MP 1,1-5,1 The most RAM the 5,1 can take, what type, and can I get expansion ports

[Sossity]

Since I am considering an upgrade to my 5,1, what is the most RAM, and the best type for it? right now there is 3; 8 GB DDR3 ECC memory installed.

Also, can I add some additional ports to it? USB 3? USB-C? or even thunderbolt without too much complication and expense? or even just add more USB 2 ports would be good.

 

[joevt]

128 GB
https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/mac-pro-12-core-mid-2012-3.06-ghz
You can add anything you like. Thunderbolt might be complicated - I just use it for USB-C at the moment. Check the other threads at
https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/mac-pro.1/
Such as:
cMP {classicMacPro}{4,1 & 5,1} - Upgrade Guide Sticky Discussion
PCIe SSDs - NVMe & AHCI
USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro
testing TB3 AIC with MP 5,1

 

[Sossity]

What I found was this; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LG5TS6H/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AFZIU1SXEW341&psc=1

The same version of this except with 4 USB-C ports; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L8KCQPT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AFZIU1SXEW341&psc=1

Can I install both of these in my 5,1 or if I can only get one of these, which would be best?

 

[joevt]

What I found was this; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LG5TS6H/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AFZIU1SXEW341&psc=1

The same version of this except with 4 USB-C ports; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L8KCQPT/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AFZIU1SXEW341&psc=1

Can I install both of these in my 5,1 or if I can only get one of these, which would be best?

Both are discussed in USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro
They'll work; you can install as many as you like; but I wouldn't recommend either of them because they use a PCIe 2.0 switch which limits the USB ports to 8 Gbps. If you're ok with 750 MB/s instead of 1050 MB/s then these are ok (maybe you won't notice the difference since those numbers are for sequential read/write)

 

[Sossity]

Both are discussed in USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro
They'll work; you can install as many as you like; but I wouldn't recommend either of them because they use a PCIe 2.0 switch which limits the USB ports to 8 Gbps. If you're ok with 750 MB/s instead of 1050 MB/s then these are ok (maybe you won't notice the difference since those numbers are for sequential read/write)

Ok, thanks, yes I looked at that thread, I was a bit overwhelmed though with all that info, I came away even more confused, could you give me at least a ballpark idea of what to look for?

I would like something that more than just works, but is stable reliable, will give enough power to my external SSD drives in enclosures. I don't want any corruptions to those drives, due to a faulty port.