Mac Pro 3,1 currently running HS...

[amstel78]

As the title states, my Mac Pro 3,1 is currently on 10.13.6 courtesy of @dosdude1's patch. I'm using an AMD 7950 GPU which for the most part works, although I run into the occasional red screen when viewing PDFs, etc. What I'd like to know is, if I purchase a GTX 680 that's been flashed to work with a Mac, can I replace my 7950 with the 680 and have it boot into my current install?

I'm not sure how to remove the AMD legacy patch that was installed with the patcher so don't know if this will work.

Essentially, I'd like to upgrade my current OS to the next version without having to do a clean install and re-patch.

FWIW, I'm also running HFS+ on a 1TB SSD.

 

[joevt]

If you installed the legacy video drivers then you need to reinstall the OS over the current installation to properly use the 680. The process is painless, and shouldn't effect your data or most of your preferences (don't erase the partition and don't do a clean install).

You'll probably want a clean install on APFS when installing Mojave or Catalina (Mojave works on HFS+ but requires APFS to get updates; Catalina requires APFS but doesn't get updates).

 

[amstel78]

Can you elaborate more on the updates? I know with HS and HFS+, running an update from the Apple store borks the system and I usually have to restore from a time machine back up. I figured the same would be true of later releases, so I'm prepared to use Dosdudes APFS patch as well should I do a clean install.

 

[joevt]

Can you elaborate more on the updates? I know with HS and HFS+, running an update from the Apple store borks the system and I usually have to restore from a time machine back up. I figured the same would be true of later releases, so I'm prepared to use Dosdudes APFS patch as well should I do a clean install.

I don't know about the App Store updates borking the system in High Sierra.

I was talking about system updates like security updates or updates to newer versions of macOS for Mojave and Catalina. They don't appear for patched OS so no borking will occur. If you want updates, you need to download new full installer and install over your current system (or maybe the updates can be manually downloaded and applied instead of using App Store or Software Update?).

 

[amstel78]

I'm referring to the OS security updates, etc from the Apple store. I tried twice to install on HS with HFS+ and it trashed the system.