Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Jdebunqe" data-source="post: 1755122" data-attributes="member: 361546">I have a 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 with a quad 2.8 GHz CPU.The backplane board is dead.I want to salvage this machine, cheaply.&nbsp; &nbsp; But 5,1 backplane boards are expensive ($300).&nbsp; &nbsp; A 4,1 board costs only about $120.&nbsp; &nbsp; It's the same part number, but EEE code is BH9, different from 4,1 boards.Is there any chance that a 4,1 (2009) board will work in an otherwise 5,1 machine?&nbsp; This is a 2010 with the lowliest old-style CPU, so my thinking is that it MIGHT not need the new CPU support of the 5,1 backplane.Would the machine work with a 4,1 backplane with upgraded firmware?&nbsp;&nbsp; Would it boot enough to upgrade the firmware (given the old-style CPU), or would the firmware upgrade have to be done beforehand on a 4,1 machine?&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally, what is the underlying difference between between an upgraded 4,1 backplane and a genuine 5,1 backplane?&nbsp; I heard something about the fans running full all the time,because of different SMC firmware.&nbsp; Can this be upgraded too?&nbsp;&nbsp; I've read that a 4,1 is forever a 4,1 even if upgraded?&nbsp; Is this true, and why?Thank you for any tips, or any link that explains these issues in detail.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Jdebunqe, post: 1755122, member: 361546"] I have a 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 with a quad 2.8 GHz CPU. The backplane board is dead. I want to salvage this machine, cheaply. But 5,1 backplane boards are expensive ($300). A 4,1 board costs only about $120. It's the same part number, but EEE code is BH9, different from 4,1 boards. Is there any chance that a 4,1 (2009) board will work in an otherwise 5,1 machine? This is a 2010 with the lowliest old-style CPU, so my thinking is that it MIGHT not need the new CPU support of the 5,1 backplane. Would the machine work with a 4,1 backplane with upgraded firmware? Would it boot enough to upgrade the firmware (given the old-style CPU), or would the firmware upgrade have to be done beforehand on a 4,1 machine? Finally, what is the underlying difference between between an upgraded 4,1 backplane and a genuine 5,1 backplane? I heard something about the fans running full all the time, because of different SMC firmware. Can this be upgraded too? I've read that a 4,1 is forever a 4,1 even if upgraded? Is this true, and why? Thank you for any tips, or any link that explains these issues in detail. [/QUOTE]

Verification

Name this item 🌈