Mac Pro GPU Upgrade Guide (3,1 2008, 4,1 2009, 5,1 2010 - 2012)

[@dmug]

Been over a year and half, and yes I’m quite aware there’s mispronounced words. I can’t edit this video retroactively. If you ever want to find out if you’re incorrect about anything, make a semi popular videos and you’ll find out really quick ;) it makes me cringe now but won’t be the last time I mess something up. You’d be surprised how little I talk about computers or how little video content I consume about computers so me butchering brand names? Chalk that up to be quasi Canadian.

[@mdxcenter]

You are appreciated, thank you for your efforts and no worries mate. besides that enjoy the constructive criticism ... it makes men better :)

[@DrFiero]

Like myself, you're Canadian, and inebriated (probably!). Verbal blathering is accepted. :D

[@angusou8124]

WTF? Mispronounced words? Wow, great vids bro and people need to drink more themselves and relax man. Life too short to waste on petty criticism 😂

[@dmug]

@@angusou8124 it happened again, I said “ fast Times of Ridgemont high” as “ridgemount” when talking about HD DVDs. 🙃 If AI is looting my content at least it’s get confused.

[@ytmaxxammo8591]

Who cares? Great video! Don’t let the haters bother you. No one is perfect but this video is gold and your definitive GPU guide is as close to perfect as you can get! 😂

[@jtimleck]

This was great. Ironically I had come across your website along time ago and have been reading it and did not know you actually had a video page here. You walk through all of the steps, demonstrate all of the possibilities, and the pitfalls, in a logical easy to follow manner. This is EXACTLY the video I need as I retire my 3,1, and look for a 4,1 or 5,1, with the upgrade/expansion options I’ll need. Awesome. Thanks.

[@universityrepairFL]

Same but for 3,1! ❤

[@steadilsr]

Hey man, You ROCK!! I m a retired videographer who just migrated(slowly) to a MacPro5,1 from the 3,1. The 3,1 ran GREAT with the NvidiaGeForceGTX680 I wanted more flexibility on OSX for other apps but I got the 5,1 with the AMD RadeonRx580 which after going up to Mojave did not work with the BMD Resolve video software! I will look at your site regularly. Please don t stop making videos, you are one in a very FEW who are easy to understand, funny and very freeking INFORMATIVE!! I ll check your links now. peace.

[@meisterleise]

Thanks for all the hard work you have done for all these things! I found the Nvidea K5000 in the list as "metal not supported" but I plugged in a K5000 right now and it supports metal under macOS X.14.6.

[@don06281]

Just now seeing this. Great video. I am running a 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 with an AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB card. My OS is Monterey 12.6.2. This was accomplished via Open Core Legacy Patcher, and has been running almost 24/7 for several months without any problems. I don't have working bluetooth or Wi-Fi, as the older stuff isn't compatible with Monterey. But I am using a hard wired network connection for my internet connection, which suits my needs perfectly and for what I do, bluetooth is unnecessary. Again thanks for the great video.

[@dmug]

Bluetooth is pretty easy to add in with a $10 USB adapter if you ever want/need it. Wifi of course requires a later gen broadcom chipset in the form of an airport card (Mini PCIe) or a PCIe card.

[@steadilsr]

could you share a site which offers solid info on OPEN CORE and how it works, risks, etc?

[@edicoolrap]

Hello, greetings from Chile, excellent videos, they helped me a lot, I have a 5.1 and I am happy to be able to revive this beast for my personal projects, I am a programmer and I also sing rap in Spanish, a big hug, long life to hip hop, peace.

[@dmug]

Toss me a link, I won’t be able to appreciate the word play but i like how global hip hop is. It’s my first love, been listening since I was 9 years old thanks to MC Hammer

[@shaneblacklord3313]

So this is what you have been up to! Great video, I will be re-reading the gpu section of the definative guide! Great Video Greg!

[@Micouniverse]

🍀 Thank you very much for all that information. Well done! 🙂

[@jonascole9172]

Just found your channel. I love the tech info. Thank you for your work.

[@dmug]

Thanks, I’m glad people still find my really rough old content useful

[@albatrossrap]

Great stuff, man, your work is so important for cMP community all over the world. Respect from Russia🇷🇺👍🏻

[@dmug]

Thanks! It's cool to hear that it travels so far.

[@dmug]

Also peeped your vids, if that's you rapping or on the beat or behind the camera, 18 sounded pretty dope although of course, I'm just going by the flow / instrumental and translations.

[@albatrossrap]

@@dmug Thnx, man, "18" is a modern rap mockery, don't take it serious😂. I have some vids in English with a veeery thick accent, check it out, should be much more fun for an English speaker. BTW, all my vids made on a Mac Pro 5.1, so I pray all the gods it will support Monterey and stay with me for some years more. A new MP costs the same as one bedroom apartment in my town, welcome to Russia😂😂

[@dmug]

@@albatrossrap Oh I watched the why Russians don't get covid, I figured both songs were meant to be not taken at face value. The make up was part of it.

[@albatrossrap]

@@dmug Man, send me an email I can use for discussing a beats topic with you not to make a mess here in comments. Thanks.

[@TheAppleLab]

thanks for mentioning greg, really appriciate it.

[@drx1xym154]

DMUG, great video - short and sweet - lots of info! Yes, it was kinda long, because I played at 2.0x and had to rewind a few times. Love the info, even from 3 years ago!

[@robertoaguiluz7350]

I have a 5,1 lying around that would like to bring back to life to use a NAS, thanks for the guide

[@fritz2394]

Excellent guide. Saved me driving to get an incompatible GTX 970. .... Darn the Luck ! ! !

[@davidcmcchesney]

Thank You so much for Your hard work. Great Videos & Guide. I’m glad You decided to not stop

[@universityrepairFL]

Welcome from the future, prices have gone down

[@dmug]

Yep, and yet gpu makers are charging more :/ still better than scalpers though

[@universityrepairFL]

@@dmug no doubt. I cant sell mine for much!

[@universityrepairFL]

@@dmug ty btw! I just posted my first video finally tonight, and a short from it. AND I credit you in there. Longover due! Appreciate ya and the reply

[@isaacdishongh2432]

watching this from the future, it gets better dont worry

[@MiguelAngelMirenzi]

Sos un genio! muchas gracias por toda la información, gracias a tu guía definitiva logré instalar High Sierra en dos Mac Pro 3.1 con éxito. Saludos y muchas gracias!!

[@Titopizarro]

Thanks buddy. Greetings from Costa Rica.

[@whitewhale9686]

Thank you for your professional knowledge information You are the best for GPU & OS upgrade information. It is not impossible to upgrade because the GPU price is really high. I stay with OS high sierra.

[@dmug]

It’s so unfortunate that gpu prices are so high. I’d like to get a new GPU myself but can’t bring myself to spend $1800 to get a GPU that originally MSRPed for $650

[@josch1710]

I can confirm that an R9 nano works in Catalina and Mojave. It needs an Dual 6 pin to 8 pin adapter for power.

[@dmug]

I don’t think have that listed in my guide but makes sense as the Fiji chipset is macOS metal supported. Thanks for letting me know about it. Will add.

[@GreyRockOne]

Wow, a lot to absorb here, my brain hurts.. I'm late to the game on upgrades, even though I've had my 3,1 8-core for many years. Thanks! I've got some reading to do!

[@AdventureSMBW]

A flashed Sapphire Pulse RX580 has been my go-to. Running it in multiple cMPs

[@ytmaxxammo8591]

Great video my guy! Thank you

[@capndavey1]

I've always flashed Mac roms to my own cards been doing that for 20 years

[@dmug]

Yeah, flashing was so much more of a thing. I flashed a GeForce 3 and over estimated how awesome I was back on the XL8yourmac forums. The only other was the ATI Radeon HD 4770 or something in that ballpark.

[@daes5465]

@@dmug Hi i got a Mac pro 2008 3.1 Im using patched Catalina IT was working fine Then i tried to Install el Capital an i Connected a HDD Drive Befor i was trying to Connect two Displays and adjust Thema to Split Screen But IT wasnt possible I got a Radeon grafics Card was working fine After i Connected the hdd Drive as the last Change on the Mac my Monitor is showing No good and clear Picture IT has Barcodes all over the Screen in vertical lines big AS a thumb Im trying to Reintstall the Catalina Version but i dont know If the hdd Drive damaged the Ios or If the grafics Card is now destroyed I bought it used IT was working fine all the Time The Mac was mit running a Lot How can i Check on a Hardware or Software Problem Or do you know This Kind of Problem ?? When i First installed a New el Capitan IT was the Same Then after the Installation IT was showing a normal Picture fron the desktop and everything I dont know what happend When i Connected the two Monitors Displays IT changed the Resolution as Well But since i run down the Mac and restarted IT Chose the right Monitor Then after the hhd was Connected IT caused This Problem The grafics Card is showing Picture but This Barcode shit So i dont understand how a maybe defect Card can Show a Picture Im confused with This

[@beto130582]

Great video!

[@universityrepairFL]

Ty! Dude Ive been reading your website since I bought one in 2019, cool to see the evolution. Ive ran 1Dosdude up to Catalina but delayed pixla mod but i got the stuff. I bought a dang 680 but its hydro copper fan delete and i dont have a pump rig but should in Fl. I also got a Tesla 2090 and its been a heartbreak, i feel ya!

[@universityrepairFL]

Also i didnt know you did beats ❤

[@dmug]

Thanks, it's been so long I'm trying to remember if i mentioned my GeForce 1060, I must have. These days I have my Mac Pro 7,1 with a 6900 XT so life is better. These early vids when are so rough on the edges I hesitate to even watch them.

[@dmug]

@@universityrepairFL Been saving up for the great beat famine, recorded two albums with a buddy in college, where he was the rapper. Haven't done anything with them so might as well jam them in KZbin vids.

[@ChapuzasconRober]

Great video. Thanks!

[@lavinchi6709]

Thank you for the very professional video!!!⚒

[@EnzoTronzo]

"invida"

[@Metacosntitucional]

Lo que dices es muy cierto pero en esencia toda la tegnologia nace con los dias contados en mi caso apenas me compre una mac pro 5.1 por que se han devaluado mucho y por que siempre es interesante aprender .... a esta maquinas solo les quedara el tiempo que les des .... congratulations for your new Mac Pro saludos from Mexico

[@dmug]

Thanks!

[@Metacosntitucional]

@@dmug *tecnologia

[@sacredgeometry]

N-VId-ia Not nvida, there's an "i" in there.

[@dmug]

Ha, Of the things I figured people would come at me on, I figured it’d be El Captain or Metal or Jaguar in these vids instead of my varying lazy compression of Nvidia to three syllables.

[@workflowinmind]

Impressive motion graphics!

[@dmug]

Appreciated. They do take time.

[@fydstar]

I thought another solution to not having a boot screen with a PC Card was to have a native Mac card as well as the pc one so it boots up in the native mac card? I might be imagining this though?

[@dmug]

It is for pre macOS 10.14, but leaving in an unsupported gpu can sometimes cause issues. It’s useful to keep one around if you really need the native boot screen as you can always install it.

[@kenkruckenberg2974]

Very nice sir! I'm looking into upgrading 2 Mac Pro 5,1, being used with Pro Tools. Simple question...which graphics card for simple installation and boot screen, any info appreciated. Maybe around $200-300? BTW your Mac vids are the best. Well spoken and clear. Maybe it's the beer... I never subscribe but I hit that button! Also interested in videos about moving from Intel to M2. Thanks

[@dmug]

It's not that easy hence the video. There's a series of things you need to understand: Do you want to run Mojave or later? Gotta get a card that supports Metal. If you're looking to run Big Sur or Monterey then you'll need to go the route of OpenCore which will provide a bootscreen. The only sure-fire way to get a bootscreen with a modernish GPU is to buy from MacVidCards at an extreme premium.

[@kenkruckenberg2974]

@@dmug Yes I was hoping to stay with Mojave for a bit in order to install a newer version of Pro tools, maybe through 2023 til M2 Macs ship. And later OpenCore might be an option. I understand the bootscreen issue. I could probably lose it. That being said could you recommend a Metal card for transitional use? Thanks Greg

[@TruenorthmtGod]

I did the pixlas mode I have a way easier way to do it I found pins that fit inside the black clip that attaches to mother board.

[@mvm5439]

Thanks Bro.

[@TWDay-sy6nq]

Nicely done. Thank you. In my case, "the best" GPU will be the one that costs the least and is capable of (maybe) Metal support. I ONLY use my Mac Pro 4,1 (flashed to 5,1) for Logic X and Pro Tools (11), which probably means my OS will be maxed out at 10.13 (where it is today) or 11.2 (maybe someday). However, the factory GPU just died, so I have to do something.

[@reginaldbowls7180]

I recommend getting a cheap gtx680 and flashing it. Best of all worlds imo.

[@musclesmouse]

I forgot my Vega frontier needs the pixlas mod to prevent random shutdowns

[@dmug]

If you have a Vega 56, in windows it’s really easy to undervolt and a pain in macOSx

[@Taras-Nabad]

Are the GPU power connectors on the 3,1 considered "mini 6 pin" or standard? They look much bigger then the ones on the 5,1 which are definitely "mini 6 pin."

[@Degrod0]

the aftermarket is understandable, but where to buy a new video card, I don't want to be a victim of mining wear and tear?

[@thekaisernotkanal1110]

Exzellent! +++++ Best Card for After Effects, DaVinci, (Blender) in Mac pro 5.1 OSX 10.8.5 - 10.14 no fuss, plug and play? Dankeschön from Germany

[@dmug]

There’s a lot of parameters here as few gpus are both 10.14 and 10.8 compatible. If you’re willing to stick with 10.14, the Radeon VII is going to be easily the best GPU for any use case but you’ll lose the boot screen. If you’re willing to wade into the waters of open core and macOS 12, the 6600 XT and 6800 Xt are attractive options.

[@thekaisernotkanal1110]

@@dmug Most kind. Thank you very much and thanks for all your excellent wörk. I need a bootscreen since you do not see the Mojave formatted drives in e.g. el capitain and lower. And I switch between systems like 10 times a day. I am looking like something reasonable like the gtx 680 but perhaps a bit more powerful, since I work with element 3d in After effects and do videorender intensive stuff in Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve. I do no gaming. The Radeon V II would perhaps be a bit over the top.

[@jcameron2937]

Dude watching you rink that warm beer is making mr ill

[@dmug]

Ha, barrel aged stouts are drank damn near at room temp, basically like a cask ale.

[@aejacobs101]

I have one of those Great piece, But riddle me this I’m trying to upgrade my 2009(early)Mac Pro 4,1 to a 5,1. I did the EFI update and the firmware update when I restart it goes into a short flash mode and crashes then restarts back into El Capitan’s

[@Jerrybaggins]

ill drink to this.

[@arxaaron]

VERY useful! Thank you! I've been trying to get my 2010 mac pro up to the 10.14 Mohave plateau to keep my favorite Mac OS software tools as current as possible, but GPU issues were a major hurdle. I still have some valuable 32bit apps, so Catalina is not an option. Eventually all my older macs will be sustained with Linux installs.

[@dmug]

The other option ironically is Windows as MS has supported old hardware a lot longer than Apple. Windows 10 support is native on them and ends in 2025 (although MS has had a habit of extending support) and Windows 11 (For now) can be used by bypassing the TPM or using the hardware emulation for TPM. What I did for my old 32 audio apps is buy a very cheap 11 inch MacBook Air 2015 (When I bought it, it was $250 but now $150) as I couldn't virtual machine those. On the cMPs though, Big Sur runs pretty great as does Monterey so if you ever find a solution that works for you, you always make the jump to a more modern GPU.

[@arxaaron]

@@dmug Not likely that I would consider intentionally installing a computer virus on any of my systems 😜... but is Windows 10 an actual option for classic Mac Intel machines? I hadn't really ever looked so I earnestly don't know.

[@dmug]

@@arxaaron Yep, runs great. I was using Windows 10 on my Mac Pro 2008 back in 2016 or whenever it came out and later my Mac Pro 5,1 before jumping off of the cMP train.

[@JordanRaskin]

@arxaaron I'm curious about which gpu you chose and how you went about it. I'm currently running sierra (not high) and like you want to max put at mojave for older app use reasons. I do graphics work and was considering a vega 56 but I'm unclear on power consumption issues or if it will require flashing. Looking for the best plug n play option but would prefer more power than an rx580. Which gpu did you settle on and was it plug n play?

[@arxaaron]

@@JordanRaskin Still in process of the update and researching GPU options. Lots of 2020 MacPro upgrade videos out there. In the final choice of GPU, plug and play more important than big performance and rx580 or similar will probably be the choice.

[@TheHouseOfMoth]

So what I'm hearing you say is I can run the latest NVIDIA in my 1,1 under Big Sur? ;)

[@dmug]

Yeah, you can also install the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X in there too, just gotta hold the scissors really steady when cutting the socket so its the right size, I recommend using hot glue to make sure it stays in there. Rubber cement will dry out overtime.

[@TheHouseOfMoth]

@@dmug duuuuuude! Ordered one just now, will keep you posted

[@dmug]

@@TheHouseOfMoth I want the ASMR version of that upgrade vid.

[@TheHouseOfMoth]

@@dmug on it

[@TheAppleLab]

@@TheHouseOfMoth : you should know it better jay... :P

[@user-ol7tz5mh2y]

Awesome! I just happened to be researching the best GPU to upgrade my Mac cheese grater 3,1 with a newer OS (using dosdude hacks) that need Metal-enabled GPU (or some back-end tech shenanigans that may enable a couple of older, non-metal cards to run on Mojave and later). It's all pretty complicated - but I am stunned that my 2008 Mac still runs smoothly and functions fine with all the apps I need it for to edit video and do graphic work. I don't expect it to blow me away with super detailed, high-framerate 3D gaming, though, but even the 3D games I've tried look stunning!

[@dmug]

It's complicated but there's a quirk in the 3,1s that lets you see the boot screen with some hacking when using an RX 580. That'd be my pick as they're not nearly as marked up as other GPUs. I used an AMD Vega 56 for awhile in my 3,1 and I played a lot of games 1440p just fine. This was in 2017 I think, as I bought the GPU before my 5,1. I was pretty impressed how well it did gaming. I played through GTA V

[@user-ol7tz5mh2y]

​ @Definitive Mac Pro Upgrade Guide Nice! Thanks for the info! That does look like a sweet GPU! I settled on a very nicely-priced ASUS GTX 770 that has been flashed with mac firmware (I think for the Mac GTX 680), thoroughly cleaned, and serviced with new cooling paste. The seller was very helpful, too... It seems like a good mid-range-ish model for my Mojave upgrade test-run. At least, it was priced better than most of the others I saw available, and reviews for installs in similar Mac Pros were all quite positive. I think it may even show a boot screen with this particular firmware installed in my Mac. I'm looking forward to trying it out! This video and your guide to GPUs that work for older Mac Pros were VERY helpful! It was a challenge parsing all the different info about various GPUs for these older Mac models with newer OS installs. So, thanks for putting the info together in one spot!

[@raymondlooi]

Does it mean, Mac Pro 3,1 has no luck to upgrade to Big Sur or Monterey?

[@jonascole9172]

I love your work. I'm. thinking of getting one of these from OWC. I am disappointed with My 14-inch Macbook Pro. I love the ports but I keep getting ram errors. If I max out one of these and use open core to run Monterey or Ventura, then I think, as an average user, I'll be ahead of the game. What say you mighty Mac advisor?

[@dmug]

Getting a used Mac Pro 5,1? Only worth it today as a hobbyist machine. You're fighting a battle against time and by the time you've probably brought it up to near maximum spec, you've spent more than Mac Mini M2 Pro. At some point, maybe 3 years from now Apple will sunset Intel Macs. I'm surprised the Apple Silicon isn't working out for you, you might have a lemon, is your memory pressure exceptionally high by a certain work flow? I had an M1 Air 16GB/1TB for a bit, and even it ran circles around my Mac Pro 5,1 with 96GB/2x 2 TB NVMe/Radeon VII/Allegro Pro USBc card, so much so my first videos like this one were edited on it. My M1 Max 14" is more or less as fast Mac Pro 7,1 and a lot cheaper for many workflows. I'd recommend trying to figure out what's causing you grief as Apple Silicon has been nothing but reliable with a few hiccups. At worst you might have a workflow where you need 32 GB of RAM or more.

[@jonascole9172]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Maybe i need to have someone take a look. Its still under apple care.@@dmug

[@edsavage6214]

Great video thanks for the info, what would be the chaepest GPU solution to upgrade to the latest OSs and have a boot screen?

[@dmug]

That's really open ended considering location, willingness to deal with, OpenCore Legacy patcher, how many displays/resolution (as the bottom barrel cannot do 4k@60Hz) etc. The bootscreen portion is irrelevant as if you want to run Monterey, you'll need OpenCore which will give you a bootscreen.

[@robertlarson8038]

I own a 2009 Mac Pro 4.1 … I am wanting to upgrade it to run the newest possible operating systems. What parts do you recommend to do this upgrade? I live in Oregon, thought you might also. Thx Robert

[@dmug]

yep, fellow Oregonian. I have videos that shows the sort of process you'll have to go to through: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6mmlIaZmpeohNE kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpK2pZ-sotufq6s The 5,1s are easier. You'll almost certainly be able to go to Monterey without issues. Things I'd shoot for: RX580 (or 5700 XT) if you can find one at at a good price. Also, SSD is a must, NVMe is a great way to go since they're so cheap now (be sure they have DRAM). I'll also argue going beyond 32 GB of RAM is kinda pointless unless you have a very particular use case as even running FCPX or most audio software, easily handled with 32 GB.

[@HermelinoFilho]

Which GPU are compatible with mac pro 2008 A1186?

[@daes5465]

I have a Mac Pro late 2008 with an amd Graphic Card Two DVI Ports Catalina patched I want to use 3 Monitors in the DVI All Same Monitors I use Port one for 2 Monitors over a Monitor Splitter ( on the PC IT IS providing both the Touchscreen and the Monitor plus the third Monitor in Port 2 and everything is working , Touch Is working and the both Screens Not Touch Is widescreen) Then i use the left Screen on Port 2 In the beginning The mac Started all Monitors but Witz false Resolution , i couldnt arrange the Monitors IT was Just mirroring in all three Monitors Then i unplugged the Monitors and connected two IT Chose one with the right Resolution But IT was Not funding the other Monitor So now i dont know what to do because its Just displaying on one Monitor I cant Connect the other Monitors by the Display Setup in the system Setup menu

[@a_mouse6858]

On your site you discuss the rx 5700, but not the workstation model (Radeon Pro W5700). Would this GPU also be an option?

[@dmug]

Yep, the W models work too, long as they’re not the MPX modules for the 2019 Mac Pros. Need to list them all, historically the big price differences between the W and RX haven’t made a very enticing option as Mac users do not get the extra driver features that the W series offer and the Mac drivers operate in 10 bit color space in 2D regardless of series unlike windows. These days there’s probably little difference between the card prices. Previously, few users would bother even looking at the Pro line, but here we are.

[@LAGARTIJOcabezon]

Can you go Linux way?

[@dlprod11]

Great video I'm running a 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 12core with 96gb of ram, running Big Sur. Editing in Davinci Resolve 18.6 Studio. I was planning on trying a dual GPU route for 4k video editing performance in playback and rendering but someone told me to just buy a Radeon VII 16gb GPU. What should I do? Will this GPU run in Big Sur?

[@retrovox]

Hi, I saw Radeon Pro WX 4100 and 5100 being listed inside your guide. Does it mean the 4100/5100 can be plugged n played into the cMP, assuming it's opencore-configured to run on Monterey macos?

[@99hitscombo5]

help i cant upgrade my firmware to 5,1 it says error 5570 what to i do mac pro 2009 mac os 10.11 all ready disable csrutil

[@macgamer1973]

I thought you move on to Mac Pro 7,1

[@dmug]

Yep. Still can make content about the cMPs.

[@danlook8732]

Any decent video recommendations on how to use thunderbolt? I can’t find all the steps to do it.

[@dmug]

Can’t say I’ve seen any but also haven’t looked either. There’s the written tutorials out there, but you’ve probably seen them.

[@TheDrumhead54]

This is great info & thanks for doing it. I have a 2009 Mac Pro that I'm upgrading I have 5,1 and Mojave installed and I was trying to install M Lo"s OC on it. But I sold the video card that was originally installed. I have a ATI Radeon 5770 GPU from a 2012 Mac Pro will that work?

[@dmug]

The HD 5770 will work in any Mac Pro 5,1 from 10.7-10.13 but not in macOS 10.14+. You'll need a metal compatible GPU.

[@TheDrumhead54]

@@dmug was trying to install M Lo’s Open Core, but I can’t get a boot screen with the Radeon 560 installed so I thought the ATI Radeon 5770 would allow me a boot screen but I tried I just get a black screen no boot screen to finish the setup.

[@amdintelxsniperx]

the corruption issue is fixed :)

[@johnb2044]

Hi new to Mac pro 2009 4,1 OSX 10.9.5 mavericks wanting to flash to 5,1 to upgrade cpu's and ram but have pro tools 10 HD which is the last version it can run on ... did try flash it but get stuck in recovery with terminal as get a csrutil disable error no file found? so cant open the update file ???? any help would be most welcome

[@realDesertLad]

This was pretty helpful! I needed a GPU that can run macOS Mojave, Windows XP, and Windows 7 and the GTX 680 seems to suit my needs! However, I am now running into the issue of Windows 7's Boot Camp 5.1 not recognizing APFS to boot back into macOS so I need help to upgrade Boot Camp 5.1 to 6.1... Wikipedia said it's *possible*, but eh...

[@dmug]

You need to install the iMac Pro drivers for bootcamp assistant using brigadier.

[@AndresValdez54235]

Hi Greg, do you have material showing step by step how to flash a gpu RX580 so we can use it on mac os Sonoma, showing the boot picker probided by OCLP??? cMP5,1

[@dmug]

You don’t need to flash it. Here’s the video of me using a rx 580 on a 3,1 and the issues I encountered. Is it worth upgrading an ancient Mac Pro 2008? kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpK2pZ-sotufq6s

[@AndresValdez54235]

@@dmug I enabled GOP and since that moment the RX580 stopped rendering anything. Now I'm using a HD5770. But I want to use the RX580 has better performance.

[@madhatter8508]

Am I right in thinking I can slap in a GTX Titan X into a 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 with El Capitan and it'll just work without a boot screen? That's what I previously did with a GTX 960. I have no interest in upgrading beyond El Capitan anyway. Don't want to break any compatibility with the apps I've been using since that came out. Does it matter if it's a Maxwell or a Pascal?

[@idubzh243]

Hi and thx very much for your videos. Can you tell me if I can install my old GTX 770 directly into my Mac Pro 3.1 High Sierra without any mods or tricks ?

[@dmug]

High Sierra wasn't officially supported for the 3,1s so you'll need to use a modification script or OpenCore.

[@idubzh243]

@@dmug OK, thanks a lot for your answer. And cheers (beer) from France ;)

[@dmug]

@@idubzh243 cheers with a French wine or a French farmhouse beer or cider works :)

[@Vicdileo]

Thank you so much, which GPU would work well with 6k in premiere pro? Thanks

[@dmug]

Oh boy, you're really not going to like what I'm going to suggest: Switch Editing software to either FCPX or Da Vinci Resolve or switch to Windows with a NVidia GPU. Adobe's software makes great use of CUDA which no longer exists on macOS as of 10.14+ and required Nvidia GPUs. I understand this may not be realistic. Windows PCs smash the 2019 Mac Pro simply because the Premiere Pro is Slow www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Premiere-Pro-performance-PC-Workstation-vs-Mac-Pro-2019-1719/ DP Review shows the big performance gap between Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro www.dpreview.com/articles/0942074552/head-to-head-apple-final-cut-pro-vs-adobe-premiere-pro Editor demonstrating how poorly Adobe Premiere Pro performs even with dual GPUs and mentions speed vs Da Vinci Resolve. kzbin.info/www/bejne/joTRmGBuebFsg5I A long drawn out complaint thread about performance of Premier Pro community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-discussions/extremely-underwhelming-performance-on-mac-pro-2019/td-p/10831489 Premiere on macOS just isn't very good and investing in a GPU will only modestly increase the performance. Adding an older GeForce 1080 or a RTX 2060 and booting windows would be a big speed improvement. Buying a new GPU (Vega series like 56 or 64 or the VII) and using FCPX or Resolve would also be a good move. I'd go ask in some of the communities as I've gone entirely post Adobe personally and professionally (Pixelmator Pro/ FCPX / Sketch / Figma / Apple Photos) as a UX developer and hobbyist as I became fed up with Adobe. Try Reddit/MacRumors/Facebook Groups but you're likely to get similar advice.

[@tomdfrog]

I love my cheese graters...but uff this all gets confusing. Mostly, I am using them to run Windows 10 and some Windows only software. The MacOS side is just for backing up Windows with WinClone. I have been trying to track down the best NVIDIA option for fast CUDA in Windows. Seems sorta hopeless thanks to the animosity between Apple and Nvidia.

[@tizianosantambrogio413]

Hello, I have the Mac Pro 4.1 Eight Core 2.26 (2009/ Nehalem) updated to 5.1. I would like to replace the processors with the best performing ones but I can't figure out which ones are compatible... Can you help me? Thank you

[@mcdjchandler]

with the newer graphics cards in a 4,1 Mac Pro, can I still run Lion 10.7 ?

[@dmug]

Some GPUs can output an unaccelerated picture, but 10.7 does not have drivers for newer GPUs . I’d recommend either using a virtual machine or swapping GPUs.

[@oscarcampbellhobson]

Would a vega 56 support high Sierra?

[@dmug]

blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/05/07/definitive-mac-pro-upgrade-guide.html#aftermarket-gpus

[@oscarcampbellhobson]

@@dmug cheers

[@breezlee59]

Great video! but I have to Mac shame you for letting go of your CMP 4.1/5.1s :-)

[@dmug]

Yeah, the crashing boots of Big Sur and wacky pandemic pricing made exiting appealing. Got a 7,1 which I plan to ride out to the end of the Intel era as I plan to replace my work MacBook 2017 whenever the new MacBooks arrive.

[@breezlee59]

@@dmug Just for kicks and giggles I got a Mac mini M1 as well. I do keep Mojave on the 4.1/5.1. btw two years ago I spent half of my vacation in Brazil absorbing your site much to my wife's annoyance.

[@dmug]

@@breezlee59 to my girlfriend’s annoyance I’ve updated my guide while on vacation. No where as exotic as Brazil but more like Toronto. I have the MacBook Air M1 and really have been impressed. It’s not perfect and the Apple Silicon future on the desktop side of things doesn’t seem nearly as great.

[@breezlee59]

@@dmug Agreed. I do like the M1 chip. Would like to see what the Maci mini Pro does when available. Toronto is on my bucket list :-)

[@xxlllklllxx-COD2856]

Hey brother, rx6700xt..can be handled without pixlas mod?? Because same TDP as old gtx 770...

[@dmug]

The 6700 XT still is unsupported in macOS since its not in the same chipset family as the 6600/6800/6900s

[@itsphasma]

If i get a new good gpu like rx580 do i have to upgrade my cpu too?

[@dmug]

Nope but at the current prices might as well, the x5680s were all of $20 on AliExpress last I check and c5690s $35.

[@TruenorthmtGod]

I have a question when using 2 graphics cards one efi and one not do you need to run them through 2 different monitors?

[@dmug]

That’s the pre Mojave strategy I used, second monitor into the EFI GPU. Almost every EFI card isn’t supported in Mojave so they end up as a generic display which is pretty much unusable as it’s so choppy and slow. You can leave the GPU in and swap your monitor cable but it’s a pain, and many people want the PCIe slot as they’ll have a GPU, NVMe, USB card and something like a Thunderbolt card or eSATA and so on. Also you have to yank the non metal GPUs when installing Mojave. Then to run Big Sur you need OpenCore so there’s not a big point to having one.

[@johnb2044]

Hi new to a pro mac 4,1 2009 with OSX10.9.5 mavericks wanting to flash to 5,1 can i stay on 10.9.5 as the mac has pro tools 10 HD and i believe that's the last version it can run on .. was wishing to upgrade the cpu's and ram as a stand alone audio DAW unit cheers did try to flash but got roadblocked at terminal csrutil disable......error not seen ?????

[@dmug]

What are you trying to flash? Upgrade the firmware?

[@johnb2044]

yeah go from a4,1 to 5,1 then upgrade the cpu's and ram there after but wish to stay on OSX 10.9.5 @@dmug

[@hugoa1978]

15:19 made me laugh dude 👍

[@workflowinmind]

13:50 is this only affecting the current OS drive running Big Sur, or it can be any internal drives? I ask because I use a bunch of 512ssd for oses and could not care less if the issue is reinstalling the OS. Thanks

[@dmug]

Pretty sure it only corrupts the boot drive. I never went to 11.3 with OpenCore on my 5,1 as it was such a headache. There's a group on Facebook dedicated to OpenCore where some of the real experts hang out. I'd suggest asking there or checking in at Mac Rumors or Reddit.

[@Anthonyarnaz]

I have a Mac Pro mid 2012 running Catalina, I just bought a radeon pro wx 7100 and I'm not sue what power cable I will need to install this in my computer. Any ideas???!!!

[@dmug]

The classic Mac Pros use mini-PCIe power cables. They come in 6 or 8 pin variations. You'll need to buy the correct cables based on what power pins the GPU has. blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/05/07/definitive-mac-pro-upgrade-guide.html#installgpu

[@luzkillydiazmelgarejo1254]

Great Video Bro, but I have a issue, I install Catalina with the Dosdude1 patcher in a cMP 5,1 with a Nvidia GTX680 and worked flawless, two day ago I bought a AMD Radeon Pro w5700 and when I change the GPU and turn it on I get a black screen on the two ACD 30inch any clue

[@dmug]

First zap the NVRAM, then wait. I’m not sure if your old gpu was flashed with Mac efi, but the 5700 will not output a boot screen. I’d put this to a community on Facebook or Reddit or macrumor forums as it’ll get more eyes. Also, you’re Better off switching to OpenCore legacy patcher,

[@luzkillydiazmelgarejo1254]

Thanks for the answer, and yes the old GPU was flashed I will try to change to OCLP I have two arrays of RAID I don’t know if I lose the array if I do a clean install

[@BenjaminAVSTECH]

Not sure if you meant to put Joerg's KZbin channel link in the description. Just in case anyone want's to check his channel out kzbin.info BTW. Great video, it wasn't dry at all. Information rich as usual and super appreciated. Cheers!

[@dmug]

I probably meant to, both Jeorg's and Mac Sound Solutions are great resources.

[@juliancrichlow8622]

Great Video. So over my head so got lost. Can you let me know if my Mac Pro 3,1 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 3072 MB running High Sierra can upgrade to Catalina or Mojave? I tried Catalina using dosdude but no joy. (was trying to install it on SATA drive not SSD). Any help will be appreciate

[@dmug]

You can go to Catalina and Mojave as it is a metal compatible GPU.

[@juliancrichlow8622]

@@dmug Thank you so much for your reply. I must be doing something wrong to go to Catalina. Do I have to install Mojave first. Also do I have to used a SSD drive rather than a spare HHD?

[@ifiwantyoutofeel]

What about 7,1 🤔

[@dmug]

I'll make the vid when I end up paying for a new GPU so I can show the difference between MPX and the regular video card. ;)

[@deebaker4671]

What GPU would you recommend, that doesn't take 2 slots on the board for a Mac Pro 5,1 2012 ? I want o be able to use the other 16x card as well in my system. My system will be used for music studio purposes, not for gaming .

[@dmug]

The first PCIe slot is dual height and most GPUs are dual with the factory coolers like the RX 580, Vega 56/64 and even Radeon VII. I've owned all of these and none blocked any PCIe ports. However, there are 2.5 height RX 580s with aftermarket coolers that are clocked higher that will block the next PCIe slot but it's a case-by-case scenario. It's to look up if a GPU is dual or 2.5x height.

[@deebaker4671]

@@dmug I was using the Radeon 7950 it covers the other slot next to it. So I should select one of the cards you mentioned in your reply ? If so I will look into one of those. Thanks !!!

[@jolladevices]

I am actually on mac pro 5,1 Mojave RX 580 but I heard that with Open Core the GPU acceleration for Final Cut Pro (missing in the Xeon) will be done by the GPU. Is it true? It would be nice a vid before / later hallo

[@dmug]

The piece that's missing is for H264/H265 encoding/decoding, other GPU functions work. Check out Martin Lo's (h9826790) post here. You can check the status using VideoProc. forums.macrumors.com/threads/activate-amd-hardware-acceleration.2180095/

[@TheDrumhead54]

I have a MSI Radeon RX560 in a 2012 Mac Pro I believe the GPU is flashed I can’t get a boot picker screen with OC and Monterey but it works fine in Mojave no issues there. Is there a fix for this?

[@dmug]

Probably need to set the gop drivers for OpenCore

[@TheDrumhead54]

@@dmug how do you do that?

[@dmug]

@@TheDrumhead54 edit the OpenCore configs by hand or use OpenCore legacy patcher and go into the menus to make sure AMD GOP drivers are checked and then install the new open core using OCLP

[@TheDrumhead54]

@@dmug I used the new OCLP to install Monterey I will do as instructed

[@TheDrumhead54]

@@dmug That doesn’t work still no boot picker screen. My Radeon RX560 works fine in Mojave

[@gamewizard1760]

El Captain? Seriously? Try El Capitan.

[@dmug]

It was only a matter of time someone caught this. I knew it was coming after people noticed sometimes I said "Nvidah" or "Cuhdah" as this one I noticed after the fact. It's been interesting as the my mispronouncing things has been easily the top criticisms. It shows most people I know don't give a crap about computers otherwise I'd been corrected by now.

[@MErwin]

Hello @UCbJmpGyutglIauFO4M836gA, Merry Christmas from France. Oui! I did run into your website, and surprised to come across this video. I need your advise because it depends on my wallet during this health situation. I bought a second hand Mac Pro 2008 Quad Core 3.1 cheapest model and I would like to edit with Final Cut Pro Studio (Not X) with a suitable graphic card, but I am not sure which card would support this machine without breaking a leg in the second hand GPU market and the flashing hacking issues. I was thinking of ATI Radeon HD 5870 or Nvidia Quadro FX 5600 1.5GB GDDR3 which is supported according to Apples website. Does anyone in the video world happen to know and would recommend any of this card or better?

[@dmug]

Those aren’t recommended because they do not support metal (meaning you can’t run 10.14 or above). I’d suggest looking at a Radeon 470 as they can be often found for semi reasonable prices

[@MErwin]

@@dmug Thank you for the response. Will a ATI Radeon HD 5770 work for a 3.1 machine? I wish to use it for video editing, Final Cut Pro X, non 4k videos, AND AS YOU KNOW, for whatever reason, the cost for GPU is crazy today.

[@dmug]

Work? Yes but you'll be locked to 10.13.They're pretty weak GPUs.

[@DiscoFang]

Hip-hop and hip hops.

[@dmug]

I think the youths call it "hippity hops" now.

[@DiscoFang]

@@dmug For the seniors too much of either leads to hip ops.

[@Valdaquende]

Great video, as usual, Greg. You've pointed out, in several videos, the fact that GPU prices are absolutely out of this world; I found myself wondering why. This video presents a very interesting take on why this is so and why this year may see that condition reverse itself. If this fellow's conjectures are accurate, it may well be worth putting off GPU purchases for a few months. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5jQpHVum7ysm9U

[@dmug]

I've seen a few of these videos in the past but I think I'm in the camp this will only be solved as there's more fabs online, which looks like 2023. TSMC has the Texas location and Intel is building another fab looking like they'll do contract manufacturing like TSMC with hints of having Apple as a client. Intel's Ark GPUs should help on the lower end if they're able to get enough out into people's hands, as people are waaaaay overpaying $200 for ancient GPUs. At some point, GPU prices will crash but it'll be a slow visible crash is my guess.

[@MikeSalinasOficial]

Hello, thanks for the valuable information. PLEASE COULD YOU HELP ME?? do you know how to reset the SMC of a mac pro 5.1??? greetings from Colombia

[@dmug]

Just unplug the Mac for about 20 seconds, plug it and wait about 10 seconds and power it up. I’ve never known to fix anything. It’s a placebo.

[@romerozarragossa]

Thank you for the movie but please do yourself a favour, stop swinging your hands in front of the camera. It is at best annoying. Hope that helps.

[@dmug]

I guess never watch an Action Retro vid then ;)

[@io_inc]

🤣 n vidah

[@RarGamez]

booooo

[@TheAxelgrinder]

Great work!! Thanks

[@zigggyyyc7342]

I have a couple of questions. The first - which is the best choice of graphics card for a 2009 mac Pro 4.1 using El Capitan? The 2nd question, my Mac Pro 2009 4.1 just crapped itself and is doing a boot loop with a white screen, not showing any logo. I have tried everything to get it in recovery mode, safe mode, pram reset, you name it, doesn't fix the issue. Please help??

[@dmug]

First see the GPU support: blog.greggant.com/posts/2018/05/07/definitive-mac-pro-upgrade-guide.html Second: Try booting off another volume.

[@zigggyyyc7342]

@@dmug thanks. I had a look at the list but it is a bit hard to follow. Would a Radeon work best and also show the logo for recovery mode?

[@secundusx]

Great video, thanks!