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Best cpu for mac pro 1,1

R

rarz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 13, 2010
15
0
Hi there.

I have a mac pro 1,1 with the default 2 x 2.66 GHZ Dual-Core Intel Xeon CPU. I'm thinking to upgrade it and want to know how far can I go. I've heard 2x 2.66ghz quad core Intel 5355 would be the way to go, but I want to know if I can get something faster for this mac pro. Any help on this would be awesome.

Thanks!
 
There are multiple threads on this, use the search function. There are about three or possibly four CPU's you can choose to upgrade to, the fastest I believe are quad core's but I don't think they get faster then 2.66, so you basically only add more core's, however you can double your geekbench score in doing so. What is your motivation for upgrading? Where do you find your system is currently slow and you would like to see speed improvements?
 
Thank you for your answer ashman. I'll definitely will search more in-depth.

Basically I want the upgrade for a better performance rendering 3D images with Mental Ray. My dream is to have my own little render farm but right now I can't afford it, so I hope with this upgrade I can quench my thirst for faster results.

Also, is there any difference in these Intel CPU's between mac and pc?
 
rarz said:
Hi there.

I have a mac pro 1,1 with the default 2 x 2.66 GHZ Dual-Core Intel Xeon CPU. I'm thinking to upgrade it and want to know how far can I go. I've heard 2x 2.66ghz quad core Intel 5355 would be the way to go, but I want to know if I can get something faster for this mac pro. Any help on this would be awesome.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Xeon 5355's (2.66 quad core) are the best from a price performance ratio - $93 dollars each.

Xexon 5365's (3.0 quad core) are still about $250 each.
 
Looking at the prices I'll definitely go for the 2.66 GHz ones. Thank you very much, all my doubts solved here. :)
 
I had a 2Ghz 2006 Mac pro and upgraded it to the 2.33ghz quad processors. Very big jump in performance when rendering. If you can afford higher Ghz, get it, but the 2.33 was no slouch. You will need to control the fans when you replace with quads as your temps will get hotter.
 
ssgbryan said:
Xeon 5355's (2.66 quad core) are the best from a price performance ratio - $93 dollars each.

Xexon 5365's (3.0 quad core) are still about $250 each.
Click to expand...

Noticed your sig says dual 240gb ssd drives. From what I know, these older Msc Pros have SATA2 instead of SATA3 right? Doesn't that create a bottle neck for you?
 
Abbas said:
Noticed your sig says dual 240gb ssd drives. From what I know, these older Msc Pros have SATA2 instead of SATA3 right? Doesn't that create a bottle neck for you?
Click to expand...

Yes, the 1,1's have a SATA2 connections - That is why I got the older 3G ssds. They seem to be more reliable than the 6Gs which is an added bonus.
 
Is the BESL mod for all Xeons the same?

ssgbryan said:
Xeon 5365's (3.0 quad core) are still about $250 each.
Click to expand...

I can't find them under $399... refurbished. Each. Found used 1.86s for $35 for two. Yeah, not the same speed, but still a good step up for very little cash. I expect the 3.0s will reduce heavily in another couple years.
 
just bought E5320 1.86 for under ~$40.

BSEL Mod, Put it on my 1,1 (2x2.66).

Great invest!!
 
The Xeon X5355 (2.66GHz Quad Core - 8M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1333 MHz FSB - LGA771) is compatible with the Mac Pro 1,1 as far as I know. I upgraded to dual X5365 (3.0Ghz Quad Core) - had to upgrade the Mac Pro's firmware to 2,1 in order for the system to recognise the CPUs, so think you're likely to have to do the same (there's really good instructions elsewhere at MacRumors). Make sure you use a high quality CPU paste (I recommend Arctic Silver 5, plus the ArctiClean products for cleaning and prepping).

More info on X5355 here: http://ark.intel.com/products/28035/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X5355-8M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB
 
Ok. Thank you. I will order them.
Just wanted to make sure those are not some kind of exotic Japan only special hp versions!
 
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