How macOS Sierra handle Mac Pro 4,1 and 5,1? Interesting!!

[woodenbrain]

I've flashed to 5,1 with the following hardware specs:

• Early Mac Pro 2009 2.66 Ghz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
•16 GB RAM
• SSD boot drive; 3 HDDs in other bays
• wifi: AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x8E); Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.106.98.100.24)
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120

I'm too chicken-**** to upgrade the processor (myself anyway).

What is the best way to upgrade the to Siera-compatible Wifi, Bluetooth 4, and potentially graphics card also?

This thread is amazing but after reading everything a few times over, I'm left confused by a few things:

There were 2 different wifi cards used for the Mac Pro 4,1. The Atheros wifi card works fine with Sierra. It's the Broadcomm card (BCM4321?), that is the stinker.

So if I upgrade to a PCI wifi card, does that supercede the factory wifi and bluetooth automatically?

I'm also unclear about BCM94360CS and a PCI-E Mini PCI Express Adapter Card. Why is the later needed?

Why does the one linked above have 3 external antennas whereas the kit from OSXWIFI seems to have no external ones, why saying you still need another bluetooth antenna? In other words, what is the complete part list here…

I read here about PCIx1 and x4 slots etc having some bearing on whether wifi will work, but am unclear about this (and can't find where that was stated anymore…)

Sierra can keep waking from sleep if a device is attached to an Asmedia USB 3 card.

OK so what USB 3 card is tested to work? This one from ebay.ca is sold out. How bout this Sonnet Allegro?

Serious noob question: does USB 3 require special USB 3 cables that are different than USB 2 cables? (I know I'll need to upgrade USB 2 hubs of course)

Finally, what are some options for graphic card upgrades that might support metal on Sierra?

By the way if anyone has produced a great tutorial that would be lovely…

 

[howiest]

OK so what USB 3 card is tested to work? This one from ebay.ca is sold out. How bout this Sonnet Allegro?

Serious noob question: does USB 3 require special USB 3 cables that are different than USB 2 cables? (I know I'll need to upgrade USB 2 hubs of course)

The Sonnet USB 3 card is said to (in post #199 & #202) work fine with Sierra.

Also, yes USB 3 cables are unique. They are not interchangeable with USB 2 cables.

 

[flowrider]

I'd like to see reports on how Siera is running on 2009 Mac Pros with firmware upgraded to 5,1 (and no other hardware mods)

Many reports. Do a search and you'll find them. Some, with the Apple BT-WI/Fi card are experiencing lose of BT and Wi/Fi after the update. Others with a different model card are not. As I said do a search and you'll who is affected.

Lou

 

[woodenbrain]

If I'm not ready to dare to upgrade my processor (2.66 Gz Quad Xenon), can I still install 32GB 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM? I know it won't work at that speed, but will it work at for now until if/when I upgrade the CPUs? Or do I have to get the 1066 Mhz variety, such as this?

 

[hwojtek]

1333 will downclock to 1066 to sync with a slower processor and once you upgrade to a faster CPU, the memory will clock back to 1333.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Just to add - All the RAM must be 1333MHz or higher to operate at the 1333MHz speed.

Lou

 

[Sweeper29]

Just to add a positive note to the discussion, I successfully flashed my early 2009 4,1 Eight Core 2.26 Mac Pro to 5,1 about a month ago using the previously supplied links to the updater (and booting the machine via an older HD using Yosemite to run the operation). Today I loaded Sierra over El Capitain - update went smoothly and I still have Bluetooth and WiFi access (which is how I am communicating this note). As a side note I do have potentially one of the later versions of this model, having bought it from apple late in 2009 when they were dumping them. Once I get the nerve to do more serious surgery I will update the CPUs as well.

Only complaints so far are a sluggish Finder - long trash empty times and getting the spinning beachball of doom when moving files to the trash. We'll see if the logical system tweeks help in this regard. Eventually I'm gonna see if my 1TB OWC Accelsior PCI card can serve as the boot drive with this update. I was doing well with yosemite and El Capitain until the late summer OS update came and the Card never worked right again in that capacity. I miss the speed of using that drive as both system boot and for applications....

 

[pastrychef]

Eventually I'm gonna see if my 1TB OWC Accelsior PCI card can serve as the boot drive with this update. I was doing well with yosemite and El Capitain until the late summer OS update came and the Card never worked right again in that capacity. I miss the speed of using that drive as both system boot and for applications....

An OS update should not affect that SSD. If it stopped working, you should see if it's still covered by warranty and contact OWC.

 

[Sweeper29]

An OS update should not affect that SSD. If it stopped working, you should see if it's still covered by warranty and contact OWC.

I would agree with you on this and will be returning it for replacement - but it was too coincidental that the Drive started to flake upon the update install in August. This can be another thread somewhere....

Never the less, despite the battery of reset tweeks and reloading Sierra, I could not get the sluggish Finder issue to improve. So I popped in an old, blank 1TB HD into one of the other drive stalls and loaded Sierra up to it all by its lonesome - and bingo, I get a marked improvement in speed and the Finder/GUI sluggishness issues were gone. Booted between the old and new system HD's to see and it was night and day in performance. I will be loading the application software and other docs fresh to the new System disk directly rather than by copy from the old HD. This will take some time given all the photo app presets and extensions I have, but I want to minimize carry over any issues that may have corrupted something in the old disk.

Bottom line from my experience - a 4,1 to 5,1 flashed Mac Pro will accept Sierra and work well, but better off to do a clean install to a new drive going forward than to load Sierra over the previous OS that the flashed Mac was using..

 

[DPUser]

Trim enabled?

 

[pastrychef]

I would agree with you on this and will be returning it for replacement - but it was too coincidental that the Drive started to flake upon the update install in August. This can be another thread somewhere....

Never the less, despite the battery of reset tweeks and reloading Sierra, I could not get the sluggish Finder issue to improve. So I popped in an old, blank 1TB HD into one of the other drive stalls and loaded Sierra up to it all by its lonesome - and bingo, I get a marked improvement in speed and the Finder/GUI sluggishness issues were gone. Booted between the old and new system HD's to see and it was night and day in performance. I will be loading the application software and other docs fresh to the new System disk directly rather than by copy from the old HD. This will take some time given all the photo app presets and extensions I have, but I want to minimize carry over any issues that may have corrupted something in the old disk.

Bottom line from my experience - a 4,1 to 5,1 flashed Mac Pro will accept Sierra and work well, but better off to do a clean install to a new drive going forward than to load Sierra over the previous OS that the flashed Mac was using..

I'm not a fan of OWC SSDs.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Nor am I

Lou

 

[Sweeper29]

I'm not a fan of OWC SSDs.

That's Ok - to each their own. I had real good luck with the Accelsior card blade drive until just now and it was replaced quickly no questions asked. Up and running as the boot drive again with Sierra - along with the boot up and response reaction time I've become accustom to. Happy happy joy joy.....

 

[Black107]

I have a 4,1 that I installed an upgraded Bluetooth 4.0/Wifi card from MacVidCards. System Report shows the card as:

Wifi: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (0x14E4, 0x111)
Bluetooth: Broadcom 0x05AC, 0x828D

Any reports of this updated card working with Sierra?

The Vendor and product IDs are identical to this kit from OSXWifi

 

[pastrychef]

I have a 4,1 that I installed an upgraded Bluetooth 4.0/Wifi card from MacVidCards. System Report shows the card as:

Wifi: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (0x14E4, 0x111)
Bluetooth: Broadcom 0x05AC, 0x828D

Any reports of this updated card working with Sierra?

The Vendor and product IDs are identical to this kit from OSXWifi

It should work with Sierra.

 

[Taipan]

Seems my sleep problems are related to either Teamspeak or my USB headset (Logitech H820e). Once I have used TS with the headset, sleep no longer works until I unplug and plug in the headset.
I have yet to try whether it only happens with TS or other software as well. Currently it's the only software I'm using the headset with.
Pretty sure it worked before upgrading to Sierra, though.

 

[steveOooo]

The Sonnet USB 3 card is said to (in post #199 & #202) work fine with Sierra.

Also, yes USB 3 cables are unique. They are not interchangeable with USB 2 cables.

I have the USB 3 sonnet card in a 5,1 only minor issue you sometimes get the 'drive not removed properly' message which according to sonnet is a generic bug in osx
All works fine and fast speeds, have a extension running from the back to the front so I have 3/4 USBs at the front

 

[Daniel Reed]

Apple wants to eliminate the Mac Pro. Choosing 2010+ models makes them 2. The 5,1 and 6,1. Next macOS will have none if they don't introduce a new one.

PS: I bet my Mac Pro 2,1 will run Sierra by November with the good old methods of @tiamo and @Pike R. Alpha

10.13.x should support Mac Pro 6,1

Its a real shame Apple is ending their non-display-integrated desktop line.

 

[pastrychef]

Its a real shame Apple is ending their non-display-integrated desktop line.

There's no confirmation of this.

 

[jameslmoser]

There's no confirmation of this.

Isn't there though...?? =) or at least they might as well have.

 

[pastrychef]

Isn't there though...?? =) or at least they might as well have.

It's one thing to b*tch and moan and it's another to spread false, unsubstantiated information.

Apple’s Tim Cook assures employees that it is committed to the Mac and that ‘great desktops’ are coming | TechCrunch

 

[-Drizzt-]

Apple wants to eliminate the Mac Pro. Choosing 2010+ models makes them 2. The 5,1 and 6,1. Next macOS will have none if they don't introduce a new one.

PS: I bet my Mac Pro 2,1 will run Sierra by November with the good old methods of @tiamo and @Pike R. Alpha

I would'nt bet on that (you 2,1 running Sierra).

OS X 10.8 to 10.11 was running fine in a VM, because the OS was still compiled for these architechtures. The callenge was to find a way to boot the OS.

10.12 doesn't boot inside a VM on a 2006/2007 Mac Pro, it gives a kernel panic. The kernel would need to be recompiled, probably a bunch of libraries and programs also. The kernel is opensource, that's easy, but the Finder and other apps are not and may not work.

 

[VAGDesign]

I would'nt bet on that (you 2,1 running Sierra).

OS X 10.8 to 10.11 was running fine in a VM, because the OS was still compiled for these architechtures. The callenge was to find a way to boot the OS.

10.12 doesn't boot inside a VM on a 2006/2007 Mac Pro, it gives a kernel panic. The kernel would need to be recompiled, probably a bunch of libraries and programs also. The kernel is opensource, that's easy, but the Finder and other apps are not and may not work.

You could read my signature before replying

As I've wrote before, I don't care about Sierra to run on my Mac Pro.
ElCapitan and Yosemite run fine for what I do on it. So no rush/hurry/need for it.

We already know that cause of CPUs we (1,1-2,1-3,1) use, will never get Sierra on the Mac Pros, we can't do anything and it's fine.

Apple kills its most reliable and professional line ever released. Apple has became an IT service company, not a computer one as it was... we should realize this before insist demand something pro from a non pro company.

 

[-Drizzt-]

You could read my signature before replying

As I've wrote before, I don't care about Sierra to run on my Mac Pro.
ElCapitan and Yosemite run fine for what I do on it. So no rush/hurry/need for it.

We already know that cause of CPUs we (1,1-2,1-3,1) use, will never get Sierra on the Mac Pros, we can't do anything and it's fine.

Apple kills its most reliable and professional line ever released. Apple has became an IT service company, not a computer one as it was... we should realize this before insist demand something pro from a non pro company.

Mac Pro 3.1 can boot Sierra, IIRC

Sorry if I bugged you

 

[Mac Hammer Fan]

It's gonna be odd seeing all of these 4,1s being flashed to 5,1, even without CPU upgrades - because, that's actually possible. If I do it, I may just upgrade the CPUs. I'd feel lame flashing to 5,1 and not doing anything. Granted, I'd rather not have the added stress on my power supply, as I'd like to save its juice for future GPUs.

I had a Kernel panic on my MacPro 2009 4,1 > 5,1 when I tried to install Sierra.