4,1 Mac Pro Questions

jakesaunders27 · Jul 27, 2014

Hi All,
I have a few questions about the 4,1 Mac Pros.

First, how much RAM could it take if flashed to 5,1 and x2 6 core CPUs.

Would this ram work? - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Crucial-6...erComponents_MemoryRAM_JN&hash=item4d21328fff

Secondly would one of the OWC PCI SSDs give a bigger performance boost than a standard SATA SSD? as the 4,1 is only SATA II right?

Finally whats the performance difference like with x2 6 Core 2.93GHz compared to the same but 3.33GHz (or whatever the clock speed is)

Thanks

lexR · Jul 27, 2014

Hi Jake,

i personally went for the X5670 as they gave what i felt was be best performance for the buy it now price, I didn't bother upgrading my RAM as again cost for me didn't warrant it in my applications but I'm sure someone will update you on here as to the max capacity.

The biggest gain i saw was fitting the PCI-e SSD 3, massively speed up everything and i was running a sata 2 SSD before and the leap forward was massive, you can pair them up on one PCI-e and get 800mb/s plus times I've seen people achieve but again that was a cost i could not warrant.

best of luck.

jakesaunders27 · Jul 27, 2014

lexR said:
Hi Jake,

i personally went for the X5670 as they gave what i felt was be best performance for the buy it now price, I didn't bother upgrading my RAM as again cost for me didn't warrant it in my applications but I'm sure someone will update you on here as to the max capacity.

The biggest gain i saw was fitting the PCI-e SSD 3, massively speed up everything and i was running a data 2 SSD before and the leap forward was massive, you can pair them up on one PCI-e and get 800mb/s times I've seen people achieve but again that was a cost i could not warrant.

best of luck.

Wow thanks for all the info will check out the book.

jakesaunders27 · Jul 27, 2014

I would want to keep he machine for some time if I bought one. And finally I assume the CPUs have hyper threading?

lexR · Jul 27, 2014

Thanks, only did the upgrade a month or two back, yes each CPU has hyper threading and turbo boost tech, Intels website is good to get key point about CPU's, but after a lot of researched it really did come down to money, the X5680/90 were seriously higher priced than the X5670 and the performance increase is ok but I seldom make my MP break a sweat unless HD video editing, raw image work etc.

jakesaunders27 · Jul 27, 2014

lexR said:
Thanks, only did the upgrade a month or two back, yes each CPU has hyper threading and turbo boost tech, Intels website is good to get key point about CPU's, but after a lot of researched it really did come down to money, the X5680/90 were seriously higher priced than the X5670 and the performance increase is ok but I seldom make my MP break a sweat unless HD video editing, raw image work etc.

That's great thanks for the info!

Cheers

scottrichardson · Jul 30, 2014

I'd buy a Sonnet Tempo SSD Pro PCIe Card and stick two Samsung SSD's on it in RAID 0 if you want super fast speeds. It will be faster than one PCIe SSD. I was getting 1,022 MB/sec with two SSD 840 Pro 512GB drives.

You could get two 1TB 840 Evo drives to make a 2TB RAID 0 stripe on the Sonnet cart and it would be a screamer!

jakesaunders27 · Jul 30, 2014

scottrichardson said:
I'd buy a Sonnet Tempo SSD Pro PCIe Card and stick two Samsung SSD's on it in RAID 0 if you want super fast speeds. It will be faster than one PCIe SSD. I was getting 1,022 MB/sec with two SSD 840 Pro 512GB drives.

You could get two 1TB 840 Evo drives to make a 2TB RAID 0 stripe on the Sonnet cart and it would be a screamer!

I never thought about that! A 2TB SSD would be amazing! Do you have one of the Sonnet Cards? Does it perform well?

Emen Mali · Aug 2, 2014

I have Sonnet Tempo Pro with two 1tb SSDs (Crucial) as RAID 0, but I'm not getting anywhere need your 1,022MB/sec. Using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, I get 640/write and 720/read. I used Disk Utility to set it up as RAID, any idea what I could do to increase it?

Also after upgrading my MacPro to a Hexcore I'm left with 32gb of RAM (1066mhz) I have 32gb of 1333mhz memory installed. I'd hate to get rid of the 32gb 1066mhz, would mixing the ram speeds make a significant hit on system performance

bxs · Aug 2, 2014

jakesaunders27 said:
Hi All,
I have a few questions about the 4,1 Mac Pros.

First, how much RAM could it take if flashed to 5,1 and x2 6 core CPUs.

Would this ram work? - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Crucial-6...erComponents_MemoryRAM_JN&hash=item4d21328fff

Secondly would one of the OWC PCI SSDs give a bigger performance boost than a standard SATA SSD? as the 4,1 is only SATA II right?

Finally whats the performance difference like with x2 6 Core 2.93GHz compared to the same but 3.33GHz (or whatever the clock speed is)

Thanks

Max RAM = 128 GB (advise OWC RAM kit because that's what I used and have had no issues)

I've used the OWC PCIe SSD and it performs at a higher i/o rate than the SATA SSDs placed in the disk bays..... A more expensive upgrade but well worth it IMO.

Performance difference between the 2.93 and 3.33 is essentially the difference in total GHz. Thus 12 x 2.93 vs. 12 x 3.33 or the 3.33 GHz is some 1.1365 faster than the 2.93 GHz.

I've upgraded three MP4,1 to MP5,1 with the X5670 and X5680 without issues and the Geekbench 3 multi core scores have come out to be over 30,000 for the 3.33 and 27,550 for the 2.93.

RoastingPig · Aug 2, 2014

I used to have x5670's in my Mac Pro ..definitely the way to go because 1 pair is 300$ on eBay. X5680's are more like 500 a pair

lexR · Aug 2, 2014

RoastingPig said:
I used to have x5670's in my Mac Pro ..definitely the way to go because 1 pair is 300$ on eBay. X5680's are more like 500 a pair

Yep that was the reason I went for the X5670's

jakesaunders27 · Aug 2, 2014

Thanks for the info guys! I think I will probably go for the X5670 then.

CASLondon · Aug 2, 2014

Emen Mali said:
I have Sonnet Tempo Pro with two 1tb SSDs (Crucial) as RAID 0, but I'm not getting anywhere need your 1,022MB/sec. Using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, I get 640/write and 720/read. I used Disk Utility to set it up as RAID, any idea what I could do to increase it?

Also after upgrading my MacPro to a Hexcore I'm left with 32gb of RAM (1066mhz) I have 32gb of 1333mhz memory installed. I'd hate to get rid of the 32gb 1066mhz, would mixing the ram speeds make a significant hit on system performance

Don't mix ram, also, optimal ram in this machine is in triple configuration, i.e. 3x4g per CPU for 24g, or use 8g sticks for 48g total. It might feel odd not to fill all the slots, but google the topic.

If you don't want to spend any more money, just run the slower ram, real world difference are not that great. You can always sell the old ram as well.

DPUser · Aug 2, 2014

You might be surprised that 1066 RAM may be 1333 in disguise!

Celedral · Aug 2, 2014

After seeing the new mac pro, I decided to buy a 4,1 and update it to 5,1. Replaced the processor to a 3.3hex, 48gb of ram, GTX 780 Modded, PCI SSD, and USB 3.0. After doing all this, I sold it after finishing one project on it.

It was an awesome machine and incredible to look at internally. I still regret selling it, but I somehow convinced myself to do it. Still don't know why though, but the past is the past.

I think you subconsciously want to get the nMP, I know I did.

jakesaunders27 · Aug 3, 2014

What about graphics cards, I do a bit of video editing in FCPX but I an considering switching to Premiere.

I saw a thread on here where someone put dual 7970s in a MP. Any other suggestions? I suppose if I did go over to Premiere the Quadros would be a good choice because of the CUDA Cores?

Cheers

----------

Celedral said:
After seeing the new mac pro, I decided to buy a 4,1 and update it to 5,1. Replaced the processor to a 3.4hex, 48gb of ram, GTX 780 Modded, PCI SSD, and USB 3.0. After doing tall this, I sold it after finishing one project on it.

It was an awesome machine and incredible to look at internally. I still regret selling it, but I somehow convinced myself to do it. Still don't know why though, but the past is the past.

I think you subconsciously want to get the nMP, I know I did.

Was the 780 you had flashed for mac or was it a stock PC one?

Celedral · Aug 3, 2014

jakesaunders27 said:
What about graphics cards, I do a bit of video editing in FCPX but I an considering switching to Premiere.

I saw a thread on here where someone put dual 7970s in a MP. Any other suggestions? I suppose if I did go over to Premiere the Quadros would be a good choice because of the CUDA Cores?

Cheers

----------

Was the 780 you had flashed for mac or was it a stock PC one?

I had my stock card modded by Macvidcards. You have to be careful as the card I had was not fully compatible, but MVC replaced it with a Rev A. until the issues can be fixed. Haven't heard about this since, so I'm not too sure which models will work now. Maybe anything with the reference design.

On the flip side, the gtx 780 was just absolutely blazing in terms of performance. It's possibly the fastest card you can throw in without external power. I was editing 4k video like a BOSS. Plays back r3d at almost full speed.

I can be certain that the machine I built was better than the new one in almost every way, but still they got me.

jakesaunders27 · Aug 3, 2014

Celedral said:
I had my stock card modded by Macvidcards. You have to be careful as the card I had was not fully compatible, but MVC replaced it with a Rev A. until the issues can be fixed. Haven't heard about this since, so I'm not too sure which models will work now. Maybe anything with the reference design.

On the flip side, the gtx 780 was just absolutely blazing in terms of performance. It's possibly the fastest card you can throw in without external power. I was editing 4k video like a BOSS. Plays back r3d at almost full speed.

I can be certain that the machine I built was better than the new one in almost every way, but still they got me.

That's good to know, nearer the time I get this Mac Pro I will contact MVC and see. What were you using for editing?

Louis Wu · Aug 3, 2014

PCIe SSD alternative

Hi Jake -- after reading comments on the forum boards I'm considering getting one of the Velocity Solo x cards for my 5.1 (I haven't tried it yet myself and can't vouch for it yet).

http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits.html?gclid=CK7bnaGD1bwCFfFDMgod91IACw

Right now I just have an SSD plugged into the lower optical bay SATA cable but as others have noted, it's restricted to SATA2 speeds even though the drive itself is SATA3.

The Veolcity Solo is much cheaper (as a bare bones solution) and allows you to upgrade your SSDs as funds permit and needs arise, though it is not as fast as the OWC.

Be aware that they have different chipsets and the x1 can fit all Pros; the x2 is for 3.1 and above so either is fine for us. Also, it is reported that the x2 blocks 2 slots in the MP so that might be a consideration. Either card allows for another SSD to be piggybacked on the end; you need a SATA date cord and a separate SATA power cord for that.

good luck with your upgrades -- it's fun!

Louis

jakesaunders27 · Aug 3, 2014

Louis Wu said:
Hi Jake -- after reading comments on the forum boards I'm considering getting one of the Velocity Solo x cards for my 5.1 (I haven't tried it yet myself and can't vouch for it yet).

http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits.html?gclid=CK7bnaGD1bwCFfFDMgod91IACw

Right now I just have an SSD plugged into the lower optical bay SATA cable but as others have noted, it's restricted to SATA2 speeds even though the drive itself is SATA3.

The Veolcity Solo is much cheaper (as a bare bones solution) and allows you to upgrade your SSDs as funds permit and needs arise, though it is not as fast as the OWC.

Be aware that they have different chipsets and the x1 can fit all Pros; the x2 is for 3.1 and above so either is fine for us. Also, it is reported that the x2 blocks 2 slots in the MP so that might be a consideration. Either card allows for another SSD to be piggybacked on the end; you need a SATA date cord and a separate SATA power cord for that.

good luck with your upgrades -- it's fun!

Louis

Hi Louis,

Thanks a lot for the info. The Veolicity Solo looks like a good option then. Are they any major differences between the x1 and x2? As I have a 1,1 Mac Pro now so if there's not a lot of difference in speed or whatever I could get one of those now and move it over when I eventually get a 4,1?

Cheers

lexR · Aug 3, 2014

Louis Wu said:
http://www.apricorn.com/products/desktop-ssd-hdd-upgrade-kits.html?gclid=CK7bnaGD1bwCFfFDMgod91IACw

Be aware that they have different chipsets and the x1 can fit all Pros; the x2 is for 3.1 and above so either is fine for us. Also, it is reported that the x2 blocks 2 slots in the MP so that might be a consideration. Either card allows for another SSD to be piggybacked on the end; you need a SATA date cord and a separate SATA power cord for that.

good luck with your upgrades -- it's fun!

Louis

jakesaunders27 said:
Hi Louis,

Thanks a lot for the info. The Veolicity Solo looks like a good option then. Are they any major differences between the x1 and x2? As I have a 1,1 Mac Pro now so if there's not a lot of difference in speed or whatever I could get one of those now and move it over when I eventually get a 4,1?

Cheers

just the chipsets by the sounds, i have the x1 in a MP4.1-5.1 upgrade but wished now i got the x2 as that allow both SSD to mount direct onto the PCI-e adapter.

Celedral · Aug 3, 2014

Using the Adobe Suite along with Davinci Resolve.

flowrider · Aug 3, 2014

Louis Wu said:
Also, it is reported that the x2 blocks 2 slots in the MP so that might be a consideration.

It doesn't. all four of my slots are filled, one of them with a Solo x2 with a Samsung 840 SSD.

Lou

scottrichardson · Aug 3, 2014

Emen Mali said:
I have Sonnet Tempo Pro with two 1tb SSDs (Crucial) as RAID 0, but I'm not getting anywhere need your 1,022MB/sec. Using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, I get 640/write and 720/read. I used Disk Utility to set it up as RAID, any idea what I could do to increase it?

Hmm not entirely sure. But my two SSDs were Samsung SSD 840 Pros, which are a bit faster than the Crucial ones, no? Also, check your RAID settings. When formatting and creating the raid stripe, you can set the strip packet size. I recommend 32KB or 64KB if you want the fastest transfer of large files (I did).

If you want faster transfer of smaller files, set the stripe size to 16KB or 8KB. There will be other members on here who know more about this than I

Hope this helps.

Scottie

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