4,1 vs 5,1 Processor Boards. Different right ???

Hi,

How right you are. The only difference between the dual boards is the fact 2009 mac pro cpus used LIDLESS cpus, where as 2010 have the IHS on them.

Unless you have tons of money I wouldn't bother getting the dual boards from the 2010, and even if you were to put the dual board in your 09 mac pro, the SMC firmware would not match, thereby the machine wouldn't even boot. You would then need the 2010 backplane logic board which at this point you are already in the 1000's(backplane + dual processor board, then the 2010 dual heatsinks, etc.)

The firmware 4,1 -->5,1 is much better served by those with single quad 09 mac pros, like mine. I went from the 09 3.33 quad-core to the 6-core and all I had to do was get the processor.

As I said, the upgrade won't be cost effective for the duals, as it would be more expensive.

 

Hello PowerPCMacMan,

I am in a similar situation as above, but I have a 2010 Mac Pro (I was given it by a client who no longer uses it). I have bought a CPU board for it, but it seems that the board is for the 2009 Mac Pro (It doesn't have the CPU holders).

Will this board work in my Mac Pro 2010?

I don't have a CPU to test it with at the moment, so I would be grateful if you could let me know if it will work.

many thanks in advance.

Nicholas Cross

 

Hi, sorry for not responding sooner. unless the 2009 board(I assume u mean processor board) has the 5,1 firmware on it, it will not work at all.. and I imagine that if it did your fans would kick into airplane take-off mode. the smc of both logic board and processor board must match in order for your machine to even boot.

 

Thanks for the information PowerPCMacMan!!

Is anyone interested in the Dual CPU board that I have then (since I cannot use it)?

PowerPCMacMan, I have another small question... I ordered a hexcore CPU that is a Engineering Sample. Do you think that it will work in my Mac Pro (either in the single CPU board, or in a dual CPU board)?

Thanks for your comments.

Nicholas Cross

 

ureeka!!!!

YAY!!! I have got it working!!

I have managed to sort it out. I had an idea, and used the firmware upgrade utility, and downgraded my 2010 mac pro to a 2009 mac pro.

I then put in the dual CPU board (with only one CPU), and tried starting the machine. Other than the fans running at full speed, it ran perfectly!!

I have now upgraded my mac pro to the 2010 model (what it should be), and the board still works!!

SO... my question... I have a X5650 on order, but I cannot really afford a second one at the moment. Is there any way that I can get the fans to run at a normal speed, or will I have to put in two processors?

If I have to use two processors, what are the cheapest processors that I can use till I have get another X5650.

thanks for your comments.

Nicholas Cross

 

Actually, the boards themselves are different. So are the heat sinks.

The 2009 unit uses lidless CPUs, but the LGA socket is "raw" as well. There is no metal retention mechanism surrounding them, the board relies on the pressure from the heat sink to keep the CPU seated.

The 2010 uses CPUs with the integrated heat spreader as you say, but the sockets also have the retention mechanism around them bolted to the board with the backplate attached underneath. This changes the spacing that the heat sinks use for positioning, so the heat sinks are different as well.

-SC

 

Lidless CPU

Hello all,

I was just watching a video on youtube showing how to take the heatsink off of a CPU.

I have just tried it on a broken CPU, and it certainly worked.

Has anyone tried it, and then used the CPU on a 2009 CPU board?

Do you think that the CPU will still work after the IHS has been removed?

Thanks for your comments.

Nicholas Cross

 

It will work if you did it properly. Intel IHS until Ivy Bridge are all soldered onto the die. So you would have to use a razor blade to cut the IHS edges then heat up the CPU until the solder melts to get the IHS off.

 

I have just tried it, and as you say, I cut the edges with a razor blade, and then heated the IHS with a clothes iron until the cpu literally dropped off.

Sadly, the CPU doesn't work (but it was broken before I took the IHS off).

Do I need to worry about the solder on the top?

Won't that cause problems with the heat transfer when it is in use?

 

It can if it's not that smooth.

You could lap the solder (make sure not to hit the material beneath the solder), and it would smooth the solder out quite a bit (DO NOT completely remove it to avoid damaging the CPU itself), making the peaks and valleys smaller (thermal paste is designed to fill these, improving thermal conduction from the CPU to the heatsink). The point to all of this, is to reduce the hot spots to an acceptable level (any specific point within thermal specifications from the CPU manufacturer, in this case Intel).

But you have to be extremely cautious, including how hot you get the CPU during removal of the IHS (just enough heat to get it off).

Quite risky and not for the faint of heart, but if you're willing and take proper care, it will work.