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MP 6,1 Latest Boot ROM and SMC version on Mac Pro Late 2013 (trashcan)
- Thread starter dtelena
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Hi Guys!
Could you please specify your equipment more closely (D300, D500/D700)? And what kind of set up is in use (HDMI, bluetooth input devices or not)?
I would be leaning towards HDMI or bluetooth problem with 474 firmware, or a combination of them, and it might be the Pitcairn D300 issue specifically too. It's a little bit different kind of a machine from D500/D700 because of the GPU. At least that's what I have been reading I think.
No panics with D300, 474.0.0.0. and a DP dispaly with wired kbd. Sleeps OK too. Uptime; one Day and a third.
Could you please specify your equipment more closely (D300, D500/D700)? And what kind of set up is in use (HDMI, bluetooth input devices or not)?
I would be leaning towards HDMI or bluetooth problem with 474 firmware, or a combination of them, and it might be the Pitcairn D300 issue specifically too. It's a little bit different kind of a machine from D500/D700 because of the GPU. At least that's what I have been reading I think.
No panics with D300, 474.0.0.0. and a DP dispaly with wired kbd. Sleeps OK too. Uptime; one Day and a third.
I put it to sleep, going myself too. After a minute or two it went full blast with the fan. Fortunately I heard that. It did not want to wake or lit the display or anything. Just the full blast of the fan. Had to shut down from power button.
So I would have to say it's the firmware update, for D300 6,1. They probably did it again, they failed. So sad to say this, and I really want to be proved wrong about this.
My other two (D500) are still ok, they both are at 470.0.0.0.0.
So I would have to say it's the firmware update, for D300 6,1. They probably did it again, they failed. So sad to say this, and I really want to be proved wrong about this.
My other two (D500) are still ok, they both are at 470.0.0.0.0.
Only standard wireless Apple mouse (older) and keyboard (current) connected, using a Dell 32” screen - nothing else fancy on mine. Seems to have no problem at all. I also have standard Apple 1TB SSD.
Might be a good idea to track macOS version as well. My Samsung SSD issues were much worse when I used Monterey than they were with Big Sur. My setup at the moment is D500, TB display, LaCie 2Big, Big Sur 11.7.5, Kingston Fury Renegade SSD, Apple usb keyboard, Magic Mouse. Firmware 474.0.0.0.0
Zapped NVRAM 5 times, and was able to keep it going something like 4-5 days, without sleeping it. Then I tried a couple of short sleeps, and it survived those. Still not very convinced, but this might have been just a small culprit or something. At least I hope very much so.
Still won't update my other two 6,1 to 474.0.0.0., not for the time being, no. Too scared still.
Still won't update my other two 6,1 to 474.0.0.0., not for the time being, no. Too scared still.
Did you blocked Apple SUS servers IPs? If not, inevitably it will update the EFI Firmware with BigSur/Monterey, you wanting it or not since MacPro6,1 firmware updates are done automatically by Software Updates and not manually like MacPro5,1.
I am not running software updates for now for a while with these. I mean it does ask for you to manually update the OS software still, there are no forced OS updates like in windows (which sucks)? We don't have forced updates in MacOS I hope (Monterey, Ventura..)? Or maybe it updates the firmware in some minor updates too requiring boot, is it so?
I know I will /and or/ maybe have to update some day, which kind of sucks because it can be flakey it seems. I'll do some tests in the background and let you all know. Keeping my fingers crossed about it.
I know I will /and or/ maybe have to update some day, which kind of sucks because it can be flakey it seems. I'll do some tests in the background and let you all know. Keeping my fingers crossed about it.
You have to at least disable Software Updates or when you reboot to do the updates, the EFI firmware update will be also done.
Some people block all Apple SUS server IPs/domains, but this will also block XProtect updates/Safari updates/etc. I don't recommend doing it.
EDIT: I could have sworn it behaved that way in the past but 11.7.6 and 474.0.0.0.0 proved me wrong.
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Yesterday's Monterey 12.6.6 (21G644) beta3 have the same EFI version 474.0.0.0.0, no changes.
Code:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro6,1
Processor Name: 6-Core Intel Xeon E5
Processor Speed: 3,5 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 6
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 12 MB
Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled
Memory: 16 GB
System Firmware Version: 474.0.0.0.0
OS Loader Version: 540.120.3~22
SMC Version (system): 2.20f18
Panel Illumination Version: 1.4a6
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Today's Monterey 12.6.7 (21G703) beta1 have the same 474.0.0.0.0 EFI firmware version, no changes.
Hello all, I've been looking to purchase a Mac Pro 6,1 and reading through the extensive threads on these machines the past few days.
What's the general consensus on stability with the latest firmware? A lot of the chatter seems to have quietened down with the last two updates.
Am I right in saying I should be looking for 2017 or newer hardware, with D500 GPU's?
Also tsialex, appreciate your input on these forums. You're a wealth of information!
Cheers,
What's the general consensus on stability with the latest firmware? A lot of the chatter seems to have quietened down with the last two updates.
Am I right in saying I should be looking for 2017 or newer hardware, with D500 GPU's?
Also tsialex, appreciate your input on these forums. You're a wealth of information!
Cheers,
From what I gathered: With the current firmware, stability issues are no general problem anymore but few and specific to individual setups/environments. Although hardware-wise, D300 seems to be the one most prone to problems.
Both, my Early 2014 D300 and my Early 2018 D500 are equally 100% stable once they boot. But both sometimes suffer from no video signal when booting with opt-key pressed to select a different boot drive.
A younger production date is always preferred but I can‘t seem to find the info in which year (>2015?) Apple switched to the faster SSDs with double the speed (from ~700 to ~1200 MB/s) - in case you want to keep the stock one.
Both, my Early 2014 D300 and my Early 2018 D500 are equally 100% stable once they boot. But both sometimes suffer from no video signal when booting with opt-key pressed to select a different boot drive.
A younger production date is always preferred but I can‘t seem to find the info in which year (>2015?) Apple switched to the faster SSDs with double the speed (from ~700 to ~1200 MB/s) - in case you want to keep the stock one.
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In my experience the D500 unit is the most stable. Both my D300 and D700 units had glitches, but D700 was more stable than D300. Try to get one with AppleCare+ if you can, so you can send it in for GPU replacement if necessary. Sometimes the CPU riser card has issues too. That part was replaced a few times on one of mine too.
The main issue with buying a 6,1 at this point is that there is only 1 1/2 years of official software support left. Hard to say if Apple will provide hardware repairs after that. Probably best to buy a refurbished M2 Mac mini in that price range.
The main issue with buying a 6,1 at this point is that there is only 1 1/2 years of official software support left. Hard to say if Apple will provide hardware repairs after that. Probably best to buy a refurbished M2 Mac mini in that price range.
Yes, we appreciate Tsialex and his input. It has been very valuable. Thanks a million!
Cheers, appreciate the insight.
I'd happily move to an ARM Mac but when I last tested one for music production, I was getting audio stuttering with USB audio interfaces (triggered by memory pressure above ~50%). It's a reasonably well documented problem but seems hit and miss who is affected. Intel machines continue to work well. The Mac Pro 6,1 looked like a good interim solution but I think I'd want a spare on standby.
Perhaps consider an iMac Pro? It looks like they are selling for about $1000 used now. They were still in the $3000 range when I was shopping for 6,1s.
How much can you afford? The Apple USA refurb store had some awesome 27" iMacs with very high specs and very reasonable prices. Some were 3.6ghz 10 core with quite high spec GPUs and reasonable RAM.