need help choosing graphics card, stuck with GTX-960

[iainduncan]

Hi folks, a friend and I are building an install from the custom mac pro list, hardware is

Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 ATX DDR4 Motherboards GA-z170X-UD5
Intel i7 6700K 4.00 Ghz 8M Processor Cache 4 LGA 1151 BX80662I76700K
Corsair RM Series 650 Watt ATX/EPS 80PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supply - CP-9020054-NA RM650
EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB GAMING, Silent Cooling Graphics Card 02G-P4-2951-KR
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin - BLS2K8G4D240FSB (Gray)

4k monitor:
benQ 27 inch IPS ultra hd LED (BL 2711U) 4K2K HD 3840 x 2160

We're not having any luck with the graphics card and nvidia drivers, and are thinking of just swapping it for one that will give us fewer issues. Can anyone suggest what the easiest to get going would be for this setup for El Capitan? We need to be able to run the 4k monitor, but we're not going to be gaming, so acceleration for 3d graphics is not a priority. It will be a photoshop studio essentially. Suggestions much appreciated!

thanks
Iain (and Steve)

 

[xjestersdeadx]

Hi folks, a friend and I are building an install from the custom mac pro list, hardware is

Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 ATX DDR4 Motherboards GA-z170X-UD5
Intel i7 6700K 4.00 Ghz 8M Processor Cache 4 LGA 1151 BX80662I76700K
Corsair RM Series 650 Watt ATX/EPS 80PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supply - CP-9020054-NA RM650
EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB GAMING, Silent Cooling Graphics Card 02G-P4-2951-KR
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin - BLS2K8G4D240FSB (Gray)

4k monitor:
benQ 27 inch IPS ultra hd LED (BL 2711U) 4K2K HD 3840 x 2160

We're not having any luck with the graphics card and nvidia drivers, and are thinking of just swapping it for one that will give us fewer issues. Can anyone suggest what the easiest to get going would be for this setup for El Capitan? We need to be able to run the 4k monitor, but we're not going to be gaming, so acceleration for 3d graphics is not a priority. It will be a photoshop studio essentially. Suggestions much appreciated!

thanks
Iain (and Steve)

Well it may not be worth the extra cost, but I just upgraded to a GTX 970 and El Capitan and have no issues with the NVIDIA web drivers. However, if you really want zero issues, then you could try a radeon card like the R9-290(X). I also used that and it was recognized out of the box after adding the correct ID. Since you have a 960, though, the extra cost may not be a benefit. Be aware that at 4K, at least for me, the toolbar in OS X is incredibly TINY, and you really can't make it bigger. In Windows this isn't a problem, but OS X just doesn't have the adjustments to make it readable. So I end up scaling the 4K back down to 1440 just to make OS X useable. This may change your plans for going 4K with OS X. Hopefully they will change this in Sierra, but I won't update until I'm sure I won't have other issues.

 

[sanfordcisco]

Thanks xjestersdeadx. Just clarifying what you meant when you wrote:

after adding the correct ID

Did you mean once you'd decided what build to call your computer? (i.e. iMac 15,1, MacPro 6,1, etc..)

 

[kiiroaka]

We're not having any luck with the graphics card and nvidia drivers...

It would help to know what kind of problems you're having.

 

[sanfordcisco]

It would help to know what kind of problems you're having.

Basically I bought all the recommended gear for the CustoMacPro, including the Evga GTX 950, and followed the Tony Mac instructions on El Cap installation, and after my first attempt (I've started over 3 times just to make sure I'm not making any mistakes along the way), once I installed the Nvidia drivers I had issue number 6 here: http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/solving-nvidia-driver-install-loading-problems.161256/

I followed the instructions to fix problem 6, but next time I booted I was getting kernel panic. so I started again. Then I was getting problem number 4, and could no longer boot past the clover screen to save my life. So I started again. Now I don't have the nvidia drivers installed and I've taken a day off of hackintoshing as I'm going crazy. The video is all jumpy, obviously, because the default drivers aren't cutting it.

By the way, I did follow these instructions too: http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/el-capitan-on-ga-z170x-ud5-success.193293/ and changed the Info.plist file using Text Wrangler but that's the installation that lead to the Monitor disconnect issue. I was using the iMac 17,1 definition, as tofu confetti recommended. The only difference between my build and tofu confetti is he used the GTX 960 and I used the 950.

I'm now wondering if the Kepler-based Evga GT 740 card would give me fewer issues in El Capitan. I knew it wouldn't be a piece of cake but I'm losing hope.

Thanks everyone in advance!
-Steve

 

[xjestersdeadx]

Thanks xjestersdeadx. Just clarifying what you meant when you wrote:

Did you mean once you'd decided what build to call your computer? (i.e. iMac 15,1, MacPro 6,1, etc..)

Sorry just saw this, no I meant in clover configurator adding the FB NAME, etc. Search for your card and there are probably others who have posted that information.

 

[richardp1512]

Hi folks, a friend and I are building an install from the custom mac pro list, hardware is

Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel Z170 ATX DDR4 Motherboards GA-z170X-UD5
Intel i7 6700K 4.00 Ghz 8M Processor Cache 4 LGA 1151 BX80662I76700K
Corsair RM Series 650 Watt ATX/EPS 80PLUS Gold-Certified Power Supply - CP-9020054-NA RM650
EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB GAMING, Silent Cooling Graphics Card 02G-P4-2951-KR
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200) DIMM 288-Pin - BLS2K8G4D240FSB (Gray)

4k monitor:
benQ 27 inch IPS ultra hd LED (BL 2711U) 4K2K HD 3840 x 2160

We're not having any luck with the graphics card and nvidia drivers, and are thinking of just swapping it for one that will give us fewer issues. Can anyone suggest what the easiest to get going would be for this setup for El Capitan? We need to be able to run the 4k monitor, but we're not going to be gaming, so acceleration for 3d graphics is not a priority. It will be a photoshop studio essentially. Suggestions much appreciated!

thanks
Iain (and Steve)

Hi there, I am replying as I had a similar dilemma, I too want 4K output but not for gaming: from hours of reading this is what I learnt -
An AMD card is always going to be the easier option to try and achieve a trouble free hack because for cards that are supported the driver is embedded in the OS
AMD seem to work much better with programs that rely on Open GL like FCP X
I cannot get an older R9 280 card for decent money even second hand, so I waited and gradually noticed that it seemed the RX 460 would work great in Sierra, so I felt this was a move forwards and not backwards
The 460 is not the most powerful but I've seen similar performance to that of the GTX 950 or even 960 but better using programs like FCP X
The Gigabyte RX 460 seems to be the "golden" card in its category and I have therefore purchased the 4gb version.

Listen I'm not getting into the GTX v RX argument I'm just saying this is what has worked for me with similar non-gaming needs.

My son, an avid GTX gamer, just laughs at me with my AMD card!