MP 1,1-5,1 MacPro5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (10.13/10.14 BootROM upgrades instructions thread)

[dlp600]

Do you mean did use the internal power cable? Yes

I just tried it and still a black screen. It sounds like my card is not compatible?

Do you mean did use the internal power cable? Yes

I just tried it and still a black screen. It sounds like my card is not compatible?

I thinking of buying either:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072J422CZ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_CJYvCbFGSJ0P2

Both will work without issue?

 

[tsialex]

I thinking of buying either:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072J422CZ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_CJYvCbFGSJ0P2

Both will work without issue?

Both are on the Apple Supported GPU for Mojave list.

 

[marcjwebb]

with Mojave and the RX580 8GB, I appreciate that you don't see the boot screen, however, will I be able to see the install process? I have the new card coming today and want to make sure it will be ok, as I don't want to get all that way through to fin I can't see the install process at all,

 

[tsialex]

with Mojave and the RX580 8GB, I appreciate that you don't see the boot screen, however, will I be able to see the install process? I have the new card coming today and want to make sure it will be ok, as I don't want to get all that way through to fin I can't see the install process at all,

Install and Recovery works.

 

[pheidius1]

Just a quick update to let those interested in enabling filevault under Mojave know that it is possible but requires a clean installation and a Mac EFI GPU/Graphics card. You cannot convert a current OS drive to APFS encrypted - it will fail so don't waste your time trying.

The process is simple:

1. Create a Mojave USB installer using either the createinstallmedia or @dosdude1 Mojave patcher methods (search forums)

2. Backup whatever data is important to you then boot to the USB installer

3. Run terminal and destroy your installation drive's GPT (partition table) by executing

gpt destroy /dev/diskX

where X is the number of your installation drive

4. Run Disk Utility and format the drive to APFS Encrypted * No recovery key is set here so make sure you remember your password. A recovery key could be set at a later stage.

5. While the encrypted drive is mounted, install Mojave on it

6. Once the installation is over, reboot and you'll be presented with a 'Disk Password' screen - Enter the password you chose in step 4

7. The second part of Mojave's installation is now progressing and you will be presented with creating users at some stage after which you will be asked to enter the password that is used to unlock your mac's boot volume

8. Complete the installation, restore your data and you are done!

You can verify that filevault is enabled by going to system preferences and selecting the filevault option - it will report that it is enabled I haven't tried disabling it though. Also, the recovery partition boots perfectly!

Cheers

View attachment 791822

[doublepost=1549402206][/doublepost]Does the approach get around the black screen problem on the cMP?

 

[w1z]

[doublepost=1549402206][/doublepost]Does the approach get around the black screen problem on the cMP?

If you mean lack of boot screen, No. As I mentioned in my post, you will need a mac efi flashed graphics card that enables boot screen support for filevault to work on the cMP 5,1.

 

[pheidius1]

The way I worded my question and the way you used "no" leaves me still a bit uncertain. I have an HD7950 so a Mac EFi rom is not a problem for me. I was just wondering if your method would show the file vault login screen on reboot.

 

[w1z]

The way I worded my question and the way you used "no" leaves me still a bit uncertain. I have an HD7950 so a Mac EFi rom is not a problem for me. I was just wondering if your method would show the file vault login screen on reboot.

It should, yes. I got it working on the video card in my sig for filevault login prompt, recovery and firmware/update progress bar. If Apple's usb installer creation method doesn't work for you then try dosdude's Mojave usb installer.

 

[bsbeamer]

FileVault is not officially supported in MacPro5,1 with Mojave. Any attempt to "make" it work is an unofficial workaround or hack. Hacking an install (via dosdude or other) is almost the exact opposite of what FileVault protection is designed for. If you truly need boot drive data protection, stick with High Sierra or get another machine. If you can accept the "risks" of being without FileVault, then it's a different story...

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208898

Turn off FileVault, then install macOS Mojave
Many third-party graphics cards won't show anything on the display when macOS Mojave is starting up, including the Apple logo and startup progress bar. As a result, you can't log in to a system that uses FileVault, choose a different startup disk before your Mac boots into macOS, or perform some hardware diagnostics.

You’ll need to turn off FileVault and then follow the steps to download and install macOS Mojave on your Mac Pro.

 

[MRisberg]

I've just plunged through the entire topic. Thank you all for asking questions and others for answering patiently.

I'm going to upgrade my GPU and I'm looking for PCIe power cables that fit my cMP. Those are not that easy to come by in regular stores on the street. And, unfortunately Apple Support, and Apple Store, don't seem to know what those cables are all about - although they specifically support graphics cards that need them. A bit strange ...

So, through this thread I learnt that I would need to buy either:
https://www.ebay.com/p/16awg-Dual-M...Pro-Video-Card-Power-Cable-Gtx1080/1571098174
or:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/18AWG-Dual...=item4b39e8dcbc:g:LugAAOSwusdcGwX~:rk:13:pf:0

... difference being cable color and something called AWG, where a lower AWG number seem to be a thicker cable.

Now, using thicker wires for power sounds good to me - less resistance? But I want to ask to be sure; what is the current recommendation for choosing a 2 x mini 6-pin PCIe power to 1 x standard 8-pin connector (GPU end)?

 

[bsbeamer]

Now, using thicker wires for power sounds good to me - less resistance? But I want to ask to be sure; what is the current recommendation for choosing a 2 x mini 6-pin PCIe power to 1 x standard 8-pin connector (GPU end)?

People seem to be over analyzing this to an extent. Get a well made cable and either are fine. If you're on a GPU that really pushes the limits, go with the thicker cable. There's an influx on eBay and Amazon of these power cables lately with many people upgrading old MacPro5,1's to RX580's and need this cable to do so.

This is the one I'm using (as well as several others on this forum):
https://www.moddiy.com/products/Apple-Dual-Mini-PCI%2dE-6%2dPin-to-Standard-PCI%2dE-8%2dPin-Video-Card-Cable.html

They also make a sleeved one now.

You will not see an Apple-certified cable for this. It's a 7+ year old machine, cable doesn't look pretty, and it isn't available in rose gold.

 

[MRisberg]

People seem to be over analyzing this to an extent.

Guilty. Maybe.

Get a well made cable and either are fine.

Then again, if only there was a physical store where I live who I could turn to to check for signs of quality - I would. It seems that I have to turn to eBay or a store by the other side of the world to get cables like these. .. which is why I'm reading and asking away in forums like this before making the purchase. The last thing I want from my Mac is the slightest incompatibility or instability.

Thank you for your valuable input.

 

[tsialex]

Guilty. Maybe.

Then again, if only there was a physical store where I live who I could turn to to check for signs of quality - I would. It seems that I have to turn to eBay or a store by the other side of the world to get cables like these. .. which is why I'm reading and asking away in forums like this before making the purchase. The last thing I want from my Mac is the slightest incompatibility or instability.

Thank you for your valuable input.

This 16AWG Dual Mini 6 Pin To 8 Pin PCI-e For Mac Pro Video Card Power Cable GTX1080 is the one I use on all my Mac Pros and recommend to my friends, it's well made and reliable.

The only problem is the time to arrive.

 

[bsbeamer]

Guilty. Maybe.

Then again, if only there was a physical store where I live who I could turn to to check for signs of quality - I would. It seems that I have to turn to eBay or a store by the other side of the world to get cables like these. .. which is why I'm reading and asking away in forums like this before making the purchase. The last thing I want from my Mac is the slightest incompatibility or instability.

Thank you for your valuable input.

Look for user feedback and reviews on specific product purchases, or if you're going with eBay look at storefronts with multiple products (not one off's). Then you can evaluate their reliability.

The link posted above for the cable I'm using has no issues. Works well with GTX 1080 FE and RX 580 in authentic MP5,1. They ship worldwide but their shipping can be expensive. May be worth the tradeoff for your needs.

 

[joebclash]

This is to the people that have upgraded to Mojave, do you notice any performance improvement over High Sierra?

 

[kohlson]

I just tried to install the 10.14.3 Supplemental Update, which didn't seem to work for me. After downloading a large blob (like 800MBs...) I restarted. The screen went dark, for perhaps 45-60 minutes. Later, the system went to sleep. I pressed a key and a screen came up that said, in effect, that MacOS can't be installed on this computer. The this screen came up:



Note this is a 4/5,1, RX580, firmware 140. Software Update wanted to do it again - same result.

 

[tsialex]

I just tried to install the 10.14.3 Supplemental Update, which didn't seem to work for me. After downloading a large blob (like 800MBs...) I restarted. The screen went dark, for perhaps 45-60 minutes. Later, the system went to sleep. I pressed a key and a screen came up that said, in effect, that MacOS can't be installed on this computer. The this screen came up:

View attachment 820545

Note this is a 4/5,1, RX580, firmware 140. Software Update wanted to do it again - same result.

I had similar problems with the update to 10.14.4 DP2 and the most recent 10.13.6 Security Update DP. I restored my backup clone for my main disk, 10.13.6, then did the update again, this time worked.

I just reinstalled my Mojave disk with today's reissue of 10.14.3.

 

[w1z]

I had similar problems with the update to 10.14.4 DP2 and the most recent 10.13.6 Security Update DP. I restored my backup clone for my main disk, 10.13.6, then did the update again, this time worked.

I just reinstalled my Mojave disk with today's reissue of 10.14.3.

I had no issues installing the supplemental update as it was applied like any other update. It appears to vary from one hardware setup to another.

 

[crjackson2134]

Seems the update itself must be buggy. I updated mine without this issue. I have another 2 copies of Mojave installed. I’ll try each and see if they all update correctly.

 

[MRisberg]

...

...

Following your advice I'm now looking into finding a trustworthy seller who can sell both a PCIe power cable and a suitable PCIe USB 3 upgrade for my cMP.

Thank you both.

 

[RabbitsKill]

I've been reading mixed advice on which PCIe power cable to get, I got my GPU to work with a single "mini 6 pin to 8 pin PCIe" power cord on the XFX Radeon RX 580 8192 MB.

This is my current setup:

tsialex, thanks for sharing!

 

[tsialex]

I've been reading mixed advice on which PCIe power cable to get, I got my GPU to work with a single "mini 6 pin to 8 pin PCIe" power cord on the XFX Radeon RX 580 8192 MB.

This is my current setup:

View attachment 820992

tsialex, thanks for sharing!

RX 580 needs more power than just one mini-PCIe 6-pin and the slot can supply. Some models like Sapphire Nitro+ need even more energy (237W vs 225W) than a standard Mac Pro can supply with the slot and the two PCIe AUX can feed the GPU.

Buy the correct cable.

 

[jseeley]

(removed; off topic per "tsialex")

 

[tsialex]

I got a "flashed" Nvidia GT 640 card, which has metal support, to facilitate an upgrade to Mojave for my 5.1 pro. With my original GT120 card I was using a mini display port to VGA adapter in High Sierra. When I switched over to the GT 640 (still in High Sierra), I switched to using DVI to VGA adapter (the 640 only has DVI, HDMI & a regular display port) This was working fine, but during the update to Mojave the screen went blank/black. I rebooted a few times and tried reseting the NVRAM, but no joy. Finally I tried hooking up the HDMI connection on the 640 and that works! To be clear I can see the boot up process on the DVI to VGA adapter, but once the machine fully boots into Mojave, the DVI port (with the VGA adapter) just goes blank.

Anyone ever come across this case where the DVI port isn't working but HDMI is is Mojave? Or course it could be the DVI to VGA adapter, but that was working just fine in High Sierra (and still works while booting) seems weird that support for VGA would just be dropped; Does Mojave just not support VGA?

The only thing I could find close to this was->
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8570756

This should be asked into the correct thread, it’s totally off-topic.

 

[mrhali]

It should be said this issue of the lack of the Apple logo and the lack of EFI boot options, including File Vault is NOT a problem related specifically to upgrading to Mojave, but that it's a video card problem where it doesn't not contain the EFI bootrom. This will be an issue with ANY version of OSX from Yosemite, Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave and newer. You need to have a Metal compatible video card AND if you do not have one that is flashed with the EFI bootrom, then you will not get the Apple logo on any of those OSX versions.
[doublepost=1549889545][/doublepost]

I had similar problems with the update to 10.14.4 DP2 and the most recent 10.13.6 Security Update DP. I restored my backup clone for my main disk, 10.13.6, then did the update again, this time worked.

I just reinstalled my Mojave disk with today's reissue of 10.14.3.

I had this same problem but I got passed it successfully.

It got stuck while trying to shutdown. After waiting for maybe 20 minutes, I impatiently pressed OPTION+CMD+ESCAPE and then Relaunch Finder. As soon as I did that, my cMP shut down. Then I got the Apple Logo screen with Installing Software Update where the progress bar stayed stuck at about 5-10%. After waiting for another 30 minutes, I grudging hard powered down my system (which was painful to do considering it was in the middle of a software update). Fortunately, it booted back up in Mojave without the update applied. I then went into About This Mac, Software Update, and relaunched the update. This second time it powered down properly and started back up into the update and was completely responsive through the whole process. It did several reboots and then it came back up with the Update applied. Not sure why it worked the second time and got stuck on the first. I would strongly recommend to others to make a complete clone of your Mojave partition using something like SuperDuper before attempting today's 10.14.3 Supplemental 2 System Update considering there are multiple reports of it locking up for us cMPers.