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question about a six core upgrade for a quad 2010.

philipma1957

philipma1957

macrumors 603
Original poster
Apr 13, 2010
6,455
328
Howell, New Jersey
well I was looking at a few sites and came across this for sale.


http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3670~7ITEP3E5.htm


it is a hex core 3.20ghz intel cpu.

I know the w3680 is the 3.33ghz that is in the mac pro.

I know the w3690 is supposed to just drop in.

It looks to me that this would also drop in. price point of 620 is very good. you can sell a quad 2.8 for 200 on ebay. so you would be getting a really big boost for under 425.00 bucks, right now it is a special order item. a 620 price point is tempting to me.

My question is am i correct that this will just drop in a 2010 quad 2.8?
 
That will be interesting to see if this will fit I have a machine that I could try this in


philipma1957 said:
well I was looking at a few sites and came across this for sale.


http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3670~7ITEP3E5.htm


it is a hex core 3.20ghz intel cpu.

I know the w3680 is the 3.33ghz that is in the mac pro.

I know the w3690 is supposed to just drop in.

It looks to me that this would also drop in. price point of 620 is very good. you can sell a quad 2.8 for 200 on ebay. so you would be getting a really big boost for under 425.00 bucks, right now it is a special order item. a 620 price point is tempting to me.

My question is am i correct that this will just drop in a 2010 quad 2.8?
Click to expand...
 
I am going to give them a call and ask about availability. They may be closed this monday for presidents day (usa federal Holiday) .

On Tues they should be open. It should be 95 or 96 percent as fast as the w3680 and at 620 vs 1100 a lot more cost effective.

you still get the nice 4 to 6 core boost and 2.8 to 3.2 speed. let me know if you can find one in Germany to test. I would be very interested in the result.
 
philipma1957 said:
I am going to give them a call and ask about availability. They may be closed this monday for presidents day (usa federal Holiday) .

On Tues they should be open. It should be 95 or 96 percent as fast as the w3680 and at 620 vs 1100 a lot more cost effective.

you still get the nice 4 to 6 core boost and 2.8 to 3.2 speed. let me know if you can find one in Germany to test. I would be very interested in the result.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I have purchased a lot of HW from Provantage and been extremely pleased with how they processed the orders.

Thanks for posting this link............. very tempting for us Quad owners.

cheers
JohnG
 
The 3.2Ghz hex is just over double the price of the stock 2.8Ghz W3530 quad: http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80601w3530~7ITEP37U.htm

Although I doubt it'll happen it'd be nice if the 3.2Ghz hex was added as a CTO option on the Apple Online Store. It would make buying a Mac Pro more tempting.

Personally I'm not that comfortable with doing a warranty voiding CPU swap.
 
yes I think I will try this one. I like the 3690 but it is much more money for the slightly less speed. I have made processor change on the PC before so I imagine this will be similar. I will let you know if I am able to find on here too.
 
rmitchell248 said:
yes I think I will try this one. I like the 3690 but it is much more money for the slightly less speed. I have made processor change on the PC before so I imagine this will be similar. I will let you know if I am able to find on here too.
Click to expand...

A processor swap in a MP is quite a bit more daunting than in a PC.

cheers
JohnG
 
Interestingly The 3.2Ghz Hex doesn't cost much more than the current 3.2Ghz quad W3565 CTO option costs to buy separately: http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80601w3565~7ITEP36C.htm

It would be nice if once Apple runs low on the 3.2Ghz quads if they could discontinue that CTO option and replace that option with the 3.2Ghz hex (I guess I'm dreaming).

However I guess, if there's a refresh of the Mac Pro this year but keeping the same processor line, surely that swap would have to happen?
 
This is a VERY interesting thread, as a hex would add a lot, and the price is really amazing. Has anyone done this? Please share.
 
johnnymg said:
A processor swap in a MP is quite a bit more daunting than in a PC.

cheers
JohnG
Click to expand...

In the current single socket models it's pretty much the same actually. In fact the CPU cooling mechanism is easier to remove than many PC coolers.
 
brentsg said:
In the current single socket models it's pretty much the same actually. In fact the CPU cooling mechanism is easier to remove than many PC coolers.
Click to expand...

What about all the crazyness of the processor torque issues? Seems like I've read people having a hard time getting the processors to "work" due to issues with the seating.
 
johnnymg said:
What about all the crazyness of the processor torque issues? Seems like I've read people having a hard time getting the processors to "work" due to issues with the seating.
Click to expand...

That ONLY applied for the MP 2009 models that didn't have lidded sockets.
All 2010 models and the 2009 SP have lidded sockets which makes the processor swap easy as cake. It is exactly the same as on a normal PC.
 
johnnymg said:
What about all the crazyness of the processor torque issues? Seems like I've read people having a hard time getting the processors to "work" due to issues with the seating.
Click to expand...

The mechanism is exactly like a PC on the 2010 single socket, can't say about the dual.

The HSF can be torqued all the way down and there are stops that ensure the proper pressure is applied to the head spreader on the CPU. Nothing to worry about here that isn't "normal" for this type of operation.

I've done it. The part that takes the longest is cleaning the old thermal grease from everything. Note that you still need to acquire the proper tool for HSF removal.
 
mdgm said:
Interestingly The 3.2Ghz Hex doesn't cost much more than the current 3.2Ghz quad W3565 CTO option costs to buy separately: http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80601w3565~7ITEP36C.htm

It would be nice if once Apple runs low on the 3.2Ghz quads if they could discontinue that CTO option and replace that option with the 3.2Ghz hex (I guess I'm dreaming).

However I guess, if there's a refresh of the Mac Pro this year but keeping the same processor line, surely that swap would have to happen?
Click to expand...



Well that is because of Intel price changes.

The W3670 now occupies the $583 price point, previously occupied by the 2.93GHz quad and 3.2GHz quad; at the time Apple released the 2009 and 2010 Mac Pros.

The W3565 is now at the $294 price point. If Apple kept up to date we would have 3.2GHz x4, 3.20GHz x6 and 3.46GHz x6 rather than 2.8GHz x4, 3.2GHz x4 and 3.33GHz x6.

Paying for Apple's processor upgrades now is a very bad deal price wise.
 
a 2010 quad 2.8 refurb is about 2250 after tax in NJ buying the hex 6 3.2 is 620 sell the quad 2.8 for about 200 the net is 420. 420 plus 2250 is 2670 net for a machine that is 96 percent the speed of the hex 6 3.33. there is an opportunity to get a nice machine upgrade for a low cost.
 
philipma1957 said:
a 2010 quad 2.8 refurb is about 2250 after tax in NJ buying the hex 6 3.2 is 620 sell the quad 2.8 for about 200 the net is 420. 420 plus 2250 is 2670 net for a machine that is 96 percent the speed of the hex 6 3.33. there is an opportunity to get a nice machine upgrade for a low cost.
Click to expand...

can 2009s take the hex? Would be nice to get a 2009MP for even cheaper

Nevertheless, this is an amazing thread, - i cannot imagine getting the 3.33 hex now
 
brentsg said:
The mechanism is exactly like a PC on the 2010 single socket, can't say about the dual.

The HSF can be torqued all the way down and there are stops that ensure the proper pressure is applied to the head spreader on the CPU. Nothing to worry about here that isn't "normal" for this type of operation.

I've done it. The part that takes the longest is cleaning the old thermal grease from everything. Note that you still need to acquire the proper tool for HSF removal.
Click to expand...

what thermal paste did you use on your job?
 
sbb155 said:
can 2009s take the hex? Would be nice to get a 2009MP for even cheaper

Nevertheless, this is an amazing thread, - i cannot imagine getting the 3.33 hex now
Click to expand...

for a 2010 quad 2.8 owner like myself. i should get a geekbench boost from 10000 to 15800 for about 420 dollars.
64 bit.


the 3.33 geekbench scores 16500 or so. net cost of 800 bucks.

OWC could make some coin by offering this upgrade for just the 2010 quad 2.8. i would pull my tray and ship it off in a heartbeat. if the price made sense maybe 675.00 to 750.00 they keep the q 2.8 cpu


BTW this should help you decide for a 2010 quad 2.8 over a 2009 quad 2.66
 
Transporteur said:
Source for that please!

Generally Apple says that if you don't break something while upgrading, your warranty is still valid.
Click to expand...

It has to be and upgrade that they specify as "User Serviceable". Is a proc replacement written in the manual? No.
Memory, DVD drives, HDD's all OK.
Your warranty is usually void (Applecare Included) if you have a non-apple certified technician do anything with the logic board, case or processors.
Even then Apple tech can't legally "upgrade" you. Only replace.
Found this:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA22109?viewlocale=en_US
And this:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=13946
But nothing expressly saying CPU is or isn't a user replaceable part.
You were involved in this thread and let the issue rest.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1047210/
I used to be an Apple certified tech. Costs too much to keep it up in stock but anyway. I could never do "upgrades" while working on Apple's behalf.
Oh the joy of politics.
 
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