So, is Mac Pro 4,1 -> 5,1 upgrade to Mojave without hassle

[jkh911208]

Hi all,
I been tried to keep up with the Mojave news, but I think I could not understand everything.
Currently I have Mac Pro 4,1 flashed to 5,1.
Upgrade with RX580 and the SSUBX PCIE SSD (non-NVMe)
I still have the original gt120 graphics card.

I hope I can upgrade to Mojave with simple click.
I heard new firmware upgrade doesn't require the EFI GPU.
So, I guess I can just click and upgrade to Mojave without swapping out the GPU.

Should be pretty simple,
However, am I missing something?

 

[bookemdano]

Are you on High Sierra now? While you still have your GT120 installed you may want to flash to the MP51.0089.B00 firmware, which came with 10.13.6. In order to install it you need to download the full High Sierra installer from the Mac App Store. It requires an EFI GPU, so you need your GT120 for that. After that is installed and you boot back into macOS you can cancel out of the High Sierra installer.

Then you would remove your GT120, install the RX580 and SSUBX. Then boot back into High Sierra, download Mojave from the App Store and run it. First thing it should prompt you to do is install the new firmware 138.0.0.0.0, which you can now do even though the RX580 lacks EFI. After that is done, boot back into High Sierra and resume the Mojave install. I assume you want to install it to the SSUBX?, so you would specify that disk as the install location. That's all I can think of... should be pretty straightforward after that since you're not trying to use NVMe.

 

[jkh911208]

Are you on High Sierra now? While you still have your GT120 installed you may want to flash to the MP51.0089.B00 firmware, which came with 10.13.6. In order to install it you need to download the full High Sierra installer from the Mac App Store. It requires an EFI GPU, so you need your GT120 for that. After that is installed and you boot back into macOS you can cancel out of the High Sierra installer.

Then you would remove your GT120, install the RX580 and SSUBX. Then boot back into High Sierra, download Mojave from the App Store and run it. First thing it should prompt you to do is install the new firmware 138.0.0.0.0, which you can now do even though the RX580 lacks EFI. After that is done, boot back into High Sierra and resume the Mojave install. I assume you want to install it to the SSUBX?, so you would specify that disk as the install location. That's all I can think of... should be pretty straightforward after that since you're not trying to use NVMe.

thanks for the very detailed explain.
currently I am running the 10.13.6 and MP51.0084.B00
I guess I have to upgrade the firmware first with the GT120.

 

[bookemdano]

thanks for the very detailed explain.
currently I am running the 10.13.6 and MP51.0084.B00
I guess I have to upgrade the firmware first with the GT120.

Yep, the reason you're on MP51.0084.B00 even though you're running 10.13.6 is because you probably got to 10.13.6 (and previous versions of HS) via the Updates tab on the App Store. That's normal and totally fine, but on the cMP, upgrading that way does not include firmware updates. I wonder if that will change with Mojave, assuming the cMP ever sees another fw update past 138.0.0.0.0.

To get the firmware update you have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store. And yes, for High Sierra you must have your GT120 installed or the firmware update won't work.

It may not be strictly required to upgrade to MP51.0089.B00 but I think it's probably a good idea. In fact, you've missed three firmware updates--0085, 0087 and 0089. I think you're OK to just upgrade from 0084 to 0089, and then on to 138.0.0.0.0 in the Mojave GM.

 

[jkh911208]

Yep, the reason you're on MP51.0084.B00 even though you're running 10.13.6 is because you probably got to 10.13.6 (and previous versions of HS) via the Updates tab on the App Store. That's normal and totally fine, but on the cMP, upgrading that way does not include firmware updates. I wonder if that will change with Mojave, assuming the cMP ever sees another fw update past 138.0.0.0.0.

To get the firmware update you have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store. And yes, for High Sierra you must have your GT120 installed or the firmware update won't work.

It may not be strictly required to upgrade to MP51.0089.B00 but I think it's probably a good idea. In fact, you've missed three firmware updates--0085, 0087 and 0089. I think you're OK to just upgrade from 0084 to 0089, and then on to 138.0.0.0.0 in the Mojave GM.

Thank you, you are awesome.
I am downloading the HS image from the App Store, I will make the boot usb.
hope that will upgrade my firmware.

 

[bookemdano]

Thank you, you are awesome.
I am downloading the HS image from the App Store, I will make the boot usb.
hope that will upgrade my firmware.

Don't make the USB stick. You need to run the HS Installer from within your current macOS to get the firmware. So even though you are currently running 10.13.6, go to the Mac App Store, search for High Sierra, download it and run it. It will prompt you to do the firmware update. After it flashes, and reboots, the installer will resume, but you can just cancel it since you're already on 10.13.6.

 

[jkh911208]

Don't make the USB stick. You need to run the HS Installer from within your current macOS to get the firmware. So even though you are currently running 10.13.6, go to the Mac App Store, search for High Sierra, download it and run it. It will prompt you to do the firmware update. After it flashes, and reboots, the installer will resume, but you can just cancel it since you're already on 10.13.6.

I just updated my firmware by the way you told me.
your are awesome guy, thank you so much.

 

[ricosuave]

I just updated my firmware by the way you told me.
your are awesome guy, thank you so much.

Did you have to install the gt120 to update the firmware? Did you install Mojave?

 

[jkh911208]

Did you have to install the gt120 to update the firmware? Did you install Mojave?

Yes I did install with the GT120.
I have not yet installed the Mojave.
I will wait until the official release.

 

[ricosuave]

No luck here. I replaced my Radeon with the GT120 and when I hold the power button after the flashing and sound, it boots into the log in screen.

Update: FileVault is in the process of encrypting the disk. That may prevent the firmware update.

 

[jkh911208]

No luck here. I replaced my Radeon with the GT120 and when I hold the power button after the flashing and sound, it boots into the log in screen.

Update: FileVault is in the process of encrypting the disk. That may prevent the firmware update.

i didn't check the FileVault, but i tried about 3 times and last time i hold the power button even after the flashing and sound. i don't know what is the right answer, but you should try few more times.

 

[ricosuave]

i didn't check the FileVault, but i tried about 3 times and last time i hold the power button even after the flashing and sound. i don't know what is the right answer, but you should try few more times.

It worked after the third attempt! This time I clicked restart from the HS installer. Im trying to install Mojave but FileVault is still not finished and it is preventing to proceed.

 

[JamesScheller]

To get the firmware update you have to download the full installer from the Mac App Store. And yes, for High Sierra you must have your GT120 installed or the firmware update won't work.

Ugh.

Updating a 4.1>5.1 CMP to get ready for an RX580 and Mojave... I'm running into exactly this issue with having installed 10.13.6 via the App Store updater and still showing Boot ROM Version MP51.0084.B00 in System Report.

I've tried going back to the "macOS High Sierra" page in the App Store in the App Store and all I see is "Open" as an option to proceed. I've that twice now and still same boot ROM. Is there some super secret trick to getting the full installer with the firmware update?

 

[bookemdano]

Ugh.

Updating a 4.1>5.1 CMP to get ready for an RX580 and Mojave... I'm running into exactly this issue with having installed 10.13.6 via the App Store updater and still showing Boot ROM Version MP51.0084.B00 in System Report.

I've tried going back to the "macOS High Sierra" page in the App Store in the App Store and all I see is "Open" as an option to proceed. I've that twice now and still same boot ROM. Is there some super secret trick to getting the full installer with the firmware update?

Sounds like you maybe have an older version of High Sierra already downloaded. Open a finder window and check the the Applications folder. If you have "Install macOS High Sierra" in there then delete it. If you don't see it there you might run a spotlight search and see if you can find it elsewhere. Delete any copies you find.

Then close and reopen the Mac App Store and go back to the High Sierra page. You should now see an option to download it. When you do so, it should download 10.13.6 which has firmware MP51.0089.B00 in it.

 

[JamesScheller]

Sounds like you maybe have an older version of High Sierra already downloaded. Open a finder window and check the the Applications folder. If you have "Install macOS High Sierra" in there then delete it. If you don't see it there you might run a spotlight search and see if you can find it elsewhere. Delete any copies you find.

Then close and reopen the Mac App Store and go back to the High Sierra page. You should now see an option to download it. When you do so, it should download 10.13.6 which has firmware MP51.0089.B00 in it.

That did it... Thanks bookemdano.

 

[goodfidelity]

Is there any short way to go straight to the latest firmware?

Using similar Methods as going from 4.1 to 5.1?

(Using downloaded firmware DMG and application to update)

Thanks!