Help with Ram & Video Card (old mac pro)

Question

demongib Author

Level 1

8 points

Help with Ram & Video Card (old mac pro)

Hi there!

I'm in need for help about my "old" mac pro 8-core xeon 5500 3rd gen (early 2009).

I have just upgraded it to El Captain 10.11.6 and everything works relatively fine.

I would like to upgrade the RAM to 16gb and change the video card to something more recent with at least 1gb ram on it.

This mac was sitting in a corner for a while due a recent relocation in London and I chose to give a try and keep using it.
At the moment I have the following configuration :

I went to the apple store in Covent Garden here in London and they told me to check on the Crucial website which ram I have to buy using their tool to find the exact model I need.

Well.. I did it.. and the webpage didn't suggest me any ram, only SSD drives.

I tried the same tool on other macs I have (iMac and macbook pro) and it worked.

So my fear is that they (crucial) don't have any RAM in stock for my specific model.

Do you know what version should I buy and where ? (amazon ?)

The same is for the video card, I would like to upgrade to another card with at least 1gb of ram on it.

This mac will be used mainly as Adobe Creative station for Photoshop / Lightroom / InDesign.

Thank you in advance and I really hope you can help me. (even the guys at the apple store told me to ask here..)

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), mac pro 8-core xeon 5500 3rd gen

Posted on Aug 31, 2016 3:55 PM

Reply

Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,519 points

Sep 1, 2016 9:34 AM in response to demongib

User Tip: Mac Pro silver tower (2006-2012) Replacement Graphics cards

Since it appears you have a working graphics card you can purchase a PC graphics card since those are less expensive than a Mac card. The problem with PC cards is the they only show something on the screen after the drivers load which is right before the login screen. Thus, you can't use special startups like Recovery, Boot Manager screen since nothing shows on the screen.

Macs are picky about memory so you have to get memory from a place that guarantees it will work with you Mac like

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/Mac-Pro-Memory#1066-memory

Reply

Answer 2

Sep 1, 2016 9:34 AM in response to demongib

Due to the age of the classic Mac Pro very few memory sellers list it as a model any more. OWC as suggested by Illaass do but they are based in the US and you appear to be based in the UK making it a less than desirable choice.

I found these sources -

https://www.mrmemory.co.uk/memory-ram-upgrades/apple/mac-pro/2009-first-released ?gclid=Cj0KEQjwo5--BRCS8ceLjv-XppUBEiQAGp15EJbE81o2**1vM4oVnr6o59iRgD62I-OH5l98F rr26ccaAgc18P8HAQ

https://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/machine.php?name=mac-pro-nehalem#ram

With regards to video cards, in general Adobe software works best with Nvidia cards rather than AMD cards. The last Nvidia card that was officially released as a Mac version was the GTX-680 which is still a reasonable card. It is possible to get a PC version of the GTX-680 and 'flash' it yourself to include Mac firmware. This will allow it to work in pre-boot stages thereby allowing you to use the RecoveryHD partition, use FileVault, use the option key to select boot drives, etc.

Without Mac firmware it is still possible to use this card but you will not see anything on screen until the Mac has finished booting.

The same situation applies to newer Nvidia cards although for newer cards there is no option to DIY flash it with Mac firmware. Currently you have to buy these cards specially modified to add Mac firmware from MacVidCards. MacVidCards are based in the US and this makes this horrendously expensive for UK purchasers. They do now have a UK agent selling their cards but frankly they are still almost as expensive as importing one yourself from MacVidCards in the US.

See http://www.macstoreuk.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=63

The GTX-980Ti is currently the top Mac compatible model, they have not yet 'converted' the newer 1080 model.

The GTX 680 and higher can do not only 4K resolution but the 970 and higher can even do 5K with the Dell 5K monitor.

Note: The HDMI port on these new Nvidia cards even though it is HDMI 2.0 does not work in HDMI 2.0 mode on a Mac so if you want to drive a 4K TV via HDMI your only option is to get an active Mini Displayport to HDMI 2.0 adapter like this - http://www.club-3d.com/index.php/products/reader.en/product/mini-displayport-12- to-hdmi-20-uhd-active-adapter.html

Reply

Answer 3

demongib Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 1, 2016 4:49 PM in response to lllaass

Thank you lllaass!

I'm based in UK, so using that website is not an option for me unfortunately.

But definitely it will help me to dig more the web to find out what I need.

Regarding the video card it's not a big issue.. if I need to use any pre-boot tool, I can plug-in the current card and go for it.

Do you have any suggestion for a decent video card without spending a lot?
It's still a very good machine, but I will use it mainly as 2nd workstation and I guess the next MacOS will not be supported, therefore it looks like this is its last upgrade.

Thank you!

Reply

Answer 4

demongib Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 1, 2016 4:58 PM in response to John Lockwood

Thank you John, I really appreciate your exhaustive reply! 🙂

Unfortunately I don't have any clue on how to flash a video card, never done it and I don't have the experience in doing that..

Regarding the RAMs, those links seem ok! I'll have a look and buy up to 16gb, to give some fresh air to the big boy.

Is it better 4 X 4gb or 2 x 8gb ? is it the same ?

About the video card, well.. apart the flashing thing, those two cards (especially the 980) are way too expensive for what I though. Probably the 680 is still in the reasonable area.

The thing is that this mac is old, and probably el Captain will be the last upgrade.

Thank you!

Reply

Answer 5

lllaass

Level 10

210,519 points

Sep 2, 2016 1:04 AM in response to demongib

You asked: "Is it better 4 X 4gb or 2 x 8gb ? is it the same ?".

Really not difference. Memory access is slightly faster is you use three modules since triple-channel mode is used. See:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/faq/mac-pro-early-2009-nehalem-how -to-upgrade-memory.html

SOme video cards are very easy to flash but frequently require using Windows. You can Google Flashing for specific cards.

Reply