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So, who has tried their 5870 in a 2008 or 2006 Mac Pro?
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You are right, MP11.005D.B00 is the later version.
MP11.005C.B08 is the original MP (1,1) version.
Refer to:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1237
"After the firmware is successfully applied to your computer, your BootROM Version will be either:
MP11.005C.B08 or MP21.007F.B06"
http://support.apple.com/downloads/Mac_Pro_EFI_Firmware_Update_1_2
No, MP11.005C.B08 is the latest according to Apple.
Yeah MP11.005D.B00 seems to be some "phantom" undocumented EFI. Which could present a problem **if** it turns out that the 5870 only works on MP11.005D.B00.
OK. Thanks for the clarification!
Yes, that's the serious problem because most 1,1 MPs are MP11.005C.B08... I believe?
I would assume that MP11.005D.B00 is the inital release of the boot rom and not a "un-known" rom, I honestly dont think it would be any diffrence since it mainly addressed fan behaviors and Boot Camp issues, I highly doubt Apple would do something to hinder future graphic card upgrades.
Which brings me to a diffrent topic, wasnt cindori or someone on the forum looking for a way to flash the bootrom on a 2006 MP to bring it to 64Bit EFI?
There's a comment on the OWC blog post by someone who claims to have the supposedly newer Boot ROM in their 1,1 after a logic board replacement. Maybe that explains the discrepancy. barefeats, do you know if your 1,1's logic board was ever replaced? Is it possible to extract your Boot ROM for others to flash with?
My guess is that since that EFI version is undocumented, maybe it was released late in the life cycle of the 2006 model (or for refurbished units) due to Intel manufacturing Xeon CPU's with a revised stepping, and similarly stopping production of the CPU's with the older stepping.
If this is the case, then maybe they saw no need to release a software update for the older units in users' hands because they were using the older stepping, and the new models (2008 line) were coming out soon.
But if it does turn out that only models with MP11.005D.B00 work with the 5870, then what the heck did Apple do with that EFI?
That could be true too.
If this is the case, then maybe they saw no need to release a software update for the older units in users' hands because they were using the older stepping, and the new models (2008 line) were coming out soon.
But if it does turn out that only models with MP11.005D.B00 work with the 5870, then what the heck did Apple do with that EFI?
That could be true too.
MP11.005D.B00
*EDIT*
Hmm.... it's not completely undocumented:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3029
Something about Apple's RAID card not knowing about MP11.005D.B00. They provided an update for the RAID card's firmware so it would work with MP11.005D.B00.
I think that version was the first realease of the boot-rom, in other words, it was already installed on the MP when it came out of the box when the first shippments of MP's started.
True, but I think it's more likely that MP11.005D.B00 is newer because D comes after C.
Also, the RAID card article I linked to mentions that MP11.005D.B00 is also the "latest" firmware:
Yeah. Kinda surprised by the figures. There's obviously a huge bottleneck somewhere, and I can't get my head around it. The differences in CPU cores/clock speed/architecture shouldn't have such a dramatic effect, and my understanding is that there is a negligible difference in performance between a 5870 in a 1.0 slot and a 5870 in a 2.0 slot.
Looking forward to your 5770 benchmarks, barefeats. I was originally holding out for a 5870, but if the performance boost in a 1,1 isn't that much greater than what the 5770 can offer, I'll opt for the 5770 instead and save myself a couple hundred dollars.
Either way, it'll run a bit faster and a hell of a lot cooler than the 8800 GT I'm currently using. That card runs so hot that I could cook an egg on it.
lol this is all so confusing, the RAID card article also mentions that "the latest update is the Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.2. (which are MP11.005C.B08 or MP21.007F.B06 ) However, if your Mac Pro has EFI firmware version MP11.005D.B00, your EFI firmware is up to date, but you may still see this message."
Edit:
My guess is there may be more diffrent MP 1,1 logic boards out there, my main questions are what came before MP11.005C.B08 or MP21.007F.B06, the MP11.005D.B00? or another diffrent one?
Yeah it is confusing.
OK, back on topic.
I WANT MY 5870 APPLE! RELEASE IT ALREADY!
Ditto!
Yeah it is confusing.
OK, back on topic.
I WANT MY 5870 APPLE! RELEASE IT ALREADY!
I am actually starting to wonder which will come out first: The 27" Apple LED Display, or the 5870.
I am starting to place bets in my head on which it will be. I want to give you my money Apple, hurry up!
I am actually starting to wonder which will come out first: The 27" Apple LED Display, or the 5870.
I am starting to place bets in my head on which it will be. I want to give you my money Apple, hurry up!
When is the official date for the release of 5870 and 5770?
They never announced one.
But the 5770 is quoted as "ships in 3-5 weeks" in the US online store, which I believe is down from 5-7 weeks when the 2010 Mac Pro's officially went on sale on Aug 9. So those seem to be on track for mid to late Sept.
5870 is still "unavailable".
Not soon enough.
At least it's not as bad as the 2008 Mac Pros. I remember the GeForce 8800 on mine significantly delayed my order. I was surprised the BTO Mac Pros with the 5870 were shipping on day 1.
The fact that they are unavailable is probably the reason they were shipping on day one. It seems like Apple wants to wait for the orders to die down a bit before they make it available as an upgrade kit. At least that is my best guess as to the reason why it's unavailable.
So everyone needs to stop buying new Mac Pros already!
I already ordered 5770.
It says it will ship on Sept 28th and will arrive on Oct 4.
This is for the Canadian address...
I was wondering for the exact date for US shipping date.