MP All Models RX 6950XT and 6650XT Compatibility in MacOS

[JacobHarvey]

With AMD releasing their refreshed RX 6950XT and 6650XT GPUs (which have slightly higher clock speeds and faster 18Gbps VRAM instead of 16Gbps) just wondering if they will work properly in MacOS in Intel Mac Pros or as eGPUs for other Intel Macs.

If they do work fine, hoping for those who eventually get them to post some benchmarks here so we can see if the slight performance uptick seen by reviewers also carries over properly in MacOS for relevant apps

 

[MisterAndrew]

If you can find the device ID for them then we can see if it’s listed in the driver.

 

[tsialex]

If you can find the device ID for them then we can see if it’s listed in the driver.

This is the table that I'm maintaining, updated 20220819, based on deviceids from OCLP pci_data.py and TechPowerUp/GPU-Z screenshots:

# AMDRadeonX6000
# AMDNavi10GraphicsAccelerator
	0x7310	# Pro W5700X
	0x7312	# Pro W5700
	0x7318	# Unknown
	0x7319	# Unknown
	0x731A	# Unknown
	0x731B	# Unknown
	0x731F	# RX 5600/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT
# AMDNavi12GraphicsAccelerator
	0x7360	# 5600M
# AMDNavi14GraphicsAccelerator
	0x7340	# 5500/5500M / Pro 5500M
	0x7341	# Pro W5500
	0x7343	# Unknown
	0x7347	# Pro W5500M
	0x734F	# Pro W5300M
# AMDNavi21GraphicsAccelerator
	0x73A2	# Pro W6900X
	0x73AB	# Pro W6800X/Pro W6800X Duo
	0x73BF	# 6800/6800 XT / 6900 XT
	0x73A3	# Pro W6800
	0x73A5	# 6950 XT ** not yet supported **
# AMDNavi23GraphicsAccelerator
	0x73E3	# Pro W6600
	0x73EF	# 6650 XT ** not yet supported **
	0x73FF	# 6600/6600 XT/6600M
	0x73E0	# Unknown

For the 6900 XTXH owners that want to use it with macOS, people are downgrading the factory installed XTXH firmware for the one from the same version of the card, but with the standard 6900XT GPU, successfully.

 

[ams1117]

0x73ef not yet supported it seems

 

[MisterAndrew]

It needs to be listed in the frame buffer driver. I just checked. They're missing. So not currently supported. Edit: 73EF (RX 6650 XT), 73DF (RX 6750 XT), and 73A5 (RX 6950 XT) are not included in 12.4 RC (missing from the framebuffer kext).

 

[JacobHarvey]

Wonder how likely it is for Apple to add support. They haven't added 6700/6750 XT support up until now, but the 6950XT and 6650XT have effectively the exact same dies as already supported GPUs unlike the 67XX GPUs

 

[ams1117]

Still not supported in 12.5 Beta

 

[prefuse07]

Wonder how likely it is for Apple to add support. They haven't added 6700/6750 XT support up until now, but the 6950XT and 6650XT have effectively the exact same dies as already supported GPUs unlike the 67XX GPUs

Exactly, this should be very telling of their intentions around discrete GPUs. Remember what happened with nvidia? they straight up just dropped support...

 

[ams1117]

Exactly, this should be very telling of their intentions around discrete GPUs. Remember what happened with nvidia? they straight up just dropped support...

I think it’s more like: if it’s easy then they’ll add support.

For instance Apple sells W6800X and W6600X, which use the same GPU chips as the 6800/6900XT and 6600XT, so they added minor adjustments and added the device IDs.
For all other chips they’ll need to go out of their way to implement a lot of stuff, so it’s unlikely that they will support them.

NVIDIA is a different story — macOS still ran on the old MacBooks for quite some time, with Apple drivers.

 

[danielcharluck]

This is the table that I'm maintaining based on deviceids from OCLP pci_data.py and TechPowerUp/GPU-Z screenshots:

# AMDRadeonX6000
# AMDNavi10GraphicsAccelerator
	0x7310	# Pro W5700X
	0x7312	# Pro W5700
	0x7318	# Unknown
	0x7319	# Unknown
	0x731A	# Unknown
	0x731B	# Unknown
	0x731F	# RX 5600/5600 XT / 5700/5700 XT
# AMDNavi12GraphicsAccelerator
	0x7360	# 5600M
# AMDNavi14GraphicsAccelerator
	0x7340	# 5500/5500M / Pro 5500M
	0x7341	# Pro W5500
	0x7343	# Unknown
	0x7347	# Pro W5500M
	0x734F	# Pro W5300M
# AMDNavi21GraphicsAccelerator
	0x73A2	# Pro W6900X
	0x73AB	# Pro W6800X/Pro W6800X Duo
	0x73BF	# 6800/6800 XT / 6900 XT
	0x73A3	# Pro W6800
	0x73A5	# 6950 XT ** support to be confirmed **
# AMDNavi23GraphicsAccelerator
	0x73E3	# Pro W6600
	0x73EF	# 6650 XT ** support to be confirmed **
	0x73FF	# 6600/6600 XT/6600M
	0x73E0	# Unknown

Hi Alex,

I've just received the 6950 XT reference card for my Mac Pro 2019. Would you recommend sending it back/selling it or hopefully waiting for the update/confirmation on support for 0x 73A5? I thought the update would already be there or come anytime soon, but I am worried that no one really knows?

All the best !

 

[tsialex]

Hi Alex,

I've just received the 6950 XT reference card for my Mac Pro 2019. Would you recommend sending it back/selling it or hopefully waiting for the update/confirmation on support for 0x 73A5? I thought the update would already be there or come anytime soon, but I am worried that no one really knows?

All the best !

No one really knows this outside Apple, but you can use it right now if you enable OpenCore spoofing to 0x73AE ( or 0x73BF ).

AMD GPUs | GPU Buyers Guide

Renaming GPUs (SSDT-GPU-SPOOF) | Getting Started With ACPI

If you don't want to go this way, it's better to change it to a real 6900XT.

 

[danielcharluck]

No one really knows this outside Apple, but you can use it right now if you enable OpenCore spoofing to 0x73AE ( or 0x73BF ).

AMD GPUs | GPU Buyers Guide

Renaming GPUs (SSDT-GPU-SPOOF) | Getting Started With ACPI

If you don't want to go this way, it's better to change it to a real 6900XT.

Hi again,

Thank you for the swift reply. I would say it is a somewhat big operation as I don't know where to start with OpenCore and given I do have a real mac and not a Hackintosh, I'd rather not do a complete reinstall of Mac Os - or am I missing something?

 

[tsialex]

Hi again,

Thank you for the swift reply. I would say it is a somewhat big operation as I don't know where to start with OpenCore and given I do have a real mac and not a Hackintosh, I'd rather not do a complete reinstall of Mac Os - or am I missing something?

You don't need to reinstall anything. OpenCore supports real Macs and it's relatively easy to follow the documentation to spoof a GPU device-id. Anyway, if you don't have the time/will to learn it, it's better to replace the card for one officially supported.

 

[danielcharluck]

You don't need to reinstall anything. OpenCore supports real Macs and it's relatively easy to follow the documentation to spoof a GPU device-id. Anyway, if you don't have the time/will to learn it, it's better to replace the card for one officially supported.

Ok, sounds great. I will surely go this route for the time being. I presume I can try and follow your guide? If I get in trouble and am unable to perform the task myself can you help remotely upon payment?

 

[tsialex]

Ok, sounds great. I will surely go this route for the time being. I presume I can try and follow your guide?

It's the official OpenCore documentation (and I have no relation to it whatsoever).

If I get in trouble and am unable to perform the task myself can you help remotely upon payment?

Sorry, I can't help you with that since I don't provide any OpenCore support services.

There is a 2019 Mac Pro + OpenCore focused thread, maybe you should ask for help there:

OpenCore on Mac Pro 7,1

Hi all, I currently have a Mac Pro 7,1 running Big Sur and Windows 10 on separate drives. I use an RTX 2060 GPU on the Windows side for the NVENC video encoder when live streaming. Unfortunately, while this is okay in macOS, it is breaking my Sleep/Wake functionality. I would like to hide it...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[danielcharluck]

It's the official OpenCore documentation (and I have no relation to it whatsoever).



Sorry, I can't help you with that since I don't provide any OpenCore support services.

There is a 2019 Mac Pro + OpenCore focused thread, maybe you should ask for help there:

OpenCore on Mac Pro 7,1

Hi all, I currently have a Mac Pro 7,1 running Big Sur and Windows 10 on separate drives. I use an RTX 2060 GPU on the Windows side for the NVENC video encoder when live streaming. Unfortunately, while this is okay in macOS, it is breaking my Sleep/Wake functionality. I would like to hide it...

forums.macrumors.com

Thanks! If anyone reads this and know to spoof the id in OpenCore. Please feel free to reach out!

Once again thanks!

 

[prefuse07]

Hi Alex,

I've just received the 6950 XT reference card for my Mac Pro 2019. Would you recommend sending it back/selling it or hopefully waiting for the update/confirmation on support for 0x 73A5? I thought the update would already be there or come anytime soon, but I am worried that no one really knows?

All the best !

I would've recommended sending it back in the interim, so you're not out $1,200 or whatever you paid for it, in case they decide to never support it...

And then if/once the apple drivers are confirmed, you can always just buy it again and install it with certainty that it will be supported... Plus, prices will only drop from here on out, so you may even be able to get it for less than you paid now!

That's what I would do anyway.

While I am very happy with OpenCore on the 5,1 and I highly support it, I was reading that 7,1 thread a while back, and spoke with some people that were having issues with it on the 7,1, due to the T2 chip. Take this with a grain of salt, from someone who highly supports, uses and loves OpenCore -- but when I finally get my 7,1, I am definitely NOT putting OpenCore on it...


Of course, if you have some sort of deadline, and you NEED the 6950XT, then yeah, you're probably going to want to look into spoofing... Or you can just go with a 6900XT.

 

[comeback]

Thanks! If anyone reads this and know to spoof the id in OpenCore. Please feel free to reach out!

Once again thanks!

I do remote support actively here in Vietnam, but it is may be too late right.

 

[startergo]

Can someone with a 6900 XT (0x73AF), 6950 XT or a 6650 XT test this kext? You can install it in in /L/E or in Kexts folder in OC for testing. I did not create the kext just slightly modified it as the hardware acceleration was not working with the original version. I don't have any of these cards to test it.
You should remove any device-id injections before using it.

 

[doughnut8888]

Can someone with a 6900 XT (0x73AF), 6950 XT or a 6650 XT test this kext? You can install it in in /L/E or in Kexts folder in OC for testing. I did not create the kext just slightly modified it as the hardware acceleration was not working with the original version. I don't have any of these cards to test it.
You should remove any device-id injections before using it.

I tried this on a test bare metal Ventura install and also a Proxmox Ventura install and it worked perfectly for me. I'm not hooked up to a monitor or tv with speakers so haven't tested whether the audio is passed through. Not too worried about that though

 

[startergo]

I tried this on a test bare metal Ventura install and also a Proxmox Ventura install and it worked perfectly for me. I'm not hooked up to a monitor or tv with speakers so haven't tested whether the audio is passed through. Not too worried about that though

Is the hardware acceleration working?

 

[doughnut8888]

Is the hardware acceleration working?

If all the usual visual enhancements (transparent dock etc) are an indication of acceleration, then yes. If there is a way to test acceleration, let me know.

 

[prefuse07]

If all the usual visual enhancements (transparent dock etc) are an indication of acceleration, then yes. If there is a way to test acceleration, let me know.

You did not mention above, but can you please tell us which card you're using? Is it a 6950XT?

 

[doughnut8888]

You did not mention above, but can you please tell us which card you're using? Is it a 6950XT?

Sorry, yeah forgot to mention it! I'm using a MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT MECH 2X

 

[startergo]

If all the usual visual enhancements (transparent dock etc) are an indication of acceleration, then yes. If there is a way to test acceleration, let me know.

Check with videoproc h265 and HEVC support.