MP 1,1-5,1 upgrade - revitalize or bin....MacPro 5.1 3.2 Quad Xeon Vram 1024 & 8GbRam 1066

[faringdon11]

Need a little help / guidance please.

So - Im running on Lion 10.7.5 [won't upgrade any further - i gather its a Hardware issue] 8Gb of ram - i added an SSD 250. I run an Eizo & Dell monitor - and crawl... along with PS Cs6.
Question is - Id like to keep this machine alive, and to do just that, whats best if any, upgrade advice. [mac mini -Lol].

Thanks
Sean

 

[Soba]

It's probable that you can't upgrade to a newer version of macOS because High Sierra requires a minimum of Mountain Lion (10.8) as a starting point. If you want to upgrade your OS, I suggest upgrading first to Sierra (10.12) and then to High Sierra (10.13, which is still supported with security updates until late 2020).

To install Sierra, use the direct link to the installer on this page under Step 4:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

After you install Sierra, you can upgrade to High Sierra using the direct link to the installer on this page under Step 4:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

Your Mac Pro can even run Mojave if you install a Metal capable graphics card. I presume you have an AMD 5770 or 5870 in your system (please correct me if I'm wrong), which are not Metal capable, so Mojave will not install on your Mac unless you replace your card.

This page lists all the graphics cards that are compatible with Mojave, if you're interested in upgrading:

Install macOS 10.14 Mojave on Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012) - Apple Support

Learn how to prepare your Mac Pro (Mid 2010) or Mac Pro (Mid 2012) for macOS Mojave.

support.apple.com

Other than installing High Sierra or Mojave for improved security, if the machine is meeting your needs and is providing acceptable performance for your work, then there's little reason to upgrade the hardware. If your Photoshop work would benefit from more RAM, then RAM is a fine thing to invest in.

You can also upgrade your processor if you want a bit more horsepower.

If there are specific pain points you want to resolve, let us know and we can provide more targeted advice.

 

[faringdon11]

It's probable that you can't upgrade to a newer version of macOS because High Sierra requires a minimum of Mountain Lion (10.8) as a starting point. If you want to upgrade your OS, I suggest upgrading first to Sierra (10.12) and then to High Sierra (10.13, which is still supported with security updates until late 2020).

To install Sierra, use the direct link to the installer on this page under Step 4:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

After you install Sierra, you can upgrade to High Sierra using the direct link to the installer on this page under Step 4:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

Your Mac Pro can even run Mojave if you install a Metal capable graphics card. I presume you have an AMD 5770 or 5870 in your system (please correct me if I'm wrong), which are not Metal capable, so Mojave will not install on your Mac unless you replace your card.

This page lists all the graphics cards that are compatible with Mojave, if you're interested in upgrading:

Install macOS 10.14 Mojave on Mac Pro (Mid 2010) and Mac Pro (Mid 2012) - Apple Support

Learn how to prepare your Mac Pro (Mid 2010) or Mac Pro (Mid 2012) for macOS Mojave.

support.apple.com

Other than installing High Sierra or Mojave for improved security, if the machine is meeting your needs and is providing acceptable performance for your work, then there's little reason to upgrade the hardware. If your Photoshop work would benefit from more RAM, then RAM is a fine thing to invest in.

You can also upgrade your processor if you want a bit more horsepower.

If there are specific pain points you want to resolve, let us know and we can provide more targeted advice.

- Thank you / much appreciated..:-]

 

[h9826790]

If you believe that's hardware related, please at least tell us more about your hardware.

Apart from 8GB RAM, we have no idea about your hardware config. In fact, even memory, we don't know if that's 8GBx1, or 2GBx4, or 4GBx2. or 1GBx8, or 2GBx3 + 1GBx2......

 

[faringdon11]

2x4Gb

As i checked for updates / a message flashed stating incompatibility. so i stopped attempting to upgrade. Remained static on 10.7.5 Lion. Ill try the above / backing up /cloning my startup SSD [just in case]

 

[Soba]

2x4Gb

As i checked for updates / a message flashed stating incompatibility. so i stopped attempting to upgrade. Remained static on 10.7.5 Lion. Ill try the above / backing up /cloning my startup SSD [just in case]

Let us know how it goes.

You might benefit from a RAM upgrade because the Mac Pro 5,1 performs best with RAM installed in groups of 3, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

When you can, take a screen grab of your system’s Hardware Overview in the System Report window. You can access this from the Apple menu > About this Mac, then click the System Report button. A window will open and you can capture the Hardware Overview that displays in the right side of that window. Use a photo editor to blur out or delete the last several lines that show serial numbers and UUID; it is not safe to post this information online.


Good luck with upgrading macOS, in the meantime. (And yes, please back up before you do so.)

 

[faringdon11]

- Thank you / much appreciated..:-]

my mini saga continues.....


In the support page as above [thankyou] I noticed i could upgrade / to ` 10.11 Capitan` `if` i was at least running ...10.6 Snow Lep. - So since i am running Lion 10.7.5, i gave it a go ...The popup message screen stated `success `. However...about this mac still shows 10.7.5 - despite restart / turn off turn on.
The machine has accepted and acknowledges the software at installation....but no tangible OS change ?

 

[faringdon11]

my mini saga continues.....


In the support page as above [thankyou] I noticed i could upgrade / to ` 10.11 Capitan` `if` i was at least running ...10.6 Snow Lep. - So since i am running Lion 10.7.5, i gave it a go ...The popup message screen stated `success `. However...about this mac still shows 10.7.5 - despite restart / turn off turn on.
The machine has accepted and acknowledges the software at installation....but no tangible OS change ?

 

[Soba]

my mini saga continues.....


In the support page as above [thankyou] I noticed i could upgrade / to ` 10.11 Capitan` `if` i was at least running ...10.6 Snow Lep. - So since i am running Lion 10.7.5, i gave it a go ...The popup message screen stated `success `. However...about this mac still shows 10.7.5 - despite restart / turn off turn on.
The machine has accepted and acknowledges the software at installation....but no tangible OS change ?

Try it with Sierra (10.12) and post screen grabs (or photos) of what you see.

 

[MacUser2525]

my mini saga continues.....


In the support page as above [thankyou] I noticed i could upgrade / to ` 10.11 Capitan` `if` i was at least running ...10.6 Snow Lep. - So since i am running Lion 10.7.5, i gave it a go ...The popup message screen stated `success `. However...about this mac still shows 10.7.5 - despite restart / turn off turn on.
The machine has accepted and acknowledges the software at installation....but no tangible OS change ?

It may have told you it installed the application to upgrade your machine. Because if it had started the installer and you formatted your drive you should be running a new version by now. Check in your application folder for an Install .... your version downloaded.app open it to start the installer. For your machine there is plenty to do yet there is massive thread on the upgrades possible. From the wireless, BT to NVMe drive to boot from or upgrade the processor dirt cheap to a 6 core beast.

 

[faringdon11]

So - tried the Sierra update / same result - appears to install - have `success ` notification. But `about mac` shows no up date .

My present OS is on an SSD, I'm planning on removing this and setting it to one side. It will be the `go back to the old working system` drive.

1. I`d like to do an fresh install to a new SSD with a current MacOS.

Questions - 2. Re OS - All i can really find are `update` versions of Capitan ? which `load on top` of a previous version. I know its just me , but anyone have a link to a complete OS, i can update that version from that starting point .

3. I`d also like to incorporate my old SSD [old system] into a drive bay in my cheeseTower -Making it a `bootable back to the old config` - so i can access older non compatible programs. Is this possible via some keyboard shuffle to choose the old ssd to load in preference to the new.

Apologies re the newbie twist on this thread / bear with me .

 

[Soba]

So - tried the Sierra update / same result - appears to install - have `success ` notification. But `about mac` shows no up date .

I do not know what you are describing, so please post a screen grab of what you see.

A macOS upgrade will run unattended for about 1–2 hours after you start it, including multiple reboots, so if you are not seeing the installation running, then something is not right.

1. I`d like to do an fresh install to a new SSD with a current MacOS.

Questions - 2. Re OS - All i can really find are `update` versions of Capitan ? which `load on top` of a previous version. I know its just me , but anyone have a link to a complete OS, i can update that version from that starting point .

The links above are for full versions of each of those OSes from the Mac App Store. There is no difference between installing over the top of an existing installation and installing fresh on a blank drive; they use the same installer.

I infer you’re looking at updates on the Apple support site (for example, for updating Sierra from 10.12.0 to 10.12.5), but these are only used as updates after you already have 10.12 installed. You can’t use those in your situation and don’t need them; the full installers I linked are for the latest release of each version of macOS.

3. I`d also like to incorporate my old SSD [old system] into a drive bay in my cheeseTower -Making it a `bootable back to the old config` - so i can access older non compatible programs. Is this possible via some keyboard shuffle to choose the old ssd to load in preference to the new.

Yes, this is easy to do. Use the Startup Disk preference pane in System Preferences or hold the Option key after the startup chime to select the drive you want to boot from.

If this is what you would like to do, you will need to shut down and install the new drive and then run the installer that you downloaded from the Lion drive (but you might need to wipe the new drive with Disk Utilty before running the installer). You can install macOS to any drive in your system with the same macOS installer file.

For simplicity, you must have both drives installed so that you can run the installer while booted from your Lion drive and select the new drive as the installation target; it’s technically possible to make a bootable USB installer to install to a totally blank system with just your new blank drive installed, but given that you said you’re a newbie, I don’t recommend that you try this.

As I said, please post a screen grab of the “success” message, because there is no such message after installation completed; you should see numerous setup prompts asking you for information.

 

[faringdon11]

I do not know what you are describing, so please post a screen grab of what you see.

A macOS upgrade will run unattended for about 1–2 hours after you start it, including multiple reboots, so if you are not seeing the installation running, then something is not right.



The links above are for full versions of each of those OSes from the Mac App Store. There is no difference between installing over the top of an existing installation and installing fresh on a blank drive; they use the same installer.

I infer you’re looking at updates on the Apple support site (for example, for updating Sierra from 10.12.0 to 10.12.5), but these are only used as updates after you already have 10.12 installed. You can’t use those in your situation and don’t need them; the full installers I linked are for the latest release of each version of macOS.




Yes, this is easy to do. Use the Startup Disk preference pane in System Preferences or hold the Option key after the startup chime to select the drive you want to boot from.

If this is what you would like to do, you will need to shut down and install the drive and then run the installer that you downloaded (but you might need to wipe the new drive with Disk Utilty before running the installer). You can install macOS to any drive in your system with the same macOS installer file.

For simplicity, you must have both drives installed so that you can run the installer while booted from your Lion drive and select the new drive as the installation target; it’s technically possible to make a bootable installer to install to a totally blank system with just your new blank drive installed, but given that you said you’re a newbie, I don’t recommend that you try this.

As I said, please post a screen grab of the “success” message, because here is no such message in the installer.

thanks for the last - Think ill use the Sierra OS download on the alternative SSD - and take your suggestion re the boot. Images as requested + thanks again

 

[Soba]

thanks for the last - Think ill use the Sierra OS download on the alternative SSD - and take your suggestion re the boot. Images as requested + thanks again

Aha! What this is doing (rather nonintuitively) is copying the installer to your system, not actually installing macOS. You must run the macOS installer after this is done.

Look in your Applications folder for a file called "Install macOS Sierra." Open that and the installer will walk you through upgrading your Mac.

You said above that you were going to clone/back up your Lion drive before doing anything. This is good. Please be sure you have a backup.

You also said above that you would like to have two different versions of macOS on your system—Lion and also a current version (High Sierra, in your case, as I believe this is the latest that your Mac Pro will run with its current graphics card). If this is what you want to do, then I recommend that you install your second SSD, use Disk Utility to delete any existing partitions on the new disk and then create a new partition, install Sierra onto the blank drive, then boot into Sierra and use it to upgrade to High Sierra in much the same way as you downloaded and installed Sierra.

Make sure you choose the correct drive when you are are deleting/creating a partition and installing macOS. (If you do not know how to use Disk Utility to accomplish this, please report back. Be careful because you will destroy your data permanently if you partition the wrong drive.)

This arrangement will keep your Lion install intact and will allow you to switch back and forth using the Startup Disk preference pane or the boot picker (accessed by holding the Option key after the startup chime).

One note: High Sierra uses a new file system format called APFS. Lion uses HFS+ and cannot read APFS drives (but High Sierra will read your HFS+ Lion drive just fine). If you are booted into Lion, you will not (I think) be able to use the Startup Disk preference pane, but you can use the boot picker to boot into your High Sierra install.

The High Sierra installer will display some special instructions when you first run it because you need to upgrade your system's BootROM before installing the OS. It is very easy to do and the installer will tell you how to do so; it involves holding down your power button at a specific time after the first reboot.

Good luck! Post back to share your results.

 

[MIKX]

faringdon11

It is frustrating for Macrumors members whom could probably help you that you haven't made a "SIGNATURE" to describe your cMP in detail.

How to :

1. Open your Macrumor's member PROFILE.

2. Select SIGNATURE

3. Enter all the relevant information about your cMP including your BOOTROM version.


Do you understand ?


My signature is at the bottom of this post.

 

[faringdon11]

Aha! What this is doing (rather nonintuitively) is copying the installer to your system, not actually installing macOS. You must run the macOS installer after this is done.

Look in your Applications folder for a file called "Install macOS Sierra." Open that and the installer will walk you through upgrading your Mac.

You said above that you were going to clone/back up your Lion drive before doing anything. This is good. Please be sure you have a backup.

You also said above that you would like to have two different versions of macOS on your system—Lion and also a current version (High Sierra, in your case, as I believe this is the latest that your Mac Pro will run with its current graphics card). If this is what you want to do, then I recommend that you install your second SSD, use Disk Utility to delete any existing partitions on the new disk and then create a new partition, install Sierra onto the blank drive, then boot into Sierra and use it to upgrade to High Sierra in much the same way as you downloaded and installed Sierra.

Make sure you choose the correct drive when you are are deleting/creating a partition and installing macOS. (If you do not know how to use Disk Utility to accomplish this, please report back. Be careful because you will destroy your data permanently if you partition the wrong drive.)

This arrangement will keep your Lion install intact and will allow you to switch back and forth using the Startup Disk preference pane or the boot picker (accessed by holding the Option key after the startup chime).

One note: High Sierra uses a new file system format called APFS. Lion uses HFS+ and cannot read APFS drives (but High Sierra will read your HFS+ Lion drive just fine). If you are booted into Lion, you will not (I think) be able to use the Startup Disk preference pane, but you can use the boot picker to boot into your High Sierra install.

The High Sierra installer will display some special instructions when you first run it because you need to upgrade your system's BootROM before installing the OS. It is very easy to do and the installer will tell you how to do so; it involves holding down your power button at a specific time after the first reboot.

Good luck! Post back to share your results.

Soba ! thanks so much ... Get to Perth Western Australia - ill buy the drinks ;-]

 

[Soba]

Soba ! thanks so much ... Get to Perth Western Australia - ill buy the drinks ;-]

I prefer 20-year tawny port.

Anytime! Let us know if you get stuck.

 

[faringdon11]

I prefer 20-year tawny port.

Anytime! Let us know if you get stuck.

Im planning a NY holiday sometime next year...Ill be in touch.