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Mac pro quad core new cpu

E

Enny5

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 21, 2010
45
0
I just go my self refurbished mac pro from apple 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon . Is it possible to upgrade to faster cpu? and how do i know which one i can use in this machine?

Thanks
 
yes it is possible, search the Mac Pro forums for upgrading and adding another Xeon CPU.

you could add another 2.66 GHz Xeon for less than replacing with a faster CPU. you do however have to the buy tools and heatsink as well, but would end up cheaper than adding a CPU/upgrading from Apple.

EDIT: wait a sec maybe im wrong about dual CPUs, if you have the 2009 Nehalem Mac Pro with the Xeon W3520 i think you cannot add another Xeon as the 3500 series is only single socketed. someone with better knowledge on this could confirm.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-quad-core-2.66-early-2009-nehalem-specs.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeon#3500-series_.22Bloomfield.22
 
richthomas said:
you could add another 2.66 GHz Xeon for less than replacing with a faster CPU.
Click to expand...

Not possible with 2009- Mac Pros. 2008 Mac Pro had an option for single E5462 which means that it had an empty slot for another CPU. However, single CPU 2009 Mac Pros have only one socket.

W3580 is the best you can get, it's 3.33GHz quad core
 
Out of interest, what does your wife have to do with the chip?

:rolleyes:

UmarOMC said:
Thanks so much! After a little homework I've already informed my wife about my plans to possibly get this chip and pop it in. I found out about the compatibility of the i7-975 and am happy to see that the author comments on why he decided to go with a W3580 instead of the i7-975.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...
 
I wonder if the w3565 works too in the 2009's? I think it's a lot cheaper because it's got lower memory bandwidth.
 
Thessman said:
I wonder if the w3565 works too in the 2009's? I think it's a lot cheaper because it's got lower memory bandwidth.
Click to expand...

It uses D0 stepping so it should work fine. The thumb rule is that 2009 Mac Pro cannot use W36xx CPUs but any W35xx should work (2010 Mac Pro can use both)
 
OWC offer a program to replace the CPU in a 2009 or 2010 Mac Pro: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/turnkey/MacPro/2009_2010_Xeon_Processor

A good place to start looking for what are good CPU upgrade options for your Mac Pro, even if you decide to risk it and both purchase and upgrade the CPU yourself (note that if you decide to do the upgrade yourself you
probably can only go to using dual CPUs if your Mac Pro currently has dual CPUs).

Thessman said:
I wonder if the w3565 works too in the 2009's? I think it's a lot cheaper because it's got lower memory bandwidth.
Click to expand...
OWC offers an upgrade to use that CPU for the 2009's so yes it would work fine.
 
Thessman said:
I wonder if the w3565 works too in the 2009's? I think it's a lot cheaper because it's got lower memory bandwidth.
Click to expand...

Actually that seems more viable for my situation. Hmmm. Same QPI as the original 3520, too.

OWC's program seems a bit expensive- over $1500 for the Xeon W3580 installation. I know my MacPro's a little more complicated than my previous Macs but I've done my own hard drive, CPU and memory installations on all of them, only I'd need special tools and more patience for this project. I think its more of a viable option for those whom want to upgrade and don't mind paying a little extra because they're uncomfortable trusting themselves.

Speaking of tools... I need to hit Google up again so I have the tools ready!
 
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Yeah for the advanced user who's prepared to brick a device if he mucks things up then doing the job yourself is O.K. Of course with OWC testing to make sure the CPUs are installed properly, it's not a cheap exercise. They need Mac Pros to do the testing of the CPU upgrades.

Anyway as I said before the list of CPUs that OWC provides for upgrades is a good summary of CPUs you can choose from.
 
mdgm said:
Yeah for the advanced user who's prepared to brick a device if he mucks things up then doing the job yourself is O.K. Of course with OWC testing to make sure the CPUs are installed properly, it's not a cheap exercise. They need Mac Pros to do the testing of the CPU upgrades.

Anyway as I said before the list of CPUs that OWC provides for upgrades is a good summary of CPUs you can choose from.
Click to expand...

True, true! Thanks for the input. It's good to note that they note having to 'burn test' the CPU installation for 8 hours minimum in their FAQ.
 
OWC's upgrade pricing is insane and they keep your original CPU tray as well (at least for single -->dual cpu upgrades)!

I upgraded my 2.66 to 3.33 (W3580) for $650. Keep an eye out on eBay for the chips. You'll need a 3mm long handled torx driver. I bought a whole set on Amazon for $9.00. You'll also need thermal compound: I used Tuniq TX-2. After that you'll just need to unscrew the captive screws on the heatsink, lift the lever securing the chip and pop in the new one in the same orientation. Done.
 
SnoFlo said:
OWC's upgrade pricing is insane and they keep your original CPU tray as well (at least for single -->dual cpu upgrades)!

I upgraded my 2.66 to 3.33 (W3580) for $650. Keep an eye out on eBay for the chips. You'll need a 3mm long handled torx driver. I bought a whole set on Amazon for $9.00. You'll also need thermal compound: I used Tuniq TX-2. After that you'll just need to unscrew the captive screws on the heatsink, lift the lever securing the chip and pop in the new one in the same orientation. Done.
Click to expand...

$650 sounds a lot better than $1514. :p I'm sure it was used but I'd accept used for that price- that sucker's over $1000 new. Now to find a trustable seller... I usually do background checks on a seller's feedback- one time I was surprised to find one seller's feedback was fluffed with small, individual items; toothpaste tubes, dental floss, packets of Kool-Aid, et cetera. That was the worst, but I look for patterns.
 
Hahaha, yes, check out the seller well! I had a 60 day warranty on mine. It's been humming along for 4 months thus far with no issues.
 
UmarOMC said:
$650 sounds a lot better than $1514. :p I'm sure it was used but I'd accept used for that price- that sucker's over $1000 new. Now to find a trustable seller... I usually do background checks on a seller's feedback- one time I was surprised to find one seller's feedback was fluffed with small, individual items; toothpaste tubes, dental floss, packets of Kool-Aid, et cetera. That was the worst, but I look for patterns.
Click to expand...

I upgraded for around the same. I bought the w3680 off ebya for 899 and sold my w3530 for 230 (so not quite as good as others here) but that's a total of $760 vs $1200 from apple or whatever insane price OWC charges.
 
SnoFlo said:
OWC's upgrade pricing is insane and they keep your original CPU tray as well (at least for single -->dual cpu upgrades)!

I upgraded my 2.66 to 3.33 (W3580) for $650. Keep an eye out on eBay for the chips. You'll need a 3mm long handled torx driver. I bought a whole set on Amazon for $9.00. You'll also need thermal compound: I used Tuniq TX-2. After that you'll just need to unscrew the captive screws on the heatsink, lift the lever securing the chip and pop in the new one in the same orientation. Done.
Click to expand...

Think you can hook us up with an Amazon link? Thanks, man!
 
The very last decision I'm in a toss up about is whether I should wait for a Radeon HD 5870 or get this Xeon W3580 3.33GHz. I play a lot of games... I already get good performance with my setup but if I can get smoother play I'll go for it. The W3580 is a no-brainer install offering an overall faster system with zero setbacks as far as I know. The only Radeon HD 5870s for Mac on eBay won't display correctly until the blue, pre-login interface appears via DVI which, after I asked and the seller tested, means that booting into Single User mode doesn't display unless I use a VGA connector when I do- I simply have to be able to boot into Single-User mode at times.

Forget that eBay Radeon HD 5870 flashed card... see 2 posts below!
 
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