Installing AF v2 on old Mac Pro 5,1

[andrewjones]

Can anyone with technical knowledge out there let me know (or give an opinion) if AF 2 could run on my machine, before I get myself into a knot?

Mac Pro 5,1 2012
Intel Xeon Quad 3.2GHz, Radeon RX 580 8Gb

Currently running MacOS 10.14 (which won't install or run AF 2).

But I could do a forced system upgrade to, say, 10.15 or 11.x specifically to run AF 2.

I'm not about to buy a newer machine, because this one is working perfectly. No reason to retire it yet.

What do you think?

Andrew

[Affinityconfusesme]

you can get a 30 day trial and see how it performs.

[v_kyr]

The Affinity website already tells you the common requirements for the version 2 apps, namely at least macOS 10.15 Catalina ...

Quote

System requirements

Operating system

To ensure the apps are focused on the latest advances in operating system versions possible the minimum operating system requirements for Affinity V2 is as follows.

• Windows—Windows 10 May 2020 Update (2004, 20H1, build 19041)
• Mac—MacOS 10.15 (Catalina)
• iPad—iPadOS 15

Hardware

Mac

• Mac Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Mini
• Mac with Apple silicon (M1/M2) chip or Intel processor
• 8GB RAM recommended
• 1280x768 display size or larger
• Supports regular, retina, and expanded gamut DCI-P3 displays

•  https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/press/newsroom/affinity-v2-sets-new-standards-in-creative-software/   (<-- see down on that page -- the System Requirements)

Further see also related for Mac there ...

• APh 2 - Tech Specs
• ADe 2 - Tech Specs
• APub 2 - Tech Specs

[andrewjones]

Thanks for your replies and yes, I have read the Affinity requirements specs. The point of the question (sorry, didn't explain this) is that the Mac Pro 5,1 is not supposed to be able to run 10.15 and upwards according to Apple. And it won't. But plenty of people have done a Hackintosh on it well beyond 11.x. So my question wasn't about the OS so much, as whether a modded Mac Pro would run AF, or whether it would be a non-starter because of the modded system. I can't test install AF 2 on a modded system until I have actually modded the system, so what I was after was an opinion on whether it sounded feasible or not. Otherwise, there's no point in modding the system, as everything else I use still runs happily on 10.14.

Andrew

[v_kyr]

6 minutes ago, andrewjones said:

so what I was after was an opinion on whether it sounded feasible or not. Otherwise, there's no point in modding the system, as everything else I use still runs happily on 10.14.

Depends on several factors, like ...

• Do you already have/use Affinity version 1 apps under macOS Mojave?
• Is there other than running just Affinity version 2 apps an urgent need for an OS upgrade?
• Which costs & efforts are needed for modding the machine and does it then justify a modding for you personally?

Other than that see the bunch of websites & articles on the net which deal with that theme ...

• https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-pro-5-1-operating-system-that-i-can-run.2303661/
• https://medium.com/macoclock/mac-pro-5-1-a-guide-to-get-a-catalina-installation-with-h265-acceleration-part-1-2ea76b6ac4f8
• https://medium.com/macoclock/updating-the-mac-pro-5-1-in-2021-episode-3-big-sur-df6da4b6c5a7
• https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/
• macOS Ventura and OpenCore Legacy Patcher Support
• Hack bringt macOS Ventura auf ältere Rechner
• ... and so on ...

All in all you have finally to decide on your own, if modding your system is overall then worth it here!

[andrewjones]

Hi v_kyr

Thanks again for your reply. You have hit the nail. Yes, I already have AF 1 on this machine and would very much like to try out AF 2.

• No, there is no other need for a system upgrade, unless you include Steam.
• All I would need to do is either erase a spare drive or buy a new one for a MacOS clean install, so minimal cost. I don't want to install over an existing OS drive.
• Part of the reason is that I also use legacy software that will not run on 10.15 at all

Opencore is what I'm looking at to make the install, but AF is currently the only reason to go down this route on the MacOS.

Plan B is to install Affinity 2 on a Windows machine. In which case no issue arises.

Thanks for bouncing it back - it makes it easier to decide when you have another person's opinion sometimes.

Andrew

[Dan C]

13 hours ago, andrewjones said:

So my question wasn't about the OS so much, as whether a modded Mac Pro would run AF, or whether it would be a non-starter because of the modded system.

I can confirm that unfortunately the Affinity V2 apps will fail to run on a 'hackintosh' type macOS upgraded machine, as even with the required OS installed your Mac will still be missing specific hardware calls, only available on newer Mac devices, our apologies.

[andrewjones]

Thank you Dan C

It's what I suspected. I'll go read the specs for a Windows install then.

Andrew