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Can you take a quad xeon out of the mac pro...
- Thread starter bbplayer5
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I seriously doubt that the MacPro would work without one chip, or if you could even take just one out. Even more than that, I doubt that it would eork in a pc anyway.
They don't use the same socket, so no.
Socket 771 for Xeon branded processors versus Socket 775 for desktop processors.
Well from what I have read you can take them out, it is just a standard processor so why wouldn't it work in the PC if it is pin compatible.
The only question there is if the MP would work with a chip missing, dunno.
Oddly, it does work with one chip. Check Anandtech.com. They ran a Mac Pro with a single chip.
The two important points:
1. The Mac Pro will work just fine with one processor removed.
2. The quad-core chips in the Mac Pro are Xeon 5300-series chips that use Intel's "LGA-771" socket. This is not at all compatible with the more desktop-oriented "LGA-775" socket used by Pentium 4, Pentium D, Core 2 Duo, and Core 2 Quad chips. The Xeons only work in Xeon sockets.
However, if you had, say, a first-day-of-purchase bottom-of-the-line quad 2.0GHz Mac Pro (two 2.0 GHz dual-core chips,) and your spanking new octo 3.0GHz Mac Pro (two 3.0 GHz quad-core chips,) you would see a performance boost in the old machine by moving one of the 3.0 GHz quad-core chips over. (You'd end up with two 3.0 GHz quad-core machines instead of one 2.0 GHz quad-core and one 3.0 GHz octo-core.) But you'd be "wasting" the two 2.0 GHz quad-core chips. It would only be even remotely useful if you did a lot of work that was capable of using all four cores, but not eight cores, on both machines. In which case, the speed loss to the octo-machine wouldn't be felt, and the speed boost to the old 2.0 GHz machine would be.
1. The Mac Pro will work just fine with one processor removed.
2. The quad-core chips in the Mac Pro are Xeon 5300-series chips that use Intel's "LGA-771" socket. This is not at all compatible with the more desktop-oriented "LGA-775" socket used by Pentium 4, Pentium D, Core 2 Duo, and Core 2 Quad chips. The Xeons only work in Xeon sockets.
However, if you had, say, a first-day-of-purchase bottom-of-the-line quad 2.0GHz Mac Pro (two 2.0 GHz dual-core chips,) and your spanking new octo 3.0GHz Mac Pro (two 3.0 GHz quad-core chips,) you would see a performance boost in the old machine by moving one of the 3.0 GHz quad-core chips over. (You'd end up with two 3.0 GHz quad-core machines instead of one 2.0 GHz quad-core and one 3.0 GHz octo-core.) But you'd be "wasting" the two 2.0 GHz quad-core chips. It would only be even remotely useful if you did a lot of work that was capable of using all four cores, but not eight cores, on both machines. In which case, the speed loss to the octo-machine wouldn't be felt, and the speed boost to the old 2.0 GHz machine would be.
That's sooo wrong, 
I couldn't violate my Mac Pro's innards like that. The only time i take the side off is to stare in wonder at its beauty or stick in more RAM/HDDs.
On a more serious note, and correct me anyone if I'm talking rubbish, but you're likely to notice quite a drop in performance because your going to one processor package over two and losing half your cache and one of your CPU to system controller busses. I'd be greatfull for having that power when you need it if I were you.
Just my 2 pence worth and probably overpriced at that....
I couldn't violate my Mac Pro's innards like that. The only time i take the side off is to stare in wonder at its beauty or stick in more RAM/HDDs.On a more serious note, and correct me anyone if I'm talking rubbish, but you're likely to notice quite a drop in performance because your going to one processor package over two and losing half your cache and one of your CPU to system controller busses. I'd be greatfull for having that power when you need it if I were you.
Just my 2 pence worth and probably overpriced at that....
