Old 2008 MP upgrade?

[Nicholas Zimmerman]

That’ll be some nice internal storage for sure. I just moved from a 1,1 quad to a 3,1 ocho. I moved my 5870 to the new machine and performance is stellar. My point is, have you maxed out the graphics? I’ve seen a lot of Mac Pros out there with killer RAIDs but 2600XTs. If you’re golden there then yeah, sounds like a great internal RAID idea. Another thing to look into for high speed storage would be a PCIe SSD. You could also spend the money on some plugins or extra software. There are plenty of things worth buying, have fun!

————————–
Avid MC, PPro CS6, FCP7 – wasting away on my SSD.
I just can’t quit X.
————————–

[Bernard Newnham]

Using an SSD as a system drive makes a huge difference which is most notable on startup. This W7 machine, which used to take several minutes – get a coffee stuff – now takes 45 seconds.

It isn’t as obvious, but all other uses of the operating system go much faster too.

2008 is a long time ago in computer years though.

Bernie

[David Eaks]

I’d been thinking a lot about upgrading my 2008 Mac Pro (8-core 2.8, 16gb, 5770) for FCPX performance as well, of course the anticipation of “something great later in 2013” had halted any major purchases for me. While I’m really looking forward to the new Mac Pro, assuming it blows away other Macs in FCPX/Motion/Compressor performance and stays in line with “Legacy Mac Pro” pricing, its perfect for me, but no matter what my current system will stay in use and am still interested in upgrading it.

I’ve been using Crucial M4 and Samsung 830 SSDs in both MP and MBP, being able to get away with 128GB for the system drive means its only about $100 each (plus adapter). As others, I’d recommend an SSD for your system drive, at a minimum for any upgrading.

Seeing your post I’ve revisited a note I’ve been taking on my ipad, here’s a copy/paste-

Mac Pro upgrades-

Internal sata iii hardware raid-
MAXPower RAID mini-SAS 6G-1e1i (which slot?) Link-
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPRMS6G1E1I/

Mini sas to 4x esata fan out-
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Micro%20Accessories/SAS480001M/

Media Drive- internal
Four WD Black 2TB or RED 3TB HDDs in Hardware RAID 1/0/5//10/50/JBOD/SPAN Link- max power…

System Drive- Either

—->PCIe Solid State, accelsior plus 2 esata iii
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDPHWE2R120/

or

SSD in 2nd optical bay with OWC Multi-mount 2,5″ (x2) to 3.5″ to 5.25 bracket and cable set Link-

or

Cheap PCIe SSD adapter
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SSD-Superspeed-Upgrade-Kit-for-Apple-Mac-Pro-2008-2009-2010-/130830674778?pt=US_Computer_Disk_Controllers_RAID_Cards&hash=item1e761dab5a

Upgrade from Radeon 5770-

7950-
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202027&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Desktop+Graphics+Cards-_-N82E16814202027&gclid=CLTkz7ny6rcCFeuDQgod4i0A7Q

Hmm????
https://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/tutorials/948-get-fcpx-running-faster-by-installing-a-pc-nvidia-geforce-gtx570-graphics-card-in-a-macpro

— end /paste—

I’d be I really interested in hearing anyone’s thoughts on any of the upgrades listed above.

[Christian Schumacher]

[David Eaks] “I’d be I really interested in hearing anyone’s thoughts on any of the upgrades listed above.
“

The nVidia / FCPX article is old, I’m guessing things now are more inclined to AMD, with the new Mac Pro and the recently released AMD 3Gb offering that you also linked to. So, regarding FCPX-Motion performance, anybody with a MacPro capable of upgrading should have it as the best choice for now. The truth is the Mac Pro in its current form is still viable for running standartized components such as PCIe SSd, GPU cards and general expansion. There’s has been lot’s of options in the market for the Mac Pro which is not surprising since the latest model is being sold worldwide for three years already, except for the EU recently.

But it was a great post, very useful for the swarms of people wanting to upgrade their existing Mac Pros that surely will pop in more often, from now on.
It takes only a very light knowledge to do these simple operations as it isn’t only easy to do as it is to find info about it spread all over the web.
And before anyone yells -Get an Imac instead! Riddle me this: Had these folks previously bought a 2010 Mac Pro and a 2010 iMac for instance…
-How would these two machines perform today? Fairly different, I’d say, even if we don’t consider the upgrade ability. So, unless you’re keen on
entering a fast paced two year upgrade cycle, don’t ever hop on the iMac bandwagon. And here’s hoping that the new Mac Pro doesn’t go the same way.

[Steve Connor]

[Christian Schumacher] “-How would these two machines perform today? Fairly different, I’d say, even if we don’t consider the upgrade ability. So, unless you’re keen on
entering a fast paced two year upgrade cycle, don’t ever hop on the iMac bandwagon. And here’s hoping that the new Mac Pro doesn’t go the same way.”

I’m allowing for 3 years on the new MacPro.

Steve Connor

There’s nothing we can’t argue about on the FCPX COW Forum

[Fabrizio D’agnano]

thank you Nicholas.
My current graphic card is a Radeon HD4870. My idea is to go on with my MP for another year and then go for the new MP. If I buy 4Tb drives for use as internal RAID, it will not be wasted money because I will slap them into a Thunderbolt external Raid next year. And maybe I’ll use the 2,5″ SSD for my MBP. I am a content creator rather than a “pure” editor, so for me exporting or render time is just a fraction of the whole creative process. I would not spend much money on a graphic card that would anyway EOL’d together with my old and dear machine next year unless it gives me a tangible improvement. How better would a 5870 be compared to mine?

Fabrizio D’Agnano
Rome, Italy
early 2008 MacPro, BM Intensity Pro, early 2008 iMac, 2011 MacBook Pro, FCP7, FCPX, OSX 10.8.3

[Nicholas Zimmerman]

I actually went from a flashed 4970 to a 5870 and there wasn’t a huge difference. My reasoning was that 10.6.4 (I believe) broke compatibility. Your card should more than last the next year, but if you were on a 2600XT, you’d definitely want to upgrade. I recently added USB3 which has been quite nice. Went with the CalDigit card, and use it to connect to a Drobo 5D.

————————–
Avid MC, PPro CS6, FCP7 – wasting away on my SSD.
I just can’t quit X.
————————–

[Fabrizio D’agnano]

[Bernard Newnham] “2008 is a long time ago in computer years though.”

Yes, obviously true. But the TV channel I produce for still broadcasts SD and requires a PAL IMX file, just like four or five years ago. Most likely they won’t change for the next year or two, so the old machine still meets the specs I need, and proved to be reliable and rock solid. If the new MP had internal storage and PciE slots, I would have bought one just the same as soon as available, but since it will not have those, I’ll prolong my dear machine life of one more year.

Fabrizio D’Agnano
Rome, Italy
early 2008 MacPro, BM Intensity Pro, early 2008 iMac, 2011 MacBook Pro, FCP7, FCPX, OSX 10.8.3

[Fabrizio D’agnano]

[Nicholas Zimmerman] “I recently added USB3 which has been quite nice. Went with the CalDigit card, and use it to connect to a Drobo 5D.”

Interesting! I didn’t know there was a card for USB3 for older machines. I only have a 4x slot free, as I have a Sonnet esata and an Intensity pro cards. I’ll check if it’s enough.

Fabrizio D’Agnano
Rome, Italy
early 2008 MacPro, BM Intensity Pro, early 2008 iMac, 2011 MacBook Pro, FCP7, FCPX, OSX 10.8.3

[Nicholas Zimmerman]

Just make sure you do some research. Started this journey on the 1,1 without issue, so seems to work for all Mac Pros across the board. Originally I got the Sonnet which worked with my hard drives, but not the Drobo. A bit of research ended up revealing that the CalDigit cards worked flawlessly with the Drobo. Just keep in mind that each of the aftermarket cards have their little quirks. Also 4x PCIe is just right for these cards, should be fine.

————————–
Avid MC, PPro CS6, FCP7 – wasting away on my SSD.
I just can’t quit X.
————————–