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Xeon DP/SP Hardware Guide/Discussion to Build Your Own System

N

nanofrog

macrumors G4
Original poster
May 6, 2008
11,719
3
Given the pricing structure on the '09 Mac Pro, it might be worth creating a thread discussing possible parts that can be used to build a suitable system, as either a single processor or dual processor machine to suit one's needs, albeit running OS X as a Hackintosh.

This thread is a work in progress, so please bear with me, and your patience would be appreciated.
 
nanofrog said:
Given the pricing structure on the '09 Mac Pro, it might be worth creating a thread discussing possible parts that can be used to build a suitable system, as either a single processor or dual processor machine to suit one's needs, albeit running OS X as a Hackintosh.

This thread is a work in progress, so please bear with me, and your patience would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

You can count me in.

I'm pretty now it should be easier than ever to build a system that we want because OS X will now officially support the 4870 and core i7. All we need to do now is find the right motherboard.
 
I've got half a mind to do this, but for me the whole point of getting one of these was to stop doing everything myself. I'm certainly a hobbyist, but sometimes I'd like to just use the damn thing instead of playing with it.
 
QuadCore versus 8-Core

If is possible for me to order the QuadCore and then add another core at a later time? Obviously putting up the 800 difference right now is a bit much.

I didn't know if it was the same motherboard so that I could but a processor at a later time. Thanks.
 
i was going to start same thread lol, anyway i think it's better for desktop use to make your own system and save the money from the case and the apple tax XD. for me i never believed in buying branded desktop.
 
m1stake said:
I've got half a mind to do this, but for me the whole point of getting one of these was to stop doing everything myself. I'm certainly a hobbyist, but sometimes I'd like to just use the damn thing instead of playing with it.
Click to expand...
I know how you feel, but....

I originally took this route because I needed more internal drive bays (quite a few actually, for RAID). Now I've seen the specs and pricing, I feel even better about it. :D
chartrapp said:
If is possible for me to order the QuadCore and then add another core at a later time? Obviously putting up the 800 difference right now is a bit much.

I didn't know if it was the same motherboard so that I could but a processor at a later time. Thanks.
Click to expand...
It doesn't look like it. :( The Quad core is a W35xx part, and doesn't require a DP board. I'd guess it's a different board this time.
 
If my discount ends up being substantial enough to warrant buying this thing, I will. But if it's over $2000 I'm not buying this thing. It's a shame that not everyone has access to something like this, because the current Mac Pro is a plain and simple rip off - even for an Apple product.
 
m1stake said:
If my discount ends up being substantial enough to warrant buying this thing, I will. But if it's over $2000 I'm not buying this thing. It's a shame that not everyone has access to something like this, because the current Mac Pro is a plain and simple rip off - even for an Apple product.
Click to expand...
Buying DP parts can come in under $2k, depending on exactly what CPU's you go for, memory,... The X5550 will be slightly over I think, as I'm estimating a decent board will run $650USD, and hopefully support overclocking. That helps. :D

Do you have anything lying around you can recycle? Or are you starting from scratch?
 
I'd be starting from scratch if I go this direction. I'm totally OK with spending $3,000+ on a computer, but I want to get what I pay for.
 
m1stake said:
I'd be starting from scratch if I go this direction. I'm totally OK with spending $3,000+ on a computer, but I want to get what I pay for.
Click to expand...
You can keep it under $3k, unless you go for the fastest parts possible.

Say a basic setup such as:
$830 for 2x E5520 (2.26GHz, same as base '09 MP)
$170 for 2x coolers (Noctua NF-U12P 1366)
$650 (est) board
$215 HD 4870 (Sapphire 1GB GDDR5, not 512MB; nice price for the performance IMO)
$204 for memory (6GB (6X 1gb) DDR3 1333 Unbuffered; 1066 is cheaper)[crucial]
$100 for an HDD (640 WD6400AAKS is cheaper, as is the Seagate 640GB drive).
$200 for decent 1000W PSU (Corsair HX1000W)
$300 for a really good case (you obviously choose what you need)
$24 for SATA Optical Drive (Lightscribe)

This totals out to $2743USD. Cheaper than the base '09 MP at any rate. :D
You'd still have to cover some S/H (some of the parts have free S/H or is included, such as the PSU, case, and coolers). Also the OS(s) of your choice.

But even then, you can still stay within the $3k mark. :D
 
I am definitely building a system as well. I was ready with my credit card the moment I saw yesterdays announcement... then I opened my eyes.

Perhaps if enough people are in on it, we could organize a group buy to bargain down the cost (especially on items other than the cpu)
 
nanofrog said:
You can keep it under $3k, unless you go for the fastest parts possible.

Say a basic setup such as:
$830 for 2x E5520 (2.26GHz, same as base '09 MP)
$170 for 2x coolers (Noctua NF-U12P 1366)
$650 (est) board
$215 HD 4870 (nice price for the performance IMO)
$204 for memory (6GB (6X 1gb) DDR3 1333 Unbuffered; 1066 is cheaper)[crucial]
$100 for an HDD (640 WD6400AAKS is cheaper).
$200 for decent 1000W PSU
$300 for a really good case (you obviously choose what you need)

This totals out to $2719USD. Cheaper than the base '09 MP at any rate. :D
You'd still have to cover some S/H (some of the parts have free S/H or is included, such as the PSU, case, and coolers). Also the OS(s) of your choice.

But even then, you can still stay within the $3k mark. :D
Click to expand...

Never.
 
Never say never.

Xeon w5580 (3.2 GHz) - > $1600;
Xeon x5570 (2.93 GHz) - > $1386;
Xeon x5560 (2.8 GHz) - > $1172;
Xeon x5550 (2.66 GHz) - > $958;
Xeon 5540 (2.53 GHz) - > $744;
Xeon e5530 (2.4 GHz) - > $530;
Xeon e5520 (2.26 GHz) - > $373;
Xeon e5506 (2.13 GHz) - > $266;
Xeon e5504 (2.0 GHz) - > $224;

from a reasonable source :
http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-6971-view-Intel-Xeon-Xeon-55xx-series.html

So $746 by their estimation, let alone a group buy scenario of many sets of two. People are willing to make deals in this climate
 
nanofrog said:
You can keep it under $3k, unless you go for the fastest parts possible.

Say a basic setup such as:
$830 for 2x E5520 (2.26GHz, same as base '09 MP)
$170 for 2x coolers (Noctua NF-U12P 1366)
$650 (est) board
$215 HD 4870 (nice price for the performance IMO)
$204 for memory (6GB (6X 1gb) DDR3 1333 Unbuffered; 1066 is cheaper)[crucial]
$100 for an HDD (640 WD6400AAKS is cheaper).
$200 for decent 1000W PSU
$300 for a really good case (you obviously choose what you need)

This totals out to $2719USD. Cheaper than the base '09 MP at any rate. :D
You'd still have to cover some S/H (some of the parts have free S/H or is included, such as the PSU, case, and coolers). Also the OS(s) of your choice.

But even then, you can still stay within the $3k mark. :D
Click to expand...

I'd be looking for Skulltrail and hoping it comes with 12 memory slots for a dual socket system. 2.26Ghz processors should overclock easily to 2.66GHz and beyond.

Did OS X ever end up working on the current skulltrail?
 
Personally I'll hold off a bit.
EFi-X should be coming out with firmware support for X58 Real Soon Now(tm).

My main concern is what  are adding to Snow Kitteh to block EFi-X.

In other words, for now I'm content with waiting for WWDC.
As speculated elsewhere, there might (but far from 100%) be a price adjustment on the MP hardware in time for SL, and it shouldn't take too long after WWDC to find out how EFi-X works with SL.

Let's just say I can't be bothered with messy third party solutions to get my OS of choice working.
 
Umbongo said:
I'd be looking for Skulltrail and hoping it comes with 12 memory slots for a dual socket system. 2.26Ghz processors should overclock easily to 2.66GHz and beyond.

Did OS X ever end up working on the current skulltrail?
Click to expand...
Personally, I lean more towards ASUS in this regard. They make the Z7S WS, which is comparable to the original Skulltrail, but had better technology (PCIe 2.0 slots vs. PCIe 1.1), and fewer issues.

I'm currently running an ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution with an i7 920. Too new to me as of yet, but I'll let you know. The firmware has already had a new release (0311). I still need time to work with it. I'll answer any questions I can, but it may take some time yet.

This should be a great SP board for W35xx parts, as it is capable of using them. If you do, the ECC functionality will be enabled. :)
Umbongo said:
I think he means he won't buy those specific processors :)
Click to expand...
I was trying to stick to his budget. It's still possible to get higher end processors if he can compromise on the graphics card and case. Possibly even the PSU, but I'm quite picky about power.

(Based the quote off the Corsair HX1000W).
rylin said:
Personally I'll hold off a bit.
EFi-X should be coming out with firmware support for X58 Real Soon Now(tm).

My main concern is what  are adding to Snow Kitteh to block EFi-X.

In other words, for now I'm content with waiting for WWDC.
As speculated elsewhere, there might (but far from 100%) be a price adjustment on the MP hardware in time for SL, and it shouldn't take too long after WWDC to find out how EFi-X works with SL.

Let's just say I can't be bothered with messy third party solutions to get my OS of choice working.
Click to expand...
It's not that bad anymore. :)

Ultimately, self support is the cost of saving the $$$ from a DIY computer, no matter the OS(s) used. ;) Always a compromise... :rolleyes: :p
 
Eidorian said:
Does it have to be Xeon?
Click to expand...
Absolutely NOT! :D

For a single processor system, you can choose either W35xx or Core i7 parts. Same pricing per 1000 from Intel. The only difference, is the W35xx parts will allow you to use ECC Unbuffered memory. If you don't need it, you can choose between a greater selection of boards, and possibly save some $$$, depending on what exactly you chose to go with. :)

DP systems are another story. It requires a yet unreleased board, so there's no specs yet. But we can figure out the rest of the system, particularly pricing. You can even chose to use standard DDR3 (non ECC) memory if you chose, as it will work. Possible cost savings here, as ECC is more expensive, but not terribly so for the Unbuffered variety. Registered is truly another story here.
 
nanofrog said:
Personally, I lean more towards ASUS in this regard. They make the Z7S WS, which is comparable to the original Skulltrail, but had better technology (PCIe 2.0 slots vs. PCIe 1.1), and fewer issues.
Click to expand...

Skulltrail would just be a good way to save some money if there were few headaches with it and you wanted a fast DP system. Although the boards are expensive (current is $600 with retail price of $700) they let you use those low end Xeons and push them high. Assuming things work the same.
 
Umbongo said:
Skulltrail would just be a good way to save some money if there were few headaches with it and you wanted a fast DP system. Although the boards are expensive (current is $600 with retail price of $700) they let you use those low end Xeons and push them high. Assuming things work the same.
Click to expand...
I'd pick X58 over Skulltrail. Do you really need FB-DIMMs and dual sockets? Not to mention the parts are PQN/EOL.
 
Umbongo said:
Skulltrail would just be a good way to save some money if there were few headaches with it and you wanted a fast DP system. Although the boards are expensive (current is $600 with retail price of $700) they let you use those low end Xeons and push them high. Assuming things work the same.
Click to expand...
Exactly. :)

A DP board capable of OC'ing the parts used is going to basically be a necessity, rather than a luxury. Even considering it's price, it's still cheaper than going from 2x E5520's to 2x X5550's or better run at stock on a standard DP board. I'm hoping the $650 estimate will be close though. Too soon to tell now, particularly as I've no idea which way it could swing in the current economy.

I would take a serious look at ASUS though. Better track record with this type of board (OC, extreme performance DP) compared to Intel's Skulltrail. They both may be able to do better this time. :)

Not yet sure if directly modding the chip is possible, let alone how many would be willing to do it. Scary for some.
 
Just a glimpse at what a dual socket Nehalem board will cost:

Asus Z8PE-D12X(ASMB4-IKVM)

CPU: Dual Socket LGA1366, QPI upto 6.4GT/s
Memory: 12 DIMM slots, Triple Channel, ECC/Reg/Unbuffered, Max Capacity 96GB(RDIMM)/ 24GB(UDIMM)
Slots: 4x PCI-Express x16 Slot(Support PCI-Express 2.0); 2x PCI-X 133/100MHz Slots
IDE/SATA: 1x ATA-100 Channel; 14x SATA2 Ports, Support RAID 0, 1, 5, 10
LAN: 2x Intel 82574L Fast Ethernet Controller
Form Factor: SSI EEB, 12 x 13 inch (similar to E-ATX)
Cost: $501.00

Fore firewire, add this card (3x Firewire 800 ports)

MB-Z8PD12X_LG.GIF
 
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