GPU Buyers Guide

# What GPUs to avoid

With GPUs to avoid it's a bit of a mixed bag - the specific brand to avoid 100% is Powercolor, HIS and VisionTek regardless of what core they runs. They're the most common GPUs to have instability issues and many users will outright not get any video out past the Clover boot-screen making a macOS install virtually impossible. XFX should also be avoided if you can, because people also have trouble with it, although most XFX cards will work with CSM/legacy mode turned off (XFX cards have an issue with VBIOS, but the UEFI VBIOS is fine.)(Though it is possible to get the XFX RX 460/560 working with a VBIOS flash, it's risky and not recommended). And while Sapphire may be the best brand for Polaris GPUs, Vega GPUs are quite a bit of a different story. While many have working systems with Sapphire Vega, a good chunk of users also experience instability and issues with macOS functioning correctly. Update: With the advent of macOS 10.14.5, support for Sapphire Vega has been greatly improved. But do note that these issues were quite serious so tread lightly as all the kinks may not have been truly resolved

Most 550s will not work except for some models like Sapphire Pulse 550 640 SP (opens new window), as most other 550s are Lexa core, while 640 SP variants are Polaris. See below for more info

Baffin vs Lexa Breakdown

As mentioned above, RX 550 models come in 2 flavours known as Baffin and Lexa. The former is officially supported in macOS however the latter is not. Here we have a simple breakdown explaining how to determine which GPU is Baffin and which is Lexa even if OEMs do not openly mention.

Specification differences:

  • Old Lexa Core (incompatible):

    • Stream Processors 512 (CUs 8)
    • Memory Speed 1750MHz (7000Mz effective)
    • Reference Clock 1183MHz

  • Newer Baffin Core (compatible)

    • Stream Processors 640 (CUs 10)
    • Memory Speed 1500MHz (6000Mz effective)
    • Reference Clock 1071MHz

PCI ID Differences:

Credit to cat2devnull for gathering such information (opens new window)

And for those who are wondering why this list contradicts Tonymacx86's buyers guide (opens new window), remember that their bottom line is to get users to buy hardware through their affiliate program. This is also the same website that recommended Pascal GPUs 5 months after Mojave's release (opens new window), would you really trust a website that's neither kept up-to date and offers shivers the beast tools (opens new window)?

Important note for MSI Navi users:

  • 10.15.X installers and under currently have a VBIOS bug which crashes installers if an MSI Navi card is present. This can be resolved by injecting ATY,Rom# in your GPU's DeviceProperties with any value. See here for more details: Installer not working with 5700XT #901 (opens new window)
  • MSI's Polaris and Vega line are not affected by this bug

# Powercolor

# AVOID VEGA AND POLARIS MODELS

# XFX

# AVOID VEGA AND 590/560/460 MODELS

# HIS

# AVOID ALL MODELS

# VisionTek

# AVOID ALL MODELS

Last Updated: 10/13/2021, 2:38:06 AM

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