So my X299 build was gonna be a 12 core monster iMac Pro Killer running High Sierra. I have a 1080 Ti in the system for this purpose specifically.
But… Now I learn that all Pascal GPUs will NEVER receive a Freesync LFC fix for Linux Gaming and Proton. This is especially bad on my BenQ EX2510. So not only will Apple NEVER give new Nvidia drivers, Nvidia will NEVER fix LFC on Pascal.
Should I abandon my 1080 Ti to upgrade it to a 2080 Ti and abandon my iMac Pro killer plans? If I was to build for Catalina, I would use a 9900K rather than the 10920X I currently have.
I’m also running a Kraken G12 so I want to transplant that to a new GPU and the only option is the 2080 Ti.
Why Nvidia? NVFBC support, because Anthony from LTT showed it’s actually possible. (and NVENC support)
Yeah, that’s what I’m asking. Should I fully abandon Hackintosh on my X299 system? It will only go up to High Sierra if it does work.
I have a Z390 system I’m building that will get a 6900XT late next year, and will get a Radeon VII first. That will go up to Catalina for the Radeon VII, and will go to Big Sur on the 6900XT.
Since Premiere on Mac doesn’t use NVENC, I need good CPU performance for encoding 4K video. BUT, Intel QSV is supported on Premiere on Mac, so I really don’t know. ProRes Support on Windows still requires a ton of CPU power because it is incredibly inefficient (especially Apple’s “third party” ProRes RAW for Windows)
Even getting the 6900XT for Linux I lose NVENC and NVFBC.
To be honest, Apple will drop all x86 support within a few years anyway in favor of their own silicon, both CPU and GPU wise. So hackintosh will become an outdated concept regardless.
Why even keep up the charade? Pay the Apple tax or cut loose, are my $0.02 on the subject.
Well, I will pay it when they have a decent enough ARM chip for ProRes RAW editing. The current Mac Minis with only max 16GB of memory is not enough.
I’m only keeping it up to a certain point, getting specific versions of Premiere and locking those in place. I went from CC 2015 to 2017, then 2020. I’m very unlikely to use 2021.
So just get a 2080 Ti? The 6900XT with 9900K system will have more life out of it, but it’s already the end of the line for trying to do anything with Nvidia.
If you really want to keep MacOS, then sell the 1080 Ti and go for whatever RX 6xxx you can afford. Even the 6800 non-xt is on par with 2080 Ti and has more vram.
If dumping Nvidia due to NVENC and NVFBC isn’t an option then dump MacOS and go with a 3070+. I see no reason to go with a 20x0 series if you can get a 3070 or better for same price, with the exception if you need vram, then the 2080 trumps the 3070.
Noone can choose for you, so choose. No such thing as a perfect solution here.
I upgraded platforms to X299 when my 1080 Ti was hampered by X79. That improved performance by a lot. But now I have to improve even further to get a 2080 Ti to get working Freesync LFC, or just go VFIO to run Windows to have functioning Freesync.
It’s like no matter what I cannot win here. If the opt-in for EAC and Battleye does go well (which unfortunately doesn’t look like the case) I’d have to run native Linux, and that has broken Freesync on Pascal GPUs.
If I update to the 2080 Ti, I have the huge concern that the large die will fail over time faster because of expansion and shrinking of the die due to heat, and the silicon vias breaking as a result.
I’m starting to fully regret my 1080 Ti purchase because of the new issues I’m finding out. I don’t regret my 1660 Ti purchase because I knew what it was going to serve as going in.
I even did a 120mm AIO conversion for the 1080 Ti only to find out these stupid issues.
Have I failed once again? Failing even harder during the midst of a GPU shortage crisis means I honestly can’t live with myself for these incorrect decisions.
I had fun with Hackintosh for years with a GTX 970 and later a 1070. I would never recommend it for anyone wanting to do real work though, especially with an Nvidia card. The drivers are notoriously bad, lack features and break with every system update requiring downtime and some frustration in what should be a simple routine task. This alone wore me down and got me wondering why I was even bothering. I had lost a lot of what I liked about Macs “ease of use”.
Your ability to run MacOS will increasingly become more difficult as requirements for T2 chips and M1-M2 will become required to run new software. Even if the community finds ways around that, you will increasingly lose out on integrations in the OS for specific hardware features causing unexpected behaviors in various apps that may expect it. Performance and behavior will likely always struggle compared to the real thing.
As already mentioned by others, if there is a specific use case where you need a Mac it may be best to pay Apple. Otherwise it may be time to lose sentimentality and look at alternatives. If this isn’t for making money and only for educational or entertainment value, then I say go right ahead. But be honest with yourself in why you are doing it and still enjoy the challenge and headaches.
I did for a long while, but eventually tired of it.
Hmm. This means I can come back to it if I feel like locking in High Sierra and a specific version of Premiere is worth the effort. I had no intention of selling my 1080 Ti, but this does make me think more about keeping the 1080 Ti around even if the system is running a 2080 Ti.
My GPU Wishlist now includes the 2080 Ti, the Radeon VII and the TUF 6900 XT.
Though is this justified for a simple Freesync issue in Linux and for VKD3D? It’s X299 and I can VFIO the 1080 Ti, but my fear is the situation with Proton will improve so much the extra effort for VFIO is kinda wasted.
Okay, they REALLY crippled Pascal on Far Cry 6, which means it uses a lot of low-level compute… and the 2080 Ti is better at that. I guess I don’t have to say anything further.
Even if gamers demand better Pascal performance, because it’s bad at low level compute, there isn’t a way to fix that.
I would abandon it if for no other reason than you’re running an OS that isn’t getting security updates.
That said, if I were you, I’d work with whatever you have until an M processor Mac comes out that can do what you need it to. I’m also in the same boat with the Mac Mini btw. I’ve seen it perform way beyond what the spec would indicate, but 16GB of memory still isn’t going to cut it.
Agreed. I would want DDR5 or LPDDR5 with a M1 chip in a Mac Mini and competitive performance compared to an Alder Lake efficient core.
OS that’s not getting security updates isn’t that big of a problem if I don’t primarily use it as my daily system, only for editing and no web browsing.
But overwhelmingly the direction is to get a EVGA 2080 Ti XC Hybrid. I’m not transplanting my Kraken G12 to a 2080 Ti and just getting a fully featured AIO solution pre-installed. These will have less heat issues due to thermal shock so the vias will be more intact.
Far Cry 6 was my last straw. VKD3D is never gonna get better on Pascal, and now games like that are not gonna get better on Pascal because of poor low level utilization.