MP 1,1-5,1 MacPro5,1: BootROM thread | 144.0.0.0.0

[Zeke D]

Well, sheet, I'll upgrade from boot rom 138 then.

No, it will work on older OS's too.

No. 10.6.8 on wards.

[doublepost=1539036180][/doublepost]Trying to back up v138, and the latest RomTool says that I need to select a chip definition, and has a drop-down with three options:
MX25L3205(A)
MX25L3205D/MX25L3208D
MX25L3206E

How do I find out this information?

 

[h9826790]

I never lost it

I lost the chime around 0087.B00 too, but I got mine back 2 firmware's ago.

What I found now is that I lost the chime on restart, but it is there on a cold boot.

However, from memory, I lost the chime completely around 0087.B00 regardless cold boot or warm restart. But I can't confirm it now. I really rarely do cold boot.

 

[LightBulbFun]

No. 10.6.8 on wards.
[doublepost=1539035007][/doublepost]
Lucky guy

10.6.8 does not have any NVMe driver so if you try and boot 10.6.8 from an NVMe drive you would just get stuck at "still waiting for root device" as OS X cant find the device its booted from

but yeah 10.6.8 should continue function just fine you just wont be able to boot it from an NVMe drive.

 

[tsialex]

10.6.8 does not have any NVMe driver so if you try and boot 10.6.8 from an NVMe drive you would just get stuck at "still waiting for root device" as OS X cant find the device its booted from

but yeah 10.6.8 should continue function just fine you just wont be able to boot it from an NVMe drive.

Mac Pro macOS NVMe support:
10.12.6 for NVMe 4K sector drives
10.13 for NVMe 512b and 4K sector drives.
[doublepost=1539036697][/doublepost]

Well, sheet, I'll upgrade from boot rom 138 then.




[doublepost=1539036180][/doublepost]Trying to back up v138, and the latest RomTool says that I need to select a chip definition, and has a drop-down with three options:
MX25L3205(A)
MX25L3205D/MX25L3208D
MX25L3206E

How do I find out this information?

The SPI flash is the SOIC-8 chip next to the PCIe AUX-B. Take a photo and magnify it.

 

[LightBulbFun]

macOS NVMe support:
10.12.6 for NVMe 4K sector drives
10.13 for NVMe 512b and 4K sector drives.

and 10.11.something IIRC, if you have an Apple branded NVMe drive

(technically NVMe first showed up with 10.10.2 or so with the 2015 MB but thats was a 2015 MacBook specific thing)

 

[Upgrader]

Working well with the Apple_Injected NVMe ROM.

This is a stock ROM with no MODS, directly from Apple with preloaded NVMe support. It's official, we have it now

View attachment 793247

View attachment 793248

So I might be missing something here but to confirm, booting from an NVMe SSD on the cMP over PCIe 2.0 gains you a huge speed increase over an AHCI SSD?

 

[Earl Urley]

Does the 140 BootROM still retain the 5.0 GT/sec speed rate for PCI slots?

How do I apply it, use installinstallmacos.py?

 

[tsialex]

So I might be missing something here but to confirm, booting from an NVMe SSD on the cMP over PCIe 2.0 gains you a huge speed increase over an AHCI SSD?

It’s the HighPoint SSD7101A card. The card has a PCIe switch than convert PCIe2.0 16x into PCIe3.0 4x.

 

[MisterAndrew]

So I might be missing something here but to confirm, booting from an NVMe SSD on the cMP over PCIe 2.0 gains you a huge speed increase over an AHCI SSD?

I don't think so. I tried an Apple NVMe drive and it was not faster than my SSUBX drive. I think the main benefit is that you can buy an NVMe drive new with warranty and you can get a larger capacity for lower price. For example, a 1TB 970 EVO is about the price of a used 512GB SSUBX. Except for an Apple NVMe drive which are ridiculously expensive.

 

[tsialex]

Does the 140 BootROM still retain the 5.0 GT/sec speed rate for PCI slots?

Yes.

How do I apply it, use installinstallmacos.py?

Still only on the Seed SUCatalog, RecoveryHDMeta.

 

[Upgrader]

It’s the HighPoint SSD7101A card. The card has a PCIe switch than convert PCIe2.0 16x into PCIe3.0 4x.

Wow, I didn’t know this. I think my mind has officially been blown tonight. Long live the 5,1.
[doublepost=1539037308][/doublepost]Ah, ok, sheeet! That highpoint card aint cheap.
[doublepost=1539037444][/doublepost]

I don't think so. I tried an Apple NVMe drive and it was not faster than my SSUBX drive. I think the main benefit is that you can buy an NVMe drive new with warranty and you can get a larger capacity for lower price. For example, a 1TB 970 EVO is about the price of a used 512GB SSUBX. Except for an Apple NVMe drive which are ridiculously expensive.

Thanks. Just to know that in the near future when my AHCI SSD’s die that I can grab an NVMe and carry on is a great relief.

 

[Earl Urley]

Well, if it's included as part of the release version of 10.14.1 you can bet that's what I'll be installing!

 

[Upgrader]

Ok so I’m just reading that to gain maximum performance from the Highpoint card it needs to be in a x16 slot. That aint happening in my cMP as my RX580 is in there. But native bootable NVMe is still an epic event.

 

[Zeke D]

Looks like i have the 3205D

Mac Pro macOS NVMe support:
10.12.6 for NVMe 4K sector drives
10.13 for NVMe 512b and 4K sector drives.
[doublepost=1539036697][/doublepost]
The SPI flash is the SOIC-8 chip next to the PCIe AUX-B. Take a photo and magnify it.

gav

 

[tsialex]

Ok so I’m just reading that to gain maximum performance from the Highpoint card it needs to be in a x16 slot. That aint happening in my cMP as my RX580 is in there. But native bootable NVMe is still an epic event.

Slot-1 with SSD7101A, Slot-2 with RX580.

 

[crjackson2134]

Slot-1 with SSD7101A, Slot-2 with RX580.

Yup!

 

[TheStork]

Slot-1 with SSD7101A, Slot-2 with RX580.

Interesting. So, I should swap slots in my MP51 with the Angel Wing NVMe card/Samsung 970 EVO and R8 280x, currently in Slot 2 & 1, respectfully?

In my MP3,1, should my Acorn SSD PCIe/2x120GB SSDs (Slot 2) be in Slot 4? (I am so overwhelmed with everybody's SSD PCIe cards placements.

 

[crjackson2134]

Interesting. So, I should swap slots in my MP51 with the Angel Wing NVMe card/Samsung 970 EVO and R8 280x, currently in Slot 2 & 1, respectfully?

In my MP3,1, should my Acorn SSD PCIe/2x120GB SSDs (Slot 2) be in Slot 4? (I am so overwhelmed with everybody's SSD PCIe cards placements.

What he was saying is that the RX580 is so wide, it encroaches onto PCIe Slot 2’s space, which interferes with putting another full size x16 card into slot 2.

The solution is to put the HighPoint, or any other full-size x16 Card in Slot 1 & the RX580 in Slot 2. Since you have a 280X, this doesn’t really apply to you.

 

[tsialex]

Interesting. So, I should swap slots in my MP51 with the Angel Wing NVMe card/Samsung 970 EVO and R8 280x, currently in Slot 2 & 1, respectfully?

In my MP3,1, should my Acorn SSD PCIe/2x120GB SSDs (Slot 2) be in Slot 4? (I am so overwhelmed with everybody's SSD PCIe cards placements.

No need, it’s a Sapphire Pulse RX-580 problem (uses 2.2 slots).

 

[MIKX]

That's why I like 7950's & 7970's & R9 280X's Gonna buy a Highpoint 7101A-1 next week !

 

[Upgrader]

...and so what’s the best use for the Highpoint Card? For a boot drive or a media/files and folders drive? I’m reading that it’s a waste putting a boot drive on there...

 

[tsialex]

...and so what’s the best use for the Highpoint Card? For a boot drive or a media/files and folders drive? I’m reading that it’s a waste putting a boot drive on there...

Has 4 slots, so you can install up to 4 PCIe drives. You can use a boot drive plus a 3 drive array.

 

[MIKX]

PCIe M.2 NVMe drives are faster than SATA II especially on the Highpoint card.

 

[crjackson2134]

That's why I like 7950's & 7970's & R9 280X's Gonna buy a Highpoint 7101A-1 next week !

Yes, I really liked my EFI flashed HD7970 too, unfortunately it died and had to be replaced.

 

[Upgrader]

Has 4 slots, so you can install up to 4 PCIe drives. You can use a boot drive plus a 3 drive array.

wow!