Crazy idea. 32GB RAM modules in a cMP. Anyone tried this?

[LightBulbFun]

https://www.skhynix.com/eolproducts.view.do?pronm=DDR3+SDRAM&srnm=HMT84GR7MMR4A&rk=20&rc=module

if im reading this data sheet correctly, this 32GB DIMM uses 4Gigabit parts which should in theory work with the Mac Pro 5,1 I wonder if the-EP CPUs work with 32GB sticks too it would be fun to shove 384GB of RAM into an Xserve3,1

while I dont know if this is the exact stick used by the poster, it does seem to be the most "popular" 32GB Hynix stick out there...

 

[h9826790]

https://www.skhynix.com/eolproducts.view.do?pronm=DDR3+SDRAM&srnm=HMT84GR7MMR4A&rk=20&rc=module

if im reading this data sheet correctly, this 32GB DIMM uses 4Gigabit parts which should in theory work with the Mac Pro 5,1 I wonder if the-EP CPUs work with 32GB sticks too it would be fun to shove 384GB of RAM into an Xserve3,1

while I dont know if this is the exact stick used by the poster, it does seem to be the most "popular" 32GB Hynix stick out there...

I really hope someone tell me that his used the modules with 8Gbit DIMM, and we finally able to figure out this is the reason why "???" shows up. (dreaming~~~ )

 

[LightBulbFun]

I really hope someone tell me that his used the modules with 8Gbit DIMM, and we finally able to figure out this is the reason why "???" shows up. (dreaming~~~ )

I can easily tell you why the ??? in about this mac, about this mac does this when it (System Profiler) cant detect any memory modules so cant fetch any information about them to feed to About this Mac,

what I dont know is why the 32GB Memory stick does not show up at all to OS X/System Profiler anywhere despite it clearly working in the Mac Pro 5,1, the only other time I have seen this is on a Hackintosh I made/was playing with a few months ago (in the Hackintosh case the way I solved the issue in the end IIRC I just moved the Memory stick to the other slot, motherboard had 2 slots and i had just 1 4GB stick installed)

It would be fun to grab 8 32GB sticks and do some low level poking in various OSs and see whats what

BTW on that note, has anyone ever tried LRDIMMs/does anyone know if LRDIMMs work in a Mac Pro 5,1? IIRC Westmere is rated to work with LRDIMMs... so 8*64GB=512GB of RAM in a cMP anyone? Suck it iMac Pro!

 

[kwikdeth]

it wouldnt work in an imac because the memory for the mac pro is a totally different type of chip. imacs use standard desktop memory and a standard desktop chipset, whereas the mac pros use either ECC or ECC/Registered memory and server chipsets. The imac chipset simply does not have the hardware necessary to work with those kinds of chips. the ??? is probably because the presence of the 32gb chip is preventing it from properly reading any memory information including your 4GB chip. We've seen cases like this in a datacenter when people arent paying attention and mix and match memory types.

 

[h9826790]

it wouldnt work in an imac because the memory for the mac pro is a totally different type of chip. imacs use standard desktop memory and a standard desktop chipset, whereas the mac pros use either ECC or ECC/Registered memory and server chipsets. The imac chipset simply does not have the hardware necessary to work with those kinds of chips. the ??? is probably because the presence of the 32gb chip is preventing it from properly reading any memory information including your 4GB chip. We've seen cases like this in a datacenter when people arent paying attention and mix and match memory types.

Seems some misunderstanding here.

That's a Hackintosh ident itself at iMac, but not an iMac. The Late 2013 27" iMac won't use i7-2600K.

The Mac Pro just can support ECC memory, but not necessary use ECC memory.

If install ECC memory on a normal PC, the computer shouldn't boot at all, but not present some ???

The 32GB DIMM was installed on the cMP, but not in that Hackintosh. That Hackintosh only installed one 4GB DIMM. And the same module didn't recognise well in one of the slot 1, but works good in another one.

 

[LightBulbFun]

BTW I was reading back a couple threads on this subject.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ac-pro-late-2013.1698707/page-5#post-21362916

in this post the guy with 160GB of RAM in his Mac Pro does mention what sticks he is using: Samsung M393B4G70BM0

https://s3.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws..._ddr3_4gb_b-die_based_1_35v_rdimm_rev16-5.pdf which as the datasheet quite clearly states use 4Gbit devices.

Just figured its worth posting, lets us build up a databse of sorts on which 32GB DIMMs work in the MP5,1

 

[Kon_Kipa]

I've ordered 8 x 32GB M393B4G70BM0 ram modules for my Mac Pro tower

Fingers crossed - i live in Australia so they need to arrive from the USA (1 - 2 weeks time or so)

 

[Gauss963]

I've ordered 8 x 32GB M393B4G70BM0 ram modules for my Mac Pro tower

Fingers crossed - i live in Australia so they need to arrive from the USA (1 - 2 weeks time or so)

If this works, i will be very happy

 

[startergo]

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/1333D3Z3M128/
How about the 4+2 32 GB kits like the above?
Also please note:
"OWC Memory for Mac Pro 2013 fully meets Apple's specifications with special attention to proper thermal specifications.
IMPORTANT OWC NOTE:
Apple Mac Pro 2013 models utilizes ECC non-Registered for 4GB and 8GB per slot options and ECC Registered for 16GB (and larger) per slot options. Any existing 4GB and 8GB ECC non-Registered modules cannot be mixed with 16GB and larger ECC-Registered modules and will need to be removed in order to utilize these higher density memory upgrade options.

Special 32GB module use information: Due to processor design and memory architectures, 32GB module utilization occurs at a bus speed of 1066MHz with Apple Mac Pro 2013 E5-16XXv2 4-Core, 6-Core, and 8-Core processor equipped models, 800MHz with factory 12-Core or after-market E5-26XX equipped models. Utilization of 2 or more 32GB modules minimum is recommended and utilization of overall performance with applications and workflows able to utilize higher available memory remains exceptional."

 

[Kon_Kipa]

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/1333D3Z3M128/
How about the 4+2 32 GB kits like the above?
Also please note:
"OWC Memory for Mac Pro 2013 fully meets Apple's specifications with special attention to proper thermal specifications.
IMPORTANT OWC NOTE:
Apple Mac Pro 2013 models utilizes ECC non-Registered for 4GB and 8GB per slot options and ECC Registered for 16GB (and larger) per slot options. Any existing 4GB and 8GB ECC non-Registered modules cannot be mixed with 16GB and larger ECC-Registered modules and will need to be removed in order to utilize these higher density memory upgrade options.

Special 32GB module use information: Due to processor design and memory architectures, 32GB module utilization occurs at a bus speed of 1066MHz with Apple Mac Pro 2013 E5-16XXv2 4-Core, 6-Core, and 8-Core processor equipped models, 800MHz with factory 12-Core or after-market E5-26XX equipped models. Utilization of 2 or more 32GB modules minimum is recommended and utilization of overall performance with applications and workflows able to utilize higher available memory remains exceptional."

only problem is i have a cMP 2009 4,1 --> 5,1 & a 2010 cMP

 

[startergo]

only problem is i have a cDMP 2009 4,1 --> 5,1 & a 2010 cDMP

MP6.1
Product Specs:

• Size: 32GB (32768MB)
• 240-pin SDRAM DIMM
• 2048M x 72, Quad Rank ECC Memory Module
• Data Rate = 1333MHz
• Module Bandwidth 10.6GB/s
• CAS 9-9-9-24
• Voltage 1.5V
• Apple Specified Thermal Sensor*

Versus cMP 5.1 2010 memory:
Product Specs:

• Size: 16GB (16384MB)
• 240-pin SDRAM DIMM
• 2048M x 72, Dual Rank ECC Memory Module
• Data Rate = 1333MHz
• Module Bandwidth 10.6GB/s
• CAS 9-9-9-24
• Voltage 1.5V
• Apple Specified Thermal Sensor*

Looks pretty equal except
2048M x 72, Quad Rank ECC Memory Module
vs
2048M x 72, Dual Rank ECC Memory Module

 

[Kon_Kipa]

1 more week now & my 8 x 32GB Ram modules will arrive for the cDMP

 

[Kon_Kipa]

8 x 32GB Ram has arrived - now need to update the firmware to 141.0.0.0

 

[Gauss963]

8 x 32GB Ram has arrived - now need to update the firmware to 141.0.0.0

So excited about that

 

[crjackson2134]

8 x 32GB Ram has arrived - now need to update the firmware to 141.0.0.0

You won’t gain any benefit if you already have 140.0.0.0.0, I would recommend you stand pat until Apple matures the firmware a little more. Not that 141 will hurt anything, it just won’t help anything either.

 

[Kon_Kipa]

You won’t gain any benefit if you already have 140.0.0.0.0, I would recommend you stand pat until Apple matures the firmware a little more. Not that 141 will hurt anything, it just won’t help anything either.

youre probably right, but im running a 10.10.5 firmware from memory, so it may be crucial to update the firmware to 141.0.0.0 so that it may recognise the ram modules correctly. I am not certain about this but i will be conducting further tests within the week

 

[zedex]

So - you're in a position to see if the cMP will safely operate with 192GB of RAM?

 

[tsialex]

youre probably right, but im running a 10.10.5 firmware from memory, so it may be crucial to update the firmware to 141.0.0.0 so that it may recognise the ram modules correctly. I am not certain about this but i will be conducting further tests within the week

First, Yosemite El Capitan don’t have any firmware updates for a Mac Pro 5,1.

Second, 141.0.0.0.0 have the same EFI module that do RAM init as 138.0.0.0.0.

Don’t try to install beta BootROMs if you don’t fully understand what it means, the way you are doing things will get you a brick fast.

 

[Gauss963]

8 x 32GB Ram has arrived - now need to update the firmware to 141.0.0.0

Was the 256GB successful?

 

[Kon_Kipa]

Was the 256GB successful?

OK, just a quick update regarding the 32GB Ram modules...

1. I've updated the firmware on my 4,1 --> 5,1 to 140.0.0.0 & it went well & updated
2. I've cloned installed 10.13.6 on 1 partition of a 640GB HDD
3. I'm about to clone install 10.14.2 on the other partition of the same 640GB HDD
4. I've installed Windows 10 Pro x64 on a seperate/different 1TB HDD

Ram currently in the machine is 4 x 32GB + 2 x 16GB = 160GB Total

When i was running 10.10.5 ram was showing as 160GB in main "about this mac" window however when i selected the "memory" tab only 2 x 16GB ram modules showing & the rest of the slots were all empty - DDR3 Speed detected is 1066MHz (this might be due to me running 2 x 2.26GHz)

When i run 10.13.6 ram is showing as 32GB in the main "about this mac" window however when i select the "memory" tab it still only shows 2 x 16GB ram modules as occupying the slots - - DDR3 Speed still detected at 1066MHz

Windows 10 Pro x64, ram is showing at 160GB & working perfectly... (ill see if i can work out where i can get a DDR Ram speed viewer of some sorts - maybe CPU'z or something)

Now i have experienced a few shut downs/restarts - but i am not sure if it's the nVidia GT 660 Graphics card (non mac firmware rom) or if i have a faulty module - i'll report back on this a little later on - for now windows X is now updating with security patches etc - so i'm calling it a night for now & will post more info as it develops ;-)
[doublepost=1552211304][/doublepost]

So - you're in a position to see if the cMP will safely operate with 192GB of RAM?

very very close to it - let me get my cDMP updated with correct/latest firmware patches, software etc, but for now can confirm only the above post
[doublepost=1552211450][/doublepost]

First, El Capitan don’t have any firmware updates for a Mac Pro 5,1.

Second, 141.0.0.0.0 have the same EFI module that do RAM init as 138.0.0.0.0.

Don’t try to install beta BootROMs if you don’t fully understand what it means, the way you are doing things will get you a brick fast.

Hey Alex

I don't use or plan on using El-Capitan, I'm a strong/avid supporter of 10.10.5, 10.13.6 & the current 10.14.3 OS's.

El-Capitan was never a favourite of mine & i only ever really ran it for a month prior to Sierra being released

 

[tsialex]

Hey Alex

I don't use or plan on using El-Capitan, I'm a strong/avid supporter of 10.10.5, 10.13.6 & the current 10.14.3 OS's.

El-Capitan was never a favourite of mine & i only ever really ran it for a month prior to Sierra being released

I should have been clearer with my previous post. Mac Pro don't have any firmware updates with macOS before High Sierra DP5, not one firmware update between October 2010 and August 2017.

The need for firmware APFS support started the modern era of Mac Pro BootROM updates.

 

[Kon_Kipa]

I should have been clearer with my previous post. Mac Pro don't have any firmware updates with macOS before High Sierra DP5, not one firmware update between October 2010 and August 2017.

The need for firmware APFS support started the modern era of Mac Pro BootROM updates.

honestly did not know that at all

ive had 2.5 (don't ask about the 0.5) cMP's sitting at home for like 3 years now & never bothered using them.

Found (bought) a squid PCI-e card & all of a sudden i'm thrilled at the new speeds
[doublepost=1552222602][/doublepost]P.S.
Long live the cMP's

 

[Spacedust]

XP x64 should supports up to 128 GB RAM, so 160 GB is quite unusual. Better test on Windows 7 Pro/Ultimate which supports up to 192 GB. As well as as 8.1/10.

I was able to boot Windows 8.1 from Intel DC P3700 NVMe card in EFI mode using 4K sectors and no other drives installed. It boots superbly fast!

Sadly Windows 7 can't do it, only sees NVMe card as storage device in legacy mode. No way to boot from it even with a helper SSD drive. There is still some hope to boot in EFI mode, but I gave up.

 

[Kon_Kipa]

XP x64 should supports up to 128 GB RAM, so 160 GB is quite unusual. Better test on Windows 7 Pro/Ultimate which supports up to 192 GB. As well as as 8.1/10.

I was able to boot Windows 8.1 from Intel DC P3700 NVMe card in EFI mode using 4K sectors and no other drives installed. It boots superbly fast!

Sadly Windows 7 can't do it, only sees NVMe card as storage device in legacy mode. No way to boot from it even with a helper SSD drive. There is still some hope to boot in EFI mode, but I gave up.

No one said Windows XP, it's Windows X x64 (X = 10 in roman numerals)

 

[tsialex]

No one said Windows XP, it's Windows X x64 (X = 10 in roman numerals)

Windows 10 never ever was called X. What is a cDMP?

If you want to write cMP, people will understood but it's not correct, it's a MP4,1 or a MP5,1. If you want to specify a 2009 with MP5,1 firmware, write 4,1>5,1. Use the correct acronyms.