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New Mac Pro single processor units

4God said:
Wow, can't answer the second cpu question but adding the other 4 gigs of RAM for a total of 6 gigs took my Geekbench score from 5072 to 5492. :D
Gonna run XBench and Cinebench next.
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I apologize for also not being able to answer the question, but I'm glad to hear that! I can't wait to get mine ordered and have it here. Sounds like it really makes the beast scream.

Funny how so many were worrying about the whole six gig configuration. Clearly, it'll still perform.
 
BUt where would one get a heatsink and fan for the second CPU? If I got the box retail set that comes with a heatsink, would that fit in the chassis?
 
i don't understand why you couldn't use something like an arctic 7 pro cooler. It's not as if the Xeons need liquid cooling, they need a good fan setup sure, but for everyone to keep saying you need this EXACT heatsink or the box will blow up into a million bits and you'll end up crying is just wrong i feel.
 
schreck said:
I apologize for also not being able to answer the question, but I'm glad to hear that! I can't wait to get mine ordered and have it here. Sounds like it really makes the beast scream.

Funny how so many were worrying about the whole six gig configuration. Clearly, it'll still perform.
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yeah, that's what i'm running (1x1 and 2x2) and it's working great....
 
Just got my upgraded replacement machine with 8 cores instead of 4 a couple of days ago and ran Geekbench2 again and this time got a score of 8100. :D
 
To maintain the proper ducted airflow one must use the Apple heat sink. Also Apple hardware uses all metric screws so PC sinks with their SAE screws dont fit properly anyway. As well as PC sinks do not normally have the thermal sensor that the Appple sink does.
 
hugodrax said:
I would differ, Save up a bit more and go for the 8 cores. Over the ownership of the machine it is not a big hike in cost but the extra cores pay off when doing lots of multitasking, as new enhancements arrive that will take advantage of the power and the longevity of the workstation(more usable years etc..)

If money is tight, save for a longer period of time and then buy it.
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Couldn't a person get a single for now and then wait for a year or two and upgrade to two quads? How many people think the price would have dropped by $200-$300 by then?
 
lyew said:
BUt where would one get a heatsink and fan for the second CPU? If I got the box retail set that comes with a heatsink, would that fit in the chassis?
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Sure, most people would buy from a third party instead of Apple to upgrade the single 2.8 to two 2.8's, but won't Apple be selling a 'kit' for just such an upgrade in the future? There's enough people out there who are buying the single 2.8 so why wouldn't Apple - and other sellers for that matter - put together some kind of upgrade kit?

I'm going to get the single and worry about it later, although I'm still curious if this is a possibility. Anyone phone Apple and say they have a single 2.8 and want to upgrade to a dual??

I can't find a gaming comparison for the single and the double. Anyone??
 
Jonny427 said:
If the computer sends 50% to processor A and 50% to processor B, it expects the output to come at the exact same time. Putting in one 2.8GHz and one 3.2GHz will lead to data arriving at different points in time.
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50% of what? Where will data be arriving at different times?

Both processors use the same 1600MHz front-side bus speed. Even if you have two matched processors, they could be running at different speeds, depending on demand.
 
steelski said:
If someone were to get the single core Pro. Would they be able to test the second socket by just moving the one CPU into it.????
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I do not believe that would work. On my MacPro [pre'08 4core], there is a Systems Pref panel to deactivate various processors, EXCEPT for Socket #1, so even if you removed the chip from Socket #1 and inserted it into Socket #2, the OS will STILL look for a primary chip in Socket #1 [since that cannot be deactivated].... So I'd bet either the machine would croak, or boot with tons of errors.
 
no, they don't run at different speeds depending on demand. the 2.8 runs at 2.8ghz all the time, and the 3.2 runs at 3.2 ghz all the time. volume may increase. bandwidth saturation may increase. but speed does not.

xeon processors don't "ramp down" like laptop processors. I have never seen a motherboard that allowed two processors to run at two different speeds, and I'd be very surprised if Apple had this built into the mac pro motherboard when they aren't ever going to offer an upgrade path anyway. Apple has never offered a CPU upgrade and there's no reason to think they will start now...we can barely get them to offer a graphics card upgrade!

I don't think matched pairs will be necessary in the strictest sense, but equally yoked pairs will be necessary. If one chip is faster than the other, it will probably be throttled-down to match the slower processor, or the machine just won't boot to begin with, which is the most likely scenario.

Another possibility is that the mobo may read the speed from one chip and apply it to the other as well, causing you to overclock a slower chip inadvertently. Probably way too much for stability, too.

Although intel's processors are usually clock-locked, so that wouldn't happen unless the mac pro mobo overrides the lock. I doubt it does.

I am actually more interested in what happens if you take an 8-core mac pro and pull out one of the processors...as someone mentioned, they are going for 700+ dollars right now...if the machine keeps working, and you don't need 8 cores yet, you could take advantage of the situation.

I wonder about that.
 
Don't sell yourself short now by going single proc. A year from now you'll be regretting it. Getting the 2nd processor later might not be a big deal. The hardest part is going to be getting your hands on the Apple heatsink. The $2-300 you spend later on isn't going to be worth the few hundred you save now. I'd go 8 core now and future proof the machine that much longer.

Also, the whole point of a Mac Pro is the dual-processor performance. If you're going to go single proc, then it's kind of a waste. I know it's a stretch, but you basically have an iMac with a fancy video card and more RAM. OK, well, maybe not, but you know what I mean.
 
krye said:
Don't sell yourself short now by going single proc. ....
Also, the whole point of a Mac Pro is the dual-processor performance.
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Unless you plan on rendering video on a regular basis, 8 core machine is overkill. The issue with two or one processors is a case of wanting to future proof something that can't be future proofed. I got the single processor machine and I don't regret it one bit. I don't edit videos on regular basis and the small amount of video editing I have done with the single CPU machine has been painless.
Interestingly, my work just got me the best and greatest dell machine (it has Windows Vista). I smile every time it breaks and the IT guys have to fix it. They ask, "why the smile"? My response is, "every time this piece of s**t, over-priced PC breaks, it just confirms my good decision to buy a Mac Pro for my home computer." In 5 years if I feel bad because I don't have 8 cores, I'll buy the best Windows system that money can buy in 2013 and within weeks I'll be running back to my "clunker" single CPU Mac Pro.
 
mestevie said:
Hi

As I have never owned a MAc pro I can't exlicitly explain how to peek at the motherboard and the processor socket(s).

However, i would assume its quite easy to open these babys up.
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It's more than just popping the side panel off because of how they set up the housing. Getting to the CPUs is about as hard as it is in the mini.
 
Mac Pro single cpu upgrade?

I posted this on EhMac, but I thought you guys could help too.

I am looking to buy a new mac pro. I know you can buy it with only a single quad cpu in it. My question is, do they still provide the heat sink and get up for when I want to put a second cpu in? Or is it just an empty socket with nothing to cover it? I have been looking to see if you can buy a kit or something separately with no luck.

I know that by swapping cpus I void the warranty, but if I get it cheap enough with 1 cpu I might not get the warranty.
 
Thanks for the pointer!

For the next guy to read this, the answer is:
-Yes, you can
-No, it does not come with the second heat sink for it
-Yes you can buy them from a third party company.

Is it worth it?
-Reasonable speads
-Cheaper then an 8core system

But in the end, still cheaper to get a previous gen dual duo (last gen quad) refurb then a brand new quad.
 
as somebody already mentioned, the only definitive answer we've seen about this issue is that getting ahold of the proper heat sink could be an issue.

it seems like everything else is pretty much speculation at this point. nobody seems to have actually tried it.
 
rockinrocker said:
as somebody already mentioned, the only definitive answer we've seen about this issue is that getting ahold of the proper heat sink could be an issue.
Click to expand...
It's not that hard. The part you need is the Heatsink Kit (Part No: 076-1233). You can get it from MacPalace.com
 
sorry to revive a old thread did any one manage to get to the bottom of this issue and find out if you are able to do this. add a second processor later.
 
I haven't personally tried it, but I can definitively tell you this:

There is only ONE part number for the 2008 Mac Pro logic board. Take that as you will.
 
Yes, a second processor can be added to a Mac Pro ordered with only one.
Heatsink
E5462 Xeon Processor (2.8GHz Quad Core)

Expensive to do so however.
$102.60 for heatsink + $8.33 s/h est. ground
$822.99 for E5462 + free s/h

Works out to ~$934USD.
 
works out cheaper just to take the normal two processor from apple then anyone now when the new apple mac pro is due.
 
krye said:
Don't sell yourself short now by going single proc. A year from now you'll be regretting it. Getting the 2nd processor later might not be a big deal. The hardest part is going to be getting your hands on the Apple heatsink. The $2-300 you spend later on isn't going to be worth the few hundred you save now. I'd go 8 core now and future proof the machine that much longer.

Also, the whole point of a Mac Pro is the dual-processor performance. If you're going to go single proc, then it's kind of a waste. I know it's a stretch, but you basically have an iMac with a fancy video card and more RAM. OK, well, maybe not, but you know what I mean.
Click to expand...

Counterpoint:

I'm a graphic professional, working for a Fortune 50, doing hard-core CS3 design work with huge files and the only time I've used all four cores simultaneously to any degree was by burning a DVD with Handbrake in the background while working. Regular design use... the rig never broke a sweat.

Unless you're doing 3d rendering for 8 hours at a stretch, or doing HD video editing using real-time tools (like Motion), you won't use the 8 cores at all. Your machine won't be faster. That'll be $500 sunk in hardware that won't get you anything back.

And, it won't be 'futureproof' at all, because the people who really need 8 cores will have already moved on to the next new bad-ass machine and won't be buying this one. 8 cores just means it multi-tasks without slowing down, but the top speed will still be pokey compared to what's coming up later.

Also, it's not $2-300 later, it's more like $900.

:)
 
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