MP 7,1 Stripped Mac Pro 7,1

[tjh1023]

Hello all,

I am looking for some input, I found A 2019 7,1 Mac Pro but it has been stripped of its internal ssd and GPU. it does have the 12 core 3.3 ghz processor and 128gb ram. Reading about the internal ssd being paired with the t2 chip, it is a no go to add my own nvme sticks to it via an adaptor. I do have a sonnet McFiver which I could put in a pci slot and an older radeon GPU rx 580 8gb. am I understanding my research correctly, everything will work but it will be slower because of not having the ssd paired with the t2 chip.

Thanks

Tim

 

[tsialex]

Hello all,

I am looking for some input, I found A 2019 7,1 Mac Pro but it has been stripped of its internal ssd and GPU. it does have the 12 core 3.3 ghz processor and 128gb ram. Reading about the internal ssd being paired with the t2 chip, it is a no go to add my own nvme sticks to it via an adaptor. I do have a sonnet McFiver which I could put in a pci slot and an older radeon GPU rx 580 8gb. am I understanding my research correctly, everything will work but it will be slower because of not having the ssd paired with the t2 chip.

Thanks

Tim

Won't even power on, the MacPro7,1/8,1 firmware is stored inside the NAND modules that are managed and controlled by the T2/M2.

Install one 0 module or a pair of NAND modules (0+1 of same size) and restore the BridgeOS firmware via DFU with Apple Configurator, then it will power on.

How to Restore BridgeOS on a T2 Mac + Boot a Mac to DFU Mode

macOS Update brick your Mac? This article will show you how boot to DFU Mode and restore BridgeOS on a T2 MacBook Pro, Air, iMac Pro, Mac Mini & Mac Pro!

mrmacintosh.com

 

[Regulus67]

tsialex is correct. But the Restore process can be a bit troublesome.

When it succeeds, and the machine reboots, you have a few options. Install oldest macOS the Apple server will give you, or the latest macOS.
If the install fails, reboot and start the process again. This might take many attempts before it succeeds.

You will not be able to install macOS from a USB stick. Because you have not created an administrator account yet, thus there is no password to allow this.

Be aware that finding a SSD kit is difficult. And you can not use the SSD kits for the iMac Pro, with a metal surface.
The AS Mac Pro SSD kits are also different, and will not fit. They are more squarish, and less rectangular.
But the iMac Pro can use the SSD kits for the 2019 Mac Pro.

1 TB SSD kit

 

[avro707]

But the iMac Pro can use the SSD kits for the 2019 Mac Pro.

I sure hope someone comes up with an aftermarket solution for this.

 

[tjh1023]

tsialex is correct. But the Restore process can be a bit troublesome.

When it succeeds, and the machine reboots, you have a few options. Install oldest macOS the Apple server will give you, or the latest macOS.
If the install fails, reboot and start the process again. This might take many attempts before it succeeds.

You will not be able to install macOS from a USB stick. Because you have not created an administrator account yet, thus there is no password to allow this.

Be aware that finding a SSD kit is difficult. And you can not use the SSD kits for the iMac Pro, with a metal surface.
The AS Mac Pro SSD kits are also different, and will not fit. They are more squarish, and less rectangular.
But the iMac Pro can use the SSD kits for the 2019 Mac Pro.

1 TB SSD kit

Thanks,
I am going to assume then that they don’t make any aftermarket adaptors for the internal ssd’s so you can use a regular nvme ssd like there is for 6,1? Can I bypass the internal and restore to an pci card with nvme ssd?

 

[avro707]

I am going to assume then that they don’t make any aftermarket adaptors for the internal ssd’s so you can use a regular nvme ssd like there is for 6,1? Can I bypass the internal and restore to an pci card with nvme ssd?

That wouldn't work anyway because those SSDs are a very specific design and they are in a very specific location on the machine. Nothing else would fit, quite aside from Apple probably having other designed in restrictions.

Take a look at the Mac Pro 2019 technician manual to see where they are.

The 6,1 doesn't have a T2 chip and has somewhat more space for the SSDs so you can use an adapter and regular NVMEs.

The best hope is someone can create third party kits for the 2019 Mac Pro SSDs. Already elsewhere folks have been doing mods for M1 machines to replace soldered SSDs with modules allowing new ones to easily be added.

 

[tjh1023]

That wouldn't work anyway because those SSDs are a very specific design and they are in a very specific location on the machine. Nothing else would fit, quite aside from Apple probably having other designed in restrictions.

Take a look at the Mac Pro 2019 technician manual to see where they are.

The 6,1 doesn't have a T2 chip and has somewhat more space for the SSDs so you can use an adapter and regular NVMEs.

The best hope is someone can create third party kits for the 2019 Mac Pro SSDs. Already elsewhere folks have been doing mods for M1 machines to replace soldered SSDs with modules allowing new ones to easily be added.

What about using a pcie card like the McFiver in a pcie slot? Could I restore to that till I can find or a solution is figured out for the internal apple ssds?

 

[avro707]

Could I restore to that till I can find or a solution is figured out for the internal apple ssds?

Not possible, because as Alex said above, the 2019 Mac Pro (and the 2023 M2 model) keep their firmware on those Apple modules which are managed by the T2.

So you are stuck until you can get the Apple SSDs.

 

[tjh1023]

Thankfully I don’t have the machine, so like the very low offer I gave for it, with the explanation that there isn’t any internal ssd no gpu and the work needed to try and get it running wasn’t worth what they wanted.

 

[tsialex]

What about using a pcie card like the McFiver in a pcie slot? Could I restore to that till I can find or a solution is figured out for the internal apple ssds?

It's not even SSDs. What you are calling MacPro7,1/MacPro8,1 "SSDs" are just NAND modules without any controller - the controller is the T2 (2019 Mac Pro) and M2 (2023 Mac Pro).

Apple NAND module (or pair of modules) is/are required for the Mac Pro to power on - without it the Mac Pro is just a dead brick.

 

[Regulus67]

Apple NAND module (or pair of modules) is/are required for the Mac Pro to power on - without it the Mac Pro is just a dead brick.

This is so true, unfortunately. Without it, the machine can only be used to salvage parts.
I wonder if the person selling a Mac Pro 7,1 without the SSDs are aware of this? The value basically dropped to zero.

The best hope is someone can create third party kits for the 2019 Mac Pro SSDs. Already elsewhere folks have been doing mods for M1 machines to replace soldered SSDs with modules allowing new ones to easily be added.

I guess the market is to small for anybody to do this.
Because, as you say, there is a third party market for the Mac Studio kits of all generations.

 

[avro707]

The 7,1 is at once the best Mac Pro and one of the worst because of that limitation with storage.

Who comes up with stupid ideas like that?

 

[mattspace]

The 7,1 is at once the best Mac Pro and one of the worst because of that limitation with storage.

Who comes up with stupid ideas like that?

The people who everyone in the Apple media circlejerk keep proclaiming are behind the "Mac Renaissance".

 

[mattspace]

The people who everyone in the Apple media circlejerk keep proclaiming are behind the "Mac Renaissance".

And look, I can see the logic in putting the firmware on the SSD - we all know (thanks to @tsialex) that the old cMP dedicated firmware chips are too small, and you'd have to be wilfully blind not to see that a BIG theme of Apple's security paranoia is that they believe the biggest threat to the chain of trust in their devices is physical alteration of the device hardware to endrun the security model. They're just not going to come out and say "we're designing our products so that if your government tries to put a listening device inside it (like a compromised SSD), it won't work".

BUT just like we have the ability to turn off secure boot, we should be able to use 3rd party SSDs in place of Apple's, by altering a security setting. If that's going to be solved, I suspect it'll be a competition /right to repair policy solution.

 

[avro707]

It would take something like the E31 BMW 8 Series community which has put into production no-longer-available parts for their cars, and to a higher standard than the original parts.

But I don't think the 7,1 owner community is as dedicated as that so unlikely to happen.

If that's going to be solved, I suspect it'll be a competition /right to repair policy solution.

If anything were to happen to mine, I suspect Apple would just try to give me an M2 Mac Pro which I wouldn't be happy with.