Are you still happy with your 5.1?

[EvilMonk]

YES.

Since early 2009, I've been running the current generation of Mac Pro. Although it initially shipped with a 2.66 QuadCore CPU, and 6 gigs of ram, it was instantly upgraded with an i7-975 3.33Ghz cpu and 16Gigs of ram.

Upgrading to a PCIe SSD and 32GB of consumer desktop RAM, gave the system a boost, aligning performance with PCIe SSD performance found in 2012/2013 macbook pros. Upgrading to a i7-990X with 6 cores at 3.46Ghz gave the system another boost. Jumping 48GB of RAM added another boost in my workflow. In 2018.. 9 years after purchase, the cMP is still relevant. Which is CRAZY!! Sure, single core performance is slower than newer CPU's... In my case, why cares? I'm a software developer and the code still compiles more than fast enough..

But it just gets better. Before back Surgery in June 2018, I needed a project to keep me occupied and on a hunch, I picked up a Highpoint 7101A PCIe 3.0 SSD adapter that ended up unlocking 3000 MB/s PCIe SSD performance on a system that's 9 years old. Extending the life and performance of this machine for another year or so. Taking the system to the next level, I upgraded to a dual CPU tray and 96GB of RAM. In my workflow, I run without Virtual Memory and a 20 to 30 GB ram disk increasing performance yet again. I also use internal hard disks for mass storage and time machine and have never felt held back by SATA II speeds.

On the video card front, with Mojave going forward, Apple is in the AMD Camp. If your hopes are for a recent video card, the Radeon VII is competitive and should have working MACOS drivers in the near future. I gave up on Nvidia with the 970GTX that was never supported on developer betas.

Just a quick question... I’m a server administrator and I had a bunch of previous gens Westmere-EP CPUs in HP Proliant Servers... how did you manage to get that 990x with 3x16Gb DDR3 1066 unbuffered non-ecc dimm in a Mac Pro?

The intel specs say the max memory is 24Gb (some people with updated bioses managed to get 48 with 6x8Gb) but that being an old consumer processor I doubt you ever were able to run 3x16Gb on it... You might but do you have screenshots of that?

 

[Macdctr]

... I just got an unmolested 2102 MP, 3.06-12 core/64 gb/512 SSD/1T unit.

I find it amusing that you say you got an "unmolested unit"... that only means you have a great baseline to start off on... you can upgrade your unit to the 802.11ac/Bluetooth4.0 to current standards for starters and you will have continuity/handoff/ and air drop features to your MacPro just like the newer models:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Apple-WiFi-802-11ac-Upgrade-Kit-Adapter-For-All-Mac-Pro-1-1-5-1-10-14/252428497776?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

The GPU can easily be updated and there are plenty of choices out there. Also with the 140.0.0.0.0 firmware update you can boot directly off of a PCIe NVMe M.2 blade which will speed up the computer once the OS is up and running... so lots you can do.

With my "unmolested" 2012 MacPro that I just recently picked up, the first thing I did was upgrade the RAM (at 56GB), installed a dual processor tray with two X5675 processors, put in 8TB storage (one of them being my PCIe NVME M.2 2TB Samsung 970EVO), installed a powered USB 3.0 card, upgraded to a Sapphire Radeon RX580 8GB GPU, and ordered the 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 upgrade mentioned above.

There are others out there who have more impressive setups on their MacPro systems than I do but what I have set up works plenty fine for me and I love the fact that I can easily change out the configuration of my MacPro 5,1 as my needs change. This is easily the best computer I have ever purchased and the best part is I did not have to pay full price for this amazing computer.

 

[natjonesart]

Yes

the best computer I have ever owned. It is a workhorse and I still have room to upgrade it further.

 

[Nard_S]

[QUOTE="Macdctr, post: 27149687, member: 385535"]I find it amusing that you say you got an "unmolested unit"... that only means you have a great baseline to start off on... you can upgrade your unit to the 802.11ac/Bluetooth4.0 to current standards for starters and you will have continuity/handoff/ and air drop features to your MacPro just like the newer models:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Apple-WiFi-802-11ac-Upgrade-Kit-Adapter-For-All-Mac-Pro-1-1-5-1-10-14/252428497776?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

The GPU can easily be updated and there are plenty of choices out there. Also with the 140.0.0.0.0 firmware update you can boot directly off of a PCIe NVMe M.2 blade which will speed up the computer once the OS is up and running... so lots you can do.

With my "unmolested" 2012 MacPro that I just recently picked up, the first thing I did was upgrade the RAM (at 56GB), installed a dual processor tray with two X5675 processors, put in 8TB storage (one of them being my PCIe NVME M.2 2TB Samsung 970EVO), installed a powered USB 3.0 card, upgraded to a Sapphire Radeon RX580 8GB GPU, and ordered the 802.11ac/Bluetooth 4.0 upgrade mentioned above.

There are others out there who have more impressive setups on their MacPro systems than I do but what I have set up works plenty fine for me and I love the fact that I can easily change out the configuration of my MacPro 5,1 as my needs change. This is easily the best computer I have ever purchased and the best part is I did not have to pay full price for this amazing computer. [/QUOTE]


Exactly. At some point, I'll do more than add HD's but it's perfectly fine right now. Going High Sierra and Win 7 till I do a 2.0 on SQL database and do GPU upgrade. From there Mojave & Win 10. Good suggestion on the Bluetooth, btw. Whole thing leaves money to upgrade 5 year old laptop.

 

[handheldgames]

Just a quick question... I’m a server administrator and I had a bunch of previous gens Westmere-EP CPUs in HP Proliant Servers... how did you manage to get that 990x with 3x16Gb DDR3 1066 unbuffered non-ecc dimm in a Mac Pro?

The intel specs say the max memory is 24Gb (some people with updated bioses managed to get 48 with 6x8Gb) but that being an old consumer processor I doubt you ever were able to run 3x16Gb on it... You might but do you have screenshots of that?

I'll see i I have a screenshot from when I was running the G-Skill desktop RAM. The desktop RAM has been deployed in other PC's based on x58 and z77 chipsets for a while and I don't have easy access to it.

On the MacPro 4,1 with firmware 0085, I was able to run 56 GB of ECC RDIMMS in a 16x16x16x8 ecc disabled configuration with faster geekbench memory performance than with 48GB in a 16x16x16 setup. Unfortunately, with all of the security /microcode updates added to the the Latest 5,1 MacPro 040 firmware with NVMe support, 16x16x16 is now faster on that mac.

There should be plenty of searchable geekbench 4 results for a 990x macos runing at 3.46ghz
[doublepost=1551736204][/doublepost]

Actually, not quite true. Boot times are not extended with an AHCI or an SATA SSD in a PCIe slot, they are however extended with a NVMe SSD. And, like you said, I don't know whyView attachment 824103

Lou

I've found that NVMe and SATA mixed extends the boot cycle. Each on it's own, boots without added delay. NVMe and SATA express combined is even worse. When booting the Mac Pro, I usually have enough time to make a americano, steam some milk, and clean up the mess before I'm looking at a desktop. Although... The wait is much less than booting from the Apple PCIe 3.0 SSD - SSUBX on pre v140 firmware revisions.

 

[MisterAndrew]

A 5,1 with X5675s and an SSD from Apple has got be quite rare since that was an extremely expensive machine. It's possible, but doubtful it's 'unmolested'. Most likely it has been upgraded to those specs after sale.

 

[D1G1TAL]

WOW thanks a bunch for all your responses in my thread, I only got one email alert and I was shocked when I came back to 2 pages of replies, appreciate all your input guys

I think a couple people missed out the point that I started building a gaming PC, just need SSD, CPU and Memory pretty much, but I sat back and didn't like anything about it or the design overall of cabling etc

My predicament was that I could build a Gaming PC with a slightly better CPU and the Reference GTX 2060 for the same price the Mac Mini 2017/18 cost me, plus I can play the odd game without having to buy a console that's always out of date in my opinion, that said I'm making a loss on this Mac Mini as even though it's new everybody wants a bargain on eBay.

So this is where I started thinking about the Mac Pro 5.1 again, sadly prices aren't cheap in the UK, cheapest I've found is £335 or Best Offer, which is around $450 US Dollars I believe, I'd probably be looking at getting the X5680 as it's close to the X5690 (max chip I believe) for 30% less price (yes I'm on a budget here), stick Windows 10 on an SSD and get some decent Samsung 8GB Dimms 1333Mhz memory (32GB Max), those upgrades are about £100 UK Pounds for me. Sadly the 2 I'm watching on eBay are scratched up like they've been through a war so that's gonna bother my OCD LMAO.

Back in the day I actually built Mac Pro's from scratch with brand new parts, used to be able to get the Mac Pro Chassis with PSU for £150 UK ($200) and then import the brand new parts (Logic Board, CPU Tray, Fans etc) probably saved 60% off Apple Prices when I did this too, those were good times.

All in all, it's a tough choice.

Thanks again for your responses guys

 

[XNorth]

Love it for what it is, a classic Mac Pro, with upgrades of all latest compatible components. But my more usable iMac beats it in most tasks. Waiting for the next gen Mac Pro, and then the 5,1 will go on display as a collectible relic.

 

[shinkansenwarrior]

I feel good knowing if I buy a faster newer mac in the future I can rely on my 5.1 to deliver as a secondary back up machine in case of any troubleshooting that comes with new tech.
No matter how hard I push that 5.1...it never lets me down.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

My maxed-out 2010 5,1 cMP was my best friend for 8 years. Now it's sitting in a closet collecting dust.

I do a lot of graphics work, CADD & CUDA rendering. My cMP was getting too long in the tooth, tech wise, for me to continue my work efficiently.

It was time (6 months ago) to put my old friend out to pasture. With no more Nvidia support I had no other choice.

My solution to this was to build a new PC Workstation, configured mainly for CUDA rendering for my daily work. But, I still needed my macOS fix. So I bought a new 2018 Mac-Mini and tied it together with my PC Workstation with a KVM switch.

Now I can load up several renders on my PC and while it is VERY busy working on multi-hour or multi-day renders I just hit one button to toggle me over to the Mini so I can do more mundane tasks like web browsing and email. It really works great.

I would have liked to buy a new Mac Pro but couldn't wait 1 or 2 years for it and frankly I don't believe it will be the solution I need.

My new PC is running dual Xeon E5-2680's 24 cores 48 threads and (4) water-cooled 1080 TI's and handles CUDA tasks with ease. If I want macOS I hit one button and I'm back to the 2018 Mini.

I'm 64 years old, have been using Macs for 35 years and I'm not sure if I'll ever see a new Mac that will meet my needs. Pretty sad actually. Very much like putting your trusty dog to sleep.

Life goes on....

 

[EvilMonk]

Just managed to update my 2009 6 cores W3680 3.33 GHz and 2010 12 cores X5690 3.46 GHz with 1TB NVMe crucial P1 PCIe SSDs to replace the old Kingston Predators AHCI 480 and 240Gb I had. They still run on old R9 280X 3Gb cards I got years ago so that will be the next upgrade i’ll do I guess... I might get a RTX 2080 for the 12 cores since I saw they don’t need efi flashing... I already added Apple raid cards, USB 3 and WiFi AC / BT 4.0... so in the end they turned out to be great machines...

 

[tsialex]

Just managed to update my 2009 6 cores W3680 3.33 GHz and 2010 12 cores X5690 3.46 GHz with 1TB NVMe crucial P1 PCIe SSDs to replace the old Kingston Predators AHCI 480 and 240Gb I had. They still run on old R9 280X 3Gb cards I got years ago so that will be the next upgrade i’ll do I guess... I might get a RTX 2080 for the 12 cores since I saw they don’t need efi flashing... I already added Apple raid cards, USB 3 and WiFi AC / BT 4.0... so in the end they turned out to be great machines...

RTX 2080 have pre-boot configuration support, but don't have macOS drivers. Unless you want RTX cards to use exclusively with Windows, don't buy it.

 

[EvilMonk]

RTX 2080 have pre-boot configuration support, but don't have macOS drivers. Unless you want RTX cards to use exclusively with Windows, don't buy it.

Thanks

 

[JeffPerrin]

I'm 64 years old, have been using Macs for 35 years and I'm not sure if I'll ever see a new Mac that will meet my needs. Pretty sad actually. Very much like putting your trusty dog to sleep.View attachment 824916

Yes, the ultimate Mac Pro would be one you could truly configure to order to your specific needs and workflow. (The dual-GPU 2013 MP couldn't possibly have been further from my needs!) Sadly, your Windows PC/Mac Mini set-up sounds like you got as close to the mark as you can get with Apple in 2019. Don't blame you for not holding your breath for the next MP iteration, if and when it should ever come...

 

[MisterAndrew]

WOW thanks a bunch for all your responses in my thread, I only got one email alert and I was shocked when I came back to 2 pages of replies, appreciate all your input guys

I think a couple people missed out the point that I started building a gaming PC, just need SSD, CPU and Memory pretty much, but I sat back and didn't like anything about it or the design overall of cabling etc

My predicament was that I could build a Gaming PC with a slightly better CPU and the Reference GTX 2060 for the same price the Mac Mini 2017/18 cost me, plus I can play the odd game without having to buy a console that's always out of date in my opinion, that said I'm making a loss on this Mac Mini as even though it's new everybody wants a bargain on eBay.

So this is where I started thinking about the Mac Pro 5.1 again, sadly prices aren't cheap in the UK, cheapest I've found is £335 or Best Offer, which is around $450 US Dollars I believe, I'd probably be looking at getting the X5680 as it's close to the X5690 (max chip I believe) for 30% less price (yes I'm on a budget here), stick Windows 10 on an SSD and get some decent Samsung 8GB Dimms 1333Mhz memory (32GB Max), those upgrades are about £100 UK Pounds for me. Sadly the 2 I'm watching on eBay are scratched up like they've been through a war so that's gonna bother my OCD LMAO.

Back in the day I actually built Mac Pro's from scratch with brand new parts, used to be able to get the Mac Pro Chassis with PSU for £150 UK ($200) and then import the brand new parts (Logic Board, CPU Tray, Fans etc) probably saved 60% off Apple Prices when I did this too, those were good times.

All in all, it's a tough choice.

Thanks again for your responses guys

How did you obtain a valid serial number for the machine when you assembled it from parts?

 

[EvilMonk]

How did you obtain a valid serial number for the machine when you assembled it from parts?

I had that same problem, my 2010 was built from scratch... it has the same serial number as my 2009... I had to get a serial number somewhere and the only one I had was the 2009... if I remember properly I found the disk online to flash the serial number... even if it’s a 2010 is shows it as a 2009 in about this Mac...

 

[JronMasteR]

My 5.1 is still in like new condition (bought it in 2012) but is now collecting dust. It was fully loaded etc. but the CPU's are just too old.
Build myself a new PC and the performance is just so much better.
Since apple did not allow nvidia to release drivers and no good mac pro in sight, it was the perfect time for me to switch.

I loved my mac pro... But now, having the option to add any piece of hardware I want is a wonderful experience.
Apple just screwed it up... Unacceptable behavior

 

[BobZune]

My 5.1 is still in like new condition (bought it in 2012) but is now collecting dust. It was fully loaded etc. but the CPU's are just too old.
...

If you don't need it, you can give it away or sell it -- there is still a fairly decent market (at least in the USA). My 2009 Mac Pro has been quite a workhorse and I just refreshed it with a better graphics card than it came with, and put in an SSD. Works great for my purposes.

 

[pat500000]

I love 5.1

 

[D1G1TAL]

How did you obtain a valid serial number for the machine when you assembled it from parts?

They already had serials tied to the boards, so it wasn't an issue and since the new cases/chassis I purchased didn't have serials nothing unmatched etc

I wish I could still get new Chassis, I hate how battered the used macs are now days.

A couple I refurbished for a friend and myself where from battered chassis, my friend wanted to get into Mac and one popped up on eBay where all the loops were crushed and the seller couldn't get it to boot, he didn't want much for it and upon arrival I got it to boot, swapped cases and it was up and running like a new Mac Pro for 25% Apple Price LOL

Funny story about that same Mac Pro though....when it came the box was pretty messy (unoriginal Apple box) but that wasn't a problem since it was already damaged, but when I opened it I found all these dirty used pillows they used for packaging, the things were covered in make-up, head sweat and drool, I actually puked in my mouth a bit LMAO
[doublepost=1552038611][/doublepost]

My 5.1 is still in like new condition (bought it in 2012) but is now collecting dust. It was fully loaded etc. but the CPU's are just too old.
Build myself a new PC and the performance is just so much better.
Since apple did not allow nvidia to release drivers and no good mac pro in sight, it was the perfect time for me to switch.

I loved my mac pro... But now, having the option to add any piece of hardware I want is a wonderful experience.
Apple just screwed it up... Unacceptable behavior

Well, if you wanna sell it, let me know, I'm in the UK and looking for a like new condition system, but my budget is pretty tight so you probably want more for it, but either way don't let it collect dust for too long, people still use them until they see the new Mac Pro coming out this year (most possibly).