MacPro 1,1 question

[c23roo]

Searched the threads here and didn't find my questions directly addressed - so I thought I'd ask specifically...

MacPro 1,1 (2x2.66)- still running Leopard 10.5.8; added a bunch of RAM and a couple of HD upgrades and that's all, really. Using it for all kinds of stuff - from wife's digital photo hobby (library 200K and counting...) some video editing, usual web surfing, some number crunching (stats programs and spreadsheets), garageband and protools for some home recording projects...

On to the questions:
I like having iCal and its ability for me to update on my phone while away, and have it sync with the desktop (and vice-versa) so we (wife and kids) can have our schedules all in one place, and freely update-able for all to see. With the whole MobileMe/iCloud/Mountain Lion issue, how will it be possible (or will it be possible) for me to keep this functionality with my current setup?

Separate issue: Having no frame of reference, how useful would upgrading the video card be (still using the stock NVIDIA 7300) as I don't really do a lot of gaming - just some family video editing from time to time.

Thanks for your input; sorry if this has been addressed - I did slog through some of the MacPro 1.1 vs ML threads but none really answered this.

- c

PS Already on the lookout for a used 4,1 as I think this is probably where I'm eventually headed.

 

[nycaleksey]

I like having iCal and its ability for me to update on my phone while away, and have it sync with the desktop (and vice-versa) so we (wife and kids) can have our schedules all in one place, and freely update-able for all to see. With the whole MobileMe/iCloud/Mountain Lion issue, how will it be possible (or will it be possible) for me to keep this functionality with my current setup?

iCloud is fully supported in Lion which runs well on 1,1.
You will not be cut off from iCloud because of not being able to run ML.

Moreover, the functionality you describe is not dependent on iCloud, so nothing to worry about - you will still be able to sync your calendars no matter what happens with MP1,1 support by the future OSes.

 

[djejnyc]

I'm running Lion on my MacPro 1,1 with all the iCloud syncing and it works great. We have two iPads and two iPhones (Fanboy much?) and it all seems pretty smooth. Is there a looming incompatibility for Mountain Lion and the 1,1? They've said that before with system updates and it has worked out, so I'm going to wait and see.
As far as the video card, I went to an ATI X1900 and now I have ATI Radeon 4870 and it does make a difference. I also have swapped the processors for quad cores so now I have 8 cores total, which helps my audio mixing work.
But definitely the biggest speedup of all was running off of an SSD, it is very noticeable for everyday tasks. The ram, video card and processors mostly helped my work (I mix music for TV) but the SSD definitely helped the day-to-day stuff.

 

[ashman70]

Without opening a can of worms, yes there is a looming incompatibility with the Mac Pro 1,1 and 2,1 with Mountain Lion, that being EFI 32bit support. If what we have heard is true, while the pre release of ML supports EFI 32, the final will not, so the MP 1,1 and 2,1 will be end of life with Lion.

 

[c23roo]

Hey thanks.
Looks like I'll take a look at upgrading to Lion. As for the video card advice - thanks. I think SSD might be my next upgrade, so to speak. I have heard that is quite helpful in terms of speeding up some tasks.

As for upgrading the processor - seems like more of a daunting task (or maybe I'm just easily intimidated?!?) to me. I think I saw a thread here related to that, maybe I'll give that a second thought. What specific processor did you go for?

I was hoping to get at least a few more years out of this machine - it's been a great workhorse for me.

Thanks again -
-c

 

[Neodym]

As for upgrading the processor - seems like more of a daunting task (or maybe I'm just easily intimidated?!?) to me. I think I saw a thread here related to that, maybe I'll give that a second thought. What specific processor did you go for?

It's actually quite easy once you get over the fear of actually going to the guts of the machine. Just follow this thread - there also is a video tutorial buried in there.

Available CPU's for you would be x5355 (4x 2.66GHz per CPU) and x5365 (4x 3.0GHz per CPU), with the former ones usually being available significantly cheaper in comparison. Pay attention to getting the latest stepping (G0 - SLAEG/SLAED) in order to stay within the thermal envelope of your MP, otherwise you would have to fiddle with fan settings.

According to various reports it may be necessary to upgrade your firmware to that of the MP 2,1 to avoid kernel panics after the upgrade - however to my knowledge it is not fully clear whether that is related to the processor steppings and only valid for non-G0 chips or rather related to the machine being a refurb with dedicated firmware or not (e.g. i am running G0-x5355's in a refurb 1,1 without having upgraded to 2,1 firmware and am facing no problems at all).

Computing power will roughly double and bring you into the ballpark of the entry 2010 MP (4 cores @ 2.8GHz) - at least according to Geekbench. In any case you should notice the speedup in CPU-loading applications (e.g. video crunching) for sure!

 

[djejnyc]

Replacing the processors isn't simple, but it is easy. I watched all the videos all the way through a couple of times, then made some notes, then had the videos ready on my iPad to watch while I worked.
I used x5355s and it really made no difference except for those programs that really utilized all the processors, like Pro Tools. I did flash my machine up to 1,2 but I'm not sure I had to. It's been totally fine since I did it, but you could destroy your machine so unless you do hardcore number crunching and your program of choice will use all cores, I wouldn't bother. Having said that, my 10 year old son helped and we had a blast!

Hey thanks.
Looks like I'll take a look at upgrading to Lion. As for the video card advice - thanks. I think SSD might be my next upgrade, so to speak. I have heard that is quite helpful in terms of speeding up some tasks.

As for upgrading the processor - seems like more of a daunting task (or maybe I'm just easily intimidated?!?) to me. I think I saw a thread here related to that, maybe I'll give that a second thought. What specific processor did you go for?

I was hoping to get at least a few more years out of this machine - it's been a great workhorse for me.

Thanks again -
-c