI Armor cards are particularly thin relative to similar 2-fan, RX5xx designs.
Using an RX5xx in a cMP running Mac OS X, I can't think of a situation where 3 fans would be the difference between success and failure. I believe a dual-fan card would be equally useful/successful in those scenarios.
Also, your situation may constrain your card placement but remember that slot 2 has 16 PCIe lanes. The Sonnet Allegro 3.0 4-Port USB card (Mfr. PN: USB3-4PM-E, assuming that's the one you're using) only uses one (1) PCIe lane. 15/16 of slot 2's potential throughput goes unused if the slot is populated with a single lane card. Even the fastest 4-port USB 3.0 cards only use 4 lanes; I try to put USB 3.0 expansion cards in slot 3 or 4 whenever practical, saving slot 2 for higher-throughput devices (SSD arrays, 2nd Video Cards, etc.). Newer USB cards (3.1+) may use more lanes, so YMMV.
Hi and thanks for you clear and concise reply - very useful.
I purchased a used Gigabyte Gaming RX 580 card but regardless I still need to rearrange my 2 NVME card, any suggestions for a Raid card? That will leave a slot free for a decent pcie wifi/Bluetooth card.
Regarding the GPU I purchased. I'd like to replace the fans , (90mm 4pin. any recommendations)?
You're welcome. A lot of people have been adding to the group knowledgebase re. multi-SSD carriers; I'd recommend reading their posts on the topic over the last year; their knowledge is a lot broader and newer than mine regarding the pros and cons of specific PCIe carrier cards. The only multi-SSD card I've tried is the older Amfeltec Squid card (PCIe 2.0 x 16 lane).
What I can say about multi-SSD cards is that you will want to use one that has an onboard PCIe switch. While not low-cost, that makes possible the speed gains one expects to see when RAIDing 2-4 SSDs in one 16-lane PCIe slot. Current-generation switching cards can also spread the speed of a single fast SSD across more lanes, allowing >2GB/s transfer rates (breaking the PCIe 2.0 single-drive speed limit we lived with since 2014-15). A good general overview is at:
https://blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/05/07/definitive-mac-pro-upgrade-guide.html#storageupgrades. He rightfully cites several post threads from this forum containing good information on the subject.
Switch cards are not inexpensive; one should include that cost when considering a multi-SSD RAID. Also remember that while we can now boot from NVMe with ROM v. 140.0.0.0.0 (a big plus), Apple is putting an end to the practice of booting from RAID volumes. And yes, this applies to SSDs that are partially-used by Raid volumes (you can't use 70% of an SSD in a RAID volume and 30% as a separate, unRAIDed boot volume). Given the current and future boot RAID restrictions, a single 2TB 970 EVO boot volume in one of your existing carriers might also be a credible option.
I'm running an Amfeltec Squid card (PCIe 2.0 x 16 lane) and have been entirely impressed with it. It holds 4 x 1TB Samsung 970 EVO NVME SSDs, and they are formatted and RAIDed using SoftRAID v.5.7.5. The system is very responsive using a 4-volume RAID 1+0 setup (HFS+), plus a small amount of the SSDs are set aside as a faster RAID-0 scratch volume. The boot volume is an Apple AHCI 1TB SM950 SSD (APFS) in a separate single-drive PCIe carrier. I've read some reviews lately where people are putting down the Squid 2.0 card; my $.02 is that it has always been a rock solid performer with no issues, and that it pushes the cMP about as close to it's limits as can be achieved. If other cards are better/less expensive/faster, that's even better for all of us!
I have seen people upgrade the onboard wifi and bluetooth cards; that may be a credible way to substantially improve both without needing to use a PCIe slot.
No recommendations on 90mm fans, although 4-pin fans are PWM units (different than 3-pin... you'll want to actually acquire PWM fans). Maybe Noctua, Arctic, or Cooler Master? They may also be custom fans that aren't easily modified to accept aftermarket units (Google fan upgrades for your card make/model). My Sapphire 580 (and all the other RX-5xx cards) spin their fans down to a stop right after boot and remain that way until they get some decent load, so replacing them isn't a high personal priority. If your other Mac fans are too loud, make sure to try Macs Fan Control. While it won't adjust your GPU fans, it controls all the others.
What I can say about multi-SSD cards is that you will want to use one that has an onboard PCIe switch. While not low-cost, that makes possible the speed gains one expects to see when RAIDing 2-4 SSDs in one 16-lane PCIe slot. Current-generation switching cards can also spread the speed of a single fast SSD across more lanes, allowing >2GB/s transfer rates (breaking the PCIe 2.0 single-drive speed limit we lived with since 2014-15). A good general overview is at:
https://blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/05/07/definitive-mac-pro-upgrade-guide.html#storageupgrades. He rightfully cites several post threads from this forum containing good information on the subject.
Switch cards are not inexpensive; one should include that cost when considering a multi-SSD RAID. Also remember that while we can now boot from NVMe with ROM v. 140.0.0.0.0 (a big plus), Apple is putting an end to the practice of booting from RAID volumes. And yes, this applies to SSDs that are partially-used by Raid volumes (you can't use 70% of an SSD in a RAID volume and 30% as a separate, unRAIDed boot volume). Given the current and future boot RAID restrictions, a single 2TB 970 EVO boot volume in one of your existing carriers might also be a credible option.
I'm running an Amfeltec Squid card (PCIe 2.0 x 16 lane) and have been entirely impressed with it. It holds 4 x 1TB Samsung 970 EVO NVME SSDs, and they are formatted and RAIDed using SoftRAID v.5.7.5. The system is very responsive using a 4-volume RAID 1+0 setup (HFS+), plus a small amount of the SSDs are set aside as a faster RAID-0 scratch volume. The boot volume is an Apple AHCI 1TB SM950 SSD (APFS) in a separate single-drive PCIe carrier. I've read some reviews lately where people are putting down the Squid 2.0 card; my $.02 is that it has always been a rock solid performer with no issues, and that it pushes the cMP about as close to it's limits as can be achieved. If other cards are better/less expensive/faster, that's even better for all of us!
I have seen people upgrade the onboard wifi and bluetooth cards; that may be a credible way to substantially improve both without needing to use a PCIe slot.
No recommendations on 90mm fans, although 4-pin fans are PWM units (different than 3-pin... you'll want to actually acquire PWM fans). Maybe Noctua, Arctic, or Cooler Master? They may also be custom fans that aren't easily modified to accept aftermarket units (Google fan upgrades for your card make/model). My Sapphire 580 (and all the other RX-5xx cards) spin their fans down to a stop right after boot and remain that way until they get some decent load, so replacing them isn't a high personal priority. If your other Mac fans are too loud, make sure to try Macs Fan Control. While it won't adjust your GPU fans, it controls all the others.
I think people should not spread false information for a lot of RX-580 "not interfering" with the second slot. There are only few of these cards (reference design), which do not interfere with the second slot. Every other RX580 INTERFERES. There is a lot of "workarounds", "Wedges" and so on, which can only mask the problem, increasing the stress on the card and premature failure.
I agree. Or maybe those people don't have cards that would overly intrude on the GPU and vice versa.
Nonetheless it'd be great if there were a database with this info. I've spent many hours on various forums in an attempt to get some solid answers based on real experiences.
I've ordered a Gigabyte Gaming RX 580 and will definitely report back with an update that will include pictures. Every little helps.
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Thanks again
Why would Apple end Raid support for startup? I'm quite dismayed with the direction Apples going in. The main reason I jumped ship from Windows was due to Apple supporting creatives but to be honest I've seen no real benefit in using a Mac thus far.
I have 2 x 1TB evos at the moment but will now consider a single 2TB like you've mentioned - I need a free slot to allow for wifi/Bluetooth card.
Such a shame we have to struggle just to make things work on something that should just work.
RX 580 PULSE should barely give clearance to cards that don’t have interfering components on the bottom side of the PCB. However, if (like in my case), the backplane doesn’t line up well to the rear slot openings, any card in slot two will be forced at an angle into the fan. I’ve been through this.
I have a pair of PCIE SSD cards from years back. One has the slot cover removed. The one without the slot cover slips right in and lines up perfectly (gravity would nullify that). As soon as the proper one is installed and everything is screwed in, it moves at a large angle and bangs into the graphics card. Ditching the Mac’s bracket and using traditional case screws does not fix things.
The day I received my 5,1 in 2012, it was patently obvious that the fit and finish was not up to the quality of the PowerMac G5 I had previously owned. So, at least these issues have met my lowered expectations....
EDIT/UPDATE: I was inside my Mac Pro, thinking up ways to utilise some of the unused space when I decided to go gangbusters on the pcie slots. I spent some time in there, manipulating the expansion cards, physically. I currently have all slots filled with a SAPPHIRE RX 580 PULSE sitting in slot 1. It was not easy. But I did it without any modifications.
I have a pair of PCIE SSD cards from years back. One has the slot cover removed. The one without the slot cover slips right in and lines up perfectly (gravity would nullify that). As soon as the proper one is installed and everything is screwed in, it moves at a large angle and bangs into the graphics card. Ditching the Mac’s bracket and using traditional case screws does not fix things.
The day I received my 5,1 in 2012, it was patently obvious that the fit and finish was not up to the quality of the PowerMac G5 I had previously owned. So, at least these issues have met my lowered expectations....
EDIT/UPDATE: I was inside my Mac Pro, thinking up ways to utilise some of the unused space when I decided to go gangbusters on the pcie slots. I spent some time in there, manipulating the expansion cards, physically. I currently have all slots filled with a SAPPHIRE RX 580 PULSE sitting in slot 1. It was not easy. But I did it without any modifications.
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I have this exact card in slot 1 and a fully populated Amfeltec Squid in slot 2.
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Have you guys found that the 580 gets noisier when a card is in slot 2, due to the lack of airflow and having to run the fans harder?
Sorry, I meant if it's in slot 1, but another card is very close to it in slot 2, as there is very little room!
No, not at all for me...
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Sorry, I misread your question. I thought you meant was it nosier if using the RX580 in Slot 2. I can't answer your question properly, since that's where mine is installed.
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