MP 1,1-5,1 Mid-2010 RAM Upgrade Questions

[riven2000]

Hi Everyone,

I'm getting a Mid-2010 Mac Pro next week, and have some upgrade questions. The original specs are:
2.8 Ghz Quad
16GB 1066 RAM
1TB HD
Mojave

Today I got two of the upgrades for it, a Geforce GTX 760 2GB and an X5690 3.46Ghz 6-Core.
I'll use it for casual gaming, Photoshop/Indesign, etc, but need to know if it would be worth it to upgrade the RAM to 1333's after the CPU is in. If so, should I get 3 DIMMs or 4? I'm a little fuzzy on where the 5,1 stands with this.

Thanx muchly!!

 

[mikas]

The relevant thread was a little bit buried in timeline, but here it is:
cMP & nMP {MacPro 4,1 & 5,1} Memory Upgrade Compatibility and FAQ
You can get the necessary info from the first post, and definitely after reading the third post.

And the summary would be; buy 3x what ever size you decide 1333MHz or 1600MHz memory. If 48 is enough for your use get 3x16GB. If not, then get 4 of them. The speed penalty with 4 modules against 3 modules is going to be negligible if noticable at all.

I decided to upgrade my 2010 from 96GB (6x16GB) to 128GB (8 x16GB) of 1333MHz. That's because I was so close to using all of the 96GB just some time ago. You would want the rank to be 2Rx4, and all of identical modules from the same manufacturer and with exactly the same specs. That's gonna give the best results, though you _can_ mix modules too.

Got the modules this week, and it's install time:

ps. if 16GB is enough for your work, then I think there is no need to update your cMP memory at all.

 

[riven2000]

Thanks MUCH for the info!! Now to get an idea of how much is enough. 👍

 

[Snow Tiger]

Your SP Mac Pro 5,1 is optimized with three matching memory modules . Other memory configurations will have around a ten percent reduction in performance .

The absolute max memory speed at the System level will be 1333 MHz with your X5690 .

The 1600 MHz modules will downgrade to 1333 MHz actual . Only get them if cheap , as their latency will be a bit higher than alternatives .

 

[riven2000]

Thanks for the heads up on the 1600s - I was considering those too.

 

[stjames70]

The relevant thread was a little bit buried in timeline, but here it is:
cMP & nMP {MacPro 4,1 & 5,1} Memory Upgrade Compatibility and FAQ
You can get the necessary info from the first post, and definitely after reading the third post.

And the summary would be; buy 3x what ever size you decide 1333MHz or 1600MHz memory. If 48 is enough for your use get 3x16GB. If not, then get 4 of them. The speed penalty with 4 modules against 3 modules is going to be negligible if noticable at all.

I decided to upgrade my 2010 from 96GB (6x16GB) to 128GB (8 x16GB) of 1333MHz. That's because I was so close to using all of the 96GB just some time ago. You would want the rank to be 2Rx4, and all of identical modules from the same manufacturer and with exactly the same specs. That's gonna give the best results, though you _can_ mix modules too.

Got the modules this week, and it's install time:
View attachment 890449

ps. if 16GB is enough for your work, then I think there is no need to update your cMP memory at all.

Hi Everyone,

I'm getting a Mid-2010 Mac Pro next week, and have some upgrade questions. The original specs are:
2.8 Ghz Quad
16GB 1066 RAM
1TB HD
Mojave

Today I got two of the upgrades for it, a Geforce GTX 760 2GB and an X5690 3.46Ghz 6-Core.
I'll use it for casual gaming, Photoshop/Indesign, etc, but need to know if it would be worth it to upgrade the RAM to 1333's after the CPU is in. If so, should I get 3 DIMMs or 4? I'm a little fuzzy on where the 5,1 stands with this.

Thanx muchly!!

Just to emphasize this excerpt:

all of identical modules from the same manufacturer and with exactly the same specs

That is really important. I couldn't figure out why after upgrading my memory, the computer would not function -- my MP had had new memory installed so I just wanted to add more memory. I bought some new memory, and it did not work with my existing. I returned the new memory, bought the EXACT same modules which my machine was running already (Hynix) and the MP was able to start up.

 

[defjam]

In real world applications most people won't notice a difference between the two speeds. If you're purchasing new memory then it makes sense to purchase the faster memory assuming it doesn't cost considerably more than the slower memory. Same goes for three versus four DIMMs. For most people it's more important to have sufficient memory than insufficient, but optimized memory.

I support the recommendation to purchase matched modules as it lessens the chance of incompatibilities but not doing so usually won't be an issue.

 

[riven2000]

I actually just found some on eBay - identical Hynix 24GB (3X 8GB) DDR3 1333. That should cover all issues.

 

[defjam]

I actually just found some on eBay - identical Hynix 24GB (3X 8GB) DDR3 1333. That should cover all issues.

Might want to consider picking up a fourth module. That way you'll have four matched modules should you require more than 24GB (or, IOW, just buy 32GB of RAM as there's no reason to buy a fourth module and set it on the shelf).

 

[mikas]

Actually I thought the same. It would not make any difference as of to notice, it's not something you could measure in real life. But on the other hand, if 24GB is enough, then why bother?

 

[defjam]

Actually I thought the same. It would not make any difference as of to notice, it's not something you could measure in real life. But on the other hand, if 24GB is enough, then why bother?

If 24GB is sufficient then it doesn't make sense to buy more.

 

[Snow Tiger]

The 16GB 1333 MHz DDR3 ECC DIMMs only cost 20-25 USD each on a good day at eBay . This is the max capacity DIMM the OP can use with a three or four DIMM configuration . I don't recommend 32GB DIMMs .

Here are some compatible DIMMs to consider :

16GB = Samsung M393B2G70AH0-YH9 .

16GB = Samsung M393B2G70BH0-YH9 (low voltage) .

16GB = Micron MT36KSF2G72PZ-1G4 ( low voltage ) .

16GB = Samsung M393B2G70BH0-YK0 (1600 MHz) .

16GB = Nanya NT16GC72C4NB0NL-CG ( low voltage ) .

 

[riven2000]

I think under the X5690 it can go to 48, can't it?

 

[mikas]

Just one more side note; I just last week bought 8x16GB Samsung ECC-RDIMM for my 5,1 with a total price of 130€ incl. delivery. That's around 15€/16GB module + 10€ for delivery. I think that was cheap enough.
[automerge]1579974847[/automerge]
A X5690 can accept 64GB total.
[automerge]1579974988[/automerge]
Make sure you have your firmware up-to-date too.

 

[riven2000]

Copy that!