Upgrading CPUs in a new Mac Pro

[Chaszmyr]

Apple is charging $2600 to upgrade to the 2.93ghz Nehalem processors in the Mac Pro. These are presumably the same Core i7-940 chips that are selling retail for less than $600 each. So, is there anything stopping us from upgrading the CPUs ourselves and save $1450?

 

[Chaos123x]

Your warranty.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I assume you're talking about the quad-core Mac Pro?

 

[Chaszmyr]

I assume you're talking about the quad-core Mac Pro?

I'm actually talking about the 8 core (where you would obviously need to buy 2 processors to upgrade). I doubt there is any technical reason we can't upgrade the CPUs ourselves, so I guess I'm just asking if it's physically possible to remove the CPUs that would come in the machine.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I'm actually talking about the 8 core (where you would obviously need to buy 2 processors to upgrade). I doubt there is any technical reason we can't upgrade the CPUs ourselves, so I guess I'm just asking if it's physically possible to remove the CPUs that would come in the machine.

Okay.

The eight-core is NOT Core i7. The eight core is Gainestown. Apple is actually charging LESS for Gainestown than retail right now, if my numbers are correct.

You cannot put a retail Core i7 in the eight core Mac Pro. They're a different model of chip. Plus the fact that retail Core i7 is NOT the 3500 or the 5500 series, and the RAM that Apple ships with the Mac Pro would not work with it.

 

[Chaos123x]

I wonder if the old ZD Net overclock would work better?

 

[Chaszmyr]

Okay.

The eight-core is NOT Core i7. The eight core is Gainestown. Apple is actually charging LESS for Gainestown than retail right now, if my numbers are correct.

You cannot put a retail Core i7 in the eight core Mac Pro. They're a different model of chip. Plus the fact that retail Core i7 is NOT the 3500 or the 5500 series, and the RAM that Apple ships with the Mac Pro would not work with it.

I'm under the impression that Gainestown is a single 8 core processor, whereas the new 8 core Mac Pro still uses two quad core processors?

 

[yippy]

These are presumably the same Core i7-940 chips that are selling retail for less than $600 each.

And that is where you would be wrong. They are not using the desktop class core i7s but the Xeon series 5500 process, they are MUCH more expensive. According to Wikipedia they run $1386 each.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I'm under the impression that Gainestown is a single 8 core processor, whereas the new 8 core Mac Pro still uses two quad core processors?

The eight core Mac Pro uses two four-core Gainestown processors. Gainestown is not eight core.

Becton is eight core. Apple doesn't use Beckton.

 

[Chaszmyr]

I see. However, the 2.93ghz Gainestown supports 1333mhz RAM, whereas Apple is only using 1066mhz RAM. I believe this explains the rest of why I was confused.

 

[Salavat23]

The only difference between the consumer i7s and the Xeons is that the Xeons have 2 QPIs to allow for 2 CPUs, and along with that, more pins are needed. i7 is 1366, and Gainstown is 1567 pins. Thats it.

I'm not sure what the cost is of the 2.93s, but it should be pretty close the to i7 940 at about $600 USD.

 

[Tallest Skil]

The only difference between the consumer i7s and the Xeons is that the Xeons have 2 QPIs to allow for 2 CPUs, and along with that, more pins are needed. i7 is 1366, and Gainstown is 1567 pins. Thats it.

I'm not sure what the cost is of the 2.93s, but it should be pretty close the to i7 940 at about $600 USD.

Consumer i7 and the 3500 series are identical, save the 3500 has ECC RAM support turned on.

 

[Chaszmyr]

The only difference between the consumer i7s and the Xeons is that the Xeons have 2 QPIs to allow for 2 CPUs, and along with that, more pins are needed. i7 is 1366, and Gainstown is 1567 pins. Thats it.

According to the Wikipedia article on the architecture, they both use Socket B, how could they use the same socket and have a different number of pins?

 

[yippy]

The only difference between the consumer i7s and the Xeons is that the Xeons have 2 QPIs to allow for 2 CPUs, and along with that, more pins are needed. i7 is 1366, and Gainstown is 1567 pins. Thats it.

I'm not sure what the cost is of the 2.93s, but it should be pretty close the to i7 940 at about $600 USD.

I am not sure that is the only differences. But even if it is, if you look up the prices, the Xeons are MUCH more expensive, more than double, that of the i7 940.

 

[Umbongo]

According to the Wikipedia article on the architecture, they both use Socket B, how could they use the same socket and have a different number of pins?

They have the same, 1567 is the number of pins used by the Beckton processors. Which are for the four socket platform.

 

[nanofrog]

I wonder if the old ZD Net overclock would work better?

I seriously doubt it, as Harpertown is a different architecture. Hopefully, they'll write a new version that can.

Such an app is likely the only way to OC the '09 MP, as I'm not yet sure if the chip can be modded directly, as the BSEL mod did for the Penryn architecture.

They have the same, 1567 is the number of pins used by the Beckton processors. Which are for the four socket platform.

Beat me to it.