Nvidia Card For Mac

For the Mac User who wants to or are using a Nvidia GPU, we understand that you have a lot of questions. This post is for you. We have collated as many of the most common questions we got about the Nvidia graphics cards and brought them together in a single post. If you do have an issue that isn’t answered below, please feel free to get in touch with us.
I just installed my new Nvidia XXXX graphics card, and the screen just stays black?
The first thing to check is to see if you have installed the drivers for the card.
Do you have them installed?
No – Install the drivers
Yes – Ensure you have correct drivers, full power and no hardware faults.
I went to the Nvidia Website, found my graphics cards, but there is no OSX driver?
All the drivers for the Nvidia cards come under the Nvidia Quadro K5000.
The drivers are not card specific but OSX version specific.

Where can I find the drivers for my Nvidia Card?
All the drivers for each version of OSX / MacOS can be found at the link below.
Click here
How do I know what driver is the one for me?
The driver is specific to the build number of the operating system you are running. Just looking for a driver for version 10.10.5 might not get you what you need.
How to reveal your OS X build number:

• Download drivers for NVIDIA products including GeForce graphics cards, nForce motherboards, Quadro workstations, and more. Update your graphics card drivers today.
• Package includes: NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac graphics board Stereo connector bracket Two Display Port to mini-Display Port adapters DVI-I to VGA adapter Quick Start Guide PNY Advantage 3-Year Warranty Pre-and post sales assistance Toll-free professional technical support Dedicated Field Application Engineers Product Specifications CUDA Cores.
• Buy NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac by PNY 2GB GDDR5 PCI Express Gen 2 x16 DVI-I DL, DisplayPort and Stereo OpenGL, DirectX (Boot Camp), CUDA and OpenCL Profesional Graphics Board, VCQ4000MAC-PB: Graphics Cards - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases.

The following aftermarket graphics cards support Metal in macOS Mojave and later: AMD Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Mac Edition; NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac; AMD Radeon VII; MSI Gaming Radeon RX 560 128-bit 4GB GDRR5; SAPPHIRE Radeon PULSE RX 580 8GB GDDR5; SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7950 Mac Edition; NVIDIA Quadro K5000 for Mac.

1. Click the Apple logo to the far left of the menu bar.
2. Click ‘About this Mac.’
3. Click ‘Version XX.XX.X’ to reveal build number

Once you have your build number, you can see exactly what driver you need.
If you visit the link above you can see each version and build split with the driver available.
I have installed my Nvidia card, connected all the cables and installed the drivers but it won’t boot?
Firstly, check you have installed the correct version of the driver. A common mistake is to install the latest driver and not the correct one for your build of OSX.
If that doesn’t work check your card is supported in the version of OSX you are running, double check you are getting enough power to the card, and then last resort is check for faulty hardware.
GTX 780Ti & GTX Titan Black require 10.9.2 or later
GTX 750Ti, GTX 950, GTX 960, GTX 970, GTX 980, GTX 980Ti, and Titan X (Maxwell) Require 10.10 or later
I’m trying to use Nvidia XXXX in my Mac Pro and only have one power cable connected. My machine chimes/doesn’t boot?
You will need to fully power the graphics card for it to function. Plug both auxiliary power connections into the graphics card.
I have installed the CUDA drivers without any issues, but I get an error saying that the web driver is incompatible with my operating system?
The driver you have downloaded is not the correct version for your build.
Please see above guide on selecting the correct driver.
I have purchased a overclocked/super clocked (or other more powerful version) of Nvidia 9XX series graphics card, and my machine crashes/no longer boots?
The crashes are most likely the machine shutting itself down as the card is drawing too much power. If your system no longer boots you may have damaged something.
I recommend testing the graphics card in another system to ensure that it isn’t just faulty hardware. Also, check the manufacturer specification of the card to see the TDP. We recommend no more than a 250W TDP for Nvidia Graphics cards to be stable and fully functional.
Will the Nvidia XXXX work in my Mac Pro 3,1 / 4,1 / 5,1?
Most Nvidia cards will work in all three models it’s the version of OSX you are running which will make the difference.
GTX 780Ti & GTX Titan Black require 10.9.2 or later
GTX 750Ti, GTX 950, GTX 960, GTX 970, GTX 980, GTX 980Ti, and Titan X (Maxwell) Require 10.10 or later
Will the Nvidia XXXX get enough power in my Mac Pro 3,1 / 4,1 / 5,1?
Check the manufacturer specification of the card to see the TDP. We recommend no more than a 250W TDP for Nvidia Graphics cards.

Can I install a Nvidia graphics card in my Mac Pro 1,1 / 2,1?
Any of the newer cards will not work as they require 10.9.2 or newer. The older systems are also 32bit not 64bit so require a GPU with a 32bit BIOS.
I’m running a Mac Pro X,X with the following CPU will I need to upgrade my CPU to fit a new graphics card?
No, you do not, the only thing that matters is that your system is a 3,1 or newer and running the correct operating system for your choice of GPU.
How is the power draw from the card handled?
We select specific cards which draw within the power limit of the Mac Pro. Certain graphics cards will draw too much and can only be run with an additional GPU.
So when you install the Nvidia GPU how do you update the drivers when a new version of OSX comes out?
You will need to swap back to the Apple GPU, update OS X, update drivers and then swap to the Nvidia GTX GPU.
I have a modified Nvidia card do I still need the drivers?
Yes, you still need the drivers. The Mac EFI just gives you a boot screen.
I’m not getting audio over HDMI / Display Port in my Mac Pro with the Nvidia card?
Nvidia doesn’t support audio over HDMI or Display Port you will need to output via digital or 3.5mm.
I have one Nvidia XXXX graphics card installed in my system I want to add another one?
If you would like to install another GPU you MUST go one of these two routes:
Route 1 – Get an external power supply unit to power the card
Route 2 – Get an external PCI-e chassis such as the Xpander Elite from Cubix.
There is not enough power inside the Mac Pro to power GPUs, and you are just asking for trouble. We recommend the Cubix route purely as it is a much more reliable solution.
List of supported Nvidia GPU for the Mac Pro 5,1
GTX Titan X 12GB (Maxwell)
GTX 980TI 6GB
GTX 980 4GB
GTX 970 4GB
GTX 960 2GB/4GB
GTX 780 3GB/6GB
GTX 770 2GB/4GB
GTX 760 2GB
GTX 750Ti 2GB
GTX 680 2GB/4GB
GTX 780Ti & GTX Titan Black require 10.9.2 or later
GTX 750Ti, GTX 950, GTX 960, GTX 970, GTX 980, GTX 980Ti, and Titan X (Maxwell) Require 10.10 or later
*Please note not all variations from all manufacturers work.
Are you running a model, not on this list? Let us know!
We have tried our best to answer as many of the most common questions above. If we have not answered your questions above comment below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Configure Now | Upgrade Now

This article applies only to video cards that originally shipped with a specified Mac Pro or were offered as an upgrade kit by Apple. Similar cards that were not provided by Apple may have compatibility issues and you should work with the vendor of that card to confirm compatibility.

Mac Pro (2019)

Learn more about cards you can install in Mac Pro (2019) and how to install PCIe cards in your Mac Pro (2019).

Mac Pro (Late 2013)

• Dual AMD FirePro D300
• Dual AMD FirePro D500
• Dual AMD FirePro D700

Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012)

• ATI Radeon HD 5770
• ATI Radeon HD 5870
  Learn about graphics cards supported in macOS 10.14 Mojave on Mac Pro (2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012).

Nvidia Graphics Card For Mac

Mac Pro (Early 2009)

• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120
• ATI Radeon HD 4870
  
• ATI Radeon HD 5870, offered as an upgrade kit
  The Radeon HD 5870 card requires Mac OS X 10.6.4 or later and the use of both auxiliary power connections.

Mac Pro (Early 2008)

• ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT
• NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (part number 630-9191 or 630-9897)*
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 5600
• ATI Radeon HD 4870, offered as an upgrade kit
  The Radeon HD 4870 card requires Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later.

Nvidia Cards For Mac Pro

Mac Pro (Original)

Nvidia Mac Os X Drivers

• NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT
• ATI Radeon X1900 XT
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4500 (part number 630-7532 or 630-7895)*
• NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT (part number 630-9492), offered as an upgrade kit.*
  The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT card requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later with the Leopard Graphics Update 1.0 or the computer may not start up properly.

List Of Nvidia Graphics Cards

* To identify a graphics card part number, check the label on the back of the card.