Thunderbolt on Mac Pro 5,1... It IS actually happening!

[monkey man]

The door has been opened.

Woohoo!

Thank you, Sir Markus.

[greg328]

Can anybody confirm this is working on their 3.1/4/1/5.1 Mac Pro?

https://zephyrsmarket.com/products/giga ... or-mac-pro

Apparently this PCIe card will boot natively in Mac OS!!! This is a dream come true, if in fact it works!

My UA Apollo Firewire will need the TB3 adapter card ($199) in addition to this card ($180), which is WAYYYY less $$ than $6K for a new Mac Pro.

The big question remains---will I experience an improvement in audio throughput rate by moving from FireWire to TB3 via this Titan Ridge 2.0 card?
Or do the limitations of the PCIe interface data rate negate any theoretical gain TB3 offers? Am I better remaining with FireWire? My instincts tell me no--this Apollo FW seems a bit sluggish---my previous setup was using MOTU PCI-424 with MOTU HD192, and that was BLAZING, much more than my current FW Apollo setup.

I have no need/desire for video through Thunderbolt--I simply want better audio performance from my Apollo I/O.

Greg

[tremo]

Can anybody confirm this is working on their 3.1/4/1/5.1 Mac Pro?

I recently (last week) purchased a flashed Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe card from Superchief9 on ebay, and I can confirm that it works -- plug & play -- on my 2010 5,1 running Mojave.

I got the Alpine Ridge (less powerful than the Titan Ridge) because I don’t need the extra wattage for MacBook charging, nor do I need any video capabilities at all. And it was $125, while the flashed Titan was $165. In fact, the only TB3 device I’m using it for is an also recently purchased UAD-2 Quad Satellite. I’m not ready to buy a new Mac — waiting to see how Apple’s M1(x) line develops — but wanted to up my UAD power in the meantime, and Thunderbolt is really the only future-proof way to do that.

And yes, as you may have read elsewhere — while the TB3 card and the Satellite are recognized by the Mac, in order for the UAD software to recognize the hardware, you must:

* Boot to the login screen (but don’t login)
* Power up the UA device (this applies for Apollo units as well)
* Click Restart
* Then actually login when the login screen comes up again.

After that, as long as you don’t shut down/restart, the UA hardware and plugins remain available. I’ve found that if I sleep the Mac, as long as I leave the Satellite on, all is good on wake. So far, I’ve encountered no conflicts with other hardware or software.

I briefly hooked my 828es up to the TB3 card (via Apple TB3>TB2 adapter), and it worked, but haven’t tested it to any depth. And anyway, for my needs USB is fine for the 828es.

There’s a Facebook group called “Mac 5,1 Titan Ridge TB3 Custom Firmware”, good for keeping up with developments. The ebay guy, Superchief9, is well-respected among members, and posts there as Andrew Days. He says he’s actively working toward a solution to the “double boot” inconvenience. No guarantees, of course….

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2566604976940696

[greg328]

tremo--I appreciate your reply. It seems you are using an earlier card--not the one I posted. The card I linked to, Titan Ridge 2.0, apparently is flashed for use in Mac OS right out of the box. You had your earlier card flashed by the seller, and you've got it working with the custom boot, is that correct? That's great!

I just want to know if the Titan Ridge 2.0 card I linked to above, that actual card---if anybody has experience with it..

TY,
Greg

[tremo]

tremo--I appreciate your reply. It seems you are using an earlier card--not the one I posted. The card I linked to, Titan Ridge 2.0, apparently is flashed for use in Mac OS right out of the box. You had your earlier card flashed by the seller, and you've got it working with the custom boot, is that correct? That's great!

I just want to know if the Titan Ridge 2.0 card I linked to above, that actual card---if anybody has experience with it..

TY,
Greg

Hi Greg -- my expertise on this stuff only goes so far, but... the Alpine Ridge card I have is also a rev 2.0, so I don't think it's "earlier", it's just not as powerful as the Titan Ridge. And I think any Gigabyte card will need to be flashed by someone -- seller or end user -- before it's useable in our old Mac Pros, right?

[greg328]

Tremo, agreed, that’s what we’ve always heard, but look at the link I posted a few posts above. They claim that this titan Ridge 2.0 can cold-boot into macOS in the older cheesegrater series, no need to flash or whatever.

If it’s true, it changes the game for all of us.

Greg.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tremo]

Tremo, agreed, that’s what we’ve always heard, but look at the link I posted a few posts above. They claim that this titan Ridge 2.0 can cold-boot into macOS in the older cheesegrater series, no need to flash or whatever.

Right, but the seller has flashed the card, as he says: "Titan Ridge PCIe Card In Original Box (only opened to flash)".

Keep us posted as to what you find out, but I'm a bit skeptical -- yes, the card (and attached devices) can be seen by the Mac (and listed in the system report) on a cold boot, but do things actually WORK without a reboot? That's the holy grail, I guess, and it would be great if this guy's figured it out...

[greg328]

Yes I see where the seller has opened to flash, but he’s advertising it as able to cold boot into macOS. Is that what you’re doing with your flash card as well? Apparently you’re having to reboot at the start up screen after you turn on your UA device, is this correct?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[greg328]

I’ll inquire directly with the vendor to get some answers— I’ll report back here—


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tremo]

Yes I see where the seller has opened to flash, but he’s advertising it as able to cold boot into macOS. Is that what you’re doing with your flash card as well? Apparently you’re having to reboot at the start up screen after you turn on your UA device, is this correct?

Yes, that's right, Greg. After a normal startup, System Report (under Thunderbolt) shows the TB3 card and the UA Satellite looking normal. But the UAD Control Panel gives a "No device found" or "Not connected" error until you do that additional restart.

[greg328]

OK thank you, that’s very interesting. So are you restarting at the screen that prompts for password? On that screen there’s no restart menu command;, how are you restarting ?

Sorry for the 1000 questions; I just want to make sure this will work before I jump in and buy the needed hardware.

Are you stuck at OS 10.14 as well? These older MPs top out at that OS— but I’ve heard of workarounds-!

Greg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tremo]

OK thank you, that’s very interesting. So are you restarting at the screen that prompts for password? On that screen there’s no restart menu command;, how are you restarting ?

Yeah, I am stuck at 10.14.6, and on my login screen (after a restart), there are three buttons at the bottom of the screen: Sleep / Restart / Shut Down. You click that Restart button for the second boot.

[greg328]

Hmm, I don’t recall seeing those soft buttons — they appear only after the first login screen restart, on the next login screen? I’ll attempt that today-

Greg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[greg328]

Ok I see those buttons at the bottom of the restart screen. Cool.

Now I’m seeing Hackintoshes on EBay based on a MacPro 7.1, for less than $3k. I’ve messaged the vendor to get more info. That may be an option as well. They have Intel i9 processors and can run Big Sur—!

Greg.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[greg328]

I decided to forego the Hackintosh route--I've ordered the Mac-flashed Titan-Ridge and the UA Apollo TB3 card. Will go in my 2010 5.1.

I'll report back regarding it's viability..

Greg