2010 Mac Pro 6 Core 3.33GHz For Photoshop

Mac
#1

Ok, so, after posting at the end of this Topic: http://talk.appletalk.com.au/t/cosmics-macpro5-1/3792/13
I have decided to (actually started) upgrading my old 2010 Mac Pro.

I am keeping the original 6 core 3.33GHz processor because after a bit of research, moving to 12 cores will give little advantage in Photoshop for the cost. I have just received a Sapphire Nitro+ 4GB Radeon RX 570 which I got very cheap on eBay. I am sticking with the 32GB RAM at this stage. I have purchased a Samsung 500GB NVMe drive and adapter which I have already installed and it works great but won’t be bootable until I go to the next level of firmware (currently running High Sierra but will go to Mojave once I install the 570). I will be using an internal four drive RAID 0 for my files. This will be backed up to an eSATA RAID 1 enclosure. I will probably use an eSATA SSD drive for Photoshop scratch to start with.

So, my question for any of you knowledgable people who still frequent this forum is:
I have one PCIe slot left. Should I install one of these: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technologies/USB34PME/
or one of these: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technologies/USB3C2PME/
or indeed something else, for further expansion?

Thanks in advance for any comments or helpful suggestions…

#2

Either of those seems like a good option, maybe lean towards the USB-C version if you want to future-proof a little (as far as a 10-year old machine can be future-proofed, anyway).

If you’re going to do more upgrades, suggest reading the definitive Mac Pro upgrade guide.

#3

I have this one in mine: CalDigit | PCIe Card | USB 3.1 | eSATA | FASTA-6GU3 Plus but looks like it’s not available anymore…

#4

Also, if it’s the stock CPU, you may find significant performance if you did upgrade the single CPU to a newer Xeon. They can address faster RAM too, in addition to being faster CPUs.

#5

Thanks jaysee. I’ll see if I can find something like that. Do you use the USB-C at all?

As far as the processors go, as far as I’m aware, the only faster one compatible with this is the 6 core 3.46 which is only a minor speed bump and probably not worth the cost.

#6

I don’t use the tower much at all now. Just for PC gaming actually.

As long as you’re on the newer CPU family I agree no reason to bump clock speed from 3.33 → 3.46. :+1:

You would see a bump from going to dual CPUs but ifs probably not worth it price wise for the new CPU tray.

#7

Thanks bennyling. Have done a bit of ready this afternoon. That guide is very helpful…

#8

Just in case anyone is interested, I have purchased and installed one of these: https://zephyrsmarket.com/collections/tech/products/usb-3-1-type-a-type-c-pcie-adapter-for-mac-pro
Works great so far with initial testing and was cheaper than other options I was considering.