Can 2008 Mac Pro run 4K or HD screens with the right video card?

Anaesthisia wrote:

The initial msi Radeon 7950 I got to replace my original card to drive a 4K monitor didn't have Mac firmware, but the one I got now to replace the toast 7950 is a 7970 with Mac firmware.

It'd be interesting to see if there is a list of monitors that support 4K@60Hz over SST.

Regards,

A

The nearest thing to such a list is here Using 4K displays and Ultra HD TVs with your Mac - Apple Support

I have been told by MacVidCards that AMD cards like your 7950 and 7970 struggle with SST monitors and apparently work better with MST monitors. Of course the trend now is to SST monitors.

I also presume you are aware that it is possible to flash a PC 7950 card to include Mac firmware? In fact all 7970 cards have to be flashed in order to have Mac firmware - I did this myself on a 7970. It is usually done via Windows in Boot Camp. (Only a model of the 7950 from EVGA originally came with Mac firmware.)

Are you now successfully using a 4K monitor with your card?

Well, the Apple article doesn't even mention older Mac Pros with upgraded graphics and it doesn't detail any monitors that support 4K@60Hz via SST. It just says that most monitors that support 60Hz over SST will work. It seems very hard to find a list of monitors that utilize SST for 60 Hz. It's not the kind of detail that even a tech specs section on a manufacturer's web site will usually cover.

Like I also mentioned, my previous 7950 is probably toast so no use in trying to flash it. It worked quite ok before it was toast, only I didn't see the EFI screen during boot. It did support 60Hz with my monitor running Windows 7 in Boot Camp.

I currently run Dell UP2414Q in SST mode at 30Hz. Some people claim to be successfully running Asus or LG monitors at 60 Hz in SST mode with the AMD Radeon 7970.

If I can confirm that my card will function at 60 Hz with another monitor, I might buy one but the 31" LG is probably beyond my current budget. The 27" LG might be worth it, though.

Regards,

A

A lot of people seem to be using Dell monitors, I have been considering getting a P2415Q this supposedly is a 4K at 60Hz SST monitor based on user comments in these and other forums. E.g. http://www.tonymacx86.com/graphics/149597-dell-p2415q-p2715q-4k-60hz-sst.html

There is also the bigger P2715Q I would guess it also is a 60Hz SST screen based on the similar model number but there are fewer user comments on that one.

Thanks, that's really helpful!

I really like the design and panel on the UP2414Q but the MST issue is bothering me a bit. I think I've heard that the P2415Q is a low budget version of the UP2414Q monitor with somewhat inferior panel?

Dell's support staff don't seem all that Mac friendly online. :-(

The Dell 27" might thus be an option. It's got better adjustment options including rotation that the LG 27UD68-W doesn't have. The LG is considerably cheaper, though, but I've yet to confirm that it supports 60 Hz over SST.

Regards,

A

The P2415Q is an IPS (in plane switching) panel which is 'good' but it is not as colour accurate as their more expensive screens. It depends on what you are going to use it for, for general work it should be fine and give you hi dpi aka. Retina capabilities.

I was replying to the thread title:

Can 2008 Mac Pro run 4K or HD screens with the right video card?

No, You were replying to a posting of mine but never mind.

The thread started over two years ago. It's pretty obvious to anyone (who's been keeping up to date) these days that a 2008 Mac Pro can actually drive a 4K monitor. What we're still discussing now are the finer details, like how to achieve 60 Hz refresh rate.

A

Have you guys tried this pref pane - SwitchResX

Spencer the Mac Guru wrote:

Have you guys tried this pref pane - SwitchResX

This can let you tweak your settings and on the Mac mini as an example you can get over 40 fps instead of 30 but SwitchResX is not going to help at all with regards to adding support for SST vs MST, that is more it works or it does not work.

I have also found that SwitchResX fails to successfully enable 30bit color aka. Deep Color. It does get reported as 30bit color in System Report after tweaking with SwitchResX but my screen shows it is still not really doing it. I know the video card, cable, and screen can do 30bit color because it works in Windows 10 via Boot Camp.

So SwitchResX can help with somethings but it is not a cure for all ills.

Cool, thought I would ask to cover that base 😉

I'm a little puzzled that MacVidcards stated that AMD cards are struggling with SST but fare well with MSTs. I've read a lot of comments stating the opposite, e.g. that MST support seems to be broken in at least recent versions of OS X.

A

SwitchRes X made it possible for me to use the full resolution of my LG 24" 1920x1200 monitor back on my Power Mac MDD that would only output 1920x1080 without SwitchRes X.

A

Anaesthisia wrote:

I'm a little puzzled that MacVidcards stated that AMD cards are struggling with SST but fare well with MSTs. I've read a lot of comments stating the opposite, e.g. that MST support seems to be broken in at least recent versions of OS X.

A

Me to. Perhaps they are 'exaggerating' things so they can sell more of their custom Nvidia cards. (It is possible to DIY flash AMD cards but in general not possible with Nvidia cards.)

I guess claiming that Nvidia cards have better Mac drivers would give them the same advantage.

Not sure if Nvidia cards have any real proven advantage, though?

A

If I dare sum up the current state of affairs it is thoroughly confirmed that 2008 Mac Pros are able to drive 4K monitors but that it is important to research the intended combo of graphics card and monitor before purchasing anything, at least if 60 Hz refresh rate is important to You.

Purchasing anything that requires MST support seems like a bad option, given that most people seem to report that MST support is currently broken at least for legacy Macs. And should it be that MST does indeed work for some Macs, then there is still the issue that some monitors seem to require a firmware update to truly support MST on a Mac. My Dell UP2414Q might be such a machine, since it seems to be an early revision. Not much detail about this is available, so we really don't know for sure if any Mac will actually handle MST together with this monitor, running OS X. It does seem to work with the same monitor and Mac hardware running Windows 7 or later in BootCamp.

Stay safe! Buy a monitor that supports 60 Hz over SST and make sure to find evidence online that the graphics card installed seems to work with the monitor You have in mind.

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