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The 5K Report

3/28/2015

41 Comments

 
Barfeats.com broke a great story not too long ago. The second Mac able to run 5K was none other than the Classic Mac Pro. Apple had to do some Tech Gymnastics to get their 5K iMac to work, as the parts to do so did not exist during it's development.

To some extent, the parts to run 5K STILL don't exist. (DisplayPort 1.3) Dell's UP2715K sidesteps this issue by combining two separate DP 1.2 ports into one feed. Not only does the display need to do this, but the drivers need to as well. And this is where the "Big Breakthrough" came. Nvidia has added the function to their drivers, all we have to do is turn it on. The beauty of this is that it does NOT require turning on "kext dev mode". So your OS is still fully protected by the built-in security features.

Please note that the Dell UP2715K has two choices for input. You can either use a single mDP input for SST 4K mode at 60Hz or the Dual DP input mode which allows for 5K @ 60Hz.

Which GPUs are supported? Any Nvidia GPU from Kepler series (GTX 6xx and GTX 7xx) or later AS LONG AS IT HAS TWO DP OUTPUTS. This leaves most older Kepler cards off the list. A Quadro K5000 Mac Edition is capable. We have also shown that a GTX 760 with Dual mDP ports can run this display to it's full capability. With the newer Maxwell cards Nvidia has included three DisplayPorts or Mini DisplayPorts in each series design. I strongly advise that when purchasing a new Maxwell GPU that you overlook any shiny features or flashy decals and concentrate on getting a card with the full three DP or mDP ports. These will be much more "future proof" and give you a greater array of choices going forward. Several manufacturers have created cards with fewer DP ports to save money, avoid these.

To enable 5K support requires using the Dual DP cable included with the Dell UP2715K.  Sadly, using this function disables boot screen support via our EFI cards.You will note that one DP cable is "Primary". This cable alone carries 4K support. If a boot screen is needed, you can use the single DP port in 4K mode and you will get a 4K boot screen. Note that switching between these modes requires use of the buttons on lower right bezel to check and/or change modes.


So, let's begin. You just unboxed your Dell UP2715K and are eager to get it up and running. First order of business is to have the GPU running perfectly. Using a legacy display is easiest for this. 

1. You MUST be running OS X Yosemite. As of the date of this writing, the latest version is 10.10.2. You will also need to run the beloved "Security Updates", get them both installed before going forward. (2015-002 and 2015-003)

2. Once you have Yosemite up to latest version it is time to install your Nvidia Web Drivers. We have them linked from the FAQ pages. Note that OS X Build Number is what the driver is keyed to. We will have a separate page dealing with this in the future, just note for now that the driver download page has the Build Number that each driver is designed for. 

3. If you get a prompt to update to 10.10.3 or a future Security Update... WAIT ! Come check with us first as clicking "Install" on one of those before an updated Nvidia Driver has been released will result in a miserable experience. 10.10.2 with Update 2015-003 and Web Driver 343.02.f04 was working just fine, no need to instantly click that "install" button.

4. Once you have installed the Nvidia Driver for your OS Build number, verify that it is loaded and running. The easiest way to do this is to click the Nvidia logo in the task bar at the top of your screen. Under this you will see 2 drivers to choose from, one will have a check by it. You want to be sure that the check is by "NVIDIA Web Driver". When the checkmark is by "OS X Default Graphics Driver" you will find that Maxwell GPUs will only have very limited function courtesy of the EFI drivers loaded at boot. With non-EFI cards you will see nothing.

5. If you haven't installed your Maxwell card, now is a good time to do so. If you are still on a "legacy" display you should see a lovely boot screen followed by your desktop. Verify again that the Nvidia Web Driver is running.

6. Here is where it gets interesting. By default 5K support is turned off, you'll need to turn it on. You will need to open the "Terminal" application. It is in the "Utilities" folder inside the "Applications" folder. I keep an icon in the dock for quick access. If you type nvram -p you will see contents of NVRAM. The "boot args" section should show "nvda_drv=1". This is what tells OS X at boot time to load the NVIDIA Web Driver instead of the OS X Default Driver. You need to add to this to turn on 5K mode. Type this command as it appears below:

sudo nvram boot-args="kext-dev-mode=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1"

After you hit Enter, you will be prompted for your admin password. Type it and hit Enter again.

7. To verify that you did this correctly, once again type nvram -p. You should now see:
"boot-args=kext-dev-mode=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1"

8. Now it is time to try 5K! Turn off the machine and connect the Dual DP cables. Any of the DP ports on the GPU should be fine, if you find otherwise please let us know. Verify that the monitor is in Dual DP 5K mode via the onscreen display. 

9. Boot your Mac Pro. You will NOT see a boot screen, if everything has gone well you will see the desktop appear. At this point check what displays it thinks are attached. I suggest Display Menu, an inexpensive app that makes this easier. I will be updating this post with images from that app. If all has gone well, you will see that the Dell has appeared not once but twice. One instance will be the one you see, running somewhere between 1920x1080 and 3840x2160, the other instance will be a small, oddball monitor that is 848x600 or so. This is a GOOD SIGN ! You are almost there. I suggest having a 2nd display connected at this time if possible.

10. Reach the control buttons on the Dell and push the power button to turn display off. Wait 5 seconds or so and hit it again, turning on the display. If all has gone well you will come back to a glorious 5K image at a full 60Hz. If instead you see a smeared image that only holds top right corner of desktop you will need to unplug the display and wait for a full minute before powering back up. I had this issue the first time I tried this and was convinced I had a bad unit. 

11. You will find that 5K on 27" means TINY text. You will either need to scoot right up to the screen or use a "Retina" mode. Display Menu makes this easier as it shows the Retina modes in white and the regularly scaled modes in black. I frequently use 2560x1440 as it looks perfect. 

12. If you need to do diagnostics, or install updates I suggest that you switch to 4K mode and use a single DP cable. (mDP into monitor) This allows 4K boot screens for "under the hood" type work. Note that 4K boot screens only appear on Maxwell series cards. Older Kepler cards like the GTX760 Dual DisplayPort card and the Quadro K5000 will NOT display 4K boot screens. This obviously also applies to any other previous DP card. We may at some point look into adding 4K boot screens to some past cards.

This is the first of many MacVidCards blog posts. Please feel free to point out any mistakes or any suggestions that could inprove clarity.

41 Comments
_Benny
3/28/2015 11:01:31 am

Thank you for this informative post!

You wrote that kext dev mode isn't needed, but then that one should type:
# sudo nvram boot-args="kext-dev-mode=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1"
Shouldn't that rather be
# sudo nvram boot-args="nvda_drv=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1"
or am I missing something?

Reply
MVC
4/2/2015 07:43:13 am

Thanks, fixed

Reply
Agent007pr
3/28/2015 11:13:32 am

I'm guessing the boot screen on 4k only works on flashed cards, right?

Reply
ktg75
4/2/2015 07:23:00 am

I am seriously contemplating the jump into a 980 along with a Dell 5k for my Mac Pro but I have two primary questions/concerns about the setup and its long term viability.

1. Will it play nice with multi monitor setups? Can the extra two active ports drive additional displays?

2. What do you think the chances are that Apple will come along and find a way to try and disable the workarounds (ie. boot args) that were discovered to get the 5k up and running?

Reply
MVC
4/2/2015 07:45:00 am

Can run more displays via other ports just fine.

I have no control over what Apple does but the ability to run 5K is from Nvidia, and they are likely to continue it to the best of their ability.

Reply
Enforcer
6/14/2015 01:50:58 pm

Now i'm using mac pro 5,1 - GTX970 with Dell UP2414Q
and did the 4K hack to get 60Hz.
But it very annoying for me
1. I can't turn off the display while computer is running
when i turned on the display seems the computer is freeze.
and black screen.
2. I can't let the computer sleep.
When the computer turn to sleep mode.
It will not wake up forever. I have to reboot the computer.

Until i found this 5K Report (Again, Thanks MVC)
seems like Dell 5K is the great choice for CMP!!
I still have a little curious and i want to confirm that Dell 5K will works well before I drop the large amount of money for it.
The questions is
No needs any hack to get nice 5K@60Hz right?
and Can I let the computer sleep , Turn the display ON or OFF while the computer still running?
Thanks.

Reply
MVC
7/15/2015 06:08:42 pm

The hack listed in Step 6 is all you would need to do. Once that is completed the monitor should function normally including sleep and other functions.

Reply
ibuick link
7/11/2015 10:13:15 pm

Wow, this very helpful.

My DELL 2715K worked properly now, thanks for macvidcard.com 😄

In my situation, it needs at least 10-15 seconds for My 2715K to return 5K. FYI.

Reply
cipnt
10/17/2016 12:39:31 pm

How can we have boot-args="nvda_drv=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1" always set?
They get removed after reboot

Reply
cipnt
12/7/2016 12:07:32 pm

For anyone else having this issue, it turned out the NVRAM was corrupted so I just needed to reset it
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204063

Reply
Thierry
10/31/2016 12:37:57 pm

Hi

Mac Pro 5.1 Quand Core 2.8 Ghz, 32 GB memory
OSX Sierra 10,12.1 build 16B2555
Nvidia GTX 980
Nvidia driver 367.15.10.15f01 that are supposed to be the right ones
Cuda driver 8.0.46 (current)
Dell UP2715K with 2 DP cables

sudo nvram boot-args="nvda_drv=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1"
does not work.

Error message
"nvram: Error setting variable - 'boot-args': (iokit/common) general error"

So I did sudo nvram nv_spanmodepolicy=1
nvda_drv=1

nvram -p shows these values (after reboot also)

I cannot get 5K. After power off/on the screen, nothing happens. 4K is the maximum I can get.

Any clue?

There is also an issue about Cuda driver that claim an update that does not exist. I suppose there is not link with my 5K Issue. Am I right?

Regards
Thierry

Reply
cipnt
10/31/2016 12:48:44 pm

See this post for a few more details
http://barefeats.com/mpt5k.html

You might also want to reset your NVRAM
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204063

Once boot-args="nv_spanmodepolicy=1 nvda_drv=1" is permanently set in your NVRAM and macOS has booted you need to power off and on your monitor. This triggers the monitor to be detected as a 5K display with tiling rather than two separate displays.
Once correctly detected you need to mannually change te resolution to "2560x1440" NOT to "2560x1440 (low resolution)"

I have a similar setup with a 980ti and it works, though a little annoying to reset the monitor after each boot/reboot

Reply
Thierry
10/31/2016 01:48:47 pm

Thanks for the fast answer.

I have reset the NVRAM. I took off one DP cable for reboot, as the video driver came back to OSX one.

So I activated the Nvidia driver
reboot

I enter sudo nvram nv_spanmodepolicy=1
reboot

nvram - p gives:
nvda_drv 1
nv_spanmodepolicy 1

On/off the monitor.

Same thing: 2 screens detected.

I do not understand your 2560x1440 comment. I only have once this possible resolution (and 3840x2160 that is 4K).

I am expecting to have a possible 5120x2880 setting.
Am I wrong?

What should I get? Only 1 screen in the System Preferences panel, and a possible 5120x2880 setting? Right?

Do I do something wrong?

Regards
Thierry

cipnt
10/31/2016 02:12:37 pm

If the monitor is detected correctly, in System Setting under Displays you should see only one monitor not DELL UP2715K (1) or DELL UP2715K (2)
You should hold Alt while selecting Scaled monitor resolution and select "2560x1440" (meaning retina) as there should be another option named "2560x1440 (low resolution)" which you should be able to get with just one DP cable anyway.
You you should get up to "6720x3780 (low resolution)" depending also on the video card but text and everything else will be tiny...
Good luck

Thierry
10/31/2016 02:19:20 pm

Thanks again!!

I am still stuck with 2 monitors :-(

With alt key, I only get an additional 2560x2880 that split the screen in 2 parts :-(
Nothing more with alt key

Do you use Sierra?

Reply
dave
10/31/2016 04:15:29 pm

5K is just fine, stop overthinking it.

Reply
Thierry
10/31/2016 04:25:34 pm

Hi dave

English is not my native language, and I do not understand what you mean.

I am a photographer, and 5K is a game changer for me (or 4K, I was still working on 2K screens).

If I cannot run 5K after buying a GTX980 card and a Dell 5K screen, it is a pain in the A, as if only 4K, I would have gone for a larger screen than 27, or 2 smaller ones.

Regards
Thierry

Reply
Thierry
10/31/2016 06:12:27 pm

Epilog

I read on http://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/23/loss-of-resolution-scaling-macos-sierra-update/ that Sierra messed up and changed resolution settings programming

So...
I have downgraded to El Capitan 10.11.6 and installed the adequate Nvidia driver.

Et voilà, only 1 monitor, and 5K are OK.

So cipnt, now I am nearly sure that you are not running Sierra.

Regards

Reply
cipnt
11/2/2016 04:16:44 am

I have it running on both El Capitan 10.11.6 and on Sierra 10.12.1
Looking back at all the pain in setting it up and the fact I have to power off and on with every boot, I would highly recommend buying two 4K Dell P2415Q instead of one 5K Dell UP2715K, which are roughly the same price in the UK

Reply
Arno Hoogwerf
1/17/2017 12:54:33 pm

How did you get it running on 10.12 (Sierra)? The terminal commands in the post above doesn't work on Sierra it looks.

cipnt
11/2/2016 04:18:57 am

I have also disabled turning off the monitor in Power Saver settings and enabled the screensaver only as sometimes I found it fails to resume from sleep/monitor off

Reply
CMP 5K
11/9/2016 06:07:35 am

Same here.
CMP 5.1 + GTX970 + Dell 5K
Works with El Capitan.
but doesn't with Sierra.
Any update?

Reply
Jabba
11/29/2016 09:07:01 am

Not working for me. I'm using Mac OS Sierra on a mid 2010 Mac Pro tower with a GTX980 card and Dell UP2715K display. Tried all the above, runs fine at 4k with single display port but computer sees two screens with dual DP cables. Power cycling the display doesn't have any effect.

After I type the command into terminal I get an error message; nvram: Error setting variable - 'boot-args': (iokit/common) general error

Is the command the problem or could it be Sierra?

Reply
cipnt
11/29/2016 09:24:38 am

I have the same system but with a GTX980ti (it shouldn't make a difference) and it is working fine for me.

Try the command like this:
sudo nvram boot-args="nv_spanmodepolicy=1 nvda_drv=1"
You should then be asked for the admin pasword

To check this was successful use this command:
nvram -xp

The output should include something like:

<key>boot-args</key>
<string>nv_spanmodepolicy=1 nvda_drv=1</string>

Reply
Jabba
11/29/2016 09:37:48 am

Thanks for the quick respose, I'll give it a try and report back.

CMP 5K
12/7/2016 07:06:38 am

Are you sure about that command?
in sierra, if you use that command, it will make an error.
nvram: Error setting variable - 'boot-args': (iokit/common) general error

Jabba
12/7/2016 07:21:50 am

CMP 5K I've given up for now. When I type in the command it just comes up error.

Reply
cipnt
12/7/2016 12:04:58 pm

You are indeed right.
The sudo nvram boot-args="nv_spanmodepolicy=1 nvda_drv=1" doe not work in Sierra but does work in El Capitan.
I have dual boot and I've set the boot-args in El Capitan and these are kept when booting in Sierra.
Sorry to have put you in on the wrong path...
You might want to try the command in singe user mode
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201573

Good luck!

Reply
Jabba link
1/19/2017 01:50:52 am

Has anyone come up with a command to enable 5k that will now work with Sierra?

Andrew Mahaney
12/8/2016 02:38:16 pm

I can actually get the nvram script to seem to work but the monitor will flicker. It will show its in 5k (or 2k with HiDPI) but it will constantly flicker. Don't know how to fix it. Suggestions?

Reply
Jaro
12/14/2016 03:42:44 am

Hey, I am on a CMP with 980GTX (non EFI) and Dell5K and Sierra 10.12.2.

Single User Mode would mean to plug in the GT120 again to see something without booting up the NVidia-Webdrv, right?

You mean, i could enable the whole 5K stuff, with installing ElCapitan to another drive and still booting Sierra?

This whole situation is just a joke (from Apple's side)... They had to learn, that users have to "want" to buy something new, not be "forced" (to buy an new MP, just because they want 5K on a unsupported GPU .. ).

I am still hoping to get 5K on that machine .. without rocket-physics.

Reply
cipnt
12/14/2016 05:35:19 am

Single User Mode should work but cannot confirm it, I haven't tried it myself.

If you have a separate drive with El Capitan that you can boot from then it should be very easy to run in Terminal the following: sudo nvram boot-args="nv_spanmodepolicy=1 nvda_drv=1"

Once these parameters are set in the NVRAM (to check use: nvram -xp) it should work fine, though you will have to turn off and on the monitor to be detected as 5K

It's a frustrating process unfortunately

Reply
Jaro
12/14/2016 09:47:25 am

OMG. Thank you Guys soo much. OK, it took me again some hours (it simply works on windows right?)

.. to create the ElCap-Bootstick, search for a Webdriver – which is a beta driver and the thread was updated today (!), boot up seeing nothing, but reaching the system via screensharing .. finally typing that terminal-stuff..

Here we are. First time I see 5K on that Dell. It's ok to switch it on / off and it's even OK to repeat this with every macOS-Update.

My MBP2016 will arrive early next year and will support 5K via adapters. I am tired of using the cMP with that unsupported stuff on a productive system :(

But because of you, i will be able to enjoy 5K until then. Again, Thank you! I haven't figured out that the solution is that simple for me after hours of trying.

Hans
2/21/2017 10:04:22 pm

cipnt, you are right. The solution is to boot from a separate drive which runs El Capitan (if you don't have one, get yourself a cheap external one) and then paste in Terminal the well known sudo nvram boot-args="nvda_drv=1 nv_spanmodepolicy=1"
Once these parameters are set in the NVRAM you can start up from the drive running Sierra (to check use nvram -p ) and 5K works fine, though you will have to turn off and on the monitor to be detected as 5K. Of course, do not reset NVRAM because you loose these 5K boot args !!!!

Marsh
9/25/2019 09:47:57 pm

Hey Cipnt,

I have just spent the last 3 days going through EXACTLY the same process and frustration you have experienced above...of course with Sierra 10.12.6 and GTX-980 on 5,1 MP. None of the terminal patches work and I get the same errors you speak of. Apparently Apple does not want us cheese-graters using a Dell 5K. LOL

I'm burned out and have no desire to reload all my programs with a fresh install of El Capitan to get it working. Sierra is rock solid and I can read the new APSF file system, which El Capitan cannot do.

I went this expensive route after reading the BareFeats report on Dell 5K on our old MP's. Figured it was the last update for this old reliable workhorse that has treated me so well, and still does---minus 5K.

I read on another post that a guy still has his Dell 5K running in a High Sierra upgrade, so maybe someone got it to work on Sierra, but I give up.

I didn't quite understand the comments on pasting the patches in a El Capitan boot-up into the Sierra OS using terminal?

Oh well, unless some other fix shows up, time to sell the Dell 5K and get a more reliable 4K for video and more detailed Photoshop editing. My two 27" Cinema Displays still look and work great. Using a X-Rite i1Display Pro calibration, they are capable of 87% Adobe RGB.....good enough for my artwork.

Thanks to all of you who helped Cipnt (and me) with all the good input on what has been a very frustrating experience.

Cheers!

Reply
cipnt link
9/26/2019 12:58:02 am

I am still using a Mac Pro 5,1 with GTX1080 on High Sierra at work.
Two requirements for this to work are "nv_spanmodepolicy=1" in boot-args and a power cycle of the monitor after each boot.
Though I must admit I've been using mine mostly in 4K because of the annoying cursor bug when in 5K.
I also have a GT120 (apple branded) which is always a good idea to have as a backup for when things don't work.

Reply
Marshall
9/26/2019 08:34:08 am

cipnt,

I couldn't get the "nv_spanmodepolicy=1" to install even with SIP disabled. Never could figure out how to look at the boot-args to see if there were any changes? I tried the "nvram-p" command, but it didn't do anything? How do you check the state of the boot-args?

Yes, I also have a GT120 to run a third monitor for the boot screen. The set-up works great for 3 monitors. Do you just keep yours as a back-up or is it installed with the GTX1080?

Power cycling just didn't help. The MP sees the Dell as two monitors in the display preferences? This seems to be the issue.

Thanks,

Marsh

cipnt link
9/26/2019 03:47:29 pm

See my comments above in this page.
The sudo nvram boot-args="nv_spanmodepolicy=1" does not work in Sierra or later, you will need a boot disk/usb drive with El Capitan or boot in Single User Mode
To check this was successful use this command: nvram -xp
All this is well documented online, but takes a few attempts to get right

Reply
Marshall
9/26/2019 04:30:19 pm

This was the part I did not understand at all. How does a boot with El Capitan change the boot-args in Sierra the OS where I'll be operating out of? The alternative is single user mode, which I don't understand either. I'm pretty good at a lot of things on Apple OS and using terminal, but those two items I'm unfamiliar with.

I'll try to do some research on the matter and bring myself up to speed. if you have the time, maybe you can explain it to me and include a step-by-step instruction when I get the El Capitan boot onto a jump drive and get the correct boot-arg for Sierra?

Just a thought, maybe you're saying that I can boot into El Capitan, install the patches using terminal on El Capitan, make sure it's active with nvram-xp, then launch and run my applications on the Sierra volume, but have El Capitan run the computer. ? This makes some sense to me and wouldn't require me to reinstall all my applications and updates in an El Capitan volume.

Does any of this have to be done with SIP disabled?

Thanks,

Marshall

Reply
cipnt link
9/27/2019 01:33:28 am

NVRAM or PRAM has nothing to do with the OS or the disk.
It's a small mount of memory on the motherboard that holds settings required *before* the boot (which disk to boot from, any connected bluetooth keyboard or mouse, etc).
Sierra and above no longer allow direct access to write to the NVRAM, hence why you need El Capitan or reboot in Single User mode.

Marshall
9/27/2019 08:03:08 am

cipnt,

Got it! As an old Apple user going way back to OS9 and G4 chips and even a 9600, I always knew what PRAM was and understood the PRAM battery, etc. I didn't realize NVRAM is basically the same motherboard memory on Intel Macs. Now that you mention it, I remember the two terminologies being used together at times. I finally get it and also understand why some above talked about the change as not being permanent. Once you set the boot-arg is NVRAM with El Capitan, is it permanent as long as one does not do a NVRAM reset in Sierra or above? I would think so, but wondered if one had to do something in order t make it stick. I have the El Capitan installer and can make a jump drive boot.

Truth is, I've gone through the purchase of two used UP2715K monitors and both have a pretty bad magenta cast to them and very inconsistent color conformity, which I've read was an issue with the early releases. I'm in the process of sending the 2nd one back. It's hard to find one at all, especially in good shape. I'm probably just going to stick with 4K and not bother with all this, but should I get my hands on a good 5K, I'll know how to configure the MP.

Thanks for taking the time to explain it.

Best,

M

Reply



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