Build a Mac Pro with replacement parts?!

Hey guys, Im currently trying to do this exact thing, build myself a mac pro 2009 octo from scratch. I found a place selling the enclosure with fans, cage, caddies, and everything it seems for $99 usd. I am also looking into buying 2 matching engineering samples xeon x5560's. i have also found a guy selling a psu from the original mac pro for $45 usd. I'm a little new to building mac pros, although I have built dozens of pc towers and a few macbooks and macbook pros. but right off the bat i have a few questions maybe you guys can help me with.

1.First off is the case Im looking at pre-wired or not? I honestly cant tell from the pictures sent to me. (i will post pics at the end.)

2.Case doesnt come with power supply. will a psu from an original mac pro work? if so is there anything I have to buy for it to make it compatible or is there no way (also found a psu which is a pull off from MB535LL/A, which i believe is the 2009 mac pro for $120, which isnt bad but isnt as nice as $45)

3.Is there a problem with using engineering sample xeons in a mac pro? Ive been reading around and it seems that a majority of people who do it use engineering samples, but i believe someone on this discussion was saying how they wouldnt go near them and tries to avoid them. can someone clarify this issue for me?

Thank you in advance, I am really excited about this project and cant wait to get some input and positive feedback.

davidmikhail said:

1.First off is the case Im looking at pre-wired or not? I honestly cant tell from the pictures sent to me. (i will post pics at the end.)

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Those black things you see are wires. Now guess.

davidmikhail said:

2.Case doesnt come with power supply. will a psu from an original mac pro work? if so is there anything I have to buy for it to make it compatible or is there no way (also found a psu which is a pull off from MB535LL/A, which i believe is the 2009 mac pro for $120, which isnt bad but isnt as nice as $45)

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You need a 2009/2010 PSU. Others are incompatible in any possible way.

davidmikhail said:

3.Is there a problem with using engineering sample xeons in a mac pro? Ive been reading around and it seems that a majority of people who do it use engineering samples, but i believe someone on this discussion was saying how they wouldnt go near them and tries to avoid them. can someone clarify this issue for me?

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ES per se are fine. Just make sure that you get CPUs with a D0 stepping. All others won't work.

Transporteur said:

Those black things you see are wires. Now guess.



You need a 2009/2010 PSU. Others are incompatible in any possible way.



ES per se are fine. Just make sure that you get CPUs with a D0 stepping. All others won't work.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I could see that there are SOME wires in the chassis, but i was unsure because ive messed around with a 2008 mac pro, and they have SIGNIFICANTLY more wiring than this case did. I also figured that maybe those wires just for the superdrive. ok, so it looks like ill have to bite the bullet and pay $120 for the psu, so that makes $240 (shipping included) for the enclosure and power supply. not bad i guess

" any idea where to find these rare parts?"

For rare parts, you can try looking at Macparts Online. They also have the latest MacBook Pro parts, as far as I know. They sell Mac replacement batteries, logic boards, power supplies, LCD screens, all the way to special screws and tools.

lukepeterson said:

" any idea where to find these rare parts?"

For rare parts, you can try looking at Macparts Online. They also have the latest MacBook Pro parts, as far as I know. They sell Mac replacement batteries, logic boards, power supplies, LCD screens, all the way to special screws and tools.

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What type of part u looking for mostly it come together with the part u purchase unless its used.

3.Is there a problem with using engineering sample xeons in a mac pro? Ive been reading around and it seems that a majority of people who do it use engineering samples, but i believe someone on this discussion was saying how they wouldnt go near them and tries to avoid them. can someone clarify this issue for me?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't use ES, as it always struck me as the physical equivalent of beta software. You might be absolutely fine. You also might have issues around power draw, voltage, bios, etc, especially as these are often preproduction versions.

Also, Intel treats them as stolen property, especially for the seller.

Anyway, with 3 year leases ending this year on Xeon servers, there should be a steady supply of fast 6 core xeons on the market, with prices moving down. 3.33ghz hex core X5680s can be had for 300 bucks a piece now.

hello guys , question , can i use my imac 27 parts , and put them on a mac chasis ??? my imac lcd is damage , ... so ,,,

omarads25 said:

hello guys , question , can i use my imac 27 parts , and put them on a mac chasis ??? my imac lcd is damage , ... so ,,,

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If you chop about 4" off each side, you should be able to fit it in a Mac Pro case

@davidmikhail

Your project is very interesting, however I would suggest you to buy a used 2010 MacPro with dual CPUs (in working condition) and then move everything to the new MacPro enclosure. You can save a lot of money, time and it will also help you to understand the cabling inside the case. You can buy a used 2010 for USD 1540 (or cheaper)

BTW, I am actually doing something similar, moving my MacPro 2010 to a new case. I was looking into replacing my MacPro fans only, but if I order the fans separately, it will end up costing me more than 200 bucks. So I just got myself a new 2010 cMP empty case with all 4 fans for just $165

Now time to operate

kennyman said:

@davidmikhail

Your project is very interesting, however I would suggest you to buy a used 2010 MacPro with dual CPUs (in working condition) and then move everything to the new MacPro enclosure. You can save a lot of money, time and it will also help you to understand the cabling inside the case. You can buy a used 2010 for USD 1540 (or cheaper)

BTW, I am actually doing something similar, moving my MacPro 2010 to a new case. I was looking into replacing my MacPro fans only, but if I order the fans separately, it will end up costing me more than 200 bucks. So I just got myself a new 2010 cMP empty case with all 4 fans for just $165

Now time to operate

Click to expand...

I have an 2008 3,1 Pro

What would be the best route to upgrade my tower?

Derekm15 said:

I have an 2008 3,1 Pro

What would be the best route to upgrade my tower?

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hello, I am not sure about cMP 3,1. I have cMP 5,1. Sorry