Install Catalina On Mac Pro 5 1

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The process is the same for 2009 MacPro4,1 models that have been flashed to 5,1. If you have a metal graphics card and want to upgrade to macOS Mojave, or just enable your Mac Pro to install and boot from High Sierra or later on a PCIe NVME drive, Boot ROM version 144.0.0.0.0 is required. If you install Catalina with a supported Mac then move the drive to your MP5,1 (with a METAL supported GPU) or use Target Disk Mode, or use VMWare Fusion to install to a disk you just need -nocompatcheck added to the Mac Pro NVRAM boot-args, after that 10.15 'works' with a MP5,1. Catalina does not support the 2010 Mac Pro whether it has a Metal capable card installed or not. You have to hack the firmware to get Catalina onto a 5,1 model. The latest MacBooks are compatible (Image credit: Apple) 1. Check your device is compatible. Before you download and install macOS Catalina, you'll need to make sure that the Mac or MacBook you're. Every Mac that can run macOS Mojave will run macOS Catalina, with the exception of the mid-2010 and mid-2012 Mac Pro models. The full list of compatible Mac models is as follows: The full list of.

Install Macos Catalina On Mac Pro 5 1

Classic Mac Pro 5,1 (also 4,1 upgraded to 5,1) features only Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1. Here’re main reasons why you want to upgrade Wi-Fi to 802.11ac and Bluetooth to 4.0:

  • You get Continuity, Handoff and new AirDrop working natively
  • Wi-Fi 802.11ac is insanely fast, Bluetooth 4.0 is more reliable, secure and way quicker
  • macOS 10.15 Catalina no longer supports old BCM94322MC Wi-Fi card so Wi-Fi will not work there

Disclamer: this website is by no means associated with any of ebay sellers mentioned here. Links are provided for your convenience. We take zero responsibility if you damage your computer somehow (highly unlikely but you never know).

The upgrade kit described here is 100% native, doesn’t include any external cards, antennas and doesn’t require any additional software installation. The Broadcom card mentioned in the kit is used in many iMac models thus natively supported by macOS. Some smart guy sells similar kit for around 215 USD + shipping but normally you get it for less than a quarter of the price (and free shipping from China)

The kit:

  • Broadcom BCM94360CD + mPCIe adapter. Ebay
  • Bluetooth antenna extension cable. Ebay
  • JST GH 1.25MM 4Pin connectors (3). Ebay

UPDATE September 2019! There’s a version of the mPCIe adapter that doesn’t require soldering! Amazon, Ebay. In this case you can skip Step 1.

1. Solder Bluetooth data cable to the mPCIe adapter

The original Bluetooth card will be removed because the BCM94360CD has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on board. D+ and D- connectors on the mPCIe adapter must be connected to the motherboard instead of the old Bluetooth card.

  • You will need THREE JST cables where you remove yellow and green wires (only black and red are used).
  • Connect them to each other so you have enough length for Bluetooth data cable:
  • Solder (or ask someone who has a soldering machine) D+ and D- contacts on the adapter to black and red wires correspondily (not quite neatly on the photo).

2. Remove CPU/RAM tray

Open your Mac Pro and remove the CPU/RAM tray.

With the tray removed your computer should look as on the photo below. Wi-Fi card is highlighted on the left and the small Bluetooth card on the right. Later we will be passing wires behind the area highlighted in the center.

3. Remove old Wi-Fi & Bluetooth cards

  • Unscrew two small screws holding the old AirPort Wifi card and disconnect 2 or 3 antennas by lightly pulling them towards you (depending on the model, one antenna can be unused and hidden below the card), remove the card by sliding it to the left.
  • Unscrew 1 screw holding the old Bluetooth card, disconnect data cable and gold antenna connector, remove the card by pulling it towards you, it’s slightly glued with adhesive.

4. Installing new Wi-Fi & Bluetooth card

The new card with adapter goes in the PCIe slot where your old Wifi card was. Connect three existing Wi-Fi antennas and one Bluetooth antenna extension cable to the card exactly as shown below:

Slide the card with all 4 antennas attached into the mPCIe adapter then slide the adapter into the mPCIe slot. Tighten the adapter in place with one of two screws holding the old card.

The loose end of our Bluetooth antenna extension cable should be connected to the existing Bluetooth antenna cable (disconnected previously from the old Bluetooth card).

The loose end of our Bluetooth data cable must be connected to the motherboard:

When possible use small pieces of tape to fix wires to ensure they stay securely connected and don’t move much.

The guide is based on this MacRumors thread.

macOS 10.15, also known as macOS Catalina, is Mac’s most recent—next-generation—operating system. Apple’s macOS Catalina comes with more to offer compared to its predecessors. A few of this operating system’s features include experience-dedicated apps for podcasts, TV, and music. The best part about this OS is that upgrading is easy and free for all Mac users.

Before getting started, you first have to check if your Mac meets Catalina’s hardware requirements so you can proceed to install it. Here is a list of Mac devices and models compatible with macOS Catalina:

  • MacBook 2015 and later
  • MacBook Air 2012 or later
  • MacBook Pro 2012 or later
  • Mac Mini 2012 or later
  • iMac 2012 or later
  • iMac Pro 2017 or later
  • Mac Pro 2013 or later

You can follow these steps to find out the kind of Mac you have:

How to install mojave on mac pro 5 1
  1. Navigate to the Apple menu.
  2. Select About This Mac.
  3. The Overview tab will display your Mac from the Overview tab.

Important Information About macOS Catalina

In macOS Catalina, Apple no longer supports any 32-bit apps. Therefore, any apps on your Mac that have not been updated from 32-bit to 64-bit will not function on this OS.

To identify the 32-bit apps on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. On your screen’s top left corner, click on the Apple icon.
  2. Select About This Mac.
  3. At the bottom of the window, click on the button labeled System Report.
  4. On the window’s left side, click on Applications (under the Software section).
  5. A list of applications will populate.
  6. To find the 64-bitcolumn,move to the right using your cursor. Any 32-bit apps will have No listed in this column.

Before you can upgrade to macOS Catalina, there a few things you have to sort out first, such as:

  • Confirmation of your Mac’s compatibility for macOS Catalina.
  • Creation of a Time Machine backup.
  • Ensuring your Mac has sufficient storage to download, install, and upgrade to macOS Catalina.

Creating a Time Machine Backup

Before upgrading to macOS Catalina, it is crucial to create a Time Machine backup. The reason for the backup is a safety measure for when you find your Mac to be incompatible with the Catalina OS, which means you can erase the upgrade and restore it using the backup you created.

Creating a backup whether upgrading or downgrading your Mac is not only a good idea, but also imperative. Unless you would not mind losing everything, we highly recommend creating a Time Machine backup before upgrading to macOS Catalina. Without the backup, it would take a lot of time to restore your system to its previous OS. You would have to download each program, plug-in, and driver once more.

Follow these steps to format an external hard drive for macOS:

  1. Start Disk Utility, which you can find by navigating to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
  2. Choose the hard drive device and then click on Erase (if initiated, the process is irreversible)
  3. Choose a name for your drive (e.g., My Backup) and select the format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled), then click on Erase.

Follow these steps to create a Time Machine backup drive:

  1. Start Time Machine and click on Select Disk.
  2. Connect a drive (reformatted or empty).
  3. Select the drive you have just connected (e.g., My Backup) and click on Use Disk.
  4. Click on the Backup taskbar icon and then select Backup Now.

Downloading macOS Catalina

The upgrade to the macOS Catalina process involves two steps: backup and installation. After you have created a backup, the next step is visiting the App Store to download the macOS installer. Depending on your internet speed, the download may take some time. Upon completing the download, you can install the macOS Catalina app that you can find in your Applications folder.

Storage Space Required for the Download

macOS Catalina needs storage of 12.5GB to 18GB for upgrading. Therefore, if you have insufficient space on your Mac, you can make a backup of some files then delete them from your system to avail the storage required.

Upgrading from Mac OS X Older Versions

Any older versions of Mac OS X 10.7-10.10 have to first upgrade to Mac OS X El Capitan 10.11 version before upgrading to macOS Catalina, which you can download from Apple’s Catalina download page.

To do this, follow these steps:

How To Install Mojave On Mac Pro 5 1

  1. Launch the System Preferences menu, and thenselect Software Update.
  2. Click on the Download or Upgrade Now button to begin the download of the Catalina installer.

Installing macOS Catalina

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Follow these steps to install macOS Catalina:

  1. After completion of the macOS Catalina installation app download, the installer will automatically launch itself. If not, go to your Mac’s Applications folder and double click the Install macOS Catalina app.
  2. Follow the instructions that appear on-screen to finish the upgrade and start using the OS.
  3. Select an external drive to create an external drive for macOS or an internal drive to upgrade the Mac when prompted.

macOS Catalina’s New Features

Follow these steps to complete installing macOS Catalina’s new features:

Install macos catalina mac pro 5 1
  1. After macOS Catalina installs, your Mac will restart.
  2. After it has started, click on the Apple icon and select About This Mac to view the Catalina OS version.