New member requires your expertise with my setup - Mac Pro 5.1 + Ultrawide monitors (x2)

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Greetings / Salutations to fellow members.

So a couple years ago i dove in and bought a refurbished Mac pro 5.1(3.1 upgraded to 5.1)with the following spec :

CPU: 2 x 6 @ 3.46GHz = 12 core processors
(GeekBench 32000)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 980 Ti
RAM: 96GB DDR3 ECC (6 x 16GB Modules) running at 1333MHz
STORAGE: 512GB Flash Drive (Pre Loaded with OS)
STORAGE: 4TB HDD
DISK DRIVE: Superdrive DVDRW
PORTS:
4 x USB 3.0
5 x USB 2.0
4 x Firewire 800
2 x Gigabit Ethernet
Audio In/Out
Wi-Fi 802.11n / Bluetooth Installed
OS X: High Sierra (upgraded from El Capitan)

I purchased 1 x LG 34 Ultrawide 2 years ago shortly after buying the Mac pro and recently at work i wanted a ultra wide so i have now 2 ultra wide LG monitors which i'd like to utilise.

I've updated the Nvidia web drivers : 387.10.10.10.40.131
Cuda driver : 418.163

Problem is that the monitors don't switch on after boot, also i'm having to use the DVI port (HDMI to DVI adaptor) and use the HDMI cable to connect to my monitor on one end and the HDMI to go into the DVI adapter which i find strange. Ultimately, I want to be able to use the DP cable/ports as they it allows for 3840×2160, 4K, at 60 Hz and both the Geforce 980ti has 3 ports (DP 1.2 according to this DisplayPort vs HDMI vs DVI vs VGA - AVADirect and one/two on the ultrawide monitors.

So how can i set this up so I'm getting the highest resolution and for it to work every single time without showing blank screen or having to resort to the DVI Port with the Hdmi adapter.

Wow, that's a lot of info there but I'd appreciate some help as i know this is the right forum with the expertise.

Cheers.
 
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I’ve just managed to install the Majove OS not realising or checking that it requires compatible Nvidia web drivers for my GTX980 Ti to operate which aren’t readily available from Nvidia at this point.

To compound the matter I’ve restarted using the (Command + R) prompt at the chimes and manage to delete the Mac HD without actually checking if whether I had any successful backups so now I’m currently in limbo land with the massive question mark showing up when I start the OS.


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2023-14" M3max MBPro, 64GB/1TB, iPhone 15 Pro, Watch Ultra
Well that bites. Yes, Mojave does not offer drivers for your 980Ti - and there are no web drivers. This is because of a Nvidia and Apple dispute so don't look for any drivers forthcoming.

The newest version of OS X you can run will be High Sierra. There are web drivers that work with your Mac. I am not sure how to advise you from this point on as I don't know what resources you have available - like a second mac etc.

Post back if you have more information or questions and I will try to help.

Lisa
 
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Hi Lisa

Thank you for response. I believe there are workable solutions to using 980 Ti on Mojave but you’re quite right, it’s not official, nor are NVidia or Apple rushing to alleviate this issue anytime sooner like you said.

I’ve managed to use the Option + Command + R keys to get into recovery mode and load disk utility to upload the bootable usb drive and reinstall a fresh copy of Sierra.

So back to normality however I still have the conundrum of the connectivity with my screens, unless I’m using the DVI port with the hdmi adapter to connect my screen, the DP and HDMI ports don’t work.

Any help will be appreciated.


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Your Mac's Specs
2023-14" M3max MBPro, 64GB/1TB, iPhone 15 Pro, Watch Ultra
I am afraid the future upgrades for these old workhorses are fast fading. I have a 4k DP monitor on my Mac Pro 5,1. Under Mohave I could use the DP port with full 3840×2160, 4K, at 60 Hz.

I recently upgraded my MP 5,1 to Catalina and yes, I had to use a workaround to get it to install and work. I now have to use HDMI with my 4k monitor. I have a GTX 780 card in it. There were no drivers for my GTX 1080 when I upgraded to Mojave and now Catalina.

Apple quit including native drivers or supporting Nvidia cards past the GTX 780. There were others who came up with drivers for non-supported cards but that stopped with Mojave. Actually Apple would not allow Nvidia to release code to allow for driver development - or something like that.

Up until I pushed Catalina on my Mac Pro I could use the DP to run my 4K monitor . Now I have to use HDMI and it will show 3840×2160, 4K, at 59 Hz but with low resolution - what ever that means! It looks okay but I have not delved into editing any video yet.

I am not sure why you can not use a DP port with your monitor. I did not try to use DP until I was using Mojave with my GTX 780 and native Apple drivers. I suspect the issue is with the drivers for your GTX 980 Ti

Lisa
 

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