Will my Nvidia Graphics Card work with macOS ? List of Desktop Cards with Native Support

[P1LGRIM]

but this lead me to think I can still operate the Graphic Board under Mountain Lion

Pascal based graphics support started with 10.12.4 and the appropriate web drivers.

 

[Sanatkumara]

Yes, I get that: my point is that even if not all the options included in the Pascal architecture will be used perhaps I can still use the card if there is some compatibility with all the previous architecture versions...

 

[P1LGRIM]

perhaps I can still use the card if there is some compatibility with all the previous architecture versions

Maybe in VESA mode with no acceleration.

 

[Sanatkumara]

Ahem, I made the jump and updated Mountain Lion to High Sierra just to be able to keep the GTX 1070 RoG Strix installed.

Finally it's almost working after many failed attempts: I can login in my old account/OS and I also installed and have the nVidia Web Driver updated and loaded with the CUDA driver too!

I still am unable to boot from the SSD HF+ since I'm a noob with clover, but I use the UniBeast USB configured to load the HD and it's snappy and it seems to work well, although I still have to verify everything.
The GTX 1070 8GB is still seen as a generic nVidia card with 7 MB! I have tried to inject other definitions in the Clover Options but it did not work, and I do not see why.
If there is any suggestion, please feel free to enlighten me! TIA

 

[P1LGRIM]

If there is any suggestion, please feel free to enlighten me!

This is not really a help thread - You should start a new one in High Sierra Desktop Support.

 

[Sanatkumara]

Right you are: I will dig deeper and see if I can find a solution.
For now I can report the Asus ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 is working on an Asus Sabertooth Z77 i7-3770K after upgrading from OS X 10.8.5 to 10.13.6 with latest Clover EFI and installing nVidia Web Driver 387.10.10.10.40.130. I still have to fix its ID.

 

[wiwai]

Preamble for those new to Nvidia graphics card choices for a Hackintosh

1. You will only have success choosing macOS compatible graphics if you remember that: macOS is not Windows

2. Apple incorporates all their graphics drivers into the Mac Operating System. There are only drivers in macOS for a very limited subset of graphics cards made by Nvidia and AMD. You can't use any card you'd like as you can with Windows. macOS Monterey has no Nvidia support at all. Apple has removed all the Kepler graphics drivers from macOS 12. Plan on buying an AMD card or use your Intel iGPU, HD4600 or newer, with Monterey.

3. Most every graphics card manufactured today has Windows 10/11 drivers you can install to make that specific card work. There are no Nvidia Web Drivers written for Mojave or newer macOS versions. The last release of Nvidia Web Drivers for macOS occurred November 17th, 2020. These were intended for Classic Mac Pro 5,1 users that used discrete Nvidia graphics cards.

Quadro & GeForce macOS Driver Release 2020.11.17
Version: 387.10.10.10.40.140
OS: macOS High Sierra 10.13.6

View attachment 426546

Using an Nvidia graphics card with macOS Mojave, Catalina or Big Sur​

Q: Since 2015, Apple has stopped using Nvidia graphics chips in Macs. They are now using AMD dedicated graphics exclusively. Why discuss Nvidia here, 7 years later, in 2022 ? Shouldn't I just buy an AMD card ?

A: Some people will still want to and may even need to use Nvidia graphics for whatever reason. They may already have one of these cards or just want a lower cost alternative to a more expensive AMD card that has macOS support.

For some, an older Nvidia card will be the only option that works for them right now. This is why I've posted this list of supported Nvidia cards and the question/answer section for your reference. It is a rather complex topic and you'll need to learn this information to make good choices.

Nvidia Cards that don't work with Mojave, Catalina or Big Sur. Nvidia web drivers are not available.

Avoid all of these cards.

Spoiler: TL;DR Version:

• RTX 3090
• RTX 3080/Ti
• RTX 3070/Ti
• RTX 3060/Ti
• Titan RTX
• RTX 2080 Ti
• RTX 2080 Super
• RTX 2080
• RTX 2070 Super
• RTX 2070
• RTX 2060 Super
• RTX 2060
• GTX 1660 Ti
• GTX 1660 Super
• GTX 1650
• GTX 1080/Ti
• GTX 1070/Ti
• GTX 1060
• GTX 1050/Ti
• GT 1030
• GTX Titan X (GM200 Maxwell core)
• GTX 980/Ti
• GTX 970
• GTX 960
• GTX 950
• GTX 750/Ti
• GTX 745
• GT 645
• Quadro 600
• Quadro K620
• Quadro K1200
• Quadro K220
• Quadro M (all models)
• Quadro P (all models)
• Fermi cards (GF) (all models)

Many of the 600/700 Series Kepler Graphics Cards are still supported in macOS Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. There are approximately 26 Kepler cards that you can still use today with modern versions of macOS up through Big Sur. The Nvidia Chip Codes for these are: GK104, GK107, GK110 and GK208. More about how to determine which chips are installed in specific Nvidia graphics cards later in this article.

The best cards from the 600 series are the GTX 670 and 680. Both have the Kepler GK104 GPU inside. The 600 series cards that you should avoid completely are those with the GK106 chip. More on this later.
View attachment 552252

A few from the 600 series are GK107 that may work but best to choose GTX 670-690 or the 700 series instead.

From the 700 series you can use the GT 710, 720, 730 (not the Fermi versions) and GT 740, GTX 760, 770 and 780 plus the Ti versions. Ten Kepler based Quadro cards and three Titan cards will work. The GTX 750 and 750 Ti cards are all Maxwell based with one exception, the 750 Ti OEM. Avoid the OEM 750 Ti as well.

See the list below: Currently Supported Nvidia Cards

High Sierra 10.13.6 will give you the option to use 10 series Pascal cards if you install the Nvidia Web drivers.

These include: GT 1030, GTX 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080 and the related Ti versions.
These Maxwell based cards can also benefit from the web drivers: GTX 750, 970, 980 and Ti versions.

Nvidia Graphics Cards that still work with macOS​

This question gets asked over and over here in Desktop Compatibility and in Buying Advice.

Q: Can I use a (fill in the blank) Nvidia graphics card with macOS Mojave, Catalina or Big Sur ?

A: That depends on which generation and series it is from.

If it is Kepler first or second gen based, manufactured from approximately 2012 to 2014, it's likely to work with Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. The drivers are included in macOS.

Nvidia Chip Codes for successive Graphics Microarchitectures:

GF = Fermi - 2010
GK = Kepler -2012
GM = Maxwell - 2014
GP = Pascal - 2016

The microarchitecture defines a GPU's building blocks, how they're connected, and how they work. For easy reference, Nvidia names them after famous scientists such as Enrico Fermi and Johannes Kepler.

View attachment 513658
Johannes Kepler Astronomer and Mathematician

The GK107 core is commonly used in the supported Quadro cards like the NVS 510. See full list below.

View attachment 506160
Source: www.techpowerup.com

Q: How can I determine whether my Nvidia card is Kepler based and not Fermi or something else ?

A: You can look up the specs on the techpowerup.com website

http://www.gpuzoo.com/ is also a great place to research specific cards.


Q: Why does Apple still support these older Kepler based GPUs after switching to AMD ?

A: Apple used similar Nvidia graphics processors in 2013 Macbook Airs and Macbook Pros

Some of those MBAs and MBPs from 2012/13 still have support in Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. For some unknown reason, Apple didn't give the 14,1 14,2 and 14,3 iMacs from 2013, Big Sur support. They are perfectly capable of running Big Sur. If you are using a Haswell i3, i5 or i7 CPU in your hackintosh and want to install Big Sur, then use the iMac 15,1 SMBIOS. That has retained support in Big Sur.

If any Mac is still supported then the GPU in that Mac has to retain support as well. A prime example is the Late 2013 MacBook Pro which has a GK107 based GPU. The GT 750M. Support was maintained in Big Sur for that laptop.

View attachment 506767



If the Nvidia card is Maxwell (745/750/Ti or second gen Maxwell 900 series), Pascal, Turing or Ampere based, there are no Mojave or Catalina drivers that you can use to make it work. For example, the newest RTX cards from Nvidia are unsupported in Mojave. The RTX 2060/70 and all related 16 series GTX cards will not work in any version of macOS as there are no web drivers. I have included the Maxwell Quadro workstation cards in the unsupported list. There are also newer Pascal Quadro cards that are not listed. If it is not a Kepler based Quadro card it won't have native support.

Q: How long will these older Kepler based cards still be supported by macOS ?

A: Big Sur does officially support 1st gen (700 series) Kepler cards but not the 600 series. There are no Macs with Nvidia 600 series Kepler mobile GPUs that still have support. 600 series Nvidia Kepler cards may still work with Big Sur but are not recommended for long term use. Many report frequent graphics glitching. These are the GT 630, 640, 650, 660.. cards with GK106. Better to use 2nd gen Kepler 700 series cards or upgrade to a newer supported AMD card. The 12.0.1 Release version of Monterey has dropped all Nvidia support. There may possibly be a workaround to allow us to keep using Nvidia Kepler graphics, but I have not tested that personally.

Q: Some cards in the supported list have Fermi variants. How do I determine whether my Nvidia card is Kepler based (GK) and not an unsupported Fermi (GF) card ? (GT 630, 640 and 730 cards can be from either series)

A: It's really important to determine that your graphics card from Nvidia is not Fermi based

Starting back in 2011, the Fermi series of cards caused major problems in hackintoshes. They suffered from regular freeze ups due to faulty drivers. Apple support ended with High Sierra. So if you are buying a GT 630/640 or GT 730 Check to make sure it's not Fermi based. Read about all of the issues with Fermi cards and hackintoshes here.

Go to this website http://www.gpuzoo.com/ and enter the make and model of your card. Make sure it is GK104, GK107, GK110 or GK208 and not GF which means it's an unsupported Fermi card.



For a list of all GK106 core Nvidia cards click on the following link.

NVIDIA GK106 GPU Specs

960 Cores, 80 TMUs, 24 ROPs

www.techpowerup.com

Nvidia Kepler Cards that are Natively Supported: (GT 630 - GTX 660 specific models may have issues)

• GTX Titan (GK110)
• GTX Titan Black (GK110)
• GTX Titan Z
• GTX 780/Ti
• GTX 770
• GTX 760/Ti
• GT 740 (Avoid OEM versions)
• GT 730 (GK208 core)
• GT 720
• GT 710 (GK208 core versions)
• GTX 690
• GTX 680
• GTX 670
• GTX 660/Ti (Avoid GK106 models)
• GTX 650/Ti (Avoid GK106 models)
• GT 640 (Kepler edition, GK107/208 core)
• GT 630 (Kepler edition, GK208 core)
• Quadro 410
• Quadro K420
• Quadro K600
• Quadro K2000/D
• Quadro K4200
• Quadro K5000
• Quadro K5200
• Quadro K6000
• Quadro NVS510

Nvidia Ampere, Turing, Pascal and Maxwell Cards

These are Not Supported in Mojave, Catalina or Big Sur

• RTX 3090
• RTX 3080
• RTX 3070
• RTX 3060 Ti
• Titan RTX
• RTX 2080 Ti
• RTX 2080 Super
• RTX 2080
• RTX 2070 Super
• RTX 2070
• RTX 2060 Super
• RTX 2060
• GTX 1660 Ti
• GTX 1660 Super
• GTX 1650
• GTX 1080/Ti
• GTX 1070/Ti
• GTX 1060
• GTX 1050/Ti
• GT 1030
• GTX Titan X (GM200 Maxwell core)
• GTX 980/Ti
• GTX 970
• GTX 960
• GTX 950
• GTX 750/Ti
• GTX 745
• Quadro 600
• Quadro K620
• Quadro K1200
• Quadro K220
• Quadro M (all models)
• Quadro P (all models)
• Fermi cards (GF) (all models)

There are still Nvidia Web drivers available that work in High Sierra if you have a Maxwell GTX 745 through Pascal 1080 Ti card. There will likely never be any Mojave or Catalina web drivers released for these cards.

If you would like to skip Nvidia graphics completely and want an AMD card that works with Monterey, then choose from the following list. You will likely have to buy a used card to get a reasonable price. If you want to run Monterey and buy a new card, look no further than the Sapphire Pulse RX 6600XT.

SAPPHIRE Pulse Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB $350 After Promo Code at Newegg

Finally we can buy a natively supported macOS Monterey card for under $400. These are energy efficient and quiet. Have only a 170W TDP. A nice upgrade from an RX 570/580 card that is now about 5 years old. Should have macOS support for quite a few more years. Only 9.45 inches long (240mm) so it...

www.tonymacx86.com

AMD GPUs | GPU Buyers Guide

HI, can you help me ? Can i buy this one for mojave or more ?

https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B09DVN7QWH/?tag=tonymacx8607-21

thanks !

 

[trs96]

Can i buy this one for mojave or more ?

Asus 730s normally work. Never tried one with 4 HDMI ports. It has a good chance of working through to Big Sur but not Monterey. You'd have to test it yourself to know if it will work.

 

[P1LGRIM]

Can i buy this one for mojave or more ?

Beware of Nvidia cards with DDR5 VRAM - Not all of them are supported.

A supported GT730 will work up to Big Sur but no further, to go beyond Big Sur you should use a AMD card.

 

[wiwai]

Beware of Nvidia cards with DDR5 VRAM - Not all of them are supported.

A supported GT730 will work up to Big Sur but no further, to go beyond Big Sur you should use a AMD card.

Do you know how I can know if it will work? Thanks.