(Part 2) Top products from r/macpro

Actually a bit difficult because interestingly many of the current NVMEs were originally manufactured under the same name as AHCI based formats. You just need to pay very close attention and make sure the SSD is clearly labeled as AHCI, not NVME.

The Samsung SM951 I just mentioned is a good example:

SAMSUNG SM951 MZHPV256HDGL M.2 256GB Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VELDBJ6/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_tai_4E1hAbDDNGXVE

There is likely a list of the exact model numbers, but I haven’t seen it.

Edit: They are actually easy to spot... the 512GB models run between $400-500. ;)

Easiest cheapest upgrade is the SSD. Any M2 SSD apart from the EVO 9x PLUS will do the job and you'll need an adapter like this.

The trashcan like the Mac Pro is PCIe 2.0 so the max you'll get is 1500/1500, but that's 3x faster than the SSD it shipped with.

Edit: Prioritise size over speed because of the PCIe speed limitation. You don't need to throw down $$ for the top performing device.

Here's some other handy info:-

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-page/2016/2/21/what-can-you-upgrade-on-a-mac-pro-61-late-2013-trashcan

It's a great machine and can easily outpace the current generation midrange laptops. Ignore everyone getting snooty about the cheesegrater cMPs.

I had a similar setup, but what I ended up doing is sort of the opposite of what you are asking. I passed through the onboard SATA controller directly to the FreeNAS VM and added in this card to use as the boot device. From what I remember, ESXi 6.5 will boot this card natively. ESXi 6.0 requires you to add a VIB to the install media. macOS will also boot from this card (the drives on it show as external though).

I have 1 SSD on the card as a boot device and I ran a SATA cable from the card to the second optical bay so I could put a device there as well. I bought a SATA power y splitter and trimmed one of the ends so it would fit on the existing power connector.

I since gave up on ESXi for my uses as I couldn't get it to play nice with GPU passthrough. I also was seeing some odd error messages in the logs which I attributed to the fact that I was running ESXi 6.5 (6.5 isn't certified for the 5,1 and 6.0 doesn't show the errors). I ended up installing Ubuntu and using ZFS for storage and KVM for virtual machines.

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

1080 WILL need a mini 6-pin to either 6 or 8-pin adapter. Just find out what port is on the card and search that to mini-6pin and that should give you the power cable you need. the Mac Pro has 2 mini-6pin ports so you can have up to two cables

EDIT: looks like the reference 1080 has 1 8-pin port. So you'd need a mini-6pin to 8-pin adapter like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/JacobsParts-Express-6-pin-8-pin-Video/dp/B00OSLGQGE

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!)

Oh yeah, one of these will let you use the regular trays https://www.amazon.com/General-Drive-HDD-Adapter-CADDY/dp/B00F3QFKNS

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)

Damn, thanks for the heads up. I bought this yesterday before watching the vid today TeamProfitcom Dual Mini 6 Pin to 8 Pin PCI Express Video Card Power Adapter Braided Sleeved Cable for Mac Pro Tower/Power Mac G5 15-inches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P82ZH22/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SCHGDbSE12XG5

Seems like it’s all I need, although I’m confused now because in the video he uses two adapters

This is the RAM I bought.

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

I won't be able to answer your first question, but you should contact OWC first and see if they will replace the module. They have a lifetime warranty on RAM (many do) and you should see what they say. Worst they can say is no, which leaves you in your current state.

I just tested and my black OWC heat sink (P/N: OWC1333D3MPE8GB 70587 1214) worked with an A-Tech stick just fine. So I have one OWC and one A-Tech working as a pair, you should be fine. You can get 1333MHz sticks and they will report at 1066MHz no problem, saves you an expense later if you upgrade your processor. So to answer your second question, yes but it needs to be the same size so (4GB or 8GB) and it will be fine. Try and beat this price on eBay, this was the A-Tech I bought off of Amazon for $33 w/ Shipping.

Hope this helps!