SUCCESS: 2006 MacPro upgraded - 2 x Xeon 5355 Quad-cores!

[Corlissmedia]

I'm researching this project because I have a dual-core Mac Pro (4 2.66 cores), and would like to upgrade to 8 2.66 cores. In reading about the x5355 cpus, I noticed that they do not support ECC memory, which Mac Pros use. Can anyone comment on this issue? Thank you. Corlissmedia

[Corlissmedia]

Can you tell me what your memory profile looks like after the upgrade? Thanks. Corlissmedia

[Corlissmedia]

What does your memory profile look like after the upgrade? I'm asking because according to Intel, the cpus don't support ecc memory? Thanks, Corlissmedia

[neckarb]

What does your memory profile look like after the upgrade? I'm asking because according to Intel, the cpus don't support ecc memory? Thanks, Corlissmedia

They do.

[hueybui]

Thanks for the great threads guys. Just wanted to let everyone know. This really gives me the courage to do this upgrade! Will definitely post pics and update once it's running.

[neckarb]

Thanks for the great threads guys. Just wanted to let everyone know. This really gives me the courage to do this upgrade! Will definitely post pics and update once it's running.

It's easy enough to do if you know what you're doing, have fun!

[Jack Knight1979]

Hey guys. Sorry for the n00b question, but I'm a little stuck.

I have made the processor upgrade on my 2006 mac pro and I love it!

I'm running two x5355. One is the SL9YM and the other is SLAEG.
I saw in this thread that I had to put the older cpu in socket B to get them to work. I tried this and it WORKED!!!!

Now that my machine sees the 8 cores, I have developed a new problem.

I cannot get Parallels to boot XP. I can reboot into XP no problem, but I cannot get parallels or VMware to start up boot camp.

I have installed/reinstalled Parallels and even reinstalled XP as a last resort. Nothing.

I've read in a few forums that the stepping didn't matter on the processors, but now I wonder. Everything else on my machine works perfectly, and fast I might add.

Does any one have any suggestions other than buying another processor? I'm at a loss and about to put my 5150's back in. I can't wrap my head around why everything works perfectly expect for a virtual machine.

- Jack Knight1979

[lPHONE]

HI! How do these upgraded 2006's stand up to the new Mac Pros?

[Prom1]

Hi Pro's …

I'm considering this machine due to the ability to upgrade to the Intel Xeon X5355's, over going with a G5 2.0Ghz. The purpose is the replace my 2009 Mac Mini and allow my wife to use this for web hosting directly and to seriously begin editing photos from her high-end Canon camera. She's a great photographer and has an artistic eye and I feel she's wasted this talent over the years raising our wonderful kids.

So I wanted to know how this machine performs using Snow Leopard with Logic Express 9 (myself), Photoshop CS5 Premium Suite, the latest Aperture, and other photo editing suites?

[666sheep]

So I wanted to know how this machine performs using Snow Leopard with Logic Express 9 (myself), Photoshop CS5 Premium Suite, the latest Aperture, and other photo editing suites?

For above purposes, you don't need to upgrade CPUs. Look for 3.0 GHz 1.1 (Quad) or 2.1 (Octo - this one already has X5365), give it SSD for OS and apps, 3 or 4 HDDs in RAID 0 for storage and 16GB RAM (last one could be expensive). It will handle your software very well.
All depends on how well speced machine you'll be able to find.

[talward]

I actually dove into this pond as well. I sucked it up and found some x5365's for a good price on ebay..

Upgrade went great and I'm speeding along at 3.0ghz with 8 cores.. A lot better performance I had with my 5150's!! Pro Tools sure likes it :D

I'm curious though. I'd like to see what everyone else is getting for temperatures on their new processor upgrades. I use temperature monitor to guage. It seems that my operating temperature of the CPU cores run pretty hot with standard apple cooling methods. My highest temp on the CPU cores ran up to 94c with the CPU heatsink getting up to 62c. I've read other posts and forums that a certain temp should be achieved but it never mentions with which sensor and which component (i.e. - CPU Core or CPU A/B heatsink).

Without the help of SMC I cannot achieve below 65c on the CPU cores. I'm wondering, are any of you getting those temps on the heatsink reading or on any of the CPU cores?

Plus to achieve below 60c on the single cores I have to set the "CPU" fan around 1400rpm. That puts the "CPU heatsink" around 35-38c.

[PurpleLogix]

Stock cooling, no SMC settings activated my temps run at cpu1 41 cpu2 43 at idel. Handbrake encoding 48 - 51. Temps monitored using istat. Not sure if it is CPU or Heatsink readings.

[Captainrick2003]

I just upgraded my 2006 MP to an octo (2x 3ghz 5365 chips). the system has 14gb of ram, two massive video cards and a blu-ray writer. Hottest I've seen any of the cores is 65c. I really only use the machine for fcp and aperture.

I'll keep an eye over the next few weeks, I'm sure it will heat up a bit more.

[100Years]

Great to hear all these 1,1 upgrade stories! Sounds like folks can still get some good bang out of them....

[Jack Knight1979]

I've been running mine since December / January.

I thought I'd post an update.

I ended up trading out of the processors for a matching CPU. It was fine, but just felt better having a matching set of processors.

I've ran this thing hard since I've installed with ZERO problems. Nothing slows it down. Best decision I've ever made with a computer.

I'm curious about temps now that we're hitting summer. I have SMCFanControl running and I've pumped them up 15 - 20% (fans) to compensate for the warmer weather.

I get mid 90F for temps now. Seems fine to me. Not one problem.

[Midphase]

Hello all,

I just posted part 1 of a 2 part video tutorial on how to swap the CPU in the 1st gen Mac Pro here:

http://youtu.be/wmz7gPw31L0

I should have part 2 up this week-end, but this will give you a good idea on the basics of what's involved and what to purchase before getting started.

Enjoy!

[woodbine]

The problem with the power cuts is that they're random. 3-4 outages per day, between 5 minutes and 2 hours in duration and no rhyme or reason. Also, share the laptop with my wife.. in fact, unless we're traveling or I take it to work to teach off of, the laptop is her machine. I've spent the money and sporadically replace batteries (around $200 a pop - I have 6 over 2 systems) so it's sustainable for me to run on the UPS... I just turn off the 2nd or third monitor :)

I have 2x 12k BTU split ACs in the room (they're old and don't perform great), basically one runs almost all day long just to take the edge off the heat the Pro creates, and when I have a group in there for movies or whatever, I fire up the second one and the temp actually drops down to 25-26 (77-79F). Porting the heat into the next room is something I've considered. I have a laser thermometer, so I'll try to investigate how much heat comes from the Mac Pro vs the 3 LCDs and my 7.1 receiver that's always pretty toasty to touch. (the ACs don't run on the batteries!)
OT: do you have shades above the windows, any sunlight on the glass will lift the room temperature. I was in Brazil recently and saw a lot of new builds going on, saw very little direct sun protection. It's entirely possible to get interior temps down to around 80F with passive cooling only...

[h4lp m3]

are the 2.66ghz 5355's the fastest that will go into a MacPro1,1?

[nightfly13]

are the 2.66ghz 5355's the fastest that will go into a MacPro1,1?

No you can get 3.0ghz, forget the number. I think you can even get 3.0ghz quad core (for 8!)

[flatfoot]

No you can get 3.0ghz, forget the number. I think you can even get 3.0ghz quad core (for 8!)

The 3.0GHz quads are called 5365.

[808?]

I too have an antique MacPro 1,1 with 2 x 2.66 dual core Xeons and bog standard 3GB of 667Mhz of FB ram.

I am contemplating upgrading this in place of getting a newer Mac Mini to drive my 30" ACD.

The FB ram seems to be prohibitively expensive these days, is there any way to swap the memory trays out to fit newer/cheaper ram modules in this model MP 1,1?

[flatfoot]

I too have an antique MacPro 1,1 with 2 x 2.66 dual core Xeons and bog standard 3GB of 667Mhz of FB ram.

I am contemplating upgrading this in place of getting a newer Mac Mini to drive my 30" ACD.

The FB ram seems to be prohibitively expensive these days, is there any way to swap the memory trays out to fit newer/cheaper ram modules in this model MP 1,1?

Nope.

[Silicon Sam]

Found a pair of X5365's on ebay, paid a little too much ($650), but all went well with the upgrade. The heatsink cover was a tough one to get off.

When I bring the Mac out of the sleep mode, the temp of the CPU Cores don't all show up right away. 4 cores may show 38°C and 4 will be blank. But it's never the same 4. After a little while all 8 cores will show a temp. And they are usually pretty close, right now at 42-48°.

Any link to programs that work with all 8 cores? I use Handbrake, and it appears Aperture 3 works all 8 when doing adjustments, although not all cores are maxed out like Handbrake does.

Decided to do the upgrade since this machine has been rock solid since day one, and it has 16GB of RAM (8 x 2GB OWC 800Mhz), Four 1TB drives, and the Radeon 4870 card.

Thanks for all the ideas guys!

[Neodym]

[QUOTE=Silicon Sam;13192854]16GB of RAM (8 x 2GB OWC 800Mhz)/QUOTE]
Not directly answering your question, just as a sidenote: With FB-DIMM's you should not populate more than 4 slots in your MP 1,1. There has been a thorough test on that matter, but i can't find it at the moment.

From the top of my head the problem was that with more than 4 slots populated (2 in upper, 2 in lower riser card), you'll run into latency issues which will effectively give you a penalty on Ram speed due to how FB-DIMM's work. The article stated that the difference would not only be meaurable, but also noticeable (iirc).

[Silicon Sam]

[QUOTE=Silicon Sam;13192854]16GB of RAM (8 x 2GB OWC 800Mhz)/QUOTE]
Not directly answering your question, just as a sidenote: With FB-DIMM's you should not populate more than 4 slots in your MP 1,1. There has been a thorough test on that matter, but i can't find it at the moment.

From the top of my head the problem was that with more than 4 slots populated (2 in upper, 2 in lower riser card), you'll run into latency issues which will effectively give you a penalty on Ram speed due to how FB-DIMM's work. The article stated that the difference would not only be meaurable, but also noticeable (iirc).

This link says that the configuration I have is among the fastest. All 8 DIMMS match identically. With memory prices the way they are, I'll just leave well enough alone.

http://eshop.macsales.com/Reviews/Framework.cfm?page=/Benchmarks/macproearly08ram/article.html

[Neodym]

This link says that the configuration I have is among the fastest.
Latency <> max. Throughput

[Midphase]

Has anyone figured out if Lion is ok with the new CPU's?


Also:

If anyone is interested I made a video tutorial for the CPU swap:

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmz7gPw31L0

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/phzn8MPaDtQ

Enjoy!

[h4lp m3]

are the 2.66ghz 5355's the fastest that will go into a MacPro1,1?

No you can get 3.0ghz, forget the number. I think you can even get 3.0ghz quad core (for 8!)

The 3.0GHz quads are called 5365.
Are you guys sure? Because I read that 2.66GHz was the fastest.

[nambuccaheadsau]

We are sure the X5365 are the fastest, but for the extra cost, stick with the 5355 2.66GHz processors. Usually about half the price again for a 13% increase.

Yes Lion runs great on X5355 upgraded Mac Pro.

[spidey3]

We are sure the X5365 are the fastest, but for the extra cost, stick with the 5355 2.66GHz processors. Usually about half the price again for a 13% increase.

It all depends on what you are doing. If your processing makes good use of multiple processors, then going from 4x to 8x cores is a big win, and you won't get much out of the extra 13% of going from 2.66GHz to 3Ghz.

If you do stuff which is poorly multithreaded then you may want the higher clock rate, and more cores may buy you little.

What is your usage pattern? Are you seeing all four cores pegged now?

Spidey!!!

[biohead]

Long shot, but does anyone still have a pair of quad xeons sitting around they're willing to part with? Don't mind the model as long as they match each other.

[ameharhughes]

just to add to this, I have 2 E5345s in my mac pro 1,1 (2.33GHz QC) and 16GB of FB-RAM from a server I had and the 120GB SSD from my laptop.

The things flies, boots in less than 10 seconds and temps around 30-35C

[Silicon Sam]

Long shot, but does anyone still have a pair of quad xeons sitting around they're willing to part with? Don't mind the model as long as they match each other.

There's a guy on ebay that has several matching pairs of X5365 (3.0 Ghz Quad Core) SLAED procs for $475 per pair. Seller name is vlaen

Had I waited, I could have saved a good bit. Oh well.

I put a pair in mine, and I've been giving Handbrake a darn good workout with them. Taking a lot of my DVDs to .m4v files.

[biohead]

It's not actually for a Mac Pro (It's a Dell Precision 690)... but just picked up a pair of X5345s for £50 each (About $160 total). It's a significant upgrade from my lowly dual core X5110's which is all I'm bothered about!

[wikus]

Has anyone figured out if Lion is ok with the new CPU's?


Also:

If anyone is interested I made a video tutorial for the CPU swap:

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmz7gPw31L0

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/phzn8MPaDtQ

Enjoy!

That right there ladies and gentleman is the holy grail of videos of a how to for the Mac Pro 1,1 CPU upgrade.

Man I just got my hands on a MacBook Pro 2011 Core i7 2.3ghz about a week ago. Its literally twice as fast as my current 2.66ghz Mac Pro but an upgrade like this would be awesome considering I can still use higher end video cards like the 5870.

What do these processors usually cost? I'm *kind of* tempted to keep my Mac Pro.

[MrTed]

I have a question. I found x5355 and 5365 but there are different kind:
SLAEG, SLAED, SLAC4,SL9YM... Do they all work in macpros ? thx

[Neodym]

These codes stand for the various revisions of the respective CPU (see this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1210403&highlight=) for more details).

The latest revision ("G0") has had significant improvements regarding power consumption, but generally spoken they do all run fine in a MacPro (1,1/2,1). You can even mix two different revisions with the same speed.

In theorey there is a small problem: CPU's get "firmware" (microcode) updates now and then to correct glitches, which are usually implemented by OSX as part of a patch. When you implant a x5355 or x5365 into an early MacPro, its firmware won't recognize the new CPU's completely (even though they run fine) and thus won't install the microcode updates to them.

In daily use, however, there are no known problems due to this (maybe in scientific use with high-precision calculations). By going for the latest revision ("G0") of such a quad-core chip (e.g. SLAEG for the x5355) you have most of the possible updates already installed in the CPU, which may be another reason (besides the lower power consumption) to go for those.

[wikus]

These codes stand for the various revisions of the respective CPU (see this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1210403&highlight=) for more details).

The latest revision ("G0") has had significant improvements regarding power consumption, but generally spoken they do all run fine in a MacPro (1,1/2,1). You can even mix two different revisions with the same speed.

In theorey there is a small problem: CPU's get "firmware" (microcode) updates now and then to correct glitches, which are usually implemented by OSX as part of a patch. When you implant a x5355 or x5365 into an early MacPro, its firmware won't recognize the new CPU's completely (even though they run fine) and thus won't install the microcode updates to them.

In daily use, however, there are no known problems due to this (maybe in scientific use with high-precision calculations). By going for the latest revision ("G0") of such a quad-core chip (e.g. SLAEG for the x5355) you have most of the possible updates already installed in the CPU, which may be another reason (besides the lower power consumption) to go for those.

If such is the case, then these processors cost very little. Look here;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-5355-2-66Ghz-8MB-SLAEG-SLAC4-SL9YM-/220823764533?pt=CPUs&hash=item336a1f3e35

$130 for a single 5355 Quad Core 2.66ghz chip.

Looking at the 'completed listings' on ebay, some have even sold for $70. This is giving me second thoughts as to whether or not I should sell my desktop mac pro. Slap in the upgrade and I can easily squeeze out another 2 years at the very least with the Mac Pro.

[MrTed]

Thank you for answering. I'll go for SLAEG.

I hesitate between 5355 and 5365. If 5365 have only 13% more power and 5355 are half priced.....mmmm:rolleyes:

[rshanahan]

This is tempting. Upgrade my 1.1, find a good deal on Craigslist on a 2009/2010 mp, move to a 2011 mm server I7. The upgrade looks pretty tempting, but I'll need to get a new video card as I have an ATI 3870, which, sadly, is not compatible with Final Cut X, which is something I want to look into.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

[MrTed]

Will I get benefits upgrading from original 2,66 1.1 proc to octo 5355 using Logic pro ?

[Neodym]

Upgrade my 1.1, find a good deal on Craigslist on a 2009/2010 mp, move to a 2011 mm server I7. The upgrade looks pretty tempting, but I'll need to get a new video card as I have an ATI 3870, which, sadly, is not compatible with Final Cut X, which is something I want to look into.

Even factoring in the additional cost for a new graphic card, the CPU upgrade path would probably be the most inexpensive solution.

A Mac mini server lacks 2 internal HD bays in comparison (and requires more expensive 2,5" drives with less storage space in the first place) and offers less maximum memory (which may be an important issue with video editing), speedwise (CPU) it is roughly in the same ballpark of an upgraded Mac Pro 1,1.

A used 2009/2010 MP would cost significantly more (already considering the Sales value of an old 1,1), though would also offer significantly more power and cheaper Ram upgrades.

Also - with either a Mac mini or new MP you would not need to work inside the computer as you would do when upgrading the CPU on a MP 1,1. Depends on whether you feel uncomfortably doing so or not (though it's really straightforward).

Will I get benefits upgrading from original 2,66 1.1 proc to octo 5355 using Logic pro ?

If i remember correctly Garageband has been kind of a benchmark for CPU power with the number of tracks being playable in parallel, so i would assume that Logic Pro could also profit from more cores (if being programmed multithreaded, which i don't know).

[USSR]

I have a matched pair of X5355s I'm looking to part with. PM me if you're interested, thanks.

[fastpat]

I, too, have a pair of X5160s, 3.0 ghz taken from my Mac Pro 1,1 in order to install X5365s.

Make me an offer I can't refuse. I also have eight 1 gb memory sticks for anyone interested in a memory expansion.

[Yelpy]

Hi so Im new to all this Mac stuff but yea Im updating my Mac Pro 1,1 and the only thing left to do is update the processors. So I've read all posts and what not (gr8 job by the way lads, so helpful) but I'm slightly unsure of one thing. Wikus posted a link to 2.66Ghz 5355's on Ebay but I've noticed that these are a "SLAEG" configuration as opposed to "SLAED" which is mentioned in Midphase's video tutorials above (amazingly helpful tutorial btw). So of course my question is am I still good buying the "SLAEG" versions on Ebay? Forgive my ignorance but I have no idea what any of this means, it's been a long time since I've built/upgraded PC's so I'm totally out of the loop.

Cheers Lads! :)

[flatfoot]

Hi so Im new to all this Mac stuff but yea Im updating my Mac Pro 1,1 and the only thing left to do is update the processors. So I've read all posts and what not (gr8 job by the way lads, so helpful) but I'm slightly unsure of one thing. Wikus posted a link to 2.66Ghz 5355's on Ebay but I've noticed that these are a "SLAEG" configuration as opposed to "SLAED" which is mentioned in Midphase's video tutorials above (amazingly helpful tutorial btw). So of course my question is am I still good buying the "SLAEG" versions on Ebay? Forgive my ignorance but I have no idea what any of this means, it's been a long time since I've built/upgraded PC's so I'm totally out of the loop.

Cheers Lads! :)

I think you're good to go. The ones I used to upgrade my Mac Pro (some time ago, don't have it anymore) were SL9YM, so yet another sSpec number. IIRC, it's not important.

[Neodym]

Wikus posted a link to 2.66Ghz 5355's on Ebay but I've noticed that these are a "SLAEG" configuration as opposed to "SLAED" which is mentioned in Midphase's video tutorials above (amazingly helpful tutorial btw). So of course my question is am I still good buying the "SLAEG" versions on Ebay?

SLAED is the 3.0GHz flavour, while SLAEG is for the 2.66GHz chips. Basically you can take any revision you like, but it is advisable to take the SLAEx variants (for details see this thread (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1210403)).

[Yelpy]

Oh right ok cool well that's sorted that out!

Cheers! :)

[boboettinger]

Just updated my Mac Pro 1,1 2.66 Dual Core to two 2.66 quad cores along with an ATI 5770 and 16 Gigs of Ram. I've had this computer since new in 2006 and it has been trouble free since the (with the exception of the optical bay doors sticking open).

Looked at buying a new iMac, Mini server and i7 mini but wanted to hold out and see if the MacPro gets updated anytime soon.

I think this was worth the minimal expense. Went from Geek Bench score of about 5000 to over 9500. This should hold me over until Apple decides what they are going to do.

[JesterJJZ]

Do you think this upgrade is still worth the $600?

[reebzor]

Do you think this upgrade is still worth the $600?

not worth $600. I picked up the same CPU's on ebay for $200 about 2 months ago.

[ashman70]

Just updated my Mac Pro 1,1 2.66 Dual Core to two 2.66 quad cores along with an ATI 5770 and 16 Gigs of Ram. I've had this computer since new in 2006 and it has been trouble free since the (with the exception of the optical bay doors sticking open).

Looked at buying a new iMac, Mini server and i7 mini but wanted to hold out and see if the MacPro gets updated anytime soon.

I think this was worth the minimal expense. Went from Geek Bench score of about 5000 to over 9500. This should hold me over until Apple decides what they are going to do.

How much did this upgrade cost you?

[JesterJJZ]

not worth $600. I picked up the same CPU's on ebay for $200 about 2 months ago.

So then is it worth the $400? :D

[nambuccaheadsau]

Indeed it is imho.

Mac Pro 1.1 2GHz Geekbench result of 3714.

Upgraded with X5355's, an SSD and ATI Radeon HD4870 1GB gfx card, Geekbench now comes in at 9241.

[ashman70]

Indeed it is imho.

Mac Pro 1.1 2GHz Geekbench result of 3714.

Upgraded with X5355's, an SSD and ATI Radeon HD4870 1GB gfx card, Geekbench now comes in at 9241.

How much did that upgrade cost you?

[JesterJJZ]

The best prices I am seeing for the Intel Xeon Quad Core X5365 3.0Ghz 8M SLAED is $300 a piece.

[reebzor]

So then is it worth the $400? :D

You're really the only one that can answer whether it is "worth it" or not. For me, $200 was worth it. I wouldn't have spent any more than that, but if you need the extra power and don't mind spending $400, I guess it would be worth it.

[USSR]

I've still got my paired X5355s I'm looking to sell (haven't posted on eBay yet). :)

[macn00blet]

I just did the dual X5355 upgrade in my MP 1,1 and the speed increase is definitely worth it.

My geekbench came in at 10028.

I got mine from ebay for about $130 each.

I ran the patch at netkas forum to make my 1,1 be recognized as a 2,1 so everything looks good now.

The upgrade wasn't hard at all. The hardest part of the upgrade was getting the fans out. The annoying part of the upgrade was cleaning the old thermal paste and applying new arctic5.

While I was performing the heart transplant, I took the opportunity to get the dust bunnies out. There was LOTS of dust! :O

[nambuccaheadsau]

How much did that upgrade cost you?

CPU's on eBay Aus $250.00
SSD used $ 65.00
HD4870 used $120.00

$435 all up.

[discounteggroll]

I see there are different types of 4870's out there, do I need a special version to run natively/without issue in a mac pro 1,1? I got 16GB of RAM for it, now need 2 processors (I know what to get there) and a video card. I see them on ebay from $110-$150 but some say theirs is guaranteed to work with the mac pro, while other say mac pro in title but don't have any description regarding compatibility. Thanks!

[Neodym]

I see there are different types of 4870's out there, do I need a special version to run natively/without issue in a mac pro 1,1? I got 16GB of RAM for it, now need 2 processors (I know what to get there) and a video card. I see them on ebay from $110-$150 but some say theirs is guaranteed to work with the mac pro, while other say mac pro in title but don't have any description regarding compatibility. Thanks!
Normally you need one with a flashed firmware to work properly on the Mac (unless it is the original Apple 4870, which had "only" 512MB of Ram). Alternatively you could get the Apple 5770 which is fully supported. As that is a little pricey still, there is another alternative:

If you are running 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) you could also put in an off-the-shelf PC 6870, which will work fine (except for bootscreen, Steam and DVD player - to resolve the latter two google for ATY_init.kext and Netkas) without any additional installation required. I don't know whether 10.6.8 would also support unflashed PC 4870's natively...

[discounteggroll]

I have (and continue to be) a fanboy of snow leopard, only because I have used it extensively both professionally and personally. I did put lion on this guy the other day but would feel no remorse nuking it back to snow kitty. the $125-$175 price point is what I want to spend on a video card...what would you recommend I get? I'm pretty sure I want a compatible-out-of-the-box 4870 with 1GB RAM. Could you point me in the direction of one, or suggest something better based on my budget and what I'm currently looking at? Thanks

PS-picked up 16GB for the pro this morning (8x2GB) for just under $150...good deal?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130644197486#ht_726wt_1112

[Neodym]

I did put lion on this guy the other day but would feel no remorse nuking it back to snow kitty.
Sorry for being unprecise - should have written 'If you are running 10.6.8 or newer...', because Lion does the same in regard to graphic card support as Snow Leopard 10.6.8. No need to roll back for a graphic card!

the $125-$175 price point is what I want to spend on a video card...what would you recommend I get? I'm pretty sure I want a compatible-out-of-the-box 4870 with 1GB RAM. Could you point me in the direction of one, or suggest something better based on my budget and what I'm currently looking at? Thanks
In general i would be cautious with used 4870 - they are infamous for dying voltage transformers. In my case my monitor input was damaged as well when they eventually gave in...

Another issue with 4870's is the noise - you would need a special cooling solution for quiet operation, as most cards can become pretty noisy under load.

I would recommend to go for a 6870, which is pretty inexpensive these days (available around 140,- to 150,- €, so could fit your budget) and works out of the box (see my other post for exceptions). Better performance and lower power consumption compared to the 4870. Currently i'm running a Gigabyte HD6870/1GB (3-fan-solution) in my 1,1 and i'm fully satisfied.

PS-picked up 16GB for the pro this morning (8x2GB) for just under $150...good deal?

Sounds okay to me, especially having the big heatsinks.

[discounteggroll]

before I ask anything else, let me say thank you for your time and generosity. I looked into the 6870 and the downsides seam plausible with a few concerns. Mainly, "no boot screen" means different things based on who it's coming from. Does this mean I wouldn't be able to do alternate boot functions such as verbose/single user/net boot or see an alternate boot screen (say if I have multiple bootable drives attached)? I'll need to think about any other things that will prevent me from doing. As far as steam and DVD player...I will do as you say because I do plan on playing some old school CS 1.6 and DOD if anyone even plays those any more. Having a DVD player around to watch DVD's sounds handy, granted I don't remember handling a retail DVD to watch on a computer no less. All video plays normally though (avi, mk4, blah blah)? VLC would be my app of choice for playback.

I figure this card, the 16 GB of RAM and pair of x5355 (SLAEG) cpu's will fit the bill. Please feel free to let me know about anything else I could possibly slap in this guy. Also, if you need anything repair/part/etc on apple products let me know as I am apple certified and operate an Apple-centric repair and education/support business.

[Neodym]

Mainly, "no boot screen" means different things based on who it's coming from. Does this mean I wouldn't be able to do alternate boot functions such as verbose/single user/net boot or see an alternate boot screen (say if I have multiple bootable drives attached)?
That's correct. The workaround for this is to have a second graphic card installed as "helper card" (a cheap, passively cooled card like the 7300 that came with the MP originally, will do) - the helper card will show the boot menu just fine and the 6870 picture will come up after the system is loaded (or for the password entry screen if you configured such a login - that way you can keep the 6870 running as main screen).

If that'd be a deal killer for you, you would probably have to bite the bullet and go for a more expensive original Apple 4870 or 5770. Though i'm just fine with my helper card...

All video plays normally though (avi, mk4, blah blah)? VLC would be my app of choice for playback.
Yes - not one single problem! You can even move (playback or normal) windows seamlessly between monitors, where one is connected to the 6870 and the other to the helper card.

I figure this card, the 16 GB of RAM and pair of x5355 (SLAEG) cpu's will fit the bill. Please feel free to let me know about anything else I could possibly slap in this guy.
You could consider migrating to a SSD if you did not do so by now. Using one of the "orphaned" SATA ports on the motherboard, you will notice a significant improvement over a conventional harddrive being boot/system drive. The second optical drive bay is a nice spot for the SSD btw. ...

Also, if you need anything repair/part/etc on apple products let me know as I am apple certified and operate an Apple-centric repair and education/support business.
Thanks for your offer! :)

[discounteggroll]

That's correct. The workaround for this is to have a second graphic card installed as "helper card" (a cheap, passively cooled card like the 7300 that came with the MP originally, will do) - the helper card will show the boot menu just fine and the 6870 picture will come up after the system is loaded (or for the password entry screen if you configured such a login - that way you can keep the 6870 running as main screen).


You could consider migrating to a SSD if you did not do so by now. Using one of the "orphaned" SATA ports on the motherboard, you will notice a significant improvement over a conventional harddrive being boot/system drive. The second optical drive bay is a nice spot for the SSD btw. ...


Thanks for your offer! :)

ah, yeah SSD is already under the belt, thanks for reminding me about using the stock card as a "helper", I have plenty of 15 or 17" cheapo dell LCD's I can throw on if even necessary to run diagnostics or anything of the like. My main beast right now is a 15" 2.66 GHz i7 MBP (non-thunderbolt) self-upgraded to 8GB RAM, 120GB intel SSD as the OS/system (partially partitioned for boot camp) and a 750GB 7200RPM 2.5" as my /Home and storage drive in my optical bay. The MP is getting the original OCZ Vertex 2 60GB that I had in here originally...left that out unintentionally ;)

Would this happen to be the video card you speak of? I chose it randomly based on my desires and price range and your ideas led me to this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GIGABYTE-ATI-Radeon-HD6870-1GB-DDR5-2DVI-HDMI-PCI-E-Video-Card-GV-R687OC-1GD-/160730780321?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item256c4d12a1#ht_6548wt_879

[discounteggroll]

sorry, forgot to ask...boot camp-any issues? Also, should I seek a specific brand/mfg for the 6870 or will any retail/OEM version work? I see some people saying cables are required (and not included). Thoughts?

[Neodym]

sorry, forgot to ask...boot camp-any issues?
Even though i did not test it (using Parallels and do no PC gaming, so Bootcamp is not set up anymore on my machine), i don't see why not. With Bootcamp your MP becomes just a normal PC and there are good drivers for a 6870 by ATI/AMD...

Also, should I seek a specific brand/mfg for the 6870 or will any retail/OEM version work? I see some people saying cables are required (and not included). Thoughts?
Cables are indeed required, as the cables that come with the card are targetted towards a PC and are of no use within a MP. The original Apple cables are probably still listed in the system as being for an X1900 card (don't have the part no ready).

Brand is not an issue for work as described above. Mitigating the existing issues by using the ATY_Init.kext _could_ have varying success depending on brand, though. Usually the pioneers focus on the cheaper cards, so XFX and Sapphire usually are a safe bet.

[musicman0725]

Has anyone figured out if Lion is ok with the new CPU's?


Also:

If anyone is interested I made a video tutorial for the CPU swap:

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmz7gPw31L0

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/phzn8MPaDtQ

Enjoy!

Completed the processor upgrade this weekend. Thank you for the helpful videos. The heatsink cover wasn't that difficult to remove. I was able to use adjustable screw heads to make sure I didn't strip any of the screws on the memory cage. You just have to loosen them a bit, so it wasn't that tough.

The most difficult part was definitely removing the fan component. The top part near the one screw came out easily, however, it can get stuck in the track that guides it (near the bottom of the case). I've included a pic for anyone that has difficulty, so you can see the track. You can also use one of the PCI bay covers to pull the fan away from the base right next to the track while you pull up (be sure to pull up, not out!).

Before doing the upgrade, I'd recommend upgrading to the Mac Pro 2,1 firmware (http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,1094.0.html). I did this and both processors were detected immediately on the first boot. Good luck to anyone considering the upgrade...it's well worth it!

[strwrsfrk]

After reading this thread and several other like it, I made the plunge and finished my project today.

Total cost: $145 (for both x5355 CPUs - check eBay!)

My Mac Pro 1,1 had 2x 2x 2.66GHz 5150s.

The videos and links posted very early (1st page) of this thread were all I needed.

Unfortunately, my screwdrivers were very short, and that wound up being the most frustrating part of my install. Get 12" - 18" narrow screwdrivers if you can! Phillips head and T15 bits.

The fan assembly was a close second in frustrating parts, though I found plugging it back in was much worse than taking it out.

New 64-bit Geekbench score: 10,390 (up from ~6,100). 70% increase.

[ashman70]

Here is a question for all of you who have upgraded the CPU's in your Mac Pro's do you find you get the beach ball less often, more often or the same now? Where is your system most noticeably faster, using a specific application or all around?

[strwrsfrk]

do you find you get the beach ball less often, more often or the same now? Where is your system most noticeably faster, using a specific application or all around?

Unfortunately, since i bought my Mac Pro used and immediately upgraded, all I have are synthetic benchmarks.

I'm very surprised and impressed with my boot times, though, considering the age of the machine and the fact that I'm still using a 7200rpm HDD instead of an SSD. Compared to my MBA, it is only a few seconds slower.

[ExnomenDei]

A Mac Pro 1,1 user here, upgraded to the 5345 for resale purposes. It gets the same score as my 2009 quad, which is sick considering the memory is literally over twice as fast. This machine is insane for a 2006 machine and I'm glad to hear the 32-bit EFI is not giving issue with the dev preview of Mountain Lion (if you know what you're doing...)

Great machine, I would have kept it like this if I hadn't got my 2009 Mac Pro for a GREAT price.

[musicman0725]

After reading this thread and several other like it, I made the plunge and finished my project today.

Total cost: $145 (for both x5355 CPUs - check eBay!)

My Mac Pro 1,1 had 2x 2x 2.66GHz 5150s.

The videos and links posted very early (1st page) of this thread were all I needed.

Unfortunately, my screwdrivers were very short, and that wound up being the most frustrating part of my install. Get 12" - 18" narrow screwdrivers if you can! Phillips head and T15 bits.

The fan assembly was a close second in frustrating parts, though I found plugging it back in was much worse than taking it out.

New 64-bit Geekbench score: 10,390 (up from ~6,100). 70% increase.

That's awesome. I went from 5608 to 9527 in geekbench (32-bit) upgrading from the 2.66ghz 5150s to the 2.66 x5355s. I purchased a 9" 3mm hex key from amazon for about $5. Made it really easy to remove the heatsinks (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X285AW/).

So far things have been running very smoothly. Did you also upgrade to the 2,1 firmware? I also noticed amazon had the 256GB crucial m4 for $295 yesterday (newegg still has it for that price). Was very tempted, but I think I'll wait a little longer before moving to an SSD.

[Neodym]

I think I'll wait a little longer before moving to an SSD.
You shouldn't - you miss out on one of the biggest single "felt" speed increases possible... If it's due to the cost go for a 120GB - more than enough for a massive system partition and available comparably cheap nowadays (around 110,-€). May require some discipline to keep bigger installations and huge music/image/video libraries on another partition on a big standard hd, but imho well worth it!

[strwrsfrk]

I purchased a 9" 3mm hex key from amazon for about $5. Made it really easy to remove the heatsinks (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X285AW/).

Did you also upgrade to the 2,1 firmware? I also noticed amazon had the 256GB crucial m4 for $295 yesterday (newegg still has it for that price).

Had I had the foresight, I would have bought the proper tools ahead of time. The information I had available did not prepare me for just how annoying the heatsinks really are!

Yes, I did the 2,1 upgrade. It was my understanding that the 1,1 firmware would not properly recognize the x5355s, though I never checked. However, I can say for a fact that the 2,1 firmware only recognizes ONE 5150 after the upgrade.

I love SSDs, but I refuse to buy one unless the reviews are decent and I get it for $1/GB equivalent. They are the single best upgrade you can do for your machine IMO from an HDD (or 1GB --> 4GB RAM, depending). If you need a replacement boot drive, or just have a few hundred dollars to spend, you will not regret buying a good SSD.

[joot]

I will be doing this CPU (x5150 to x5355) upgrade as soon as my hex tool comes in. For those of you that did the upgrade already, what programs did you felt the speed increase? I used Adobe Lightroom and Premiere CS5 and I'm hoping to see a bit of speed increase from these two programs.

[strwrsfrk]

I will be doing this CPU (x5150 to x5355) upgrade as soon as my hex tool comes in. For those of you that did the upgrade already, what programs did you felt the speed increase? I used Adobe Lightroom and Premiere CS5 and I'm hoping to see a bit of speed increase from these two programs.

Adobe programs (with the exception of Acrobat Pro) are considered to take good advantage of multiple cores. Many Apple programs do, as well.

Programs that are not well-threaded will not see much benefit because they will run on a single core at the same clock speed.

Mostly, I run virtual machines. The pure Geekbench score wasn't of paramount importance, but core count was.

[EricTheRed71]

I've just upgraded 3 of my Mac Pro 1.1s with the 2.66 quad core chips, bought from US ebay for $130 a piece.

Everything is running great now - I'm using them mainly as render nodes for 3dsmax/vray under Windows 7 & am seeing almost a doubling of render performance (which means up to about 50% of the performance of my 2.66 12-core Mac Pro).

I found the hardest part was getting the fan assembly out. That bugger felt like it was never going to shift (on all 3 machines).

Before the upgrade one of the Mac had had a problem for ages with the fans running too fast (it sounded like a jet taking off, which meant it was unusable). The Northbridge heat sink was showing a crazy temperature which couldn't be right so I took the chance to re-seat it with fresh thermal paste. The result was a lovely silent Mac with a 100% performance boost.

Very happy!

btw, the heat sink screws are not actually hexes although a hex tool does apparently work ok. The screws are T15 torx heads. For anyone buying a tool especially for the job - maybe repeatedly using a hex could eventually damage the screws.

[joot]

^^ No wonder, I search and search and some people were saying use 3mm hex T-handle wrench. Then the other people were saying use the 3mm Torx (T-15) wrench. They have different end points. I end up buying only the Eklind 3mm T-handle wrench. I hope that one works. This tool is a pain in the rear to find. None of the ACE hardware stores near me had it. Had to order from on-line...that's why I haven't done it yet...still waiting for the tool...

[Rokeneer]

^^ No wonder, I search and search and some people were saying use 3mm hex T-handle wrench. Then the other people were saying use the 3mm Torx (T-15) wrench. They have different end points. I end up buying only the Eklind 3mm T-handle wrench. I hope that one works. This tool is a pain in the rear to find. None of the ACE hardware stores near me had it. Had to order from on-line...that's why I haven't done it yet...still waiting for the tool...

does anybody know if the 5365 xeons will work in a mac pro 1,1?

[flatfoot]

does anybody know if the 5365 xeons will work in a mac pro 1,1?

Yes, they will.

[Rokeneer]

Yes, they will.

Does it require upgrading the heat sinks that are currently on the 5160's, or can they just be dropped in with no further modifications?

[flatfoot]

Does it require upgrading the heat sinks that are currently on the 5160's, or can they just be dropped in with no further modifications?

Not sure if it's necessary but since the original model featuring these CPUs was MacPro2,1 it might be a good idea to upgrade the firmware (prior to swapping the CPUs, I guess) to have the correct microcode available for the CPUs.

See the netkas forums for the firmware file and the upgrade process. I don't know the exact location.

Have fun upgrading your Mac Pro. It's pretty easy.

[strwrsfrk]

Since the original model featuring these CPUs was MacPro2,1 it might be a good idea to upgrade the firmware (prior to swapping the CPUs, I guess) to have the correct microcode available for the CPUs..

Does it require upgrading the heat sinks that are currently on the 5160's, or can they just be dropped in with no further modifications?

You will not need to upgrade your heatsinks, but you should definitely update your firmware: http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,1094.0.html And it gets a little weird when you update because (for me at least) the MacPro did not recognize my second 5150. But once you drop in the x5365s, your Pro should see them fine.

While you're down there, buy some Isopropyl (91% or higher - higher is better) and some lint-free wipes to clean off the old thermal paste from the CPUs and heatsinks. Then buy some high performance thermal paste (not OEM garbage). I recommend this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835242019

Finally, I'm sure you've looked at pricing, but you can get 2.66GHz x5355 Quads for about $100/ea if you look hard enough. x5365s are at least 2.5x more expensive for negligible gains in performance (333MHz and the same architecture limitations).

[joot]

x5356 also runs hotter if I'm not mistaken. Uses more wattage due to higher clocks. Things to keep in mind when doing this swap:

1. The memory cage screws are easily stripped

2. Fan assembly takes a lot of wiggling around to get it off

3. Keep a laptop, iPAD around to search youtube for tutorials

4. Be patient...

[Ben32]

I've been following this thread since I decided to proceed with a CPU upgrade on my good old MP 1.1. I got two X5365 SLAED from ebay for 450$.
They are both SLAED sspecs but they haven't got the same serial number, I believe we can still call them a matched pair ?
I'm waiting for my upgrade kit to arrive (Arctic clean, Arcticsilver 5, Anti-Static Wrist Strap and a long T15 screwdriver) to go on with the upgrade.

I do have a few questions though,
- Shall I upgrade the EFI via netkas utility before doing the upgrade, or after ? My boot rom is actually MP11.005C.B08. Any trouble from that boot rom ?
- Will I have to take the memory cage screws completely off ?
- Will this 8GB Kit (4GBx2) work with the X5365s ?
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=1626055CA5CA7304 (DDR2 PC2-5300)
Or shall I go for those ones ? http://www.crucial.fr/eu/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=C2C9F7D4A5CA7304 (DDR2 PC2-6400)
- Will I be able to run W7 with bootcamp (and fusion) with this new setup. I plan to use Vray in rhinoceros for architectural renders and hopefully use the 8 cores. I have also installed a HD5770 GPU and a crucial M4 SSD recently and I'm running Lion 10.7.3.

Thanks,
B32

[anarcho]

Hey! First post here!
Thanks to this thread I got sucess installing 2x5355 on my MACPRO 1,1 !

But it still showing UNKNOWN on the mac info (tryed the aboutthismac.pkg, but I heard that it doesnt works on lion)

Also, if someone are looking for cheap 5355 , nextag showed a shop called EOPTION online. I bought mine there for 80,00 each.

Any ideia how to fix this unknown problem on my mac? Lion 10.7.3 here. I really dont want to mess with the bios...

[derbothaus]

I really dont want to mess with the bios...

That's good because there isn't any.

[nambuccaheadsau]

anarchy look at post #336 and go to netkas, join the forums and download the firmware update and that will fix the unknown problem to read 2 x 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon.

[joot]

^^ I tried to joined the forum about a month or so ago but seems the administrator of the site has not approved my membership yet. Anybody else have problem joining and getting approval from that site ?

[Joetazz]

Hi, Just curious to see what everyone has done with their Xeon 5150's? I've just got a couple of x5365's but I'm trying to work out if there is a way I can put my 5150's into something and set up a network for rendering.

[Foxbat46614]

Just to be sure, the upgrade to the X53xx Xeon processor family will allow me to run Mountain Lion, or is Lion the end of the line for the Mac Pro 1,1?

[derbothaus]

^^^ end of line.

[macpro2000]

Wirelessly posted

Thanks Apple.

[Foxbat46614]

^^^ end of line.That's what I was afraid of. Better to take the money I'd spend on upgrading and put it towards a refurbed Mac Pro. Thanks for making that easier.