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FWIW, for my 5,1 I changed out my Macvidcards flashed GTX980 to a Sapphire RX580 and I've been pleased with the results. However I acknowledge that you say "best for video editing" -- which as grumpy foul mouth posted below -- there are faster alternatives but that require more mods. So for me, "best" means what gets me quickly over the Nvidia/Apple roadblock, to Mojave, and keeping my 5,1 going for a bit longer with minimum hassle and $$. To me pouring cash into a 5,1 doesn't make a ton of sense, but a $200 upgrade for another 1-2 years seems reasonable.

I regularly edit photos in Lightroom and videos in FCP. The change to Mojave is nice (be sure you have the right wifi/bt card) and the speed has been great for my needs. It's not night and day different but it's definitely faster and good enough for my daily work use -- I mostly edit 1080 and 4k from cameras such as the 5d Mark IV, GoPro, Iphone, etc. I admit though, I don't nerd out too much on comparing test scores and I also am not editing 8k raw footage. I looked up various tests and it seemed that the 580 was as good or a bit better than the GTX980, and for my daily pro use it's definitely seems quicker, especially w/ Lightroom as it now uses GPU processing.

Like @ArkadyBogdanov said, the RX580 is the simplest solution AFAIK -- just need the correct power cable (6 pin to 8 pin) and make sure it fits in there w/ your other PCI cards, as it's a bit wider than the GTX980 and similar cards. Mine is in slot 2 which disables slot 3 b/c of its width -- but there it is better cooled as it's not covered up w/ my double Sonnet sata card w/ is now in slot 1 (the bottom slot). I could put the 580 in slot 1 and barely squeeze in the sata card above it, but since I don't need slot 3 the better solution was obvious.

COMeap Dual Mini 6 Pin to 8 Pin PCI Express Video Card Power Adapter Cable for Mac Pro Tower/Power Mac G5 15-inch(38cm) by COReap
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J336WY4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_PIJ3DbD4ENPZH

Sapphire Technology Technology Radeon 11265-05-20G Pulse RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/ Dual DP OC with Backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card Graphic Cards
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_UIJ3DbAJXAJ50

Wow, that's a ton! This is super useful info, thank you.

Would something like this work as the USB 3 AIC?

Thanks for your input i feel much better about using this machine now. I checked but it seems i only have one slot for SSD. I went with the following adapter a few others i found had success with.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CWWAENG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hello,

I found your post via Google. Got a couple of follow-up questions because there are some things not adding up:

1. The "SATA" drive is your primary Mac boot disk, correct?
   
2. When I tried to install Windows 10 from MacOS on a 2009 Mac Pro, the Boot Camp installer said it wasn't supported. How did you accomplish this?
   
3. What is the "other" Application folder you speak of where Disk Utility lies? Did you mean Utilities, or somewhere else?
   
4. Why did you format the PCIe flash disk as FAT32? The soft limit is 32GB. NTFS is supposed to be the only supported filesystem for a Windows 10 system.
   
   BTW, my Mac Pro was originally a 4,1 that I flashed to a MacPro5,1 using the firmware hack that's been floating around the Internet for years. Now I have a pair of X5690's installed, and a Kingston HyperX PCIe SSD.
   
   If you're not already a member, you would be most welcome on the MacProUpgrade Facebook group. Come join us!

>3) If you have wifi on your machine you will likely have airdrop. If not you can instal a card such as this (you can watch YouTube videos how to instal it) ( https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B003U61UIM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_AHFlDbQXFV8CP)

So yeah. I do have it, i thought this meant airdrop from mac <-> iphone, ipad.

> 4). Your performance will vary. Not all programs will utilize all all threads. For instance when i game i only use 6 threads out of the 12 available (you can check your usage using iStat menu program or Activity monitor). This applies to other programs which you will have to look into it. But as on theoretical test here are the scores: (Almost double the CPU score on multi thread testing).

Oh wow. I don’t understand much about geekbench scores, but thats a bit more than double what i have on mine. 2912 on single core and 13047 on multi core.

Seems so far the update i should be aiming for is that 12 core upgrade.

Thanks a lot!

It can boot from an AHCI SSD like the Samsung SM951 MZ-HPV2560

You want to get something like this a PCIe card which supports NVMe and SATA 6G

Use the SATA 6G to boot the machine for now and work on finding an AHCI blade - you can get them on eBay for £60 - $70. That should get you up around 1200/1200. To get much faster you'll need a bifurcation controller.

Its better to go with this:
https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-Predator-SHPM2280P2H-240G/dp/B00V01C4RK/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512039533&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=kingston+hyperx+predator+m.2+240gb+ssd

Works perfectly as boot device in my mac pro 2009.

Im not sure a dongle will support handoff (https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/95rtwj/best_usb_wifibluetooth_combo_adapter_for/)

I think your best bet is to go with a replacement card off of amazon/ebay (https://www.amazon.ca/Apple-Airport-Extreme-802-11n-Mb988z/dp/B003U61UIM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mac+pro+wifi&qid=1566663118&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

Thanks for the info, I think I'll just turn off FileVault and get the RX 580, think I can live without the boot screen too...

Is this the card to get? https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11265-05-20G-Backplate-Graphics-Graphic/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8/

Thanks!

Honestly, this one is easier to follow! As for USB, I'm pretty sure this is the card I'm using right now.. Sonnet also has a few PCIe products specifically designed for the Mac Pro, but they are more expensive.

There's a really neat filter on Amazon for them.

Here it is.

It's easier to keep the dust from entering, vs blowing it out.

When I worked for Apple we preferred to use either an electronics vacuum or compressor due to condensation risks from canned air. You will not find canned air in any Genius Room.

Not sure if the actual 5,1 is the same, but my 4,1 is only sata2, if you want an SSD, I'd recommend sticking it on a pcie card, hang on, I'll check my Amazon history and see if I can see the one I got from there ... Can't get history back that far but think this is it, means it'll go rather faster
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FVXMGTY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_noudBbK141HGK

Or would something like this work if I keep the 8800GT in there?

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-DisplayPort-Active-Adapter-Converter/dp/B00A493CNY

Or a KVM Switch like this?

https://www.amazon.com/LINDY-Port-4K-DisplayPort-Switch/dp/B00ZK2S71W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481773724&sr=8-1&keywords=displayport+switch

This is the USB 3.0 card I have. It's inexpensive and works great!

https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00I027GPC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I can find a pretty cheap 580 but the biggest issue I would have and I know this is straight

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Right now my 750 card had 3 regular display ports. The 580 I see has 2 and 1 DVI and 2 HDMI.

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I like having the same connection for all 3 displays so the resolution is identical.

​

Am I a being to OCD?

​

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11265-05-20G-Backplate-Graphics-Graphic/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8

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Is the card I might order.

I have one of these on my 2013. Works like a charm.

I would recommend PCIE flash SSD. It's a lot faster than SATAIII. It will make your mac pro basically as fast as the new macs. Here is what I recommend https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-Predator-SHPM2280P2H-480G/dp/B00V01C6M8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469199233&sr=8-3&keywords=predator+ssd

I bought the rx 580 recently, have same Mac Pro, very happy


Sapphire Technology Technology Radeon 11265-05-20G Pulse RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/ Dual DP OC with Backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card Graphic Cards https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ6FMF8/

I would need a 16 GB DIMM. OWC actually seems to be quite price competitive on those at $94.79. I actually prefer them to Amazon, because Amazon shipping options do not seem to be compatible with my apartment complex. Altho this $60 stick might tempt me:
https://www.amazon.com/Tech-PC3-10600-1333Mhz-MacPro5-MD771LL/dp/B01C7YYR4Q/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1524435846&sr=8-4&keywords=1333+mhz+ddr3+memory+module+16gb&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A677429011

I'll have to call OWC on Monday and see what they have to say.

the biggest limitation IMO is that you're on PCI-e 2.1

here's a list of what you can potentially do:

• CPU: upgrade to Two x 3.46GHz 6-Core 'Westmere' (Intel X5690, 12-Cores, QPI: 6.4GT/s)
  
• RAM: 64GB (8GB* x 8) DDR3 ECC Matched Set
  
• Boot drive: ssd to a PCI-E mSATA one (check for a bootable version; AHCI booting only unless you want to try patching) -- should get you around read/write at 1000mb/sec (cpu limited -- it would go higher on a board/cpu combo that supported PCI-e 3.0/1) -- e.g.,:
  
  • https://www.amazon.com/Lycom-DT-120-PCIe-Adapter-Support/dp/B00MYCQP38
    
  • https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SM951-Internal-Solid-MZHPV256HDGL-00000/product-reviews/B00VELD92U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_kywd?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1&filterByKeyword=mac
    
• any other storage you want for the 4x sata sleds (all sata 2 speeds though)
  
• Gfx: for video cards you can either upgrade yourself or drop a ton of cash and get a current gen, flashed bootable card like http://www.macvidcards.com/store/p44/Nvidia_GTX_Titan_X_12_GB_%28Maxwell%29.html or the 1080 if you want it for gaming instead of work
  
• Wifi: upgrade the wifi/bluetooth card yourself for bluetooth 4.0 and AC and you'll get handoff/continuity support for your phone
  
  
  edit: my opinion on the price -- worth it if you have another $500 to drop on upgrades (you don't have to max it out!)

Would something like this suffice Inateck Superspeed 7 Ports PCI-E to USB 3.0 Expansion Card - 5 USB 3.0 Ports and 2 Rear USB 3.0 Ports Express Card Desktop with 15 Pin SATA Power Connector, Including Two Power Cables (KT5002) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FPIMICA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oOMEDb6Q51NRV

I bought this one for my trash can and it works fine. Remember, that to use an NVME drive in an older MacPros (2013 trash can an the older 2010/2012 silver towers) you have to have updated to High Sierra via the full upgrade package since that package includes a firmware update for the Mac that allows booting from an NVME drive.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CWWAENG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My research has gotten me pointed at this:

http://www.amazon.com/Ports-Inateck-PCI-E-Expansion-Version/dp/B00I027GPC

It appears quite affordable, 4 port, no extra power, should work without drivers on mac side and fine under bootcamp... seems like a solid option. Anyone have any opinions on this or any other cards?


Alternatively http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GRGCV2G/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687722&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00I027GPC&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0G5YNS92XRZZA2KJ0YE3#Ask seems functional for people, but there's less feedback and twice the cost so...

Sure! I’m on mobile, but I can update with links in a bit.

Inateck USB 3.0 PCIe Card - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I027GPC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_ZZRjNez4pYJV7 (works on Sierra on Mac Pro 3,1 despite its description)

Cateck USB 3.0 Hub w/ SD Card Reader - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019E6YVXC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_UOhCABRZkrNCg

eSATA PCIe card (was already installed when I bought it, but I can find the brand)

Blackmagic Intensity HDMI PCIe Card

AMD Radeon 7970 (flashed)

PC10600 DDR3 ECC-Registered 1333MHz. Brand new. Got it on Amazon but sold and shipped by OWC. Link…

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006TEDKF8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one.

That's the problem with these macs... (I have a 4,1 as well)
You may be able to find a wire that will adapt from the sata port to the 8-pin. another option is finding some sort of external psu.

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATPCIEX8ADP-6-Inch-Express-Adapter/dp/B007Y8FSMQ

Personally, I wish someone would manufacture an adapter for a modular power supply that could replace the stock apple one.

This one should work? Lycom DT-120 M.2 PCIe to PCIe 3.0 x4 Adapter (Support M.2 PCIe 2280, 2260, 2242) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MYCQP38/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_F4ThAb08RBF90

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J336WY4/ Just this cable. The two mini 6-pin pci-e connectors plug into the backplane and the standard 8-pin connector plugs into the sapphire card.

This is the RAM I bought.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AN594OK

Sorry for all the confusion. I’m not explaining this as well as I could be. You should purchase 1333MHz ECC RAM, the OWC may work but you shouldn’t risk it. If you are looking to add 2 more sticks of 8GB each for 16GB more, here’s the link to the correct kits.

OWC on Amazon $90: (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01K22UHSK/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1525652826&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1333+mhz+ddr3+mac+pro&dpPl=1&dpID=41ng6tr-Q-L&ref=plSrch)

And cheaper A-Tech from Amazon $60: (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01C7YYR4Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1525652826&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1333+mhz+ddr3+mac+pro)

Would you still get the max speeds of the NVMe drives? I'm slightly suspicious as to how cheap this is compared to this one that was recommended to me

This is my boot drive in my 2012 Mac Pro (5,1):

https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-Predator-SHPM2280P2H-240G/dp/B00V01C4RK/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1492708106&sr=1-5&keywords=pcie+ssd

The SATA ports are limited to 3.0Gbps which is bottleneck because SATA 2.5" SSDs have a transfer rate of 6.0Gbps. Utilizing a PCIe card will give you the fastest possible data transfer speeds. My boot drive has read and write speeds faster than my old 2014 retina MacBook Pro. That was already extremely fast.

It is night and day with a SSD. You will kick yourself for not upgrading sooner.

A USB installer for High Sierra is asking you for a firmware update? Honestly I am not sure what might be wrong there, I would start googling for anything similar. Dumb question: have you plugged the mac pro into ethernet so it can download the update?

Google results:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/10-13-6-installer-wont-let-me-do-firmware-update.2127317/

Its really odd given that you were already running High Sierra. Make sure you aren't using the new file format on the boot drive, that might help.


>If there are no bootscreens then how are we supposed to upgrade the damn thing to Mojave? I thought that we could start the upgrade process with the GT120 and then proceed afterwards with a Metal card.

Yes, thats the rub with Mojave. You'll only get boot screens with a card that is both metal enabled and a mac edition card. Here is the list. Otherwise you can do the update with any other metal enabled GPU but you'll have to do it blind and you'll never have bootscreens again. This is why sticking to High Sierra is a safer option.


Also: This is the USB 3.0 card I have. I had some troubles with it on Windows 10 but manually installed a driver and it seems to be fine now.