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Is there any way to update the hardware on my mac pro (mid 2010) to support Catalina?

I have a Mac Pro (mid 2010) 5.1 that I would like to continue using, but I cannot update it to the latest version (Catalina).

Is there a way I can update the firmware/hardware to support Catalina?

Posted on Jul 7, 2020 7:06 PM

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Posted on Jul 8, 2020 5:48 AM

Catalina has the same hardware requirements as Mojave. The problem is security: Apple is unable to keep the 5,1 patched and chose to exclude it from receiving Catalina upgrades/updates. More specifically, Intel has stopped supplying microcode patches for CPUs that old so the Mac Pro 5,1 remains vulnerable to Meltdown/Spectre type exploits. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210107

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Jul 8, 2020 5:48 AM in response to djwilson2

Catalina has the same hardware requirements as Mojave. The problem is security: Apple is unable to keep the 5,1 patched and chose to exclude it from receiving Catalina upgrades/updates. More specifically, Intel has stopped supplying microcode patches for CPUs that old so the Mac Pro 5,1 remains vulnerable to Meltdown/Spectre type exploits. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210107

Jul 9, 2020 7:30 AM in response to Eau Rouge

Then please correct me instead of giving indignant one-liners. Bonus points for including a source I can share to give better answers in the future.


Unlike Sierra (SSE4 CPUs) or Mojave (Metal GPUs) no new hardware requirements have been discovered, true?

Apple reported they were unable to patch the 5,1 for Meltdown and/or Spectre because of a lack of Intel microcode, true?

Apple chose to drop for the 5,1 from the list of supported models and block downloads/installs, true?


There might be additional reasons the 5,1 was dropped, but what if anything I posted was incorrect?

Is there any way to update the hardware on my mac pro (mid 2010) to support Catalina?

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