MP All Models 4,1 flashed to 5,1 MP EFI 1.5 feedback

[simon5413]

I'm troubleshooting an AHCI issue and in so doing have discovered I apparently need to update my firmware on my 2009 MP (flashed from 4 to 5,1) from 1.39f5 to 1.5. I'm looking for feedback from people with the same setup who have done this in High Sierra and enjoyed "GREAT SUCCESS", or cautions from the same kind of people?

Since the problem I'm troubleshooting is not really affecting my primary use of the machine, I'm a bit apprehensive of doing a firmware update unless it's totally kosher (as projects loom that require my use of this machine). Since my machine is old and wasn't originally a 5,1 machine to begin with, I just want to make sure doing this upgrade is not going to screw me over with some even minor potential of disabling the dang thing.

I'm running 10.13.6 and got hit with the firmware update requirement when trying to install 10.13.6 for backup-drive purposes.

Side note: the AHCI problem i'm running into is that I can't get any SATA host card to recognize any drives... I'm wondering if it's a corrupted driver, hence the OS reinstall efforts.

 

[simon5413]

Clarification, I have this

MP51.0087.B00

And I believe I need to update to this

MP51.007F.B03

 

[tsialex]

MacPro5,1 BootROM releases, from the oldest EFI update, MP51.007F.B03, to the newest, 144.0.0.0.0:​

​

BootROM Version	Released with:	Type:	Note:
MP51.007F.B03	Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5	General release	First public released Mac Pro 5,1 firmware update, BootPicker improvements, microcodes vulnerable to Spectre and Meltdown - this is the first and oldest BootROM upgrade ever released by Apple for MacPro5,1
MP51.0083.B00	10.13 DP5	Beta	Beta APFS support, microcodes vulnerable to Spectre and Meltdown
MP51.0084.B00	10.13 DP6 and 10.13.0	General release	Initial APFS support, microcodes vulnerable to Spectre and Meltdown
MP51.0085.B00	10.13.4 and Mojave DP1 to DP3	General release	APFS support, microcodes vulnerable to Spectre and Meltdown
MP51.0087.B00	10.13.5	General release	Missing microcodes and bricks the Mac Pro if you boot UEFI installed Windows 10, forever disables the power on chime
MP51.0089.B00	10.13.6	General release	Spectre/Meltdown mitigated microcodes on the April 2 Microcode Update Guidance.
138.0.0.0.0	10.14 DP7 and 10.14.0	General release	5GT/s support for every PCIe 2.0 card
139.0.0.0.0	10.14.1 DP1	Beta	Minor updates and corrections
140.0.0.0.0	10.14.1 DP3 and 10.14.1 to 10.14.4	General release	Native NVMe boot support, several minor updates and corrections (NVMe is not stable/several bugs found)
141.0.0.0.0	10.14.4 DP2	Beta	Minor updates and corrections
142.0.0.0.0	10.14.4 DP4 and 10.14.5 DP1	Beta	Updated APFSJumpStart EFI module - W3xxx Xeon bricker. This BootROM version was never released outside betas.
144.0.0.0.0	10.14.5 DP4 and 10.14.5	General release	Lot's of corrections, booting improvements, works with W3xxx Xeons. This is the current BootROM release

Downgrades are not allowed, you will never do it

 

[tsialex]

I'm troubleshooting an AHCI issue and in so doing have discovered I apparently need to update my firmware on my 2009 MP (flashed from 4 to 5,1) from 1.39f5 to 1.5.

1.39f5 is the SMC firmware release. MacPro5,1 SMC firmware is not upgradeable.

You are mixing the SMC firmware with the BootROM firmware. These are two completely different things.

Since the problem I'm troubleshooting is not really affecting my primary use of the machine, I'm a bit apprehensive of doing a firmware update unless it's totally kosher (as projects loom that require my use of this machine). Since my machine is old and wasn't originally a 5,1 machine to begin with, I just want to make sure doing this upgrade is not going to screw me over with some even minor potential of disabling the dang thing.

Just from the cross-flashing to MP5,1 process alone you will brick it, since the MP4,1 NVRAM volume is EXTREMELY susceptible to corruption.

To make matters worse, you have a hybrid with the worst/buggiest ever BootROM release installed. An early-2009 cross flashed to MacPro5,1 firmware running MP51.0087.B00 is a disaster/brick incoming.

Side note: the AHCI problem i'm running into is that I can't get any SATA host card to recognize any drives... I'm wondering if it's a corrupted driver, hence the OS reinstall efforts.

You will only reinstall High Sierra if you upgrade to MP51.0089.B00 first, it's a requirement. Look at the historic BootROM releases table.

Clarification, I have this

MP51.0087.B00

And I believe I need to update to this

MP51.007F.B03

No, MP51.007F.B03 is four EFI releases and 7+ years older than your currently installed one.

You need to UPGRADE your BootROM to MP51.0089.B00, see the link below, and not to DOWNGRADE to MP51.007F.B03.

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (BootROM upgrade instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

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