2009 Mac Pro 5.1 and Sierra

[les24preludes]

I upgraded my 2009 4.1 to 5.1 with a new X5677 CPU. That went fine. Upgraded to a GTX680 flashed, and that made some operations quicker, though the Geekbench scores stayed the same.

So next step was Sierra over El Capitan and I installed that. Most software works so far. I lost Paintbrush but installed Eazydraw instead. The most significant thing so far is I've lost WiFi. Not an issue at present since I'm using a cable to my router.

Am I right in thinking I need to swap my WiFi card for a BCM94322MC? Looks fiddly but do-able.

Any other common issues on the horizon?

 

[A Hobo]

This is actually the reason Sierra isn't supported on 2009 models, because the wifi card (which was optional) isnt supported. Changing it out is pretty trivial not so much different from changing a ram stick.

However you seem to have spent some time and money trying to modernise the machine so take the plunge and pick up one of the AC wifi solutions on ebay which comes with a AC and BT card mounted on an adaptor. This install is definitely fiddly but will mean better wifi speeds and support for BTle as well.

Edit: fixed a typo.

 

[les24preludes]

Thanks Lucas. Something like this without the BT?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/APPLE-WIF...358291?hash=item419f696353:g:GXkAAOSwKtVWuezd

How is this better than a standard BCM94322MC? What does AC stand for incidentally?

 

[A Hobo]

Thanks Lucas. Something like this without the BT?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/APPLE-WIF...358291?hash=item419f696353:g:GXkAAOSwKtVWuezd

How is this better than a standard BCM94322MC? What does AC stand for incidentally?

AC Doesn't actually stand for anything, the same way wireless N or A or G didn't. The benefit of the card I recommend is that it will support the new tech that's included in the new standard such as gigabit over wifi speeds (1300mbs max) as well as improved range due to AC routers offering beam forming (a way for the router to "direct" signal towards capable AC devices).

Here's a link for the card I bought just a few weeks ago, http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-Mac-P...g-39-n-Play-/232335524383?txnId=1446460193013
definitely more fiddly then the standard Apple card but comes with bulletproof instructions. This card will be supported for a while yet as it's still in use today, whereas the card from the 2010 machine could be dropped on the next OS.

 

[flowrider]

What does AC stand for incidentally?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11

Lou