MP 1,1-5,1 Upgrading from 1,1 to 4,1.

[LordeOurMother]

I have a Mac Pro 1,1 which I have owned since about 2015, I got it for a great deal and have been using it since. I don't really have any complaints performance wise, except that I need to get an SSD since I cheaped out and got a larger HDD to put my stuff in. It runs Garageband and Logic Pro with 30+ audio tracks or soft synths simultaneously perfectly fine, and the few games I do play it also runs without a hiccup. The only thing I would look at maybe doing is putting in a slightly newer card with 3 or 4gb of VRAM, as I see myself getting into a small amount of video editing to go along with my music.

I also am able to do statistical programming via R and Python in my 1,1 just fine (quantitative social science). It can sometimes take a minute to 'think' when handling data with lots of rows or columns, but generally never more than a few minutes.

I don't really 'need' to upgrade, essentially. It does what it needs to do as a 'pro'sumer machine.

But I have found what seems to be a good deal for a Mac Pro 4,1 which entices me:
- Xeon 6-core 3.06 GHz
- 48GB RAM
- SSD (256GB)
- HDD 1TB
- Radeon 7950

For 350 pounds. He is willing to also do it with 16gb of RAM for 300 (Which one is the better deal?). It's been used mostly in a lab and professional setting the past few years so the condition of the machine is seemingly great and the 4,1, despite being 'old' by Macrumors standards, is perfectly fine for everyday use and my use case in 2020.

There are some small ease of use and quality of life advancements I would get from upgrading, such as the ability to run High Sierra (therefore letting me use iCloud Drive again). iCloud Drive doesn't work in some instances on El Capitan if you have a newer operating system also syncing on iCloud. The 1,1 does occasionally feel slow, too, but that's just because I need to get an SSD tbh.

Also, yes, I'm aware that I can get a Windows/Linux dual boot with much better specs for my use case etc. But I like Mac, I like Logic, etc. I also like tinkering with Mac Pros as a hobby, all the way back to when I was 15 messing around with used Power Mac G5s. In this sense the 4,1 offers a lot of upgradability.

Is it worth upgrading, or should I just use what I have at the moment since it works? Technically for a lot less I can get an SSD and get a graphics card which I can carry with me when I do finally purchase a 4,1 or 5,1, and my 1,1 will feel perfectly fine again speed wise.

 

[tsialex]

I have a Mac Pro 1,1 which I have owned since about 2015, I got it for a great deal and have been using it since. I don't really have any complaints performance wise, except that I need to get an SSD since I cheaped out and got a larger HDD to put my stuff in. It runs Garageband and Logic Pro with 30+ audio tracks or soft synths simultaneously perfectly fine, and the few games I do play it also runs without a hiccup. The only thing I would look at maybe doing is putting in a slightly newer card with 3 or 4gb of VRAM, as I see myself getting into a small amount of video editing to go along with my music.

I also am able to do statistical programming via R and Python in my 1,1 just fine (quantitative social science). It can sometimes take a minute to 'think' when handling data with lots of rows or columns, but generally never more than a few minutes.

I don't really 'need' to upgrade, essentially. It does what it needs to do as a 'pro'sumer machine.

But I have found what seems to be a good deal for a Mac Pro 4,1 which entices me:
- Xeon 6-core 3.06 GHz
- 48GB RAM
- SSD (256GB)
- HDD 1TB
- Radeon 7950

For 350 pounds. He is willing to also do it with 16gb of RAM for 300 (Which one is the better deal?). It's been used mostly in a lab and professional setting the past few years so the condition of the machine is seemingly great and the 4,1, despite being 'old' by Macrumors standards, is perfectly fine for everyday use and my use case in 2020.

There are some small ease of use and quality of life advancements I would get from upgrading, such as the ability to run High Sierra (therefore letting me use iCloud Drive again). iCloud Drive doesn't work in some instances on El Capitan if you have a newer operating system also syncing on iCloud. The 1,1 does occasionally feel slow, too, but that's just because I need to get an SSD tbh.

Also, yes, I'm aware that I can get a Windows/Linux dual boot with much better specs for my use case etc. But I like Mac, I like Logic, etc. I also like tinkering with Mac Pros as a hobby, all the way back to when I was 15 messing around with used Power Mac G5s. In this sense the 4,1 offers a lot of upgradability.

Is it worth upgrading, or should I just use what I have at the moment since it works? Technically for a lot less I can get an SSD and get a graphics card which I can carry with me when I do finally purchase a 4,1 or 5,1, and my 1,1 will feel perfectly fine again speed wise.

Seems a decent price with 48GB/£350 for an early-2009 Mac Pro in good shape, not so much with 16GB for £300.

A MP4,1 will run around with your MP1,1 and you then can use current macOS releases with a METAL GPU (HD 7950 is one) if you cross-flash it to MP51 firmwares.

 

[LordeOurMother]

Seems a decent price with 48GB/£350 for an early-2009 Mac Pro in good shape, not so much with 16GB for £300.

A MP4,1 will run around with your MP1,1 and you then can use current macOS releases with a METAL GPU (HD 7950 is one) if you cross-flash it to MP51 firmwares.

He has it running Catalina at the moment, so he seems to have already flashed it etc if I understand how that works for the 4,1/5,1s. I will likely be rolling back to High Sierra though as most of my audio apps do not work in Catalina yet.

Although that being said, I am a student (so $$$ matters) and my current set up 'works' so I'm wondering if it's even worth the hassle of setting up a new laptop again when the few laggy bits I have are usually more related to the hard drive usually than me pushing the processor (coding for school-work aside).

Obviously, though, the 4,1 is (due to its ability to run patched versions of newer operating systems), going to be much more useable over the next few years than the 1,1. El Capitan is starting to remind me of using 10.5 Leopard back when I was tinkering with G5s - the computer was 'stuck'.

 

[tsialex]

He has it running Catalina at the moment, so he seems to have already flashed it etc if I understand how that works for the 4,1/5,1s. I will likely be rolling back to High Sierra though as most of my audio apps do not work in Catalina yet.

Although that being said, I am a student (so $$$ matters) and my current set up 'works' so I'm wondering if it's even worth the hassle of setting up a new laptop again when the few laggy bits I have are usually more related to the hard drive usually than me pushing the processor (coding for school-work aside).

Obviously, though, the 4,1 is (due to its ability to run patched versions of newer operating systems), going to be much more useable over the next few years than the 1,1. El Capitan is starting to remind me of using 10.5 Leopard back when I was tinkering with G5s - the computer was 'stuck'.

You have to check the BootROM firmware release, a lot of people go the easiest way and install patched installs without bothering upgrading the firmware since it's a complex process to most people.

A MP4,1>5,1 that have a Westmere Xeon (all hexa-cores are Westmere) with upgraded GPU and AirPort Extreme runs Mojave officially and can run Catalina totally un-patched with OpenCore.

 

[LordeOurMother]

You have to check the BootROM firmware release, a lot of people go the easiest way and install patched installs without bothering upgrading the firmware since it's a complex process to most people.

A MP4,1>5,1 that have a Westmere Xeon (all hexa-cores are Westmere) with upgraded GPU and AirPort Extreme runs Mojave officially and can run Catalina totally un-patched with OpenCore.

Thanks! And would you recommend I get the 46GB of RAM?

 

[tsialex]

Thanks! And would you recommend I get the 46GB of RAM?

MP4,1/MP5,1 memory controller is tri-channel, the best memory performance is when you have tree identical 16GB DIMMs, check if three DIMMs is what the seller is offering for 48GB.

It's a reasonable price with 48GB, since three identical 16GB DIMMs are around US$100 on eBay, but not a good price for just 16GB at all.

The asking price for 16GB is even worse if the seller is installing 4x4GB DIMMs, since smaller DIMMs almost don't have any re-sale price, so it's better to get 48GB now.

 

[LordeOurMother]

MP4,1/MP5,1 memory controller is tri-channel, the best memory performance is when you have tree identical 16GB DIMMs, check if three DIMMs is what the seller is offering for 48GB.

It's a reasonable price with 48GB, since three identical 16GB DIMMs are around US$100 on eBay, but not a good price for just 16GB at all.

The asking price for 16GB is even worse if the seller is installing 4x4GB DIMMs, since smaller DIMMs almost don't have any re-sale price, so it's better to get 48GB now.

It would either be 3 x 16 GB or 2 x 8 GB.

Thanks so much!

 

[LordeOurMother]

MP4,1/MP5,1 memory controller is tri-channel, the best memory performance is when you have tree identical 16GB DIMMs, check if three DIMMs is what the seller is offering for 48GB.

It's a reasonable price with 48GB, since three identical 16GB DIMMs are around US$100 on eBay, but not a good price for just 16GB at all.

The asking price for 16GB is even worse if the seller is installing 4x4GB DIMMs, since smaller DIMMs almost don't have any re-sale price, so it's better to get 48GB now.

I've just learned from googling that the Xeon would have to be a Westmere processor, since it has the 3.06 clock speed.

That makes this an even better deal, right?

 

[tsialex]

I've just learned from googling that the Xeon would have to be a Westmere processor, since it has the 3.06 clock speed.

That makes this an even better deal, right?

I knew from the start that was a Westmere, since all hexas are Westmere. I already did my evaluation of the reasonability of the sale price including the Westmere Xeon. With 48GB, it's a very reasonable config for £350.

 

[LordeOurMother]

Now to find a use for my old 1,1...

 

[LordeOurMother]

BootROM was already upgraded, and the card shows a boot screen, too.

Popped my USB 3 PCI-E card into the 5,1 and it's running flawlessly on Catalina!