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new Mac Pro 6 core vs upgrading 2010 8 core

K

Krubbadoo

macrumors member
Original poster
May 29, 2015
36
8
I have an 8-core 2.4 Westmere. My audio card is Metric halo ULN-2.
There is a PTHD10 4 card setup on it also through a Magma PE6R4 and it works wonderfully for PT.

But... Whenever I work in ableton or Cubase 8, I would definitely like more headroom at low latencies before crackling occurs. Here is my big question...

What I want is low latency (64 buffer at the largest) and being able to use MANY VST's Omnisphere, Kontakt, UVI, SLATE SSD4, Superior Drummer etc... in Cubase or Ableton without freezing.

Will a new Mac Pro 6 core be a better choice (money aside) that upgrading my 2010 Macpro with bigger processors?
I know we ain't talking about the same kind of investment but what I want is performance and low latency headroom. Thanks for your help
 
Between inexpensive X56xx processor (3.4GHz) (which I would do and add 1GHz per core, and better processor), the option for 4 x 6TB along with PCIe-SSD and two other controllers - and your choice of GPU... and no need to invest in Thunderbolt storage... or spending on what is 2-year old system - yes, the Classic MP is older but flexible and can hold its own - done right.

I think this makes your system more than adequate, possibly as important as processors, as it gets data into memory and thence cpus:

Have a look at and consider those SSDs with near zero latency/seeks and high queue depth, along with 1500MB/sec reads? NGFF PCIE SSD

 
How much memory do you have? You might just need more memory which can cause the pops and clicks if you are running out of memory and having to swap virtual memory with your hard drive.

As far as upgrading your 2010 Mac Pro with faster CPUs or getting a 6-core 2013 Mac Pro that could depend on how much you want a dead silent Mac and Thunderbolt options and an Apple warranty. If you can do the 2010 CPU upgrade yourself or have it done by someone you trust you can upgrade to dual 3.46 six-core processors that will be definitely faster than a 6-core nMac Pro working with 64 bit multi-core apps. At least Geekbench shows my dual 3.46 six core 5.1 2009 upgraded cMac Pro scoring over 30,000 vs the 6-core nMac Pro scoring 20,695 in 64-bit multi-core mode. The 2013 nMac Pro 6-core is faster for 64-bit single core tasks.
 
fastlanephil said:
How much memory do you have? You might just need more memory which can cause the pops and clicks if you are running out of memory and having to swap virtual memory with your hard drive.

As far as upgrading your 2010 Mac Pro with faster CPUs or getting a 6-core 2013 Mac Pro that could depend on how much you want a dead silent Mac and Thunderbolt options and an Apple warranty. If you can do the 2010 CPU upgrade yourself or have it done by someone you trust you can upgrade to dual 3.46 six-core processors that will be definitely faster than a 6-core nMac Pro working with 64 bit multi-core apps. At least Geekbench shows my dual 3.46 six core 5.1 2009 upgraded cMac Pro scoring over 30,000 vs the 6-core nMac Pro scoring 20,695 in 64-bit multi-core mode. The 2013 nMac Pro 6-core is faster for 64-bit single core tasks.
Click to expand...



I have 24 GB of RAM. Somebody here (really nice guy) from my local hometown is willing to do the upgrade but I am really worried about overheating with 3.46 12 cores at 130w in my tower. I have 4 7200RPM drives + Magma PecR4 card and thought about putting Apricorn Velo Duo card with SSD system and Audio drives.
Never got close to max my RAM so far but surely need a BIG core size.
 
Krubbadoo said:
I have 24 GB of RAM. Somebody here (really nice guy) from my local hometown is willing to do the upgrade but I am really worried about overheating with 3.46 12 cores at 130w in my tower. I have 4 7200RPM drives + Magma PecR4 card and thought about putting Apricorn Velo Duo card with SSD system and Audio drives.
Never got close to max my RAM so far but surely need a BIG core size.
Click to expand...

If it helps ease your mind, I've fully upgraded and maxed out everything in my 2010 Mac Pro. Every single slot is taken up by something. And my temperatures are well within normal ranges.

If you do this, I recommend Gelid GC Extreme Thermal Compound too. It works really well transmitting the heat from the processors (I average 36-40 degrees Celsius per processor)
 
Krubbadoo said:
I am really worried about overheating with 3.46 12 cores at 130w in my tower.
Click to expand...

The cooling system is more than enough to handle the 130W CPU. No one at here ever report that a properly installed X5690 was overheated. Also, no one need to run the booster at 4000RPM (the max speed). The CPU should not overheat before the fan run at it's max speed.

If you do it correctly, the worse you can get is just more fan noise. That's it.
 
> Apricorn Velo Duo card with SSD system and Audio drives.

If you want a cheap 500GB SSD use the optical bay for one but I would still argue for PCIe-SSD (not SATA III) for audio and even system - they are tiny, little to no heat to speak of.

http://www.macperformanceguide.com did tests of some apps and need for memory - more so graphics as he is a photographer. (the Westmere cpu will improve memory and support 1333MHz too).

The biggest bandwidth issue in the cMP use to be that even if you used dual Velocity Duos and 4 x SSDs to smooth things out, the nMP with its newer blades (and yes slightly faster memory but that is minor if at all) and processors getting more efficient doing more - the PCIe-SSD finally made system smoother, no hiccups, so that Lightroom and others really were "fluid." And a simply setup.

Your Mac was designed for SAS/SATA controller and more, not to be babied.
 
Krubbadoo said:
Did you have to change your fans' speed with SMC?
Click to expand...

My booster fans usually run at about 1112, exhaust 599, expansion slots 800, intake and exhaust 600. When rendering midi to audio I haven't noticed a real difference in booster fan speeds.
 
I'm about to do this upgrade myself (2.66 8-core to 3.33 12-core). I'll drop back in and let you know how it goes once its done :)

I don't anticipate heat being an issue, the Mac Pros have an excellent cooling design.
 
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