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MacPro 3,1 Upgrade Path

T

techwolf

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 18, 2012
4
0
Evening!

After some consideration, I decided to make a few upgrades rather than replacing my MacPro 3,1 Early 2008 Mac Pro (2.8ghz, 8 core).

Current Specs are:
OS 10.6.8
6GB 800mhz DDR2 RAM
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 (512M)
Stock 320G Seagate ST3320820AS_P SATA HDD

Primary computer use is general web surfing and casual gaming, though will be getting Diablo 3 when it comes out in May so that's largely why I'd be making an upgrade.


My current thoughts on upgrades are:

Replace SATA with OWC 120GB 6G SSD Drive
(http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDEX6G120/)

To mount that in my Mac, it looks like I'll need the NewerTech AdaptaDrive 2.5” to 3.5” Drive Converter Bracket (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer Technology/ADPTADRV/)


Next up is the video card, because the GT120 is really showing it's age.

ATI 5770 1GB Video Card
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Apple/6615718/


And last, a modest RAM upgrade taking me to 10 gig.

PC6400 DDR2 ECC 800mhz 240-pin 4Gb RAM Upgrade Kit
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/64FB2MPK04GB/


I'm mostly looking for alternative ideas or suggestions, such as better bang-for-the-buck video card options, or alternative SSD ideas.

Much appreciated
-techwolf
 
My thoughts:

SSD
An SSD will definitely give you quite a big performance boost over a mechanical drive. OWC makes good products and is also a great company to deal with. I buy a lot of stuff from them. The drive adapter would work fine.

Graphics Card
Believe it or not, the 5770 is actually $20 cheaper at Apple. I'm not sure why OWC marks it up. Better yet, buy it from B&H. $229 and free shipping.

RAM
As a casual user, you'll probably not see a ton of benefit in upgrading your RAM from 6GB, especially at what 2008 MP RAM costs. But if you wanted to do it anyway, OWC is a great place to get it. Also check out Trans Intl and Memory America. They're often cheaper.
 
Diablo 3 will expect better.

Blizzard always make the minimum specs of a game "barely playable mode" so a 5770 will be the poor man's GFX card in this case. I installed WoW on a minimum spec iMac G4 a few years ago just to see the effect, with an 800mhz CPU, 32 mb Geforce2 and a 15" LCD screen I had 8 fps with everything turned off. More like Fog of War than World of Warcraft.

I would propose a much more radical upgrade path to extend the life of your Pro.
The SSD is a fine idea, get it and be happy, use the 320 as storage. The 2008 mobo only goes 3Gb/s so a 3G SSD is the right one but only $2 cheaper from OWC thanks to the discounts: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDEX3G120/

I would put http://www.memoryamerica.com/2fk225672800at.html 8GB for just $70 more than the 4GB you like.

Upgrade to Lion for the improved OpenGL drivers and the option of a better Nvidia card:

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclocked-Mini-HDMI-Graphics-01G-P3-1463-KR/dp/B0050I1PGU/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1334839050&sr=8-23 $152 after rebates and it should drop straight in.

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Graphics-Mini-HDMI-SLI-Capable/dp/B004L01QVM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334839025&sr=8-2 Better still and $199. Note this card has more performance than a 5870 which Apple sells for $449 :eek: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC743ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ

$150 + $195 + $30 + $152 = $527 upgrade for Lion, 14 GB RAM, a fast drive and 10x the GFX card grunt.

GT120: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+120

5770: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+5770

GTX560: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+560

GTX560Ti: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+560+Ti
 
Last edited:
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gpzjock said:
Upgrade to Lion for the improved OpenGL drivers and the option of a better Nvidia card:

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclocked-Mini-HDMI-Graphics-01G-P3-1463-KR/dp/B0050I1PGU/ref=sr_1_23?ie=UTF8&qid=1334839050&sr=8-23 $152 after rebates and it should drop straight in.

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Graphics-Mini-HDMI-SLI-Capable/dp/B004L01QVM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1334839025&sr=8-2 Better still and $199. Note this card has more performance than a 5870 which Apple sells for $449 :eek: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC743ZM/A?fnode=MTY1NDA5OQ

$150 + $195 + $30 + $152 = $527 upgrade for Lion, 14 GB RAM, a fast drive and 10x the GFX card grunt.

GT120: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+120

5770: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+5770

GTX560: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+560

GTX560Ti: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+GTX+560+Ti
Click to expand...

I wish those cards had mini-displayports. I have the same 08' MP and I don't want to upgrade my 5770 and have to use some kind of adapter.
 
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It should also be noted that the NVIDIA video cards mentioned will work under 10.7.3 with flashing, but you also don't get a boot screen. And apparently, the 10.7.4 developer preview breaks these drivers and it's hard to say whether or not that will continue be the case when 10.7.4 reaches release. But I imagine using ATY_Init to inject the dirvers would still work if all else fails.

Also, if you buy a PC NVIDIA card, you'll need to source the PCIe power cable(s) separately. Mac Pros have miniature style 6-pin connectors on their logic boards. This is the type of cable you would need.
 
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CaptainChunk said:
It should also be noted that the NVIDIA video cards mentioned will work under 10.7.3 with flashing, but you also don't get a boot screen.
Click to expand...


This got a little garbled.

The cards will work WITHOUT flashing and as a result, no boot screen. If you find one with DIsplayport, it is a simple $20-30 adapter to make Mindisplayport work.

Just yesterday we cracked EFI to work on these cards. SO I expect that MacVidCards will shortly have 3,1 and later compatible GTX560/570/and 580 cards. This will include DIsplayports. And I will be testing on my 27" Apple MDP to be sure that cards will give boot screen etc on Apple OEM displays.

Will know better by MOnday of next week what sort of cards will be possible.
 
Good point about the cables.

CaptainChunk said:
It should also be noted that the NVIDIA video cards mentioned will work under 10.7.3 with flashing, but you also don't get a boot screen. And apparently, the 10.7.4 developer preview breaks these drivers and it's hard to say whether or not that will continue be the case when 10.7.4 reaches release. But I imagine using ATY_Init to inject the dirvers would still work if all else fails.

Also, if you buy a PC NVIDIA card, you'll need to source the PCIe power cable(s) separately. Mac Pros have miniature style 6-pin connectors on their logic boards. This is the type of cable you would need.
Click to expand...

This thread is the most up to date one on Nvidia GFX cards in Mac Pro 3,1 unless you head over to Netkas.org:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1330964/
It looks very likely that most Nvidia GFX cards are easily accessible under Lion.
 
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MacVidCards said:
This got a little garbled.

The cards will work WITHOUT flashing and as a result, no boot screen. If you find one with DIsplayport, it is a simple $20-30 adapter to make Mindisplayport work.

Just yesterday we cracked EFI to work on these cards. SO I expect that MacVidCards will shortly have 3,1 and later compatible GTX560/570/and 580 cards. This will include DIsplayports. And I will be testing on my 27" Apple MDP to be sure that cards will give boot screen etc on Apple OEM displays.

Will know better by MOnday of next week what sort of cards will be possible.
Click to expand...

Typo on part. Good catch. WITHOUT. ;)
 
Im looking for the same thing, same machine here!

I have just 2gb ram, so I want buy 2x4gb = 8gb so total 10gb

crucial brand is the best memory? around $300

I see one on newegg for $200

what the difference in memory? I mean one brand can be more faster than other??? or is the quality of the product? confused

about the SSD I want a 120gb, intel, sansung? the OWC is really good?? I prefer trust on big brands or Im wrong?

I recently buy the ft 5770 so im ok with graphics card
 
I went with an OWC 120gb SSD in 2010 you can buy a 250gb one for the same price now. Nearly 2 years on and still as fast as the day it went in.

Check MemoryAmerica for deals before buying Crucial RAM. They sold me 2 x 8gb kits (8x2gb modules) for far cheaper at the time.

I flashed a Sapphire HD5870 Vapor-X card and saved about £150 over an Apple one. The card cooler is vastly superior in ability and quietness too.
 
umbilical said:
Im looking for the same thing, same machine here!

I have just 2gb ram, so I want buy 2x4gb = 8gb so total 10gb

crucial brand is the best memory? around $300

I see one on newegg for $200

what the difference in memory? I mean one brand can be more faster than other??? or is the quality of the product? confused

about the SSD I want a 120gb, intel, sansung? the OWC is really good?? I prefer trust on big brands or Im wrong?

I recently buy the ft 5770 so im ok with graphics card
Click to expand...

Get the Newegg ram. I got it and it worked fine.

You can get 256gb SSDs for under $200 and 512gb for as little as $340. Crucial M4 is a about the best drive for the money, meaning that it's a top drive that also happens to consistently be the lowest price. The price on these SSDs has been dropping almost weekly since early spring.

I got a 120gb and 240gb Sandisk for $280 about a month ago.

Check slick deals.net daily for the best deals. A little patience will net you some serious savings. The Samsung 830 shows up a lot on sale as well as the Crucial and sandisk drives.
 
Greg M said:
Get the Newegg ram. I got it and it worked fine.

You can get 256gb SSDs for under $200 and 512gb for as little as $340. Crucial M4 is a about the best drive for the money, meaning that it's a top drive that also happens to consistently be the lowest price. The price on these SSDs has been dropping almost weekly since early spring.

I got a 120gb and 240gb Sandisk for $280 about a month ago.

Check slick deals.net daily for the best deals. A little patience will net you some serious savings. The Samsung 830 shows up a lot on sale as well as the Crucial and sandisk drives.
Click to expand...

thanks to all for the suggestions!!! :)

hi, you mean this memory for $200?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146783


or the crucial for $270
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148277

about the video card, well I order the apple 5770, I receive this week... so maybe a bad buy... I'll can save buying other flashed or the saphire that dont need flashed, but no apple on screen boot and no dvd player etc... so well Im not a gamer so the apple I think is ok...
 
umbilical said:
thanks to all for the suggestions!!! :)

hi, you mean this memory for $200?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146783


or the crucial for $270
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148277

about the video card, well I order the apple 5770, I receive this week... so maybe a bad buy... I'll can save buying other flashed or the saphire that dont need flashed, but no apple on screen boot and no dvd player etc... so well Im not a gamer so the apple I think is ok...
Click to expand...

The cheapest you can get. Mushkin is a good brand.
 
My system too is looking to acquire a newer graphics board and am looking at the ATI Radeon HD 5770. The price difference between Apple and OWC is about $7 because we have an Apple store close by and get charged sales-tax.

But it would be very easy to swing by and pick up my card at lunch or after work and not worry about it being left at the front door.

Otherwise my system is set with 1TB, 2 500GB and the original 320GB drive. Memory is currently sitting at 12GB which seems good.
 
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