| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
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I have read reports that with Dual Processor Mac Pro's the RAM only goes to 1333Mhz if the processor is X5680 or better. Not sure yet if that applies to Single Processor Mac Pros too. I will report the outcome and update this entry once I have installed the X5675 CPU.
This is a list of Intel Processors which will fit the Mac Pro 4.1/5.1
X5650 2.66Ghz
X5660 2.80Ghz
X5670 2.93Ghz
X5675 3.06Ghz
X5680 3.33Ghz
X5690 3.46Ghz
W3680 3.33Ghz
W3690 3.46Ghz
My Mac Pro has a Single Processor, things are a bit more complicated for Dual Processor versions. It's easy to change from single to dual, or vice-versa by replacing the processor tray. I don't feel the need to go to that extent, I am only using it to process still images and the occasional time-lapse video.
I am fitting the six core X5675 3.06Ghz CPU, a compromise between cost and performance. The prices rise pretty quickly for the X5680 and above and I'm not sure that processor speed is the main ingredient for powerful computing, I think the extra two cores and the fact that they are divisible by three makes a big difference to processing output. I am convinced that is why the six and twelve core CPU's perform better pro-rata than the four and eight Core equivalent.
To install the 5.1 firmware an utility installer is needed. It can be downloaded by clicking the link below:
http://forum.netkas.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=852.0;attach=645
Alternatively it can be found in the first post of this thread. (Posted by the creator of the utility and should really be read and absorbed before embarking on this project):
http://forum.netkas.org/index.php?PHPSESSID=vg5mha78fnft8fos0p5872jhshudn1ok&topic=852.0
You also need the Apple firmware update file which must be downloaded and unzipped from the Apple website here:
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1321?locale=en_US
The install utility is intended to access the update itself, directly from the Apple site but Apple have changed the location of the file so the utility can no longer find it. The solution is to place Apple's firmware update file on the desktop and open it to reveal the package on the desktop. The utility will then see the file and install it. This firmware update is reversible using the utility, but only back to the original factory firmware. It's advisable to read up on this before actually flashing the ROM of your machine.
One of the obstacles I encountered is Apples new System Integrity Protection (SIP) which was introduced in El Capitan. It prevents people (good or bad) messing with the inner workings of the system. This can be disabled temporally or permanently but I am not comfortable using Terminal, especially messing with the SIP so I took the simpler route and loaded Mavericks (OS 10.9). With Mavericks the firmware update worked exactly as expected. All the user instructions are with the software, it's a pretty simple process.
These are the screenshots of the before and after flashing the new 5.1 firmware update. There is a small performance improvement just with this. My machine was actually made in the second week of June 2010, so it must be one of the last 4.1's made.
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Robert.