Sapphire

Name: (*) Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models.
Brand: Sapphire
SKU: SAP100352MAC
Price: 464.75 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.59 (68 reviews)

HD 7950
Mac Edition

Mac / HDMI / mini-DisplayPort / DVI-I / PCIe

Adds compatiblity with Metal and macOS 10.14 Mojave for select Mac Pros

Throw Your Mac Into Overdrive

Breathe new life into an old Mac

The HD 7950 Mac Edition is based on AMD's latest Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. This highly acclaimed architecture delivers a significant graphics performance boost for Mac Pro users in a wide range of applications including gaming, audio or video editing and content creation. For example, gaming frame rates are increased by over 200%, general benchmark performance increased by around 30% and graphics intensive benchmarks increased by as much as 300% compared with the NV 8800GT commonly used in these machines.

The HD 7950 Mac Edition is compatible with Apple Mac Pro models from 2009 and later with an available PCI-Express x16 slot. Two six-pin power cables required are supplied with the card. A driver disk is provided which enables the card to be used with Mac OS X 10.7.5 (Lion), 10.8.2 (Mountain Lion) or later.

The HD 7950 Mac Edition can also be used in the latest PC architectures. It has Dual Firmware support via a simple Firmware (Dual BIOS) switch. In one position the Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition supports Mac OS X/Windows under non-UEFI compliant mode and in the other it supports Windows with UEFI hybrid firmware enabled. A Windows driver disk is also included.

Additionally, the HD 7950 Mac Edition is compatible with Metal, Apple's low level graphics API which is required to run macOS 10.14 Mojave. Equip your 2010 or 2012 Mac Pro with the Sapphire HD 7950 and turn your Mac into a true professional desktop, taking advantage of Mojave's new Dark Mode and updated Finder with Quick Actions. Additionally you will have acess to the new News, Stocks, and Voice Memos apps and so much more.

28 nm GCN (Graphic Core Next) Architecture

The new and 28nm GCN Architecture with more efficient process technology puts more transistors in less space, enabling a dramatic increase in Processing Power. Crank the settings, devastate your enemies and bear witness to absurdly high frame rates with AMD Radeon HD7000 series graphics card-DirectX 11 has never looked this good. Maximum setting and crazy performance shouldn't be a compromise. The AMD Radeon HD7900 Series with the new 28 nm GCN Architecture assures that it's not.

AMD HD3D Technology

Enjoy the most immersive experience possible with full support for High Definition Stereoscopic 3D, a technique that presents 2D images (movies, games, photos) in a format that creates the illusion of three-dimensional depth when using compatible 3D displays / glasses / software.

Highlights

macOS 10.14 Mojave Compatible—Support for Metal allows a Mac Pro (Mid 2010) or Mac Pro (Mid 2012) to be upgraded to mac OS 10.14 Mojave.
HDMI (with 3D)—Support for Deep Color, 7.1 High Bitrate Audio, and 3D Stereoscopic, ensuring the highest quality Blu-ray and video experience possible from your PC.
Mini-DisplayPort—Enjoy the benefits of the latest generation display interface, DisplayPort. With the ultra high HD resolution, the graphics card ensures that you are able to support the latest generation of LCD monitors.
Dual-Link DVI-I—Equipped with the most popular Dual Link DVI (Digital Visual Interface), this card is able to display ultra high resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 at 60Hz.
Advanced GDDR5 Memory Technology—GDDR5 memory provides twice the bandwidth per pin of GDDR3 memory, delivering more speed and higher bandwidth.
Anti-aliasing features—Supports advanced AA (Anti-aliasing) features to maximise your enjoyment of high definition gaming.
Windows Support—Integrate with Windows Vista or later to deliver the best 3D graphics control.
Dual Firmware Support—Via Firmware switch controller, HD 7950 Mac Edition supports Mac OS X®/Windows® under non-UEFI compliant mode, or Windows® under UEFI hybrid firmware enabled.
2 Year OWC Fulfilled Limited Warranty

AMD Stream Technology

Accelerate the most demanding applications with AMD Stream technology and do more with your PC. AMD Stream Technology allows you to use the teraflops of compute power locked up in your graphics processer on tasks other than traditional graphics such as video encoding, at which the graphics processor is many, many times faster than using the CPU alone.

OpenGL 4.2

OpenGL 4.2 improves the GPU efficiency by improving the shader process operation and capturing GPU tessellated geometry. The process of modifying an arbitrary subset of compress texture is also simplified. The memory management in handling shaders is more efficient as well.

Dolby® TrueHD and DTSHD Master Audio™ Support

Support for copy protected, high bandwidth, 7.1 channel surround sound over HDMI. Get a fully immersive, high definition audio experience with the latest Blu-ray movies. (Requires a DVI to HDMI dongle on some models, an HD capable monitor and a Blu-ray drive)

Save money by trading in your original video card! View available rebates.

From the purchase date of qualifying video card from OWC, you have 60 days to trade-in your old video card for a cash rebate!
Just fill out OWC's online rebate form or contact OWC Customer Service after you receive and install your new video card.

- Please allow up to 14 Days from the time we receive your video card for testing and rebate processing.
- The OWC Rebate is for up to the same number of video cards purchased and must be in working order.

SPECS
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COMPATIBILITY
REVIEWS
BENCHMARKS
INCLUDES
RATINGS

Product Specifications:

Sapphire Part Number

100352MAC

System Requirements

Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later, Mac OS X 10.8.2 or later
macOS 10.14 compatible¹
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive for installing software
2 GB RAM

Ports

1 x HDMI (with 3D)
2 x Mini-DisplayPort
1 x Dual-Link DVI-I

Resolution

DisplayPort: 3840x2160 maximum reoslution per display
Dual-link DVI: 2560x1600 maximum reoslution
HDMI 1.4a: 3840x2160 maximum resolution
Note: 3840 x 2160 resolutions require OS 10.9 or better for best performance. 4K playback support only; Does not support 4K editing.

GPU

800 MHz Core Clock
28 nm Chip
1792 x Stream Processors

Video Memory

3072 MB Size
384 -bit GDDR5
5000 MHz Effective

Dimensions

Height: 11.0 cm (4.3 in)
Length: 27.9 cm (11.0 in)
Width: 3.5 cm (1.4 in)

1. Requires a Mac Pro (Mid 2010) or Mac Pro (Mid 2012). Manufacturer provided specifications for Sapphire p/n 100352MAC UPC#: 840777060742

Gallery

A note on macOS 10.14 Mojave Compatibility: This card provides compatibilty with macOS 10.14 Mojave for Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012) only. For additional information, please see Apple's support document.

This card is compatible with... Learn how to find your Mac's model ID

Mac Pro 12-Core (Mid 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.4GHz, 2.66GHz, 3.06GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 6-Core (Mid 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

3.33GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 4-Core (Mid 2012)

(June, 2012)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

3.2GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 12-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.66GHz, 2.93GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 8-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.4GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 6-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

3.33GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 4-Core (Mid 2010)

(July, 2010)

Model ID: MacPro5,1

2.8GHz, 3.2GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 4-Core (Early 2009)

(March, 2009)

Model ID: MacPro4,1

2.66GHz, 2.93GHz, 3.33GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Mac Pro 8-Core (Early 2009)

(March, 2009)

Model ID: MacPro4,1

2.26GHz, 2.66GHz, 2.93GHz

Detailed specs

Install Videos

Reviews

Benchmarks

2010/2012 Mac Pro GPU Shootout - Photoshop Sharpen Time in Seconds (Lower is Better) Included Items

2009 Mac Pro GPU Shootout - Photoshop Sharpen Time in Seconds (Lower is Better) Included Items

Further performance testing in our Rocket Yard article has revealed a big performance boost on previous generation Mac Pros with this card and a quick comparisson summary can be found here.

Includes

Video Card
DVI to VGA Adapter
Mini DP to DP Adapter
Two 6 pin power cables
User Manual

Customer Ratings

Write a Review 4.5 / 5 64 out of 68 (94%) reviewers would recommend this product

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Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Lukacs Location: florida Age: 45-54 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: over 6 months

Rating: 5/5 great board for revised MacPro 2009 March 9, 2019 I've had this board for about 10 months on my MacPro 2009 to upgraded 2010 firmware. I have an old 30" dual-link HP, a 27" DisplayPort LED HD Wacom, and a 32" DisplayPort UHD LED LG as the 3 of 4 monitors attached to this board. I'll tell you, I have no problems with it. No problems in booting or coming out of sleep mode. No glitches of any kind. It just works great. Worth the money and priced well also.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: stuie Location: Northern California Age: 35-44 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 4/5 Would recommend January 8, 2019 It is a good video card. I would recommend, but with hesitation, as it does not process any sound through the HDMI. It runs X-plane 11 well, at a fairly high frame rate with fairly high graphical settings. I bought the card specifically for X-Plane 11, and am quite happy with it.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from (*) Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012. OS 10.14 Supported w/Boot Screen.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: JimTN Location: Oak Ridge Age: Over 65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 4/5 Lets my old Mac Pro run Mojave October 25, 2018 My Quadro card worked, but with no NVidia driver, it flashed all the time. The Sapphire card works a lot better, but the whole screen still flashes occasionally. It is more usable.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Response from OWC, Call Center October 26, 2018 Hello! Glad to hear the card is working well, but the flashing issue does sound a bit strange. Feel free to contact us at https://www.owcdigital.com/support or 800-275-4576 for some assistance and we'll see if we can get everything working properly!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Lotus54 Location: Washington State Age: 55-65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Works very well. October 21, 2018 I have a 2009 Mac Pro (with 5.1 firmware) and this graphics card works great with the machine. Currently using with a Samsung 34” curved monitor (with thunderbolt). I am using the HDMI output of the Sapphire and no issues at all. Except it does not pass audio. (Not a big deal to me, but it would be nice). I found a workaround to activate that feature but have not tried it. Uses Apple supplied drivers, just plug it and and it worked.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: johnSF Location: San Francisco, CA Age: 45-54 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Great for My MacPro MacOS Mojave Upgrade October 17, 2018 Purchased this video card so I can upgrade my Mid 2012 Mac Pro to MacOS Mojave. Easy to install - without any issues. Thanks!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: djshutterbug45 Location: North Carolina

Rating: 5/5 Works great October 15, 2018 This card works great. It was easy to install and show detail that wasn't visible with the old stock card.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Karltech Location: knoxville, tn Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 3-4 months

Rating: 4/5 HD 7950 October 14, 2018 I tried a NVIDIA card that required a special download driver because apple doesn't like them. Then one day I upgraded my system without upgrading the driver FIRST, that resulted in a devastating mess. it was a fairly quiet and very robust card, I like it a lot - but one slip up and you will be in a world of hurt.

Now the HD 7950 is a little less cost, has only one fan which makes it sound louder, that can be a bit annoying if your computer is positioned on the desk. Function wise it is as good as you can get for the price range. This card handles two monitors with ease, check the specs for details. The most important feature is that the drivers are built into the OS, upgrades and replacing components will have no effect on the operation of the card.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer Top 100 Contributor

Reviewer: MajorMatt1 Location: North of Philadelphia, PA Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Metal ready October 3, 2018 Got this to upgrade my MacPro (5,1) to Metal supported. The HD 7950 is plug and play. The drivers on the CD* are not needed because Mac OS 10.13 has integrated the drivers for the graphic card. Next step upgrade to OS 10.14.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: DroiddProductions Location: Toronto, Canada Age: 35-44 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Modern video card for my dated machine September 11, 2018 This card tripled the ram of my old card and the ddr5 upgrade is a plus. Getting the Mac edition allows me to see the Mac boot sequence which is a huge bonus for upgrading components or future OS upgrades. Worked perfectly upon install no drivers required in high sierra.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: LenC Location: Alberta Canada Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Great Source September 10, 2018 Great source of information and equipment for upgrading my MAC PRO tower 4.1. Convenient shipping to Canada.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Peg2 Location: Chicago Age: 55-65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Couldn't. Be. Easier. August 20, 2018 I wanted my aging Mac Pro (2010) to be Mojave-compatible. After chatting with Joe M., and viewing a couple online videos, I became convinced that I could install the new card myself. (I've done other upgrades myself, but I've never touched the video card before.) Ordered it, it came quickly, and I got out my tiny electronics screwdrivers and set to it.

Somewhere, I had seen something that said I should be able to do the install in 15 minutes. 15? Under 10, more like. The hardest part was getting one little slot cover to stay in place until I replaced the thumbscrew plate.

Put the cover back on, plugged everything back in, and it works. Couldn't have been easier.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: claudiocesar Location: Fort Myers ,FL Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 A valuable upgrade July 30, 2018 This video card brought new life to my older MacPro , revitalizing the overall experience, faster graphics, smoother transitions and the chance to run Mojave on this great older computer. Highly recommended

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: DieselRon Location: Moline, IL Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Works well with no fuss July 6, 2018 Bought this for a 2010 midyear Mac Pro with three 24 inch monitors to speed up graphics work from the machine's original GPU. Unit works fine. I liked not having to mess with drivers. While there may be newer and faster GPU's around this one is pretty sweet.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: AndersonMello Location: Brazil Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 Just plug and play ! June 20, 2018 I replaced the old ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB video card with this Sapphire HD 7950 3 GB video card and all operation was just plug and play! I am using a Mac Pro mid 2010 5.1, OS X 10.13.5. No need for modifications, install drivers, etc. Just removed one card and installed the new one. BTW, a tip for photographers like me using Capture One Pro 11.1.1, it works perfectly with Open CL hardware acceleration.

I would recommend this item to a friend!

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: DelttaIV Location: Bahrain Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 The last of THE May 20, 2018 The last GPU for the Mac Pro, how sad it is :(

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from (*) Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012. OS 10.14 Supported w/Boot Screen.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: OpenWater Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: less than a month

Rating: 5/5 DELIGHTED!!! April 3, 2018 After my original graphics card died, I was able to find this at OWC. It was super easy to install, runs my mid-2010 PowerMac perfectly, and is somewhat quieter than the original. I hope those of you who still need one can find one.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: robsor Location: montesano, wa Age: 55-65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 easy install March 27, 2018 works great

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: AVguy Location: Europe Age: Over 65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 4/5 Works as expected with one exception March 20, 2018 Replacing a dead ATI HD 5770 card in my Mac Pro 5,1 I expected this card to give my graphic experience a boost. Rendering in FCPX or using the stabilisation tool really got faster and the rest for me was "just working again" as before. The exception that I didn't expect was that there was no sound going to my second monitor (a Sony TV) through HDMI anymore, although the specs on the OWC website stated even surround sound. Once I got over that fact this card is the only real replacement to put into a Mac Pro. Two things to mention: You don't need to install any driver (though the manual tells you to do so) and check that the very tiny switch is in the correct position (Mac not PC!). Mine was NOT - glad I checked before installing it.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Response from OWC, Call Center March 21, 2018 Hello! I am very sorry about the no sound through the HDMI port issue you are experiencing. This is a limitation with Apple not allowing audio to pass over HDMI on non-Apple cards. We will be working on getting the specifications updated right away.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: FAAR Location: Austin, TX Age: 35-44 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 4/5 great upgrade from the stock video card January 24, 2018 the Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition video card was a great upgrade from the stock video card in my mid-2010 MacPro. it just worked right out of the box. i didn't even need to install drivers on either of my 2 partitions. running OS 10.13 on one and OS 10.8 on the other.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: HelloFromAtlanta Location: Atlanta, GA Age: 35-44 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 It's a graphics card. January 2, 2018 Performs well. Includes all necessary cables. Installed quickly. Recognized natively with uefi. Running with High Sierra. No complaints.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer Top 50 Contributor

Reviewer: JimTheBrewer Location: Cape Canaveral, FL Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Great Video Card, Extended Useful life of my MacPro December 17, 2017 Took a shot at installing this to improve performance of MacPro while using Laminar X-Plane. The addition of this card improved performance considerably. This truly extended to life of my 2009 MacPro. This with other OWC upgrades, SSD Drives, Memory and USB 3.0 card have kept this computer humming for a very long time.

There is a weird flicker every once and a while but the minimal annoyance is well worth the payoff.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: Loco Location: Lausanne, Switzerland Age: 55-65 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 So far so good October 24, 2017 Good GPU for my old MacPro 4.1 which brings back speed with dual screens

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: ScottP Location: Seattle WA Age: 45-54 Experience Level: Power User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 4/5 Good, with caveats July 27, 2017 The card is fast, too fast for in fact for Yosemite. You'll experience lags in streaming and other apps like Photoshop. Sierra has the appropriate drivers to make it work, so if you haven't already upgraded, you'll need to. I currently have it running two DELL 4k monitors, and its working wonderfully. Some photoshop lags I experienced with the ATI Radeon 5770 have gone away.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from (*) Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012. OS 10.14 Supported w/Boot Screen.

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: MacSatisfied Location: New, York Age: 55-65 Experience Level: IT Professional Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Easy to Install April 9, 2017 Easy to install, no driver needed on a Mac Pro 2010, MacOS 10.12.4 Gives an old Mac the graphic processing boost it needs, very quiet, smooth operation. (reco: max out your old Mac with ram)

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012 Models..

Verified Buyer

Reviewer: WaybackMachine Location: Michigan Age: 45-54 Experience Level: Home User Owned Product: 1-3 months

Rating: 5/5 Excellent upgrade for Nehalem Mac Pro March 26, 2017 It's working fine, runs a lot faster than the stock card. Also quieter.

Very slight flaw is that the instructions could be a bit clearer about how the power cables are attached to the motherboard.

I would recommend this item to a friend! This review is from (*) Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Graphics Card for Apple Mac Pro 2009, 2010-2012. OS 10.14 Supported w/Boot Screen.

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Sapphire HD 7950 Mac Edition Mfr P/N: 100352MAC OWC SKU: SAP100352MAC 3GB of GDDR5 memory, two Mini DisplayPort, one HDMI, and one dual-link DVI-I port. Provides macOS 10.14 compatibility for select Mac Pros 90 Day OWC Fulfilled Limited Warranty

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