Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

RAM for Mac Pro 1,1

bunnspecial

bunnspecial

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 3, 2014
8,376
6,511
Kentucky
I know that this has been beaten to death and that one should use "Apple Certified" RAM in the 1,1.

With that said, I have a LOT of DDR-2 ECC Registered RAM with heatsinks. I also picked up a 1,1 cheap, and of course would like to stuff it full of RAM.

I'm digging out some RAM(I do have some IBM SystemX rackmounts that are parts-only and I can also pull RAM from), but am wonder if-for the time belng-the below pictured will work.

IMG_1671.jpg
 
It'll probably work fine as long as it's FB-DIMMS.

I ran 16GB pulled from a server in my 2008 for a while. Lots of work done and zero issues.
 
Thanks-it's labeled PC-2-5300F where I'm assuming that the F is for FB.

It's also keyed differently from regular DDR-2(it's keyed as DDR), which is consistent with all the DDR-2 "server" RAM I've encountered.
 
These are good, but small. I used them when I bought my 1st MP in 2006 with stunning 1GB of RAM.
 
I'm happy to report that the two Hynix modules above are installed and working perfectly.

I guess that when folks talked about heatsinks on these, I didn't really appreciate how big the stock MP heatsinks are.

The computer currently has 2x2gb and 6x512mb. I think I have enough registered ECC to load it up with 1gb modules-I guess maybe I should transplant the stock heatsinks. Either that, or just be content with 7gb of RAM :)

BTW, I have a LOT more experience with G5s than I do MPs(this is my first MP). Does the RAM have to be paired as in a G5?

I do have to say that it's a nice change to be able to pop off the side panel without having the computer freak out as in the G5, as well as how much quieter it is.
 
bunnspecial said:
I'm happy to report that the two Hynix modules above are installed and working perfectly.

I guess that when folks talked about heatsinks on these, I didn't really appreciate how big the stock MP heatsinks are.

The computer currently has 2x2gb and 6x512mb. I think I have enough registered ECC to load it up with 1gb modules-I guess maybe I should transplant the stock heatsinks. Either that, or just be content with 7gb of RAM :)

BTW, I have a LOT more experience with G5s than I do MPs(this is my first MP). Does the RAM have to be paired as in a G5?

I do have to say that it's a nice change to be able to pop off the side panel without having the computer freak out as in the G5, as well as how much quieter it is.
Click to expand...
The 512's tend to be older, run much warmer and use what seems like a lot watts for DIMM - and you do not from what I have seen using FBDIMMs over the last (nearly) 9 years, to get above 70-72*C. All the newest ones I buoght (2x2GB $23) on Amazon and have the large heat sink, run at 59*C. I use to boost fans to help get airflow into the chamber with Risers to keep them just to keep from getting above 72. Below what the original Apple Dev Doc called for.

People around the forum talk of using 667MHz in a 2008 because they run cooler, still work.

The ideal configuration, because of the way DIMM slots are shared and increase latency was to not use slots 3&4 if possible, or to use all 8 slots.
 
IowaLynn said:
The 512's tend to be older, run much warmer and use what seems like a lot watts for DIMM - and you do not from what I have seen using FBDIMMs over the last (nearly) 9 years, to get above 70-72*C. All the newest ones I buoght (2x2GB $23) on Amazon and have the large heat sink, run at 59*C. I use to boost fans to help get airflow into the chamber with Risers to keep them just to keep from getting above 72. Below what the original Apple Dev Doc called for.

People around the forum talk of using 667MHz in a 2008 because they run cooler, still work.

The ideal configuration, because of the way DIMM slots are shared and increase latency was to not use slots 3&4 if possible, or to use all 8 slots.
Click to expand...

Thanks-I'll probably stick in two 1gbs where I have the 512mbs now, and leave it be at 8gb. Honestly, I can't imagine doing anything where I need that much RAM(although admittedly my main MBP has 16gb and my main G5 has 10gb).

I'm still waiting on Apple to send my download code for Lion(does it really take 24h to send an email?) so I can do a fresh install, and am going to try to get the Mavericks hack to work. The computer came with a second aftermarket nVidia video card(can't remember the number) that I need to research and see if it will work in Mavericks.

By the way, I have three G5s(including the "big daddy" liquid cooled Quad) and now this Mac Pro. Carrying it in from the car today had me cursing Johnny Ive, as I seem to do every time I move one of these any significant distance. I was carrying it one handed as I was carrying other things, and the sharp edges on the handle about cut my fingers off :) . I've "two fisted" G3/G4 towers on a BUNCH of occasions and don't have any issues carrying them one handed thanks the rounded handles. The G5/Mac Pro handles are a different story.
 
I'm rolling now with a fresh Snow Leopard install(currently downloading updates). I also swapped out the two 512s I installed earlier for two 1gb modules.

I wish that Apple would get my Lion code to me so that I could at least install it.

I'm also anxious to play around with getting Mavericks installed.
 
It's a great machine to own, I myself had a bunch of G5's including the Quad and they can't compare to a mac pro in power and reliability. I currently have OSX 10.6-10.10 installed on mine and they all work quite reliably. The main OS though I use is 10.10 and is runs just as fast as on my macbook pro early 2011 13 inch. Enjoy the machine!
 
Ih8reno said:
It's a great machine to own, I myself had a bunch of G5's including the Quad and they can't compare to a mac pro in power and reliability. I currently have OSX 10.6-10.10 installed on mine and they all work quite reliably. The main OS though I use is 10.10 and is runs just as fast as on my macbook pro early 2011 13 inch. Enjoy the machine!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I was actually really excited earlier this evening when I noticed that the hard drive connectors on the logic board were SAS connectors. I wasted no time in breaking down some 15K SAS from SystemX sleds and installing them, but couldn't get the computer to boot and the drives(known good) seemed dead. I then found out that I needed the Apple RAID card to use the SAS drives.

I have to admit that I'm tempted to put three 15K SAS drives in Raid 0 and compare the speed of them to the SSD.

I also need to get the proper mounting hardware for the SSD, as it's sort of just hanging there now.
 
The XP941 I have is in 8x slot with Lycom adapter. No noise small and 800MB per sec. Back G4 days was 15K all the way, then 10K Raptor followed by Velociraptor. No looking or g back or those e expensive Granite Digital cables, active terminator added expense.

An SSD or blade was biggest improvement. And no love for Apple RAID. Unless nostalgia to hear SAS/SCSI platters @15k
 
IowaLynn said:
An SSD or blade was biggest improvement. And no love for Apple RAID. Unless nostalgia to hear SAS/SCSI platters @15k
Click to expand...

I have an old G3 server with 3 10K 68 pin UW drives-I'll fire it up if I want a computer that sounds like a chain saw :)

Fair enough-my SAS drives aren't that big, and I could buy another SSD with only a little bit less capacity for what the Apple RAID card would cost.
 
I(finally) got Lion downloaded and the USB disk made. I'm installing on the MP now.

BTW, I made the USB disk on my recently acquired mid-2012 MBP, which is the first computer I've owned with USB 3.0. I also always buy USB 3.0 drives, as the IT store at school stocks Kingston brand ones cheap($8 for 8gb) and of course it's a lot more convenient to get there than driving to Office Depot, etc.

In any case, I was blown away by how fast Lion Disk Maker was able to write to the flash drive. The drive also got incredibly hot in the process, but I guess that's to be expected.

Now I just get to tinker with putting Mavericks on it :)
 
Try osxhackers macpostfactor install method. Version 1.0 was just released today in fact.
 
Ih8reno said:
Try osxhackers macpostfactor install method. Version 1.0 was just released today in fact.
Click to expand...

Thanks-I may tackle it tonight depending on how ambitious I get. I do have a new Digital Audio that I need to spend some time running Disk Warrior on to try and salvage the HDD. Of course, installing Mavericks would be a much better use of my time :)
 
Ih8reno said:
get a newer graphics card and run Yosemite
Click to expand...

I don't want to run Yosemite :)

I've had it on my white Macbook(mid-2009, officially supported) since the Public Beta period. I also recently bought a mid-2012 15" Classic and the seller installed it before shipping. I gave it an honest try for about 3 days, and then installed Mavericks. I still have Yosemite installed on the mid-2012 still, but it's mostly so that I can play with Office 2016.

At this point, I have three more computers that can officially run Yosemite(late 2011 13" that was my main computer before the 15" and still used a lot because I haven't migrated everything I need yet, plus a pair of early '08 MBPs) and haven't let Yosemite anywhere near them.

In all honesty, Mavericks does everything I want, and there really aren't enough new features in Yoesemite to make me overlook the new aesthetics. Handoff is of no use to me since I don't use iWork and can't imagine creating a document on my iPhone. The only thing I really like is the ability to send SMS messages from Messages, but most of the people I talk to have iPhones anyway so it's not a huge deal.

On an unrelated note, Macpostfactor lists compatiblity with the MP 2,1 but not the 1,1. Is this truly the case? BTW, I do have a PC graphics card with an NVIDIA GPU that's supposed to be supported(it came with the computer). I'm hoping this will work for Mavericks.
 
I'm trying to remember which method i used for the Mavericks install but am not 100% sure if it was the macpostfactor method or not... In any case it worked with 10.8 with the original apple card I had installed.
 
bunnspecial said:
On an unrelated note, Macpostfactor lists compatiblity with the MP 2,1 but not the 1,1. Is this truly the case?
Click to expand...
Mac Pro 1,1 and 2,1 are the same besides firmware and smc versions, so basically everything related to the 2,1 applies to the 1,1 as well.
 
bunnspecial said:
On an unrelated note, Macpostfactor lists compatiblity with the MP 2,1 but not the 1,1. Is this truly the case? BTW, I do have a PC graphics card with an NVIDIA GPU that's supposed to be supported(it came with the computer). I'm hoping this will work for Mavericks.
Click to expand...

You don't need any "****postfactors". Just use SFOTT or make installer using Hennessie's guide (will work for Mavericks with minor changes). Or just use Mavs compatible Mac to remote install. See Mavericks and Yosemite on 1,1/2,1 threads. All info and links to needed files is there.
 
666sheep said:
You don't need any "****postfactors". Just use SFOTT or make installer using Hennessie's guide (will work for Mavericks with minor changes). Or just use Mavs compatible Mac to remote install. See Mavericks and Yosemite on 1,1/2,1 threads. All info and links to needed files is there.
Click to expand...

I have read a trick that involved installing via TDM from a supported Mac and changing the boot.efi file.

The TDM trick is not at all unfamiliar to me since I've lost count of how many times I've used it to install Leopard on "unsupported" G4s(Leopard will run on any AGP-based G4, but Apple put an arbitrary 867mhz limit on it and bypassing the installer check is all that's required to get it to run).

In any case, I'll spend some time reading the Mavericks/Yosemite threads, which I've skimmed but not read in detail and decide which option I want to use.
 
That pair of RAM will work. However, RAM for the model 1,1 so very low priced these days. You can get 16GB for $75 and 32GB for $150. You might as well pick up an entire matching set.
 
bunnspecial said:
I'm happy to report that the two Hynix modules above are installed and working perfectly.

I guess that when folks talked about heatsinks on these, I didn't really appreciate how big the stock MP heatsinks are.

The computer currently has 2x2gb and 6x512mb. I think I have enough registered ECC to load it up with 1gb modules-I guess maybe I should transplant the stock heatsinks. Either that, or just be content with 7gb of RAM :)

BTW, I have a LOT more experience with G5s than I do MPs(this is my first MP). Does the RAM have to be paired as in a G5?

I do have to say that it's a nice change to be able to pop off the side panel without having the computer freak out as in the G5, as well as how much quieter it is.
Click to expand...


hi bunns,

i just posted a thread on this ...then i stumbled upon your thread..... as such i believe m=that the rams which i am querying should work!

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/will-these-rams-work-in-mac-pro-1-1.1940731/

i can see that you are still hunting for PPCs:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back