Finally taking the dive and setting up a Windows 10 install on my 4,1 upgraded to the 5,1 firmware. I have a few questions I'm hoping to get some clarifications on before I get started. First, the setup I'm working with, and a bit about where I'd like to end up when done.
What I have currently:
cMP (Early 2009)
Boot ROM v. 144.0.0.0.0
Two Quad-Core Xeon 2.26 GHz (intending to upgrade this to the 6-core 3.46 GHz Xeon following these updates)
XFX Radeon RX580 in PCI slot 1
original bluetooth, no wifi
Drives:
AHCI adapter in PCI slot 3, 500 GB APFS SSD booting Mojave 10.14.6 (main boot drive - Apple SSD SM0512F from an older MacBook Pro)
Sata1: 8 TB HDD, Time Machine, HFS+
Sata2: 2 TB HDD, HFS+ bootable High Sierra (kept for safety if something goes wrong on the PCI drive)
Sata3: 256 GB SSD (target for Windows 10, currently blank FAT32)
Sata4: 3 TB HDD, HFS+ storage drive. This also contains the recovery partition from my El Cap install.
Where I want to end up:
-Windows 10 booting from the SSD in Sata3 with full hardware support (GFX running at full speed, bluetooth working so I can keyboard)
-PCI main boot drive updated to Big Sur or Catalina, whichever is most stable for people with equivalent systems.
-Probably a good idea, swap a small SSD in the Sata2 slot that currently runs my High Sierra backup, install Mojave to run as a fail safe in case something goes wrong with PCI drive.
Questions I still have after some browsing:
-What is the best way to install Windows 10 for maximum hardware support, seamless updates, and easy booting between systems? OpenCore or bootcamp Legacy install, since it will be on its own disk? My reading suggests that going legacy there is the hassle of not being able to see the boot screen and so having to pick the OS you want to boot before restart, needing to install from DVD or internal SATA, remove all non-target drives for install, and maybe even some issues with recent windows builds needing an NVRAM reset to boot back to OSX.
-What build of Windows 10 do I need? Everything I read claims that the current Windows 10 build 20H2 is unstable on the cMP 5,1, and that I need to find a build 1909 installer ISO to get a stable install. Is this true or have these issues been worked out? If I don't have a working Windows install somewhere, is there a reliable source for 1909 without taking to the high seas?
Thanks in advance!
What I have currently:
cMP (Early 2009)
Boot ROM v. 144.0.0.0.0
Two Quad-Core Xeon 2.26 GHz (intending to upgrade this to the 6-core 3.46 GHz Xeon following these updates)
XFX Radeon RX580 in PCI slot 1
original bluetooth, no wifi
Drives:
AHCI adapter in PCI slot 3, 500 GB APFS SSD booting Mojave 10.14.6 (main boot drive - Apple SSD SM0512F from an older MacBook Pro)
Sata1: 8 TB HDD, Time Machine, HFS+
Sata2: 2 TB HDD, HFS+ bootable High Sierra (kept for safety if something goes wrong on the PCI drive)
Sata3: 256 GB SSD (target for Windows 10, currently blank FAT32)
Sata4: 3 TB HDD, HFS+ storage drive. This also contains the recovery partition from my El Cap install.
Where I want to end up:
-Windows 10 booting from the SSD in Sata3 with full hardware support (GFX running at full speed, bluetooth working so I can keyboard)
-PCI main boot drive updated to Big Sur or Catalina, whichever is most stable for people with equivalent systems.
-Probably a good idea, swap a small SSD in the Sata2 slot that currently runs my High Sierra backup, install Mojave to run as a fail safe in case something goes wrong with PCI drive.
Questions I still have after some browsing:
-What is the best way to install Windows 10 for maximum hardware support, seamless updates, and easy booting between systems? OpenCore or bootcamp Legacy install, since it will be on its own disk? My reading suggests that going legacy there is the hassle of not being able to see the boot screen and so having to pick the OS you want to boot before restart, needing to install from DVD or internal SATA, remove all non-target drives for install, and maybe even some issues with recent windows builds needing an NVRAM reset to boot back to OSX.
-What build of Windows 10 do I need? Everything I read claims that the current Windows 10 build 20H2 is unstable on the cMP 5,1, and that I need to find a build 1909 installer ISO to get a stable install. Is this true or have these issues been worked out? If I don't have a working Windows install somewhere, is there a reliable source for 1909 without taking to the high seas?
Thanks in advance!
