MP 1,1-5,1 It might be finally time to upgrade my Mac Pro 1.1 and I have no idea what to get

[ADDvanced]

The issue is I can't run an OS newer than 10.11 on this thing; I've hacked the EFI for years and I've done every upgrade I could think of, 7970, 32 gigs ram, SSDs, thing is still pretty great!

But the 32 bit EFI is becoming a major drag, as the newest itunes don't work with my OS. So. What should I do? I've read you can get Mac Pro 4.1s and flash them to 5.1s.... and then I could theoretically swap my SSDs and GPU... I'm guessing the ram would not transfer. Trashcan macs I'd like to avoid if possible, I just don't see how they're upgradable very easily.

Which 1st gen Mac Pro is the most future proof? Which one can run the latest OS, even if it requires some trickery?
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Also, I do video editing, cad modeling in bootcamp, and rendering/animations. Not sure if that is super relevant.

 

[OkiRun]

The issue is I can't run an OS newer than 10.11 on this thing; I've hacked the EFI for years and I've done every upgrade I could think of, 7970, 32 gigs ram, SSDs, thing is still pretty great!

But the 32 bit EFI is becoming a major drag, as the newest itunes don't work with my OS. So. What should I do? I've read you can get Mac Pro 4.1s and flash them to 5.1s.... and then I could theoretically swap my SSDs and GPU... I'm guessing the ram would not transfer. Trashcan macs I'd like to avoid if possible, I just don't see how they're upgradable very easily.

Which 1st gen Mac Pro is the most future proof? Which one can run the latest OS, even if it requires some trickery?
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Also, I do video editing, cad modeling in bootcamp, and rendering/animations. Not sure if that is super relevant.

May I ask about your budget range? Are you keeping your monitor?

 

[ADDvanced]

I mean I could spend a fair amount if I needed to. But my current machine seems "fast" enough for anythign I can throw at it. So... idk. $500-2000? I have no idea. I'd like to be able to keep dual booting.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

I mean I could spend a fair amount if I needed to. But my current machine seems "fast" enough for anythign I can throw at it. So... idk. $500-2000? I have no idea. I'd like to be able to keep dual booting.

Where I live, there is a seller of a MacPro 5,1 which he claimed to be "maxed out" at 1200US$ :
- 2 x Xeon X5690
- 64GB DDR3
- nVidia 1080
- 512GB SSD

I guess you can find another 2nd MP5,1 and upgrade it within 1500$ budget. 2nd parts are quite cheap on eBay.

 

[r6mile]

If you can find it, I would just buy a non-maxxed out 4,1/5,1, so you can transfer your GPUs, SSD, any IO etc. Your RAM will be useless unfortunately.

And then eventually if you like you can still upgrade further to a newer GPU, blade SSD, etc. But at least this'll be a way of minimising cost in the short term and re-using your parts; if you say your issue at the moment is compatibility with new software not performance, this strikes me as a good and cost-effective option. Your GPU is Metal compatible (I think?) so you could run Mojave/Catalina.

 

[ADDvanced]

Okay, so what does the hivemind think of this?

Keep going MP route: Find a 4.1 or 5.1. The questions is.... does a hex core 5.1 single, out perform a dual 4.1? Which one can be upgraded further?

Mac Mini: Would a mac mini + external storage be faster and more future proof than a flashed 4.1/5.1?

Cheers!

 

[KeesMacPro]

If you can find it, I would just buy a non-maxxed out 4,1/5,1, so you can transfer your GPUs, SSD, any IO etc. Your RAM will be useless unfortunately.

+1 for a 4,1 /5,1 .
They're available for a very fair price and the upgrading possibilities are numerous.

Although the RAM of the 1,1 will be useless, RAM for a 4,1>5,1 is significantly cheaper than for a 1,1.
e.g. 6 modules 8GB =48 gb for ~ €120,- at eBay...
This in combination with a Westmere 6-core CPU will run at 1333mHz.

NVMe ssd's cost about the same as SATA ssd and will give a nice speed boost.

If a single CPU or a DUAL CPU is necessary /cost effective depends on the load.
For rendering, video editing etc. I guess a DUAL could be a smart move , keep in mind you'll have to calculate double the cost for CPU and RAM compared to a Single CPU.

 

[ADDvanced]

Okay, did a lot of searching. Seems like a decent 12 core 5.1 is going to cost me $700 or so. And even then, I need to hack **** to keep it current. Which I can do.

But $700 is close to $1000. And $1000 gets me a 6 core mac mini, and ... sure seems like the internal speeds kick the **** out of cheesegrater mac pros. Now I'm wondering if I should pull the trigger on a Mac Mini + eGPU, or go for a 5.1.

I do video editing, but I don't do much gaming on my computer at all.

 

[s66]

Future proof:
- the mac mini is supported in the current OS. As Apple still sells the mac mini, Apple will continue to support it for X more years to come before they become obsolete in their processes.
- The MP5.1 are just as obsolete as your 1.1 when it comes to what you'll get from Apple.
Sure they got support a bit longer than your 1.1, but they lost their support just as well.

Long term: all intel macs are soon or later going to be like a powermac is today due to apple silicon macs taking over the world. As you want to dual boot: make sure you get an intel one before they switch!

Performance:
Go and try it out! Apple stores let you play with their machines for as long as you want, get that feeling for how fast it is for what you do before you buy.