MP 1,1-5,1 Obsolete, Use OpenCore instead | What you need to do to make Catalina work with MacPro5,1

[tsialex]

Comparisons for various Radeon cards in Heaven benchmark, all on Medium/2xAA/1920x1080 all on a vanilla Catalina install on the same machine.

RX 580
View attachment 871049

Vega 56
View attachment 871050

RX 5700 XT
View attachment 871053

the 5700 XT card draws around 220W during high load with instantaneous peeks up to around 260W. The reference board spec for the card is 225W so I’m quite happy running it on an un-modified 5,1.

I think what the benchmarks tell us is that the Navi drivers have a little way to go yet to see the cards full potential. I’m certainly already happy with the figures when taking into account the power draw of this card when compared to a Vega 64.

Im happy to run other benchmarks if you think they will help, but don’t want to muddy this thread as it’s off topic, so may create another thread for that.

Stu

Post it here, AMD Polaris, Vega, & Navi GPU macOS Support, we are discussing about Navi there.

 

[w1z]

@stupots Thanks for sharing. How are the noise levels and temperature readings with the reference 5700XT?

Moderators: Please delete or move post to https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/amd-polaris-vega-navi-gpu-macos-support.2083168/

Thanks!

 

[star-affinity]

@stupots You have the standard 5700 XT? I saw a test of a 5700 XT from MSI (overclocked with custom cooling and what not) and it could draw up to 390W on a chart there (Swedish website SweClockers):

https://cdn.sweclockers.com/artikel/diagram/18307?key=985a7a0bc0f8ab873e964220e1b8e4c1

 

[tsialex]

Please let's keep the thread on topic and continue the Navi/RX 5700XT discussion here:

AMD Polaris, Vega, & Navi GPU macOS Support

Comparisons for various Radeon cards in Heaven benchmark, all on Medium/2xAA/1920x1080 all on a vanilla Catalina install on the same machine. RX 580 (Sapphire Nitro+) RX Vega 56 (Reference blower model) RX 5700 XT (Reference blower model) Geekbench 5 results for the 5700 XT were: Metal...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[tsialex]

I have installed Catalina using "dosdude" Patcher in my Mac Pro 5,1. It is working fluently with no issues after three days of use. My old Broadcom Wifi card is even working.

I am a follower of "Tsialex". I think he is a genious. I am completely grateful for his job here. I was able to transform my MacPro 4,1 in 5,1 and doing all changes to have Mojave even although I am just a simple user.

I know "tsiaiex" recommend a native Catalina and not a patched one.

I wonder what kind of problems could I have using my patched Catalina vs a native Catalina using the procedures described here. All considering I´d need a new wifi card ( 40 to 70 euros in Ebay ) and it seems there are no options of direct updating from both procedures.

First, I'm not a genius, nowhere near… I'm just determined.

Let me explain why I'm always recommending to install and use un-patched Catalina, these are the main motives that I recall now:

1. A MP5,1 with an upgraded AirPort Extreme AC, don't need any patches at all, you run exactly the same install as any supported Mac.
2. You are running exactly the same code as a Catalina supported Mac and can install your drive on a supported Mac, or my preferred way, use a direct hardware VM with Fusion/Parallels, and do software updates. With a patched Catalina you will have problems doing it and every time you will have to install an updated patched Catalina over your current install since you can't update it.
3. Documentation, this is a pet-peeve of mine and will seem stupid for most, but the patches don't have a central repository with versioning/release logs, if you need to debug/audit something about a patch you will have to do endless searches to try to find something. I know that for most people here this is not a problem, but it's for me and it's unsustainable in the long run.
4. Security/compliance, another that for most people it's not a problem, but you can be in trouble running patched macOS. People commented here more than once about this.

Anyway, it's a personal decision to do it one way or another. In the long run, running a direct hardware VM to install/update will be easier and a lot more maintainable, while you have to spend some time to get it going initially, you will be very pleased with the easy of updates and the time you earn not having to create an updated patched install over your Catalina disk at every new update from Apple.

Btw, a new way to run un-patched is being developed that is very promising, using OpenCore as a boot loader, and will make things easier when it's ready. This will probably make us finally have software updates, Continuity and HEIVC acceleration natively with Catalina. Until OpenCore is ready for prime time, direct hardware VMs are still the best option to install and update.

 

[Enricote]

First, I'm not a genius, nowhere near… I'm just determined.

Let me explain why I'm always recommending to install and use un-patched Catalina, these are the main motives that I recall now:

1. A MP5,1 with an upgraded AirPort Extreme AC, don't need any patches at all, you run exactly the same install as any supported Mac.
2. You are running exactly the same code as a Catalina supported Mac and can install your drive on a supported Mac, or my preferred way, use a direct hardware VM with Fusion/Parallels, and do software updates. With a patched Catalina you will have problems doing it and every time you will have to install an updated patched Catalina over your current install since you can't update it.
3. Documentation, this is a pet-peeve of mine and will seem stupid for most, but the patches don't have a central repository with versioning/release logs, if you need to debug/audit something about a patch you will have to do endless searches to try to find something. I know that for most people here this is not a problem, but it's for me and it's unsustainable in the long run.
4. Security/compliance, another that for most people it's not a problem, but you can be in trouble running patched macOS. People commented here more than once about this.

Anyway, it's a personal decision to do it one way or another. In the long run, running a direct hardware VM to install/update will be easier and a lot more maintainable, while you have to spend some time to get it going initially, you will be very pleased with the easy of updates and the time you earn not having to create an updated patched install over your Catalina disk at every new update from Apple.

Btw, a new way to run un-patched is being developed that is very promising, using OpenCore as a boot loader, and will make things easier when it's ready. This will probably make us finally have software updates, Continuity and HEIVC acceleration natively with Catalina. Until OpenCore is ready for prime time, direct hardware VMs are still the best option to install and update.

CRYSTAL CLEAR tayalex.Thank you so much!

 

[mark01975]

Installing Catalina from a VMWare Fusion 11.1 Catalina VM to a real disk attached to the VM (using vmware-rawdiskCreator to create/attach the disk)

hi, i have a problem when i try to run VM, VMware says me " resurce busy" the rawdisk result busy, but i have unmount the disk before press play on VM, how cam i do?

Thank you.

 

[Matt_Mac]

eject the disk

 

[tsialex]

hi, i have a problem when i try to run VM, VMware says me " resurce busy" the rawdisk result busy, but i have unmount the disk before press play on VM, how cam i do?

Thank you.

Use a SATA disk, with just one HFS+ partition, eject it from terminal with diskutil unmountdisk diskXX, then you run the VM.

 

[mark01975]

Use a SATA disk, with just one HFS+ partition, eject it from terminal with diskutil unmountdisk diskXX, then you run the VM.

unfortunately I have already followed these steps (as you indicated in a previous post) but the result is always the same.
[automerge]1571661740[/automerge]

eject the disk

how?

 

[tsialex]

unfortunately I have already followed these steps (as you indicated in a previous post) but the result is always the same.
[automerge]1571661740[/automerge]

how?

The raw disk needs to be exclusive to the VM, nothing else. Unmount it before:

diskutil unmountdisk diskXX

If Fusion still warns that the resource is busy even after you unmount it, you probably pointed to the wrong device with the vmx file.

Good luck.

 

[mark01975]

The raw disk needs to be exclusive to the VM, nothing else. Unmount it before:

diskutier unmountdisk diskXX

If Fusion still warns that the resource is busy even after you unmount it, you probably pointed to the wrong device with the vmx file.

Good luck.

there is a new one:

 

[tsialex]

there is a new one:

Read the VMWare Fusion logs, revise the VMX config file, it's the only way that you gonna find what you did wrong.

 

[mark01975]

Read the VMWare Fusion logs, revise the VMX config file, it's the only way that you gonna find what you did wrong.

can you help me? plelase, i can't identify the problem, or better, i don't know how find the solution

 

[tsialex]

can you help me? plelase, i can't identify the problem, or better, i don't know how find the solution

I made a VMX config tailored for a Mac Pro, you are using a iMac with i5-7500 and AMD Radeon Pro 560, so you are not using one, and this iMac 5K 2017 supports Catalina natively.

Raw disk access only works if you have more than one disk, and the disk to be used as raw disk is connected internally via IDE, SATA or NVMe.

Contact VMware support and ask if they have a raw disk access solution for your iMac, maybe via an external Thunderbolt disk or something, I don't own an iMac and I'm not sure of what is going to work with one.

 

[mark01975]

I made a VMX config tailored for a Mac Pro, you are using a iMac with i5-7500 and AMD Radeon Pro 560, so you are not using one, and this iMac 5K 2017 supports Catalina natively.

Raw disk access only works if you have more than one disk, and the disk to be used as raw disk is connected internally via SATA or NVMe.

Contact VMware support and ask if they have a raw disk access solution for your iMac, maybe via an external Thunderbolt disk or something, I don't own an iMac and I'm not sure of what is going to work with one.

forgive me, I made the attempt from imac in the office, but in reality i have the same problem on my mac pro 4.1to5.1, with a disk inserted in the sata 4 slot, following all your indications of a previous post.

 

[tsialex]

forgive me, I made the attempt from imac in the office, but in reality i have the same problem on my mac pro 4.1to5.1, with a disk inserted in the sata 4 slot, following all your indications of a previous post.

Like I said, revise your VMX config, adapt my example one to your own Mac Pro config.

It won't work unless you have the same config as mine, you have to edit it to your exact hardware. Pay attention that macOS don't have fixed disk device identifier, and can change between reboots.

 

[mark01975]

Like I said, revise your VMX config, adapt my example one to your own Mac Pro config.

It won't work unless you have the same config as mine, you have to edit it to your exact hardware. Pay attention that macOS don't have fixed disk inodes, and can change between reboots.

can you send me in pvt your vmx to compare with mine? thank you

 

[tsialex]

can you send me in pvt your vmx to compare with mine? thank you

I posted the relevant sections already in the thread post #178. Btw, no need to use the W10 keyboard/mouse profile with Fusion 11.5 anymore.

Sorry, I'm at work and can't help you more, maybe someone else here have time to help you.

 

[stupots]

@tsialex For updating, is there any reason an external Catalina disk cannot be booted from on a supported Mac and updated that way rather than the raw disk virtualisation method?

 

[MisterAndrew]

New Catalina build released today. Version 19A603. Looks like it's only on the developer and public beta seed channels for now.

 

[Macschrauber]

With VMware 11.5 Fusion its even a bit easier.

Could get the whole installation of 10.15 sup. Update 19A602 thru in VMware, System was a MP5.1 running Mojave

Did the real disc method, (SSD connected in an USB Adapter in USB 3 Card)

Setting was 10.15, no changes for Keyboard Mouse etc.

Did complete installation in VMware with USB Stick loaded with bootable Catalina installer

Plugged the SSD in a MP5.1 on Southbridge Sata2, Boot-Arg -no_compat_check, and Catalina booted fine vanilla and natively

VMware Screenshots:

 

[tsialex]

@tsialex For updating, is there any reason an external Catalina disk cannot be booted from on a supported Mac and updated that way rather than the raw disk virtualisation method?

None, if you installed Catalina with a supported Mac from the start. With a raw disk VM you can install and update without a supported Mac, but if you have one available, use it.

 

[seek3r]

Well this has made my day! Finally able to use the card I purchased a few months ago...
View attachment 870862 View attachment 870863
Clean Catalina install on external drive connected to a supported Mac before moving over to Mac Pro. Will give a few benches a go and see how it performs.

Stu

You don't have bootscreens with that, correct?

(Wondering if, with the new MP coming out, if we'll have newer options with bootscreens for our 5,1s soon)

 

[tsialex]

You don't have bootscreens with that, correct?

(Wondering if, with the new MP coming out, if we'll have newer options with bootscreens for our 5,1s soon)

All Macs after 2013 have and require GOP pre-boot support environment, while MP5,1 requires UGA. Any MP7,1 pre-boot support EFI module will be useless for using with MP5,1 BootROM. Btw, with T2, you can't just dump the BootROM.

All AMD GPUs released after R9-280X are GOP too. R9-280X is the last card that have UGA pre-boot support, except MVC flashed RX 580.