Firmware Tool for 4,1 to 5,1 upgrade

[gslrider]

Update the firmware to B07 and then run the tool again.

That's what I ended up doing. I'm guessing the firmware I had was the original for the 4,1, and Apple has put out a newer firmware for the 4,1 (B07) since then. In any case, this fixed my issue. I was able to update the firmware to B03 (5,1) after updating to the newer 4,1 firmware first. Thanks for the tip though.

 

[ws5926]

I am posting this here because this is the most recent thread. I have been banging my head against a wall trying to get my 4,1 firmware updated. Here is all that I have done so far:

My system:

1. Mar Pro (Early 2009) 4,1
2. Processor & memory : 2.66 quad core 16gb
3. Current Boot Rom Version : MP41.0081.B07

Downloaded EFI 1.5 update
Downloaded 2009-2010 Firmware Tool

Error 5570 when doing these steps

1. Only boot drive in machine
2. only stock GT120 in machine
3. Disabled SIP
4. Disabled Firewall
5. Booted with only Apple or nonApple brand monitor connected
6. cleared pram
7. mounted EFI update
8. Ran Firmware tool
9. mount window disappears during run but still same error

Have tried above in the following iOS’s:

1. El Capitan
2. Mountain Lion
3. Yosemite

I have also tried to run the firmware tool without mounting and gave same error.

My memory is 1333 but is reporting at 1066. I am wanting to upgrade to a single w3690 but I am not even going to buy the chip until I can get this firmware installed and see that the memory reports 1333.

I have read through about every forum I can find and I still can’t get the firmware to update. Any suggestions?

 

[flowrider]

^^^^The memory will not report 1333MHz until you have:

1. 5,1 Firmware

2. A CPU that is capable of running 1333MHz memory.

Lou

 

[ws5926]

^^^^The memory will not report 1333MHz until you have:

1. 5,1 Firmware

2. A CPU that is capable of running 1333MHz memory.

Lou

Thanks for the reply. Ok, so I won't see the 1333 until I have a cpu that supports it. Any idea why I can't get the firmware to update?
[doublepost=1456892423][/doublepost]

Thanks for the reply. Ok, so I won't see the 1333 until I have a cpu that supports it. Any idea why I can't get the firmware to update?

I have also tried this under El Capitan:

1. Locate a copy of the latest mac pro 5,1 firmware (MP51.007F.B03). They are out there.
2. Put the .dmg on your desktop and rename it "EFI2010.dmg"
3. Run the Firmware Tool App. Let it quit out at the 5570 error. It should leave a copy of the Ramdisk.
4. Mount the copy of the .dmg you downloaded.
5. Copy the "EFI2010.dmg" to the ramdisk and allow it to overwrite existing file.
6. Rerun App.

 

[soren4]

I went back to the Apple firmware download link and noticed the file creation date is off a few days. So just in case Apple modified the disc image somewhat to prevent this from happening, I've attached a zip archive file which includes the MacProEFIUpdate.dmg and the Mac Pro 2009-2010 Firmware tool together.

As an FYI, when I used this setup to flash my 2009 Mac Pro Dual-Core I was running Mac OS X 10.7.5.

Secondly, you won't get your memory to show as 1333 MHz until you also swap out your processor(s) to one that supports the firmware version. For my model I originally swapped out my 2.26 GHz processors for two 2.93 GHz 6 Core processors.

Make sure you fully mount the MacProEFIUPdate.dmg, and possibly even downgrading your OS if you still get your error upon launch.

Best of luck to you. The 2009's flashed to 5.1 make a great machine with years of life yet to work from.

 

[ws5926]

Ok, well that actually got me a little further along this time. It actually says that it completed. When I turn my machine back on, holding the power button till the light flashes or tone (tried both), I get a grey screen for a couple of seconds, then the apple logo and the machine boots up as normal. The system screen still says 4,1 and the bios is the same number.

Thank you for the quick reply and attaching the new file. Any idea why the update isn't applying on the reboot? Should I do a pram reset at this point? I didn't know if that would mess anything up?

 

[RetroDan]

I'd recommend doing this in Yosemite rather than El Capitan. I managed to get El Capitan to apply the update ONCE, then I rolled it back when I was trying to get Bootcamp to work (turns out it was an NVRAM issue for Bootcamp), and I had to go through Yosemite to actuate the update, even with SIP disabled.

It's best just to deal with 10.10 for the update, as it works without issue for me.

 

[ws5926]

HOLY @#$@#$@#$!!! It actually worked that time!!! I have spent soooo many @#$#@$@ hours trying to get this firmware update to work. I have read so many netkas forum posts. I can't believe it was just the EFIUpdate file all along.
I had actually tried everything with two different EFIUpdate files, but I guess I just didn't have the right one.

I was almost to the point where I was just going to sell my 4,1 and go buy a @#$@# 5,1. Whew. I am going to go out and get me a w3690 right now!! (single processor mac pro)

Thanks again!!! This made my day/week/month!

 

[RetroDan]

Glad it worked for you. It'd be nice if the firmware update hack were updated with the new download locations of the appropriate files. It'd solve a lot of problems up front.

 

[RetroDan]

Finally have a pair of X5675s on the way to replace my X5520s. They should be here on Monday, so wish me luck - I've got to delid the buggers myself, and it's been a while since I've cracked open an Intel chip. Here's hoping!

 

[scott.n]

Finally have a pair of X5675s on the way to replace my X5520s. They should be here on Monday, so wish me luck - I've got to delid the buggers myself, and it's been a while since I've cracked open an Intel chip. Here's hoping!

Good luck - you're going to need it. Keep in mind that the IHS on these Xeons are soldered, not merely pasted like most newer processors.

 

[RetroDan]

I'm planning on using the Razor method and then hitting the center of the IHS with my air reflow station's air gun while the CPU is supported by a few blades under the perimeter of the IHS on a glass.

The only thing I'm really worried about is whether I should use high heat (400º C) or low heat (250º-300º C). I wish that there was a common desoldering die for Westmere...

 

[RetroDan]

Okay, I think that I ****ed the new processors up. Not sure how, everything looks fine physically.

Getting the original CPUs back in was an incredibly frustrating and terrifying ordeal. However, after two or three hours of despair and frustration, I hit upon an incredibly brilliant (in my not so humble opinion) way to guarantee success...at least in my case.

The Apple internal guide for installation (available at http://tim.id.au/laptops/apple/macpro/macpro_early2009.pdf) talks about torque values for the allen screws on the heatsinks on page 160. The question is, how does the average wanker measure torque?

With just about any modern electric drill, that's how. My cheap-ass Black & Decker drill, which cost me less than $50, has variable torque settings, and by chopping off the bent elbow of a 3mm allen key and making a mark to signify on the dark metal when a full rotation of the allen key has occurred, I was able to acquire a fairly accurate torque driver.

A caveat - the Apple install guide says to start with 4 lb.-in. of torque on each screw in a certain order, making sure to do no more than two turns per screw until full torque is reached, at which point it says to up the torque to 8 lb.-in., which I did not do. I was successful with 4 lb. of torque in the prescribed order, and I'm a little emotionally fried to be pushing my luck at the moment, but I will probably retry my new processors at some point when I've calmed down.

Oi vey.

 

[jdryyz]

Wait a sec....so you're saying I will not be able to support 1333 MHz RAM once I install my X5660 (less than X5680) ?? This would appear to be in conflict with the information on the table (original post).

The again, you mention "for my model". I assume your model has a dual processor tray since you refer to two X5680s.

Secondly, you won't get your memory to show as 1333 MHz until you also swap out your processor(s) to one that supports it. For my model it required two of the Xeon X5680 processors running at a minimum of 3.33 GHz. I originally swapped out my 2.26 GHz processors to the 2.93 GHz 6 Core processors, which technically support the faster memory, but it still showed up as 1066 MHz. This was confirmed by Ram Jet as well that for some reason Apple's engineering of the motherboard prohibits the faster memory bus for processors less than the X5680.

 

[h9826790]

Wait a sec....so you're saying I will not be able to support 1333 MHz RAM once I install my X5660 (less than X5680) ?? This would appear to be in conflict with the information on the table (original post).

The again, you mention "for my model". I assume your model has a dual processor tray since you refer to two X5680s.

I have no idea why you so care about that 1333 RAM. May be you have your good reason. And I have no experience on the X5660, so can't answer that either. However, I would like to emphasise that there is almost no real world performance difference between 1066 and 1333 RAM. And even in theory, the performance difference is less than 3%.

 

[jdryyz]

I do not know why you say "you so care". I do not believe I am over-stating anything. I just want to get the most performance I can out the upgrade path I am on. After the CPU upgrade is complete, my next step is RAM. I plan to get the 1333 Mhz RAM and would simply like to see that represented in the system. Hell, it could only be a 1% difference, but I would like to see it.

I have no idea why you so care about that 1333 RAM. May be you have your good reason. And I have no experience on the X5660, so can't answer that either. However, I would like to emphasise that there is almost no real world performance difference between 1066 and 1333 RAM. And even in theory, the performance difference is less than 3%.

 

[h9826790]

I do not know why you say "you so care". I do not believe I am over-stating anything. I just want to get the most performance I can out the upgrade path I am on. After the CPU upgrade is complete, my next step is RAM. I plan to get the 1333 Mhz RAM and would simply like to see that represented in the system. Hell, it could only be a 1% difference, but I would like to see it.

Fair enough, that's why I said you may have your good reason.

Anyway, may I know what's your plan about the RAM upgrade? IMO, it's quite hard to define best performance in the area of RAM (of course, I am only talking about the 4,1/5,1).

If you want purely max speed, non ECC RAM is faster (about 2%), but you lost the ECC protection.

If you want purely max speed, you can't use all 4 slots. However, when you run out of RAM, there will be a huge performance hit.

And if you really want 1333 RAM, you may need to pay attention on the "memory rank" as well. Some RAM may able to run 1333, but not on the Mac Pro because of that.

 

[jdryyz]

Thank you for your input.

Aside from selecting from a reputable vendor and making sure the specs were correct, I was not putting much more thought into it.

16GB (4GBx4) total is my target and within my budget. My current RAM is the stock 3GB from three modules.

I did not even know non-ECC was an option in a "Workstation" class Macintosh. As such, I only see ECC RAM advertised for it. I know in the PC world, if you try to install non-ECC RAM in computer that expects it, it will give you warnings in BIOS or may not even POST at all. I can tell you I will not be performing any mathematically critical computations. The most intensive tasks I will be performing is video editing/playback and video encoding with HandBrake.

You are saying there is a performance hit if all four of my slots are used? Interesting. I did not expect to hear that. Is that fact even documented anywhere in Apple's literature?

Fair enough, that's why I said you may have your good reason.

Anyway, may I know what's your plan about the RAM upgrade? IMO, it's quite hard to define best performance in the area of RAM (of course, I am only talking about the 4,1/5,1).

If you want purely max speed, non ECC RAM is faster (about 2%), but you lost the ECC protection.

If you want purely max speed, you can't use all 4 slots. However, when you run out of RAM, there will be a huge performance hit.

And if you really want 1333 RAM, you may need to pay attention on the "memory rank" as well. Some RAM may able to run 1333, but not on the Mac Pro because of that.

 

[BillyBobBongo]

You are saying there is a performance hit if all four of my slots are used? Interesting. I did not expect to hear that. Is that fact even documented anywhere in Apple's literature?

https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA918/en_US/Mac_Pro_2009_2010_Memory_DIMMs_DIY.pdf

Here is an excerpt:

Single-Processor Memory

Single-processor computers have four memory slots. Depending on the model, you can install 1 GB, 2 GB DIMMs, or 4 GB DIMMs.

The processor’s memory controller has three memory channels. DIMM slots 1 and 2 have their own channels; slots 3 and 4 share a channel.

For optimal memory bandwidth, all three memory channels should be used, and memory should be balanced across the three channels.

Note: Populating slot 4 slightly drops maximum memory bandwidth, but depending on the applications used, overall system performance may bene t from the larger amount of memory.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^And it's talked about in many threads on this forum. Do A Search and you'll find them.

Note: This also applies to Dual Processor Models.

Lou

 

[jdryyz]

Thanks very much for the info! I wonder what "slightly drops" actually means. Probably insignificant for the stuff I will be doing.

 

[h9826790]

Thank you for your input.

Aside from selecting from a reputable vendor and making sure the specs were correct, I was not putting much more thought into it.

16GB (4GBx4) total is my target and within my budget. My current RAM is the stock 3GB from three modules.

I did not even know non-ECC was an option in a "Workstation" class Macintosh. As such, I only see ECC RAM advertised for it. I know in the PC world, if you try to install non-ECC RAM in computer that expects it, it will give you warnings in BIOS or may not even POST at all. I can tell you I will not be performing any mathematically critical computations. The most intensive tasks I will be performing is video editing/playback and video encoding with HandBrake.

You are saying there is a performance hit if all four of my slots are used? Interesting. I did not expect to hear that. Is that fact even documented anywhere in Apple's literature?

ECC is not a must on cMP. In fact, the system won't say anything but work as usual, apart from ECC disabled.

Normal PC DDR 3 RAM works, which is a cheaper option. Anyway, I won't recommend anyone do this. I did it just because I am too lazy to get the correct RAM. And I have no mission critical stuff on this computer.

However, you better know that the X5660 only has 3 memory channels.

No matter how good the cMP is, it can't change the CPU's spec. In fact, as the others points out. It's been discussed many times already, the 3rd and 4th slots share the same channel.

If you use all 4 slots, by running benchmark, the memory performance can easily drop 30% or more (much much bigger hit than 1333 CL 9 drop to 1066 CL 7). However, in real world, for most of the applications, you can't feel it.

If you want to maximize the memory speed, you should not go for 4x4G, but may be pay a bit more to go for 3x8G. Or if you believe that 12G is good enough for you, 3x4G is also an option. I mainly use my machine for video editing, photoshop, media server, web surfing etc, with 2 profiles constantly logged in. The memory used usually at or above 24G.

If you want best performance, 24G should be a better option for you. Technically, your RAM will run much slower at 4x4G config, and your Mac can easily running out of RAM if only 12G available (that means, big performance hit).

If you are not willing to take that <3% performance hit from 1333 to 1066, I don't think that you are happy to take that benchmarked >30% performance penalty.

Anyway, I suggest that you study a bit more before you make the decision. It seems you are not quite clear what you can do, and what will actually happen.

 

[jdryyz]

Lots of good info! Thanks. 12GB (3 x 4GB) sounds like the best option. I probably won't be doing enough to push it beyond that. I know Photoshop is a big memory hog and I won't be using that either. I wanted 16GB because it was nice even number and never thought filling all the slots would be of any concern. I can live with 12GB and three slots filled instead. As a matter of fact, I have a separate OWC ECC 4GB module that will work in this Mac so all I would have to get is another 2 matching modules. I see OWC still sells them.

 

[BillyBobBongo]

Thanks very much for the info! I wonder what "slightly drops" actually means. Probably insignificant for the stuff I will be doing.

Most articles I've read on the matter talk of a 2-3% drop, so the majority of people wouldn't even notice it.

 

[gslrider]

ECC is not a must on cMP. In fact, the system won't say anything but work as usual, apart from ECC disabled.

I've always been told the non-ECC ram will not work on Mac Pros. I have a 3,1 and a 5,1. I bought non-ECC ram for my 3,1 (they were cheaper than proprietary Mac ram), and my system wouldn't boot properly. That's when I was told Mac Pros won't work with non-ECC ram. Plus I use my systems for Graphics and editing work. So ECC is a must for me.