A clever hacker has discovered a firmware hack to effectively transform 2009 vintage Mac Pros into 2010 Mac Pros, including compatibility with Westmere CPUs, faster RAM, and audio output via Mini DisplayPorts.
From ArsTechnica:
From ArsTechnica:
A member of the forums on netkas.org—where lots of hackintoshers and system tweakers exchange tips—discovered the mechanism Apple uses to install EFI firmware updates. By exploiting that mechanism, a user named "MacEFIRom" was able to develop scripts to force older, 2009 Mac Pros to accept a firmware update intended for the 2010 Mac Pros. That firmware enables a 2009 Mac Pro to act and operate just like the 2010 Mac Pro.Firmware hack can transform a 2009 Mac Pro into a 12-core monster
The firmware enables three main features for 2009 Mac Pro users. Perhaps of primary interest is that users will be able to install 32nm Westmere Xeons, including six-core variants used in the high-end 2010 Mac Pro, into their older machine. Single-socket machines can use W-series CPUs, while dual-socket machines will need dual-QPI enabled chips including the E5600 and X5600-series chips