Compatible GPUs for Mac Pro 5,1 – Upgrade Guide

gpumac pro

I have Mac Pro 5,1 (Mid 2010) and I want to upgrade it's GPU to increase the performance of Windows under Bootcamp. I do not care about GPU power in OSX.

Which GPUs are supported in OS X / macOS ? ( I also do not care about boot screen)

Thanks in advance

Best Answer

Apple has an "official" list of graphics cards that are compatible with the Mac Pros (Mid 2010).

The ones specific to the 5,1 are:

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

  • ATI Radeon HD 5770
  • ATI Radeon HD 5870

Now, according to EveryMac.com, there are several more adapters that are compatible:

  • NVIDIA Quadro FX 4800

  • NVIDIA Quadro 4000

  • AMD Sapphire Radeon HD 7950*

  • EVGA GeForce GTX 680

  • PNY NVIDIA Quadro K5000

Please note that the Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 only is compatible with the "Mid-2010" and "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models. The other four video cards above are compatible with the "Early 2008" and "Early 2009" as well as the "Mid-2010" and "Mid-2012" Mac Pro models.

Personally, I have used the AMD Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 because it wasn't just compatible with OS X (10.7+), but Windows Vista (which meant it worked in 7 and should work in Windows 10) and FreeBSD as well.

I am currently refurbing a Mid-2012 Mac Pro (side project) and I fully intend to put this exact card in the mix.

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