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MP 7,1 Advice on buying/upgrading 2019 Mac Pro

realLucaR

realLucaR

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 11, 2024
17
2
Munich, Germany
Hello everyone!

I am considering getting a brand new and sealed Mac Pro 2019 (96GB RAM, 4TB Apple SSD, 580X, 12 Core) and upgrading it until I reach the max config that cost an arm and a leg back in 2019.

Now, after Apple drops support for Tahoe I would most likely only use Windows 11 from then on, therefore the question came up whether I could just get a Nvidia RTX 5090 Founders Edition and use said on Windows 11? Will there be any limitations besides not being able to use macOS? And can I use my Studio Display with it?

Also, excuse my ignorance since I do not know a lot about GPUs: Is the RTX 5090 better than the The AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo, since the latter has more VRAM? Probably a stupid question, I just do not know tbh.

Next, is the internal SSD replaceable if it breaks one day? And is it true that you can only use Apple SSDs?

Does Magic Mouse/Trackpad/Keyboard work under Windows 11 or any issues known?

And lastly, is it worth it from a price point to upgrade to 28C and 1.5TB of RAM? Since even now that will still run you over 10k$?

Forgot to mention, mostly want to do my work (AI, lots of Google Meet, extensive browsing 80+ tabs, some AAA gaming, data hoarding)

Thanks everyone, really appreciate the help!
 
Bigwaff said:
Entire blog post devoted to the topic
blog.greggant.com

The Definitive Mac Pro 2019 7,1 Upgrade Guide

The largest/most-complete guide to all possible Mac Pro 2019 upgrades covering OS, Firmware, GPU, CPU, Storage, USB, THunderbolt and Network upgrades.
blog.greggant.com blog.greggant.com
Click to expand...
Funny you mention it, I read it before posting. Really love the guide :-D

But I cannot find anything about the 5090 or Nvidia in general.
 
Why would you want to invest in MP 7.1 if you're only going to run it with Windows? PCs built on current processors from AMD or Intel are far more powerful.
 
Flint Ironstag said:
Proxmox really unlocks the power of workstations. You could install multiple GPUs and play a AAA game while your AI is working on a problem. 5090 is good to go under Windows and Linux. Not sure about FreeBSD.
Click to expand...

Can anyone share the basic idea behind her "New Way" Hackintosh configuration? I assume some sort of VM frontend with file sharing and the like tuned just right.
 
Flint Ironstag said:
Did you watch her videos?
Click to expand...

I watched that one posted and she basically ends with saying one needs to do a live stream to get the details. I didn't see other videos about the topic. From the comments it sounds like she'll do the work for you remotely and it does take her hours.

Not asking for the details for free -- I'm just curious the general approach / "topology" of the result. Does the system run macOS and then host the other OS in a VM? Parallels? Or is there a hypervisor under which each OS runs?
 
She's done several boxes for me since ~2017 and they're all still in 24/7 production without a single hitch. Once I snag another MP 2019 I'll get those 2 done. She is VERY familiar with the process - no trial and error / guesswork in my experience with HP Z820 & Z840s. Not expensive, and worth Every. Single. Penny. IIRC it was under 3 hours for the average HP tower with dual CPUs, tons of RAM + SSD storage & spinners for backups + multiple OS with GPU passthrough.

Configuration is more complex than I care to learn, and even if it took her 8 hours to configure, it would be worth it - never mind well under 5 hours - she's extremely efficient.

I don't get any kickbacks, etc. just an extremely satisfied customer. Teresa is a wizard and the systems run like a biturbo V12.

She uses Proxmox. It's really like being catapulted into a sci-fi movie when one box can have 4 GPUs cracking passwords, another GPU playing a AAA title at 2k with all eye candy, another serving 4k Plex streams all over the house, and another doing real time image analysis of all your camera feeds.

She truly unlocks the potential of beefy hardware. Now I CAN utilize most of it simultaneously. Cannot recommend Teresa enough.

Everyone with a Mac Pro (any generation) who has struggled with the difficulty of GPU passthrough, here's your silver bullet. Been screaming it for years.
 
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Given the recent disastrous Windows 11 patches, I would suggest that Mac Pro users switch to Linux for general-purpose use and gaming. Linux can provide a boost in CPU performance. The open-source Mesa drivers are much better than AMD’s official Boot Camp drivers, especially if you are using an MPX module. For regular Radeon 6000 users, you need to use the Adrenalin 23.9.1 driver to use FSR4 INT8 properly. On Linux, the newest Mesa drivers do not have issues with FSR4 INT8. See my another recent post: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/w6900x-drivers-for-gaming.2476075/post-34400809
 
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