GFX Strings - DUAL CARDS - How To

[shottyb]

Thanks for the quick reply - I really do appreciate it. Something very interesting popped up when I tried booting with the dual EFI string with only the second video card attached. The card gets recognized as a Geforce 9600GSO with the following details:


Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9600GSO
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
Slot: PCIEX4_1
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x05e1
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 62.94.82.00.00
Displays:
BenQ V2400W:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Display Connector:
Status: No Display Connected

When only the first card is connected it detects it as a GTX 280 DDL properly.

EDIT: Heres the graphics info when the First card is only plugged in:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 DDL
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 1024 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x05e1
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3172a
Displays:
BenQ V2400W:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported
VX2025wm:
Resolution: 1680 x 1050 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported

And heres the in.plist I compiled:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x3,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)</key>
<dict>
<key>@0,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@0,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@0,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-A</string>
<key>@1,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@1,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@1,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-B</string>
<key>@2,#adress-cells</key>
<string>0x01000000</string>
<key>@2,#size-cells</key>
<string>0x00000000</string>
<key>@2,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,gpu-diode</string>
<key>@2,hwctrl-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,hwsensor-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,name</key>
<string>sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,reg</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>NVCAP</key>
<data>BAAAAAAAAwAMAAAAAAAABwAAAAA=</data>
<key>NVPM</key>
<data>AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==</data>
<key>VRAM,totalsize</key>
<data>AAAAQA==</data>
<key>device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,GeForce</string>
<key>model</key>
<string>NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 DDL</string>
<key>name</key>
<string>NVDA,Parent</string>
<key>rom-revision</key>
<string>3172a</string>
</dict>
<key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x7,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)</key>
<dict>
<key>@0,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@0,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@0,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-A</string>
<key>@1,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@1,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@1,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-B</string>
<key>@2,#adress-cells</key>
<string>0x01000000</string>
<key>@2,#size-cells</key>
<string>0x00000000</string>
<key>@2,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,gpu-diode</string>
<key>@2,hwctrl-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,hwsensor-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,name</key>
<string>sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,reg</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>NVCAP</key>
<data>BAAAAAAAAwAMAAAAAAAABwAAAAA=</data>
<key>NVPM</key>
<data>AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==</data>
<key>VRAM,totalsize</key>
<data>AAAAQA==</data>
<key>device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,GeForce</string>
<key>model</key>
<string>NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 DDL</string>
<key>name</key>
<string>NVDA,Parent</string>
<key>rom-revision</key>
<string>3172a</string>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>

Once again, thanks for your help aquamac; I'm in way over my head when it comes to OSX, but its been a fantastic learning experience

[xbsd]

Hi,

I tried this and it isn't working. Is this because I am using the -x -v boot arguments?
I have 2 9800 GT cards.

TIA,
Scott

[rurouni]

Hello,

First of all I'd like to thanks to Aquamac for this great guide. This is my first time here and I use this guide since OSX 10.5.6 with 2 GPU (BFG GeForce GTS 250)

Since I upgrade to 10.6.3 and 10.6.4 I had some problems with my GPU's, when I run some programs that require more graphics the problems begin, saying: my computer may not have enough VRAM or my GPU not support Quartz Extreme.

When I check about mac the video cards still there with VRAM 512MB, however when I used openGL Extensions Viewer my memory= 0MB

Did anyone know how to solve this problem

My computer:
MB: Asus P6T Deluxe V2 Bios 1003 (2010/04/01) with DSDT 3.3 by iFabio
CPU: Intel Core i7 920 @ 2.6 Stock speed
RAM: 12GB OCZ DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz
GPU 2 x BFG Nvidia GeForce GTS 250 512MB (GFX injection com.apple.boot.plist)
OS: Snow Leopard 10.6.4 (HDD-0) Windows 7 64bit (HDD-1)
Bootloader: Chameleon 2 RC5 pre11


My in.plist
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x3,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)</key>
<dict>
<key>@0,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@0,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@0,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-A</string>
<key>@1,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@1,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@1,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-B</string>
<key>@2,#adress-cells</key>
<string>0x01000000</string>
<key>@2,#size-cells</key>
<string>0x00000000</string>
<key>@2,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,gpu-diode</string>
<key>@2,hwctrl-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,hwsensor-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,name</key>
<string>sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,reg</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>NVCAP</key>
<data>BAAAAAAAAwAMAAAAAAAABwAAAAA=</data>
<key>NVPM</key>
<data>AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==</data>
<key>VRAM,totalsize</key>
<data>AAAAIA==</data>
<key>device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,GeForce</string>
<key>model</key>
<string>NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250</string>
<key>name</key>
<string>NVDA,Parent</string>
<key>rom-revision</key>
<string>3172a</string>
</dict>
<key>PciRoot(0x0)/Pci(0x7,0x0)/Pci(0x0,0x0)</key>
<dict>
<key>@0,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@0,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@0,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-A</string>
<key>@1,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
<key>@1,device_type</key>
<string>display</string>
<key>@1,name</key>
<string>NVDA,Display-B</string>
<key>@2,#adress-cells</key>
<string>0x01000000</string>
<key>@2,#size-cells</key>
<string>0x00000000</string>
<key>@2,compatible</key>
<string>NVDA,sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,gpu-diode</string>
<key>@2,hwctrl-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,hwsensor-params-version</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>@2,name</key>
<string>sensor-parent</string>
<key>@2,reg</key>
<string>0x02000000</string>
<key>NVCAP</key>
<data>BAAAAAAAAwAMAAAAAAAABwAAAAA=</data>
<key>NVPM</key>
<data>AQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==</data>
<key>VRAM,totalsize</key>
<data>AAAAIA==</data>
<key>device_type</key>
<string>NVDA,GeForce</string>
<key>model</key>
<string>NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250</string>
<key>name</key>
<string>NVDA,Parent</string>
<key>rom-revision</key>
<string>3172a</string>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>


my info:
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0615
Revision ID: 0x00a2
ROM Revision: 3172a
Displays:
SyncMaster:
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
SyncMaster:
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes


Kind Regards

[swearchangel]

Hello everyone! First of all, big big cheers for all the work behind these GFX string threads. Lots of people have gotten lots of help by the looks of it. Thumbs up!

Now, even i am here to seek some advice/help.
I wonder if there is anyone out there with a working LEO installation that could generate my hex output?

Hopefully that will resolve my issue with an Asus P6T Deluxe V2 and dual XFX GTX 275.
Also, is there maybe an IRC channel or something for this forum that you can hang around? To discuss things with intelligent guys? ^^

Cheers//Johan

[heythisisdave]

Hi aquamac and the rest of this thread - I did the procedure here and got my two cards working for three monitors and everything's great... most of the time. Every now and then I get some significant choppiness (video/Flash won't play, mouse will jump around slightly, audio is distorted). I've tried narrowing it down and I think it's that video heavy things will make it go into this funky mode. If I stop video/iTunes/Skype it seems to become fine again. It's never crashed or anything and the cards don't seem too hot to the touch, but I don't know how to get the actual GPU temperature. All the other stats (as measured in iStat) are dead flat - network, CPU, HD, and temperatures seem fine around the board.

I have to admit one thing: when doing the procedure for the two cards, I just used the GFX strings for the 9800GTX for both cards and adjusted the memory but don't know if I need to adjust anything else. Perhaps I should take the dual 9800GTX and replace one of the plist trees with the 9800GT from the Single Card thread?

Other suspicions I've thought about:
- VoodooHDA driver (I'm using the 0.2.2 driver)
- USB issues (I do have a Time Machine drive plugged into USB), but with it unplugged it still happens
- Not enough power coming from the power supply (Corsair's own site says I should have an 850 but adding up all the components at full load doesn't seem to get me there)

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I mainly use my computer for software development (never even played a game on this machine yet) so it's not super annoying but I do watch some videos etc).

Here's my build stats:

10.6.4 installed from Kakewalk 2.2 (Cham 2.0rc4 - installed 10.6.3, upgraded)
Geforce GA-X58A-UD3R rev 2.0
6GB RAM
1TB HD
EVGA 9800GTX+ 512 MB (dual DVI)
EVGA 9800GT 512 MB (dual DVI)
Corsair TX750W PSU

[aquamac]

swearchangel,

I have found that if you have 10.6.4 installed, GFX strings works with this now and gives the correct output, so give it a go!

heythisisdave,

GFX strings either work or not, so if both your cards are working, this will not be the reason for the glitches. Have you tried deleting voodooHDA.kext. I am sure that AppleHDA kext can be got working with your motherboard. For CPU temperatures, try Istat pro or temperature monitor. Your power supply should be OK, have you tested if you get the same problems in windows? You probably ought to install the latest version of Chameleon too.

[heythisisdave]

aquamac - thanks for the fast response! Glad to know that the GFX strings aren't the cause, I diffed the two plists and saw only the name difference and wasn't sure if the OS actually uses the name to find a driver or something. I was using AppleHDA modded with LegacyHDA but had the same issues. I'll go back to that though.

It seems the slowness definitely comes when I'm watching videos or something. I'm upgrading the power supply to 850 just to try that as well. I believe I have Chameleon 2.0 rc4 from Kakewalk, but I could try a nightly build or something.

I'm using istat right now - is there a way to get GPU temperatures? Also, do you think builds with 2 same cards are much more stable, I may just downgrade the 9800GTX+ to 9800GT as I don't need 3d power really.

[aquamac]

GPU temps seem to have come and gone as different updates are applied but I don't think were particularly reliable. I have not tried with different cards, similar cards may offer some improvement but I cannot be certain. When I am home from work, I will post my Chameleon which was one of the later ones from Recursor and did sort a few problems I was having with a 3 card setup.

[heythisisdave]

aquamac - thanks again for your update. Just curious, how many displays are you running with your 3-card setup? Also, is that in SLI or just for 6 separate displays?

So in my everlasting quest to get rid of these slowdowns, I'm exploring a new avenue of attack and I think it may be the Northbridge overheating during runtime causing video and audio hiccuping. I used to work at AMD and it occurred to me that the NB is all about connecting video/RAM/CPU together, and I'm guessing they put a bunch of the peripherals like audio in there. When I put my finger on it, it definitely feels VERY hot and I'm using a board known to have a hot NB in general.

One other reason I think this could be the reason is that I'm not using the stock i7 cooler, I put in a Corsair H50 which keeps the CPU cool but doesn't provide any airflow for the other components. I'm guessing the NB on my board (the GA-X58A-UD3R which doesn't have a NB fan) is designed to have some kind of active cooling to work.

So a few questions:
- Would an overheating NB cause these kinds of hiccups (video/audio choppiness mainly)
- Does anyone have any good recommendations on cooling this besides reseating and putting new thermal paste as well as putting in the i7 stock cooling back in?
- Would running two video cards (not in SLI) cause this kind of problem? Is there some configuration of seating the cards that I don't know about that could help? I have my 9800GT in PCIE 16x1 and my 9800GTX+ in PCIE 16x2, if I just sat them in the 8x1 and 8x2 would that make them run cooler? I don't need 3d performance, just good enough to watch videos really.

Thanks again, I'm always amazed at the generosity of others to help people out in this community.

[aquamac]

Hi Dave,

It is quite possible that an overheating Northbridge could be causing your problems but fortunately it's quite easy to test. If you train any fan on the northbridge so it is cooled to a reasonable level and try to simulate the problem. As it is only temporary for testing, it can be anything from a room fan trained on the northbridge to a spare computer fan, to see if this makes a difference.

[aquamac]

Below is the version of Chameleon that I am using:

Attachments:

[heythisisdave]

Hey aquamac - I will try the fan thing tonight, I think I may just put the stock i7 cooler on the CPU since that's putting out a lot of air instead of my H50 which is just cooling the CPU. What's in the modded RC4?

[proximus]

hello,
thank you aquamac for this tutorial, i do everything like you said, and now got working 260 GTX + EN6600 with three monitors...

but i made out.hex on my snow leopard and i don't have Quartz Extreme...

i need to know can i make this file with my in.plist on my friends hackintosh with Leopard only, or i must instal leopard to my machine and made it?

thank you!

[heythisisdave]

So I went with the theory that it was the NB overheating and I did a few things:

1. Removed the Gigabyte blue plate from the NB, didn't really see it providing any benefit (maybe channeling air from the power supply more effectively, but also blocking air from the case side fan).
2. Reapplied TIM (thermal interface material for the uninitiated, which I was today) to the NB. Also, I noticed the NB is attached relatively loosely, I tightened it a bit.
3. Removed the Corsair H50 and put the stock intel fan back on.

The stuttering ia gone and I don't get the red LED's on my NB indicator anymore, also, it's warm but touchable, whereas before it was scalding and I couldn't touch it for more than a second at best. Just wanted to put that here for those who may experience this problem in the future.

Also the corsair h50 kept my CPU cooler, but at the cost of not cooling down the MOSFETs and the NB. Before I had a 37 degree CPU, 28 deg HD and now I have 47 CPU and 35 HD, but also much lower NB. I think optimally, I'd get some kind of water cooling solution for those things as well, but in the meantime I'm just going to use the stock Intel. Much louder, but I'd rather have some fan noise than an unstable machine. Also, it kind of drowns out the coil whine from the PSU

Thanks again for all the advice. Remember, the Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R boards get very hot and our current BIOS has some issues with DPC latency at higher NB temps (I know very little about what all this means, just what I read).

Hope this will help someone some day.

[aquamac]

That's good to know! This is a problem with many great CPU coolers, they just do not cool the mosfets and north bridge. Let us know which solution you end up going for in the long term. Are you using one of Catri's bioses for your board? Anyway, glad you got it sorted.