MP 1,1-5,1 Mac Pro 2009 Update ?

[Washac]

Is there a foolproof way to update my mid 4.1 2009 Mac Pro so as to install the latest OS etc as more
and more software needs the latest OS to run.

Or do I have another alternative because I really do not want to move away from Mac OS unless
I really have to.

 

[howiest]

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-5-1-upgrade-guide-sticky-discussion.2099092/

 

[Washac]

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-5-1-upgrade-guide-sticky-discussion.2099092/

Thanks, think some of that is going straight over my head.

 

[m11rphy]

If you do the 4.1 to 5.1 firmware upgrade you can then install macOS High Serrira . I did it at the weekend with this guide
https://www.imore.com/how-upgrade-your-older-mac-pro-firmware

Once thats does you can follow the instructions to upgrade your BootRom

Thanks, think some of that is going straight over my head.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^There are far better guides here on the forum, Think Boot ROM Version: 144.0.0.0.0.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-5-1-upgrade-guide-sticky-discussion.2099092/

http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,852.0.html

And when updated a 5,1 can run Mojave with the proper GPU.

Lou

 

[Washac]

If you do the 4.1 to 5.1 firmware upgrade you can then install macOS High Serrira . I did it at the weekend with this guide
https://www.imore.com/how-upgrade-your-older-mac-pro-firmware

Once thats does you can follow the instructions to upgrade your BootRom

Well that looks and reads easy enough, but what are the REAL chances of bricking my Mac PRO ?

 

[MacUser2525]

Well that looks and reads easy enough, but what are the REAL chances of bricking my Mac PRO ?

Very slim it is not an Apple supported procedure but works well, on the half dozen or so 4,1 I have done it on. If you have metal compatible video card then you may a well get the Mojave installer running and do that firmware upgrade too. The you would be on the latest and best for the machine boot rom.

 

[rodedwards]

I have a 2009 Mac Pro ... Dual Processor ... I've upgraded it from 4,1 to 5,1 and it's now kick ass fast running Mojave. Geekbench tests show it's faster than any black trash can Mac Pro and not far behind iMac Pro - so it can be done. And not for much money...

Get processor upgrades such as Intel Xeon X5690, Samsung Evo 970 M.2 blade (not Plus) and adapter for PCIe, a fast metal GPU card such as Radeon RX580 and plenty of ram. Make sure you upgrade to High Sierra 10.13.6 first to update firmware and then update firmware again to install latest Mojave.

Everyone on here is helpful so you won't spend a fortune and you'll get a great machine that will last a few more years.

If your Nividia GeForce GTX680 is Mac Edition it'll be real easy ...

 

[Washac]

I have a 2009 Mac Pro ... Dual Processor ... I've upgraded it from 4,1 to 5,1 and it's now kick ass fast running Mojave. Geekbench tests show it's faster than any black trash can Mac Pro and not far behind iMac Pro - so it can be done. And not for much money...

Get processor upgrades such as Intel Xeon X5690, Samsung Evo 970 M.2 blade (not Plus) and adapter for PCIe, a fast metal GPU card such as Radeon RX580 and plenty of ram. Make sure you upgrade to High Sierra 10.13.6 first to update firmware and then update firmware again to install latest Mojave.

Everyone on here is helpful so you won't spend a fortune and you'll get a great machine that will last a few more years.

If your Nividia GeForce GTX680 is Mac Edition it'll be real easy ...

How do I tell if my Nividia GeForce GTX680 is a Mac Edition card ?

Sorry for all the questions but if I do this I really want to get it right.

 

[rodedwards]

How do I tell if my Nividia GeForce GTX680 is a Mac Edition card ?

Sorry for all the questions but if I do this I really want to get it right.

No need to appologise - happy to help !I was there two weeks ago ...

I originally bought the Mac Edition NVIDIA GTX 680 Pro ... It's got the full Mac compatibility Mac EFI. This is mine (note the words "Mac Edition" on the case and box)... I'm actually selling it (but in the UK) ...

I upgraded to a AMD Radeon RX580 8GB with MAC EFI. The Mac EFI allowed me to upgrade my Mac Pro from High Sierra to Mojave. You need a graphics card with this Mac EFI to enable the latest firmware 144.0.0.0.0 when upgrading from 10.13.6 to Mojave My card was refurbished and came with six month warranty but if you already have a Mac EFI card use that (or swap over to original Mac Graphics card such as GT120) for the firmware update High Sierra > Mojave.

https://www.macstoreuk.com/product/amd-radeon-rx580-8gb-with-mac-efi/

It's not hard to do ... but i'm like you and it took me a while to get my head around it. Nevertheless - TOTALLY worth it - these Mac's are amazing ... ten years old and still fast by today's standards.

I've also upgraded the ram to 96Gb - see this thread ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/advice-on-pimping-up-my-mac-pro-please.2192921/

I'm also selling my 32Gb 8 x 4Gb chips ... As long as my new 96Gb ram works ok - it arrives tomorrow.

After the firmware update, i also installed a Samsung Evo 970 blade drive ... it allows read / write speeds up to 1500Mbps whereas a normal Samsung SSD connected via PCIe card in back, is fast but only 500Mb/s. A standard mechanical big hard drive is about 200Mb/s. I'm also selling my Samsung Evo 840 with PCIe card - but again, if you're in Canada it's a pain to post.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-MZ...msung+evo+970&qid=1566326625&s=gateway&sr=8-3

You'll need to fit it into PCIe slot in back of Mac using this or similar - Aqua Computer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0 x 4, adapter for M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD - it looks cool as it glows orange when the drive is being accessed.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0742LW4WB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Might also be worth getting a PCIe card that gives you USB3 ports too ... i used this (two usb 3 sockets) and it's very good but may interfere with WIFI slightly. Still running tests ... But if you connect router to computer directly it should be fine.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JEVLEFQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Once you've done the upgrades you'll feel real pleased with yourself ... and have saved a ton of money.

The only thing you can't do yourself (esily) is the processor CPU upgrade. I used www.create.pro in UK. Very helpful guys too ... I have dual procesors but you just have one so cheaper. I think they post worldwide - you remove your procesor tray and they pimp it up and send it back. Again - if you can find somebody locally to do this it may be easier.

If you are worried about all this ... why not upgrade to High Sierra ... take a breather and then upgrade to Mojave later. I can't see much difference between the two OS but some of your old software and apps may not work on Mojave )or High Sierra).

 

[Washac]

I do not recall seeing Mac Edition on the Nividia GeForce GTX680 anywhere as it it came secondhand flashed with Mac EFI.

What would just doing the firmware update give me for the time being, need cash for a holiday at the moment, oh and I am in the UK.

 

[rodedwards]

How do I tell if my Nividia GeForce GTX680 is a Mac Edition card ?

Sorry for all the questions but if I do this I really want to get it right.

No need to appologise - happy to help !

I bought the Mac Edition NVIDIA GTX 680 Pro ... It's got the full Mac compatability - i think they

I do not recall seeing Mac Edition on the Nividia GeForce GTX680 anywhere as it it came secondhand flashed with Mac EFI.

What would just doing the firmware update give me for the time being, need cash for a holiday at the moment, oh and I am in the UK.

You should be good then with Mac EFI.

If you want to just upgrade from 4,1 > 5,1 ... www.create.pro did that for me ... It allowed me to use slightly faster ram 1333Ghz ... and update to newer OS i think. Can't quite remember as three years ago.

I think it's pretty simple though ... and will open up lots of upgrade paths for you. Nobody uses 4.1 any more

 

[Washac]

No need to appologise - happy to help !

I bought the Mac Edition NVIDIA GTX 680 Pro ... It's got the full Mac compatability - i think they


You should be good then with Mac EFI.

If you want to just upgrade from 4,1 > 5,1 ... www.create.pro did that for me ... It allowed me to use slightly faster ram 1333Ghz ... and update to newer OS i think. Can't quite remember as three years ago.

I think it's pretty simple though ... and will open up lots of upgrade paths for you. Nobody uses 4.1 any more

Yea think I would like a professional to do the firmware update just going to contact them via mail.

 

[Washac]

I contacted www.create.pro as to if they can do the firmware update and they just replied with how to do it.

One last question I hope before I take the plunge, is it wise to disconnect everything from the machine before doing
the firmware update, one how to guide says to do this the rest I have read do not even mention it ?

 

[lowendlinux]

I removed everything except the hard drive connected to one of the internal ports and the video card.

 

[MacUser2525]

I contacted www.create.pro as to if they can do the firmware update and they just replied with how to do it.

One last question I hope before I take the plunge, is it wise to disconnect everything from the machine before doing
the firmware update, one how to guide syas to do this the rest I have read do not even mention it ?

Does not hurt to do so, that said when I did the 144 firmware upgrade a week or so ago I left everything connected. A good idea having the DVD still connected at least you can tell the firmware update takes place as that is always ejected when doing one, so the no visual feedback on the screen becomes a machine physical sign it is doing what is supposed to happen.

 

[kohlson]

The only thing you can't do yourself (esily) is the processor CPU upgrade.

While it's true that a dual processor 2009 cMP is a more difficult task to update the CPUs, the single processor CPU is fairly straightforward. No de-lidding required. For the instructions provided in "Mac Pro Technician's Guide"