MP 1,1-5,1 What are my upgrade options for my MacPro 5,1 (Mid-2012)

[dreamriverdesign]

My eyes have been opened to the possibilities you have shown here. I need some clarification.

FYI, I am a graphic designer and use adobe Photoshop and InDesign a lot. My kids love using iMovie to make videos as well.

I just want to know what I can do specifically for my MacPro 5,1 (mid-2012). I don't want to get the wrong thing. Money is not the biggest issue, I want to see what my options are and then decide how much I want to spend. (I want to wait on getting a new computer until the new M chip has been widely adopted)

So what upgrades are available for my machine in replacing CPU trays. I tried OWC, but there was none available, and I know years ago there was an option, am I wrong? Is my model a dud when it comes to upgrading options? Can I make my single-core a dual? I want to know what are all my options for this specific model.

I have only upgraded RAM, VCard (Not flashed) and on an SSD hard drive. My mac configuration is below. I am on High Sierra, with plans to get to Mojave soon.

Mac Pro (3.20 GHz, Mid 2012)
• One 3.20GHz Quad-Core Intel-Xe
• RAM: 36 GB
• VIDEO CARD: Sapphire Radeon 11265-05-20G Pulse RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Dual HDMI/ DVI-D/ Dual DP OC with Backplate (UEFI) PCI-E Graphics Card Graphic Cards

Thank you for your suggestions, help, and advice!

 

[Gr1f]

there's a ton of info in the Stickies on this..
2 x Dual-6 core X5690 CPUs
Increase Ram to 128GB or more
Get an NVMe M2 SSD PCIe card adapter, even a single 1T Drive will speed everything up. Cheapo one's work great but you can spend $450+ and get one that will take 4 M.2 SSDs that you can set to Raid-0 to get even more speed
Vid card you have is fine

Have fun

 

[Macsonic]

You can upgrade to a dual CPU board to replace your single cpu tray. Though your current specs are adequate for graphic design. I also use Photoshop and InDesign. Video editing can benefit from multi cores. Add SSD and USB 3 card. Your Sapphire GPU is good enough for graphic design.

 

[pertusis1]

Your video card is great. You can upgrade the RAM, but unless you're dealing with huge files or batches of files, upgrading the ram may not be helpful.

I have an M.2 SSD (love it), but many folks on the forums say that for normal use, it's not much different than a SATA SSD.

IMHO, you have already made the important upgrades. Photoshop does not use multiple cores very well. I have read that none of the Adobe products make good use of more than 4 cores. If you do a processor upgrade, I'd just get a 3.46 GHz X5690. You won't gain much from increasing to 12 cores.

My favorite upgrade is two big 3.5" spinning drives. It allows me to not worry about the numbers or photos and videos that my family takes.

 

[OkiRun]

You can upgrade to a dual CPU board to replace your single cpu tray. Though your current specs are adequate for graphic design. I also use Photoshop and InDesign. Video editing can benefit from multi cores. Add SSD and USB 3 card. Your Sapphire GPU is good enough for graphic design.

What cost do you estimate your recommendations would be say... with upgrades at the mid level of quality?

 

[Macsonic]

What cost do you estimate your recommendations would be say... with upgrades at the mid level of quality?

What I could think of is the OP can opt for a 12 core, 2.93ghz or 3.06Ghz dual cpu for graphic design. Though these cost around $600 to $800 which may be pricey. To save some money, he can just get a 2.4Ghz 8 core dual tray and upgrade the CPUs. A pair of X5675 3.06Ghz cpus costs less than $100. A used NVMe blade may cost around $80 and a used USB Sonnet card may cost $60

 

[Gr1f]

What I could think of is the OP can opt for a 12 core, 2.93ghz or 3.06Ghz dual cpu for graphic design. Though these cost around $600 to $800 which may be pricey. To save some money, he can just get a 2.4Ghz 8 core dual tray and upgrade the CPUs. A pair of X5675 3.06Ghz cpus costs less than $100. A used NVMe blade may cost around $80 and a used USB Sonnet card may cost $60

Ah yes, I forgot about the CPU tray! Might as well just stay with single CPU so. Probably cheaper/easier to buy a Whole new cMP 5,1 box than update the tray...

 

[aedaltonian]

there's a ton of info in the Stickies on this..
2 x Dual-6 core X5690 CPUs
Increase Ram to 128GB or more
Get an NVMe M2 SSD PCIe card adapter, even a single 1T Drive will speed everything up. Cheapo one's work great but you can spend $450+ and get one that will take 4 M.2 SSDs that you can set to Raid-0 to get even more speed
Vid card you have is fine

Have fun

Hey there new to the forum, I have the same Mac pro and wondering where said stickies would be? Thanks!

 

[StuAff]

Hey there new to the forum, I have the same Mac pro and wondering where said stickies would be? Thanks!

Go back to the Mac Pro index page…Above the 'normal' threads are the sticky ones. You'll be wondering how you missed them…