Need guidance on a graphics card

[inglesworth]

So I built my hackintosh when Sierra 10.12 came out, and it's been mostly running solid ever since, and I haven't needed to upgrade. With that said, I am a little out of the loop these days as far as compatible hardware and all of the installation processes, etc. I have been looking at the possibility of upgrading recently, and haven't quite yet pulled the trigger.

Recently, my GPU crapped out on me. It still works, but I have lost the ability to do dual monitor display. While I can get by doing my work on one monitor temporarily, it's really getting on my nerves after a few days here. I currently have an Nvidia card, and I remember having to jump through hoops to get it to work originally. Part of the reason I haven't upgraded yet is because I didn't want to have to go through all of that again.

What I want to do is purchase a new GPU to replace mine so I can get my dual screen back, and I guess it's as good of a time as any to just make the plunge and just update everything. I will be going to Mojave 10.14 (my professional software has many known issues with Catalina and I can't go all the way there to do my work). I am looking at getting a MSI Radeon RX Vega Air Boost 8GB OC card. I don't need anything too crazy, I'm not gaming or anything. I just need to be able to run dual displays.

So here's the questions:
1) Is the MSI card more "plug and play" ready, where I don't have to go through all the same issues I had previously with the Nvidia card?

2) If I end up getting this card and need to roll with my system as is for a few days until I get some down time to make my upgrade, do I have to make changes in my clover boot loader options and/or the config.plist file? If so, what's the best/easiest way to go about figuring out exactly what needs to be changed?

3) If anyone has any recommendations for a card besides the one I mentioned above that will allow for dual displays and be relatively easy to get installed and have my system running smoothly, I am all ears for it.

Thanks in advance for any and all help on this!

 

[Jamesbond007]

So I built my hackintosh when Sierra 10.12 came out, and it's been mostly running solid ever since, and I haven't needed to upgrade. With that said, I am a little out of the loop these days as far as compatible hardware and all of the installation processes, etc. I have been looking at the possibility of upgrading recently, and haven't quite yet pulled the trigger.

Recently, my GPU crapped out on me. It still works, but I have lost the ability to do dual monitor display. While I can get by doing my work on one monitor temporarily, it's really getting on my nerves after a few days here. I currently have an Nvidia card, and I remember having to jump through hoops to get it to work originally. Part of the reason I haven't upgraded yet is because I didn't want to have to go through all of that again.

What I want to do is purchase a new GPU to replace mine so I can get my dual screen back, and I guess it's as good of a time as any to just make the plunge and just update everything. I will be going to Mojave 10.14 (my professional software has many known issues with Catalina and I can't go all the way there to do my work). I am looking at getting a MSI Radeon RX Vega Air Boost 8GB OC card. I don't need anything too crazy, I'm not gaming or anything. I just need to be able to run dual displays.

So here's the questions:
1) Is the MSI card more "plug and play" ready, where I don't have to go through all the same issues I had previously with the Nvidia card?

2) If I end up getting this card and need to roll with my system as is for a few days until I get some down time to make my upgrade, do I have to make changes in my clover boot loader options and/or the config.plist file? If so, what's the best/easiest way to go about figuring out exactly what needs to be changed?

3) If anyone has any recommendations for a card besides the one I mentioned above that will allow for dual displays and be relatively easy to get installed and have my system running smoothly, I am all ears for it.

Thanks in advance for any and all help on this!

Since you are going to Mojave, you should know that Nvidia cards like the GTX 960 are no longer supported due to lack of Nvidia drivers. You will have to get a supported AMD card.

There are 2 Vega Air Boost OC cards from MSI (based on Vega 56 and Vega 64). Which one are you talking about?

The Vega 56 / Vega 64 are natively supported starting from MacOS High Sierra. The MSI Vega 56 Air Boost is listed in the Buyer's Guide so it should work. As the card is natively supported (like my Sapphire RX 580 Pulse) it usually means it will work out of the box and you won't need to go through those issues.

But since you said all you need is to run dual displays, perhaps you can consider a cheaper (and less hot) card like my RX 580 Pulse?

And are you going to install Mojave from scratch or do you want to upgrade your Sierra installation to Mojave?

 

[inglesworth]

The rx 580 looks like a good option. Thanks for ther the recommendation.
When I go to Mojave it will be a fresh install.
But what I'm wondering is if I get a new card and put it in my system while I still have the Sierra install for a couple of days, do I have to basically undo the nvidia stuff before it will work on my Sierra install? Or is there an easier way to basically set my graphics back to default?

 

[Jamesbond007]

The rx 580 looks like a good option. Thanks for the recommendation.
When I go to Mojave it will be a fresh install.
But what I'm wondering is if I get a new card and put it in my system while I still have the Sierra install for a couple of days, do I have to basically undo the nvidia stuff before it will work on my Sierra install? Or is there an easier way to basically set my graphics back to default?

Make sure you update to Sierra 10.12.6 if you haven't, since only Sierra 10.12.6 has support for the RX 580. You will also need the Lilu and WhateverGreen kexts for the RX 580 to work properly under Sierra 10.12.6.

I also believe you should remove the Nvidia drivers first, before replacing the card. But I have no experience with these drivers so I can't be 100% sure.