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h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,614
8,546
Hong Kong
Thank you man. I can see there are 2 flavors of this GPU. The 4GB and 8GB. Any would do?
It also seems to have an 8 pin connector. I assume a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter is required?
The eGPU kit use 8GB card, that should be safer. But in reality, doesn't really matter (in terms of compatibility and stability. Of course, for capacity and performance, 8GB is better).

You need a "DUAL mini 6pin to single 8pin" cable.

if you can't get that cable easily. Due to you already has two "mini 6pin to 6pin" cables, you can also buy a "DUAL 6pin FEMALE to single 8pin" cable, and use them in combination.
 
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sfalatko

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2016
584
322
The eGPU kit use 8GB card, that should be safer. But in reality, doesn't really matter (in terms of compatibility and stability. Of course, for capacity and performance, 8GB is better).

You need a "DUAL mini 6pin to single 8pin" cable.

if you can't get that cable easily. Due to you already has two "mini 6pin to 6pin" cables, you can also buy a "DUAL 6pin FEMALE to single 8pin" cable, and use them in combination.
I was able to find one fairly easily on Amazon (US). Here's what I purchased that is working fine with a RX580 - Dual mini 6-Pin to single 8-Pin cable.

I would suggest specifically the Sapphire Radeon RX580 8GByte as it definitely fits the double wide slot 1 in the cMP without impinging on the card in slot 2

Also - you should consider a BootROM reconstruction from @tsialex that could get you to 144.0.0.0 with EnableGop included. It would have the added benefit of giving you a clean ROM that would provide protection from bricking, etc.
 
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sfalatko

macrumors 6502a
Sep 24, 2016
584
322
Excuse my ignorance. What is a BootRom reconstruction?
The bootrom is what allows your cMP to startup and initialize all the hardware components. It is also where some data is stored. Over time it can become corrupted and the garbage collection routines can fail. As an insurance policy you can get your bootrom rebuilt (reconstructed). On the forum @tsialex has reconstructed many user's bootroms - mine included.

You send @tsialex your current BootROM image dump, pictures of the MLB and ESN labels and the SystemInformation report. Your current BootROM image dump is validated against the data from the labels, all checksums verified, all modules checked if are the current versions, then everything is upgraded, NVRAM volume cleaned, BootROM reconstructed and tested. After all that, a never booted BootROM image for your Mac Pro is sent.

@tsialex can message with instructions on what you need send him, how to gather the info, and what his fee is at the moment. It is something I would highly recommend as the hardware chip that stores the bootrom code has a finite life and the bootrom code can be corrupted in many ways. Many folks with a cMP 5,1 refresh their clean, reconstructed bootrom every 90 days or so to avoid a bricked computer.

@tsialex and a few other can explain it much better than I can but I've described the general idea.

Regards,
tfalatko
 

polanskiman

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2010
176
45
Thank you. I was aware about what a BootROM is just didn't know it could be reconstructed.
I'll give it some thought.
 

MrScratchHook

macrumors 6502
Dec 17, 2022
251
80
United States
Thank you. I was aware about what a BootROM is just didn't know it could be reconstructed.
I'll give it some thought.
Hello, if i may just add a bit more, but these guys gave you great advice, the saffire pulse Rx 580 8gb is theee best bet, the saffire nitro plus rx 580 will block the second slot pcie so you really want the pulse since your a light user. if you dont already have an ssd 2.5 sata get one, i think 1 tb is good which if need be you can partition into two halves, my suggestion is a samsung 850 or 860, the 870 is problematic on these grandma's so dont use them, as far as nvme ssd you can get a simple pcie controller and get a samsung 970 evo they do work a little faster than ssd but much better than hdd, and finally once you get mojave running and you want to move forward then thats another conversation about opencore which really works wonders...
 
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polanskiman

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2010
176
45
Hello, if i may just add a bit more, but these guys gave you great advice, the saffire pulse Rx 580 8gb is theee best bet, the saffire nitro plus rx 580 will block the second slot pcie so you really want the pulse since your a light user. if you dont already have an ssd 2.5 sata get one, i think 1 tb is good which if need be you can partition into two halves, my suggestion is a samsung 850 or 860, the 870 is problematic on these grandma's so dont use them, as far as nvme ssd you can get a simple pcie controller and get a samsung 970 evo they do work a little faster than ssd but much better than hdd, and finally once you get mojave running and you want to move forward then thats another conversation about opencore which really works wonders...
Thanks man. I already have an SSD in there which works fine + 3 other HDD that I use for storage and testing. I am not planning on bringing this machine to the edge but rather refresh the OS to something more of this era ;)! Anywhere between Catalina and Monterey will be fine.
 
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MrScratchHook

macrumors 6502
Dec 17, 2022
251
80
United States
Thanks man. I already have an SSD in there which works fine + 3 other HDD that I use for storage and testing. I am not planning on bringing this machine to the edge but rather refresh the OS to something more of this era ;)! Anywhere between Catalina and Monterey will be fine.
understood. that will take a metal video card like asaffire pulse rx 580 and opencore. happy experimenting and good luck
 

eetu1923

macrumors newbie
Oct 12, 2023
3
0
Ok i have finally read through this thread but im not really sure here. I have sapphire rx 570 8gb which i have been using without bootscreen to boot on windows and Mojave and someone told me to get me a Geforce GTX 1070 and Flash a rom onto it but oh my, where and how do i do that without sending it over to that macvidcards guy? is it possible? or can that be done to the RX 570 ?
 

eetu1923

macrumors newbie
Oct 12, 2023
3
0
Since there is this GOP-enabler around, all this MVC-you-are-stealing-my-property-dilemma might finally well be a thing of the past!

I just planted this into the ROMs of a GeForce GTX 1070 as well as a Radeon RX 570. Both have their own minor edits to be made to the header of the image (Device-/Vendor-ID and some more) and the Radeon ROM had to be truncated a bit to still fit on the chip. But then it all worked like a charm! Bootscreen with the Boot Picker working. No difference to a "real" flashed card visible. No messing around with soldering chips. Nothing.
I see that Mr flyproductions has the exact same models i have but i hardly understood how did he do it.. help please.
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,056
13,273
Ok i have finally read through this thread but im not really sure here. I have sapphire rx 570 8gb which i have been using without bootscreen to boot on windows and Mojave and someone told me to get me a Geforce GTX 1070 and Flash a rom onto it but oh my, where and how do i do that without sending it over to that macvidcards guy? is it possible? or can that be done to the RX 570 ?

You can inject EnableGop to your Mac Pro BootROM or even to the own GPU firmware. If it's something outside of your comfort zone, my paid BootROM reconstruction service already includes EnableGop.
 

eetu1923

macrumors newbie
Oct 12, 2023
3
0
You can inject EnableGop to your Mac Pro BootROM or even to the own GPU firmware. If it's something outside of your comfort zone, my paid BootROM reconstruction service already includes EnableGop.
Oh ok this is awesome can you give me more info on your service my friend? :) i may try to do it myself but its never a bad thing to relly on an expert :)
 

polanskiman

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2010
176
45
The biggest concern is that you cannot run this GPU in El Capitan. So, you have to plan your upgrade path properly. e.g. Upgrade to latest HS with you 4870, then swap in the RX580, and further upgrade to latest Mojave (to get the 144.0.0.0.0 firmware), then apply EnableGop to that 144.0.0.0.0 BootROM, then further upgrade to Monterey (latest macOS that can be loaded via OpenCore without any system file patching) or Ventura (need system files patching via OCLP)
You need a "DUAL mini 6pin to single 8pin" cable.
I got the RX580 and the cable.
So I upgraded my installation to High Sierra. Swaped the 4870 for the RX580. No boot screen as expected but the screen doesn't turn on at all after Mac OS HS is loaded. Fans on the RX580 are turning so it is powered.
I accessed HS through Teamviewer to check what's all this is about. This is what I see:

IMG_1364.jpg
IMG_1365.PNG


What's all this about? GPU is dead? Am I missing something? I tried with both DVI and HDMI cables.
 
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ToniCH

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2020
531
587
I am annoyed with myself. I bought the Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB (the one without the BIOS switch). Flashed a BIOS to it and it worked fine in my cMP 5,1. Except I didn't get the boot picker, even with the latest 144.0.0.0 EnableGop ROM -version on my 5,1.

So, I was told that the GPU BIOS is not the right one (to work with the Gop-stuff) after all. After some investigation I found a thread on the forum where a proper Bios was listed and I today tried to flash it but received an error, something about mismatch in device id or something. So, more investigation and found 2 more ROM-options in TechPowerUp database which were listed to be compatible with the one I have installed (and same E3xx -number on all of them). Decided to try if any of them would work better. Took the first one, same Id but a newer version. Flashed successfully but after a boot I have black screen now on both the Win10 and Mac -machines. :confused:

Installed another GPU to the PC, it booted fine. Then installed the RX580 with it but no boot when the RX580 is installed. Crap... So, I guess I bricked it. :mad:

Had to install the GTX 780 Ti to get my cMP back alive. Wonder if there is a way to reset the RX580 or if it scrap now?
 
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h9826790

macrumors P6
Apr 3, 2014
16,614
8,546
Hong Kong
I got the RX580 and the cable.
So I upgraded my installation to High Sierra. Swaped the 4870 for the RX580. No boot screen as expected but the screen doesn't turn on at all after Mac OS HS is loaded. Fans on the RX580 are turning so it is powered.
I accessed HS through Teamviewer to check what's all this is about. This is what I see:

View attachment 2294522 View attachment 2294521

What's all this about? GPU is dead? Am I missing something? I tried with both DVI and HDMI cables.
You got the wrong GPU.

That's not the normal RX580 (Device ID 67DF), but the RX580 2048SP (Device ID 6FDF).

macOS only has driver for RX580, but not RX580 2048SP.
 

polanskiman

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2010
176
45
Search the thread and forums here - some have had success flashing with a RX570 vbios.
I will return the GPU if I can and find the normal RX580. If seller doesn’t agree then as a last resort I’ll try and flash it, because as is, it’s just a paper weight for me.
 

Dayo

macrumors 68020
Dec 21, 2018
2,231
1,267
Here are instructions on how to amend the vBIOS which seems better than trying to flash misc ones at random.
 
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tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,056
13,273
Here are instructions on how to amend the vBIOS which seems better than trying to flash misc ones at random.

I’ve used this same trick before and it works perfectly WHEN the GPU still have the factory firmware, not always the case with eBay/AliExpress GPUs.
 

polanskiman

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2010
176
45
Here are instructions on how to amend the vBIOS which seems better than trying to flash misc ones at random.
I’ve used this same trick before and it works perfectly WHEN the GPU still have the factory firmware, not always the case with eBay/AliExpress GPUs.
I think this is a legit RX580 2048SP with factory firmware. After some research it seems you mostly find this model in Thailand. I haven't been able so far to find the normal RX580. Card was bought on local market and seller said it was reset to factory settings. I have the feeling though that this card was used for mining. I'll keep looking since I really don't want to have to manipulate the vbios.
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,056
13,273
I think this is a legit RX580 2048SP with factory firmware. After some research it seems you mostly find this model in Thailand. I haven't been able so far to find the normal RX580. Card was bought on local market and seller said it was reset to factory settings. I have the feeling though that this card was used for mining. I'll keep looking since I really don't want to have to manipulate the vbios.

RX 580 2048SP were made specifically for the Chinese/Vietnamese markets when GPU prices exploded - some were made with graphic processors initially binned for RX 570 cards, some were made with RX 580s that had failed SPs and everything else, like NOS RX 470/480 processors. Now the auction sites/marketplaces are flooded with these cards even here (Brazil).

It's a very good and cheap GPU, unfortunately takes some some fiddling around to make it work with macOS.

If you can get a supported model out-of-the-box, go for it.

P.S.:

Even Dell did this type of cheating, the very common Dell RX 580 is in reality an Ellesmere RX 480 with a firmware mod for RX 580 PCIe id.
 
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polanskiman

macrumors regular
Feb 12, 2010
176
45
RX 580 2048SP were made specifically for the Chinese/Vietnamese
Indeed it's a Chineses SKU but like most things in Thailand, they come from China.
If I really can't find the normal RX580 I'll just try hacking the vbios and changing the ID. The only issue as of now is I don't have a windows machine to do that 😅
 
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