To be clear, even the most highly modified Mac Pro 5.1 will not be able to outperform newer computers in many day-to-day tasks. His custom-built model was able to get 24 fps in each case. A new, 15-inch MacBook pro and a recent “trash can” Mac Pro weren’t capable of playing the video at more than 8 frames-per-second. On the Facebook group, Mazzarolo posted benchmarks of one of his custom-built rigs playing 5K, 6K and 8K RED RAW video clips against current-model Apple computers. We can put in better cards and we can put in two of those.” “In general, even mid-level graphics cards we put in are as fast as those in the iMac Pro. “With some rendering engines, the AMD cards that Apple uses don’t even work,” he said. The 5.1 can use almost any brand-new graphics card from most manufacturers, which is the main reason why a fully souped-up, old Mac Pro can outperform new computers.The 5.1 can be modified to use modern SSDs, which Mazzarolo said are in some cases faster than the ones used in the new iMac Pro.The 5.1 can take a whopping 128 GB of RAM, which is equal to what a fully upgraded iMac Pro can take and double what Apple says the trash can Mac Pro maxes out at (it’s worth noting that the RAM used in newer Mac computers is usually faster).The new iMac Pro can have up to 18 cores new MacBook Pros max out at four cores.
Like the Hackintosh community, the Facebook group has a running list of compatible and incompatible parts, shares written and video tutorials about upgrading the computers, and has even found a way to upgrade the Mac Pro 4.1 into the Mac Pro 5.1 with a firmware update. Mazzarolo also has had to find a way to reroute the Mac Pro’s power supply to directly power electricity-intensive modern GPUs (as designed, the power is routed-and limited-by the computer’s motherboard.)īut many of these potential problems have been completely solved by the community. The lack of Thunderbolt ports makes doing this a nonstarter for certain people. Certain newer components are not compatible because drivers don’t exist. There are pitfalls: Installing new CPUs sometimes involves “ delidding” a processor, which means removing a shield from it to make it compatible with the 4.1 or 5.1. "We’re helping the company close this huge stopgap between 2013 and whenever they introduce the new Mac Pro" For some things, it’s better than any Mac offered at the moment.” We’ve found a way to put two good ones in old Macs. To do what a lot of pros want, you just need a good GPU. “With CPUs, nothing drastic has happened in. “We’re using the skeleton of the machine,” Gianluca Mazzarolo, owner of the Denmark-based Big Little Frank, which makes custom Mac Pros for creative professionals, told me on the phone. The Facebook group Mac Pro Upgrade is filled with people scooping up old Mac Pros from eBay and Craigslist and modifying the hell out of them. People are putting new CPUs, RAM, SSDs, and modern graphics cards in the cheese grater Macs that are, in many cases, superior to what you can buy from Apple today. Upgraded versions of the 4.1 and 5.1 are, in many cases, the fastest Apple computers you can buy today. These are the last highly upgradeable and modifiable desktop computer that Apple sold before moving to the much-maligned “black trash can” design that is sold today and hasn’t changed significantly since 2013.
The Mac Pro 4.1 and 5.1 are known in the community as the “cheese grater” Mac Pro towers.