CPUs for Mac Pro Early 2008

[Data-Base]

Hello,

I have a Mac Pro early 2008! the service here told me that it seems the CPUs or one of them is defected! is this possible?

they did every thing possible even got a new Logic Board!

my CPUs are 2x X5482 3.2 GHz (that's what I understand from this site)

can I use any X5482 intel CPU with it (or any other LGA771 Xeon CPU at all)?

it's related to this issue http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=914928

[nanofrog]

It's possible that one or both of the CPU's have gone bad (rare, but does happen).

To find out, test each one individually (board will run with 1x), so pull CPU B, and see if the issue is resolved. If not, swap A for B (if one is bad, this will tell you). If both are bad, the system won't function properly, if it even POST's.

You should also pay close attention to the fault LED's on the logic board, as those could offer useful information as well (may have problems with the something else, such as memory; not sure, as there's not a lot of information).

As per replacements, the 54xx series is what you would want to use (please note that some use a 1600MHz FSB, others only 1333MHz - the latter will still work, but are slower in terms of I/O throughput between the CPU and the rest of the system). There's even one that only has a 1066MHz FSB (L5408).

1600MHz FSB parts
1333MHz FSB parts

BTW, the X5482 is one of the 1600MHz FSB parts (one of the biggest changes the 2008 MP offered users, as Apple stuck to 1600MHz FSB parts).

Good luck.

[Data-Base]

Thanks allot, for your info :-)

so Mac Pro is not locked on some specific CPU and I can get any X5482 from any webshop online? even I may get a X5492 !?!

what about the different steppings thing !?!

cheers

[nanofrog]

Originally Posted by Data-Base

Thanks allot, for your info :-)

so Mac Pro is not locked on some specific CPU and I can get any X5482 from any webshop online? even I may get a X5492 !?!

what about the different steppings thing !?!

cheers

NP.

As your system originally had the X5482, your board and coolers are meant to take 150W TDP, which is the hottest any of that series runs. Which means you can run the X5492.

As per the C0 v. E0 steppings, the E0 is Halogen Free version, and is what Apple used. But IIRC, the C0 parts will work as well.

To be safe however, you could just stick with E0, which is all the X5492 was manufactured as (only brought out after Intel switched to a Halogen Free process).

[666sheep]

Excuse me nanofrog, but Apple uses C0 Harpertowns (SLAxx), not E0 (SLBxx). E0 won't work (lack of microcode in EFI for it). Proven, even heren on MR. No X5492 for MP - all were E0, according to Intel: http://ark.intel.com/ProductCollecti...codeName=26555

OP, check these Diag LEDs and try to boot without graphics card. There are few examples of exactly the same diagnose of "Apple techs" and graphics was the culprit in every single case.

[Data-Base]

now I found this page http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id...es=SLANZ,SLBBG

so the original CPU is EU80574KL088N which is SLANZ!?!

[nanofrog]

Originally Posted by 666sheep

Excuse me nanofrog, but Apple uses C0 Harpertowns (SLAxx), not E0 (SLBxx). E0 won't work (lack of microcode in EFI for it). Proven, even heren on MR. No X5492 for MP - all were E0, according to Intel: http://ark.intel.com/ProductCollecti...codeName=26555

OP, check these Diag LEDs and try to boot without graphics card. There are few examples of exactly the same diagnose of "Apple techs" and graphics was the culprit in every single case.

Sorry about that.

For some reason I thought the move to the Halogen Free parts were done on the 2008's (there was an article on Apple moving to Halogen Free to further their Green Initiative).

Going back, the 2.8GHz, was the SLANT (been awhile since I've dealt with the CPU steppings on the 54xx series, and am also accustomed to other boards supporting both steppings - very un-Apple like).

At any rate, the SLANT is C0 stepped, so the X5492 wouldn't work (E0 only).

Originally Posted by Data-Base

now I found this page http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id...es=SLANZ,SLBBG

so the original CPU is EU80574KL088N which is SLANZ!?!

Stick with C0 (btw, SLANZ is C0).

[Data-Base]

Originally Posted by nanofrog

Sorry about that.

For some reason I thought the move to the Halogen Free parts were done on the 2008's (there was an article on Apple moving to Halogen Free to further their Green Initiative).

Going back, the 2.8GHz, was the SLANT (been awhile since I've dealt with the CPU steppings on the 54xx series, and am also accustomed to other boards supporting both steppings - very un-Apple like).

At any rate, the SLANT is C0 stepped, so the X5492 wouldn't work (E0 only).


Stick with C0 (btw, SLANZ is C0).

I will :-)
Thanks :-)

[strwrsfrk]

Originally Posted by 666sheep

Excuse me nanofrog, but Apple uses C0 Harpertowns (SLAxx), not E0 (SLBxx). E0 won't work (lack of microcode in EFI for it). Proven, even heren on MR.

This post saved my life tonight. Not to resurrect a dead thread for no reason, but I wanted to say thank you and maybe bring this to the attention of anyone Googling it right now.

[Data-Base]

Originally Posted by strwrsfrk

This post saved my life tonight. Not to resurrect a dead thread for no reason, but I wanted to say thank you and maybe bring this to the attention of anyone Googling it right now.

Glad it helped you!
can you share with us what was your issue and how did you solve it?

[strwrsfrk]

Originally Posted by Data-Base

Glad it helped you!
can you share with us what was your issue and how did you solve it?

I admit to being a bit dramatic:

A professional photographer friend wanted to upgrade his 2x2.8GHz 3,1 to 2x3.2GHz. He purchased two X5482 3.2GHz Xeons on eBay independently of any advice or information which I provided to him (as I had given none, other than a link to the Mac Pro Wikipedia page which lists all Apple configurations for the Pros), which was lucky for me since I was off the hook for this snafu.

He received SLANZ- and SLBBG-stepped chips, the difference of which we were unaware when we started. So both chips were installed, the 3,1 was turned on, and... nothing. No error LEDs, no POST. Just an 8800GT which spun up to unreasonable speeds. So after researching additional error LEDs which could be triggered via the diagnosis ("diag") button, we determined that EFI was not initializing.

At this point we began pulling the CPUs to test them individually, and would have eventually arrived at the conclusion that one CPU was "bad," had my friend not (in his infinite photographer/computer nerddom) taken extremely hi-res and crisp shots of every component to ever grace the insides of his computer. As I was taking the heatsinks off, he went through his photographs on a whim and noticed the difference in stepping as indicated on the heatspreaders. I recognized the information as Intel CPU steppings and, after some Googling, found this thread.

He is purchasing a new CPU today.

TL;DR - Friend's 3,1 upgrade went South. Thread explained why. Rainbows and puppies all around.

[davew128]

Sorry to necropost a bit here but I want to be absolutely certain here. I'm looking to upgrade from 2.8 to 3.2 on my 3.1 Pro. I understand 3.2 is the highest CPU the Mac will support, but the processor model is EU80574KL088N? How can I tell if one is SLANZ and one is SLBBG?

EDIT: It appears the SLANZ version is AT80574KL088NT?

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SLBBG.html
http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SLANZ.html

Does this look right?

[netkas]

Originally Posted by davew128

Sorry to necropost a bit here but I want to be absolutely certain here. I'm looking to upgrade from 2.8 to 3.2 on my 3.1 Pro. I understand 3.2 is the highest CPU the Mac will support, but the processor model is EU80574KL088N? How can I tell if one is SLANZ and one is SLBBG?

EDIT: It appears the SLANZ version is AT80574KL088NT?

http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SLBBG.html
http://www.cpu-world.com/sspec/SL/SLANZ.html

Does this look right?

You can do it mich easier.

Boot windows, overclocks with setfsb to 3.2 , reboot into mac.

[davew128]

If only I could make a working Boot Camp partition....two days of abject failure like most people. Loaded Windows 7 into VMWare Fusion just fine. Boot Camp? Ugh. Can't even boot into the installer disk.

[freespeed]

Originally Posted by davew128

If only I could make a working Boot Camp partition....two days of abject failure like most people. Loaded Windows 7 into VMWare Fusion just fine. Boot Camp? Ugh. Can't even boot into the installer disk.

yeah I spent 2 days figuring this out. The main issue has to do with the GUID formatted drives when booting the windows installer. Some sort of conflict. Highly recommend using a completely separate drive and boot up the installer with that drive only and don't continue until you format that drive to NTFS. also if you have a Mac Pro 1,1 you will have to re-burn the installer disk via a PC with certain settings to run 64-bit. everyone was mentioning this link here for the guide, which was dead but luckily it was still around in googles Internet cache.

[davew128]

Originally Posted by freespeed

yeah I spent 2 days figuring this out. The main issue has to do with the GUID formatted drives when booting the windows installer. Some sort of conflict. Highly recommend using a completely separate drive and boot up the installer with that drive only and don't continue until you format that drive to NTFS. also if you have a Mac Pro 1,1 you will have to re-burn the installer disk via a PC with certain settings to run 64-bit. everyone was mentioning this link here for the guide, which was dead but luckily it was still around in googles Internet cache.

Well I have a Mac 3.1 (see title of the thread). Everything is 64 bit. Can't boot from the installer disk. Tons of threads all over the web on the issue, seems to be a huge problem. May just borrow an office machine with my extra drive and install it on the windows machine and then put it back in the Mac.

[davew128]

May have figured out the boot camp problem. Some time back I swapped out factory DVD for a SATA blu-ray. While I can boot from an Apple install disk from that drive I'm betting I can't with a Windows disk...

[elvisizer]

dave- how is the blu ray drive connected? are you using one of the 2 'extra' sata ports on the MB? if you are, that definitely is the problem- those ports will only work in windows if windows is using AHCI mode . . . . and the windows installer doesn't.

[PowerPCMacMan]

The 2 extra SATA porta will only boot mac related os x's. They will not work for booting a non Apple os. For this, you will need the ahci drivers for windows. As for BSD or Linux, you need those Also to recognize those drivers.

[davew128]

Yeah, I need to go meet someone locally off of craigslist who has an IDE optical drive. Nobody sells them retail anymore.

A couple years back I installed a second optical SATA blu-ray using the extra SATA ports. The factory DVD died a year ago and didn't think anything of it since I still had a good drive. I had no idea a non-Mac OS couldn't boot from it.

[davew128]

Finally got an IDE optical drive, Windows 7 up and running (typing on it), got Setsb downloaded, and NO idea what the board is, pll, etc.

[sauria]

Originally Posted by Data-Base

Thanks allot, for your info :-)

so Mac Pro is not locked on some specific CPU and I can get any X5482 from any webshop online? even I may get a X5492 !?!

what about the different steppings thing !?!

cheers

Did an X5492 ever work?

[PowerPCMacMan]

As has been said in these forums before, the x5492 will never work in the 2008 Mac Pro. I myself have tried it and it did not work.. the machine wouldn't even boot up. This has something to do with the firmware not recognizing the SLANT E0 stepping.

Only C0 stepping based processors will work, E0 based stepping will NOT work. It would be nice for those with 4-core 2.8's to move to 3.4 ghz 8-core x5492, but because of E0, the Mac Pro firmware on the 08 machine won't recognize it.

The highest you can go is 3.2 or x5482.

Originally Posted by sauria

Did an X5492 ever work?

[sauria]

Originally Posted by PowerPCMacMan

As has been said in these forums before, the x5492 will never work in the 2008 Mac Pro. I myself have tried it and it did not work.. the machine wouldn't even boot up. This has something to do with the firmware not recognizing the SLANT E0 stepping.

Only C0 stepping based processors will work, E0 based stepping will NOT work. It would be nice for those with 4-core 2.8's to move to 3.4 ghz 8-core x5492, but because of E0, the Mac Pro firmware on the 08 machine won't recognize it.

The highest you can go is 3.2 or x5482.

Thank you for the information.

[Batemans]

Originally Posted by netkas

You can do it mich easier.

Boot windows, overclocks with setfsb to 3.2 , reboot into mac.

Is this actually possible? I've done a bit of searching and found that ICS932S401 is the correct clock generator for ALL MP's?