MP 1,1-5,1 Big Sur on Mac Pro 5.1

[rk25123]

Hello, I'm thinking of installing Big Sur on my Mac Pro 5.1 (6 core 3,33GHz, Nvidia GTX 680 Mac Edition, 48GB RAM, Samsung 860 EVO SSD, upgraded Bluetooth/Wi-Fi card). Currently, it's running Catalina with no problem.
What's been your experience with Big Sur on a Mac Pro 5.1?

 

[KevinClark]

works great

 

[expede]

Very nice! FileVault does not work.

Doc

 

[Chung123]

Works great for me, via Opencore. I also have an aftermarket AC Wifi USB Dongle that works with https://github.com/chris1111/Wireless-USB-Big-Sur-Adapter

 

[rk25123]

Very nice! FileVault does not work.

Doc

Thanks for the heads-up! Does everything else work normally? No drawbacks? Is there a difference in performance (vs. Catalina)?

 

[expede]

Thanks for the heads-up! Does everything else work normally? No drawbacks? Is there a difference in performance (vs. Catalina)?

Hi!

Everything else works as expected. Even "Quicksilver" is working. Office 2021, Little Snitch is working.

Doc

 

[oldcomputr]

I wanted to ask the same question: I have a cMP 5,1 on Mojave with opencore and I was considering the upgrade to Big Sur.
Keep an eye on this thread, it seems that 11.3 beta 8 still have issues with PCI cards (NVME, USB). Since you use an SSD, maybe you won't have any problem. I have Mojave on an NVME PCI card, so I hope that those problems will be fixed in the final release, otherwise I will have to choose between stopping at 11.2.3 (I just downloaded the full installer) or not upgrading at all. I don't think that I could go back to an SSD after using an NVME disk that is about 6 times faster, and I just ordered a USB3 PCI card.

 

[OSXphoto]

Hi all, I am a very experienced macOS user, but a complete novice when it comes to installing Opencore or what else there is out there to help run newer OS's on older devices. I own a Mid 2010 5,1 2.8 GHz Quad core MP w/ 16GB RAM, HDD + SSD boot drive options. I would like to run Big Sur on it. Does this route involve a steep learning curve? I don't have much spare time. Otherwise I better sell the monster and put the money towards a newer machine. Thanks!

 

[MarkC426]

You cannot run OpenCore with a Nehalem processor, unfortunately.

 

[Dayo]

You cannot run OpenCore with a Nehalem processor

That is inaccurate. You can run OpenCore on any Intel Mac including those using the Penryn processor, older than Nehalem, such as MacPro3,1. Furthermore, they can do everything that a unit with a Westmere processor can do in OpenCore.

Note that while units with Penryn and Nehalem processors do not have HyperVisor support, ACTUAL HyperVisor support is not the same thing as, and is not related to, SPOOFING (faking) which works and enables updates in the exactly the same way on units with Penryn, Nehalem and Westmere processors via VMM Spoofing (HyperVisor support is irrelevant to VMM Spoofing).

Does this route involve a steep learning curve? I don't have much spare time.

"Steep" is relative and people that say they don't have much spare time etc, typically are simply not quite ready to put in any real effort whatsoever and are invariably better off not bothering in my experience.

 

[OSXphoto]

Thanks so far 😀. Then I won't bother either, because I can't spend a real effort. I am in fact putting real efforts in pfSense networking/firewalling for a way too extensive home network, also much efforts in Synology, so simply no time left for more. Thanks for your comments and good luck everyone 🙏

 

[MarkC426]

That is inaccurate. You can run OpenCore on any Intel Mac including those using the Penryn processor, older than Nehalem, such as MacPro3,1. Furthermore, they can do everything that a unit with a Westmere processor can do in OpenCore.

Note that while units with Penryn and Nehalem processors do not have HyperVisor support, ACTUAL HyperVisor support is not the same thing as, and is not related to, SPOOFING (faking) which works and enables updates in the exactly the same way on units with Penryn, Nehalem and Westmere processors via VMM Spoofing (HyperVisor support is irrelevant to VMM Spoofing).

This thread says different:

Post in thread 'Wanting to upgrade Mac Pro Mid 2012'
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/wanting-to-upgrade-mac-pro-mid-2012.2354355/post-31330114

 

[Dayo]

Tens of thousands of Mac Pros that do not have HyperVisor support, including mine, say that post is wrong ... with respect to VMM Spoofing. As for running OpenCore, it is probably in the hundreds of thousands but then, the post didn't in fact say they cannot run OpenCore.

 

[vsc]

Hi all, I am a very experienced macOS user, but a complete novice when it comes to installing Opencore or what else there is out there to help run newer OS's on older devices. I own a Mid 2010 5,1 2.8 GHz Quad core MP w/ 16GB RAM, HDD + SSD boot drive options. I would like to run Big Sur on it. Does this route involve a steep learning curve? I don't have much spare time. Otherwise I better sell the monster and put the money towards a newer machine. Thanks

Hmm... I have a MacPro 5,1 running OpenCore and have been for more than a year. I don't have a lot of time either to spend on something like this where I found the hardest problem was cutting through all of the information to get to what in the end is rather simple. Ok you can create your own custom confirmation and clearly there are people who strongly advocate this approach. But on the other hand you can grab a good enough configuration for the 5,1 and you will be up and running in less than 30 min. And that would be my advise.