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Processor Upgrade in 5,1 2 x2.4 GHz 8 Core Mac Pro

J

Josh-H

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 10, 2008
39
4
My new to Mac Pro is humming along now with 64 Gig of 1333 Mhz RAM ordered and on its way (should be here tomorrow). Already running a Mercury Accelsior SSD for boot and APPS and Apple Hardware Raid Card with 4 WD Red Caviars in 0+1 RAID.

Next is processor upgrade: I think this is the right processor correct? And I would need two of them for 12 cores? Anything else required for the upgrade?

Makes an expensive upgrade... wonder how much real world difference it will make.

Should I also upgrade the Video card? Currently sporting a ATI Radeon 5770
 
You are contemplating the most expensive CPU upgrade option available; I opted for the next step down x5680. Doing this drops you from 3.47Ghz to 3.33Ghz, but saves about $500/processor at current prices (even more in my case, but that is a different story...). I doubt you would notice the difference given you are not even sure if the X5690 would be noticeable.

Are you really CPU bound? How often are your CPUs pegged in Activity Monitor?

Basically you must understand your workload if you want to get the biggest "bang for the buck" on upgrades.

Good luck,
-JimJ
 
Upgrading the processor will boost that machine, maybe as much as double the CPU's potential performance, but for the price, I'm not sure it's worth it.

You won't really notice any major differences while using the Finder, browsing the internet, or even most Photoshop work. Do you do 3D work, heavy video editing, scientific number calculations, or anything else that requires your computer to process information for hours or days? That's the only real place you'll see a major difference.

If you want to lay high end games, you could get a better card, but for anything else, you can stick with the 5770. I've been very happy with the 5770.
 
It appears that the kit you linked to contains an unnecessary heat sink assembly for another workstation ... you only need the CPU for your Mac Pro upgrade.

I upgraded my 2012 12-core 2.4GHz with a pair of x5680 3.33GHz CPUS from that same vendor (Eoptiopnsonline). Delivery was quick, installation was easy (although I am pretty experienced), and they are working great. Sold my old ones on eBay to minimize the upgrade cost.

Here are a "SLVB5" 3.33GHz version for $950 each:
http://www.eoptionsonline.com/p-1285-slbv5.aspx

I don't see any of the CPU only 3.46GHz at that vendor at this time.

I also upgraded to 48GB ram, SSD for OS X, SSD for Windows boot, and 1TB RAID-0 SSD for photo library, and GeForce GTX680 4GB video while I was at it. That should last me as long as my still-running-fine 2008 Mac Pro did.

-howard
 
Last edited:
hfg said:
It appears that the kit you linked to contains an unnecessary heat sink assembly for another workstation ... you only need the CPU for your Mac Pro upgrade.

I upgraded my 2012 12-core 2.4GHz with a pair of x5680 3.33GHz CPUS from that same vendor (Eoptiopnsonline). Delivery was quick, installation was easy (although I am pretty experienced), and they are working great. Sold my old ones on eBay to minimize the upgrade cost.

Here are a "SLVB5" 3.33GHz version for $950 each:
http://www.eoptionsonline.com/p-1285-slbv5.aspx

I don't see any of the CPU only 3.46GHz at that vendor at this time.

I also upgraded to 48GB ram, SSD for OS X, SSD for Windows boot, and 1TB RAID-0 SSD for photo library, and GeForce GTX680 4GB video while I was at it. That should last me as long as my still-running-fine 2008 Mac Pro did.

-howard
Click to expand...
Hello, I am getting ready to upgrade my CPU's.
Is your stated above computer still going on strong? Did your fans start making more noise after the upgrade? Thanks!
 
This thread hadn't been touched in 5 years, but as someone else who upgraded to 2 x5680 cpus, I have no regrets.
 
kzamor said:
Hello, I am getting ready to upgrade my CPU's.
Click to expand...
There are lots of threads on this in MR. Swapping our CPUs is quite do-able, but highly dependent on preparation and research on how to do it. I am very comfortable taking things apart and putting them back together, and spent considerable time researching everything beforehand. The actual process took 10-15 minutes on my single socket system. I went from 4x2.93 to 6x3.33. The fans run at the same speed as before.
 
kohlson said:
There are lots of threads on this in MR. Swapping our CPUs is quite do-able, but highly dependent on preparation and research on how to do it. I am very comfortable taking things apart and putting them back together, and spent considerable time researching everything beforehand. The actual process took 10-15 minutes on my single socket system. I went from 4x2.93 to 6x3.33. The fans run at the same speed as before.
Click to expand...

A single processor upgraded should take about 10-15 minutes. It's just a normal CPU upgrade.
A dual processor upgrade could probably take 30-45 minutes. It's twice as much work as a single AND you may have to do some trial and error to make sure the heatsinks are tight enough.

And as kohlson said, it's well documented in other threads.
 
kzamor said:
Hello, I am getting ready to upgrade my CPU's.
Is your stated above computer still going on strong? Did your fans start making more noise after the upgrade? Thanks!
Click to expand...
That's an old post from 2013 ... but, yes, my Mac Pro 5.1 with the 3.33GHz 12 core is still running just fine. I haven't noticed any increase in fan noise other than occasional fan spin-up on the NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti video card.
 
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