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MacPro4.1 Motherboard is WX58BP
- Thread starter joken
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Yes, it can.
The 2009 has the same chipset but it's EFI does not have the required microcode to boot the what I think are the B1 stepping CPUs (inc gulftown).
2010 owners can now fit any Xeon 3500, 3600, 5500 and 5600 series they want.
2009 onwers are limited to Xeon 3500, 5500.
The 2009 has the same chipset but it's EFI does not have the required microcode to boot the what I think are the B1 stepping CPUs (inc gulftown).
2010 owners can now fit any Xeon 3500, 3600, 5500 and 5600 series they want.
2009 onwers are limited to Xeon 3500, 5500.
Yes, it can.
The 2009 has the same chipset but it's EFI does not have the required microcode to boot the what I think are the B1 stepping CPUs (inc gulftown).
2010 owners can now fit any Xeon 3500, 3600, 5500 and 5600 series they want.
2009 onwers are limited to Xeon 3500, 5500.
Sorry to steal the thread. But is there any ongoing thread that is following this that I can subscribe to?
-Thanks
Not specifically, no.
Just keep a reading through the current threads in this section and the random conversations on this topic will become clear to you
But it's pretty much the same as I posted it in my first post.
As long as the CPU you want to fit in the MP is from the same generation as your current CPU then everything should work perfectly.
Eg the best the 2009 can do is go from a W3520/E5520 (2.66Ghz/2.4GHz) 4-core CPU to a W3580/W5590 (3.33GHz) 4-Core CPU.
The best 2010 CPU currently are the W3680/X5680 (3.33Ghz) 6-cores, which the former you can buy from Apple, the latter you can't but it would 99.9% work if you could fit them.
Interesting, thanks for this! The cheapest way to get 6-core is to buy the base Mac Pro and then buy W3680 from aftermarket for ~900$ and then sell the W3530 for ~300$. Total cost: ~600$, exactly the half of Apple's price
It also has MP5.1 the EFI can use W3680?
If so then it is too cumbersome.
Because I could not find MP5.1 the EFI.
If so then it is too cumbersome.
Because I could not find MP5.1 the EFI.
Yes, it can.
The 2009 has the same chipset but it's EFI does not have the required microcode to boot the what I think are the B1 stepping CPUs (inc gulftown).
2010 owners can now fit any Xeon 3500, 3600, 5500 and 5600 series they want.
2009 onwers are limited to Xeon 3500, 5500.
It also has MP5.1 the EFI can use W3680?
If so then it is too cumbersome.
Because I could not find MP5.1 the EFI.
Until someone finds a way of flashing the 2010 EFI then no the 2009 can't use it.
HOWEVER someone has messaged me saying that you can fit the 2010 board into the 2009 Mac Pro and then the W3680 WILL fit...
Interesting to see if that works. However personally i'd just spend the little extra $$$ and keep the warranty and buy from apple :/
It's cheaper and a lot smaller hassle to just sell your current and get a new one. There has been no successful EFI flash as of yet and in the end, the market for that is fairly small too.
As in someone has tried it and failed or as in no one has tried it successfully yet?
I'm not sure but I doubt anyone has tried it seriously. It's not just "cut&paste" plus you would need to have access for both, 2009 and 2010 Mac Pros
Apparently someone has bought a 2010 tray for $300 and will be trying it out.
Why he messaged me instead of posting it I have no idea.
Possibly.
To be honest I think only the EFI is different, allows for 2009/2010 part interchanges making things cheaper and similar for Apple.
Possibly.
To be honest I think only the EFI is different, allows for 2009/2010 part interchanges making things cheaper and similar for Apple.
I can't see why the CPU tray would be much different, they use the same socket so technically Westmere would work in 2009 MP if the EFI got support for B1 stepping.
Exactly.
I recon the difference is only the EFI.
But until I get my hands on one I couldn't really tell
Both SP and DP systems use the same firmware revision (got that from both SP and DP system screen shots posted by OWC).
As the ROM's code is identical between the two systems (capacity of the ROM is sufficient), then it makes more sense that the ROM is located on the backplane board.
All the information available points to this.To be honest I think only the EFI is different, allows for 2009/2010 part interchanges making things cheaper and similar for Apple.
It's on a Flash ROM chip located on one of the system boards. See above for the likely location, as only one board needs to be swapped out.
BTW, it seems the backplane boards can be had from ~$250 - 300USD (going from 2009 replacement part prices I've seen).
As per dumping the firmware and flashing it, getting the firmware is the easy part. Writting it is where it gets difficult, as there's authentication involved. So the Flash utility used will have to be able to bypass this step, and force write it (needs to be created).
Getting the backplane board out is a MASSIVE job.
Sod that i'll buy the 2010 Mac Pro instead tbh!
Sod that i'll buy the 2010 Mac Pro instead tbh!