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GTX 660 underperforming in Sierra. Help?

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Dec 19, 2010
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73
Motherboard
ASUS P7P55D-E Pro
CPU
i7-870
Graphics
GTX 1060
Mac
  1. MacBook Pro
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
I've got almost everything running as it should, finally, but I'm still having graphics problems.

Here's a video of the kind of problems I mean: graphics get choppy over very simple things. Sometimes it'll play video but rarely at full screen.

In the "About This Mac" tab, the GPU is (mis)identified as "NVIDIA Chip Model 8 MB," but in the Clover boot menu, it's correctly identified as "EVGA GeForce GTX 660."

Is this a problem people encounter often? I've tried a few different boot options but clearly i've not got the right formula yet. A little help?
 
I followed these steps, and nothing has changed. System still boots and system prefs says it's using the most recent Nvidia Web Driver. But the video looks just the same as before. What is going wrong? :(

1. Mount EFI Partition
2. Open /Volumes/EFI/EFI/CLOVER/config.plist with text edit, Xcode, or Plist Editor Pro
3. Edit as shown below:

Code (Text):
<key>SystemParameters</key>
<dict>
<key>InjectKexts</key>
<string>YES</string>
<key>InjectSystemID</key>
<true/>
<key>NvidiaWeb</key>
<true/>
</dict>

4. Remove Boot/Arguments/nvda_drv=1 if necessary
5. Save and reboot
 
only info I can suggest... are you possibly cpu inhibited/bound?... or maybe a bad gpu card?...

been running 660gtx/2gig cards on z77 - running vanilla, no drivers... no video ripping (as in your vid) and been kicking since late 2012... the gpu is old by today's standards and certainly not cutting edge, but exhibit none of the artifacts I saw in your example... I have two identical systems, so it's not a "gifted" card... I do have a tweaked dsdt, but that's it...
 
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In the "About This Mac" tab, the GPU is (mis)identified as "NVIDIA Chip Model 8 MB," but in the Clover boot menu, it's correctly identified as "EVGA GeForce GTX 660."

nvidia drivers are not loading. Check that you are not using nv_disable=1 bootflag as this boot flag disables the nvidia drivers - something a lot of folk manage to do. A GTX 660 has full support in macOS, additional drivers are not required.

Is this a problem people encounter often? I've tried a few different boot options but clearly i've not got the right formula yet. A little help?

Lots of help in the graphics section:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/forums/graphics.13/

The following threads should be of assistance:
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/solving-nvidia-driver-install-loading-problems.161256/
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/read-me-first-graphics-setup-troubleshooting.183617/
 
nvidia drivers are not loading. Check that you are not using nv_disable=1 bootflag as this boot flag disables the nvidia drivers - something a lot of folk manage to do. A GTX 660 has full support in macOS, additional drivers are not required.

The nv_disable=1 bootflag is present when I boot, but my recollection is that any time I delete it - whether or not I replace it with nvda_drv=1 as suggested in this thread - the machine fails to boot at all. I'll try it again when I get home tonight, but do you have any idea why that might be?

Is it normal to have this kind of partial functionality? I see a lot of people facing black screens and a lot of people with perfect success, but this middle-ground i'm stuck in seems odd.

Thanks so much for your help! You've renewed my optimism about getting this to work.
 
... are you possibly cpu inhibited/bound?... or maybe a bad gpu card?...
Is there an easy way to test either of those hypotheses? The only thing that occurs to me is I could try to install Windows (blech) to see if the GPU runs normally. As for the CPU - the system identifies it properly, and, as you said, although it's dated, I don't think it's so primitive that it should be causing those problems under such light load.

I do have a tweaked dsdt, but that's it...

That's particular to your mobo, isn't it? I do remember needing to mess with that a few years ago when I had this system working, but it isn't clear to me if I need to do it again now... or where to start on that if I do.

Thanks!
 
Uninstall the nvidia webdriver. Usually GTX660 does not need webdriver at all.
 
The nv_disable=1 bootflag is present when I boot, but my recollection is that any time I delete it - whether or not I replace it with nvda_drv=1 as suggested in this thread - the machine fails to boot at all. I'll try it again when I get home tonight, but do you have any idea why that might be?

Is it normal to have this kind of partial functionality? I see a lot of people facing black screens and a lot of people with perfect success, but this middle-ground i'm stuck in seems odd.

Thanks so much for your help! You've renewed my optimism about getting this to work.

The GTX 660 (like most nvidia cards from 2012/2013) work with the native nvidia drivers and no graphics injection. Getting the correct system definition for your CPU and motherboard in conjunction with your GTX 660 will be the trick to getting this working correctly. System Definition is particularly critical with some hardware. If you are using the default iMac14,2 and that is giving you a black screen it may be worth trying iMac 11,2.

When you get back home try booting using safe mode (-x) at the Clover screen. This will prevent any garaphics drivers loading but should allow you to get to the desktop and remove/disable the nvidia drivers and all the additional stuff that the drivers need to function in Sierra. Remember to remove nv_disable=1 bootflag and see how everything goes.

Don't try random stuff off the internet - it has a habit of biting back, there is lots of random stuff said by folk that don't know what they are doing.
 
Getting the correct system definition for your CPU and motherboard in conjunction with your GTX 660 will be the trick to getting this working correctly. System Definition is particularly critical with some hardware. If you are using the default iMac14,2 and that is giving you a black screen it may be worth trying iMac 11,2.

I believe my system thinks it's a 2013 Mac Pro. When I get home, I'll do a fresh install to change that and get rid of any experimental cruft I accidentally put in place. Is the iMac14,2 designation the best option, do you think? Will it be compatible with the GTX 660 (even though it certainly wouldn't fit in the case of an actual iMac)? Or should I go straight to 11,2?

Thanks!
 
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