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Best CPU for Mac Pro 6.1

T

TobiasT

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 24, 2019
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I can confirm the 8 core Xeon E5-2667 V2 (not provided by Apple) is the best CPU for Mac Pro 6.1.

- Both single-core and multi-core performance is better than in the 12 cores CPU provided by Apple:
4135/27254 vs 3369/27076.

- compared to the new iMac Pro with 8 cores, single-core and multi-core performance is not that far away: 4135/27254 vs 5048/30987.

Geek-Bench-Mac-Pro.png


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If you plan to upgrade the CPU of your Mac Pro 6.1, go for E5-2667 V2!
 
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The 2667 is definitely the sweet spot for the nMP. Single core scores still get beat pretty good by the 8-core iMac Pro (nearly 1000 points), but multi core scores are close. Also, I gotta believe the multi core scores for the 2697 in a nMP have gotta be higher than that. No way they can be the exact same with 4 more cores than the 2667... I've seen some slightly over 30000.
 
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Seeing as it's not an official option - any remarks from those who have upgraded to the 2667 Xeon regarding temperatures and stability under load? Have you pushed the system for longer periods of times and in real life scenarios without issues?
 
Here are some results for the Xeon 2680 v2. The benchmarking was done with iTunes playing music, open Mail, running Safari, Macs Fan Control, Little Snitch, Drive Genius and iStat Menus. During benchmarking I observed the activity of the ten cores in iStat Menu.
The cores were never maxed out completely. No thermal problems occurred.
 

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It would be nice to see results with a 12 core E5-2697v2.

3,3 GHz x 8 cores = 26,4 total GHz
2,6 GHz x 12 cores = 32,4 total Ghz

Are the extra 6 GHz enough to compensate the penalty of managing 4 extra cores?

Regarding stability, it is rock solid (Prime95 and games in windows). TDP of E5-2667 V2 is 130 W, as in CPUs provided by Apple for Mac Pro.
 
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TobiasT said:
I can confirm the 8 core Xeon E5-2667 V2 (not provided by Apple) is the best CPU for Mac Pro 6.1.

- Both single-core and multi-core performance is better than in the 12 cores CPU provided by Apple:
4135/27254 vs 3369/27076.

- compared to the new iMac Pro with 8 cores, single-core and multi-core performance is not that far away: 4135/27254 vs 5048/30987.

If you plan to upgrade the CPU of your Mac Pro 6.1, go for E5-2667 V2!
Click to expand...

I don't get what you're saying, 12 Macpro has a better multi-core performance than 8 core Macpro:
12 core: 27076
8 core: 23431

I hesitate between those , what do you think ? It's for use with Logic Pro, thanks for your help :
Ivy-Bridge10 coreE5-2690 V23.03.61866130W
and
Ivy-Bridge12 coreE5-2697 V22.73.51866130W
 
As discussed in other threads about CPU upgrades, the multi core scores for the E5-2697 V2 and the E5-2690 V2 are higher.
I have the 10 core and a multi core score around 30300.
It all depends on the personal work and user scenario. I think there is no single 'best' CPU for every use case.
But the E5-2687W V2 and the E5-2667 V2 are certainly a good choice.
 
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Well my nMP originally had the 8 core E5-1680 V2 (original spec from Apple) and later I installed the 12 core E5-2697 V2 (same as Apple's upgrade option).

Geekbench 4 scores:

8 core 1680 V2: Single Core 4093/ Multi Core 26368
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/13156511

12 core 2697 V2: Single Core 3603/ Multi Core 32226
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/13392082

The 12 core has lower single core scores as it doesn't turbo as high, but of course the extra cores help out the Multi Core score. All scores are of course plus/minus depending on the run, but these are about average from the tests I ran awhile back.

Also tests only with 32GB of RAM. I upgraded to 64GB later, but haven't tested if that makes any difference.
 
MrTed said:
Hi, is the E5-2687W V2 fits in Macpro ? I saw somewhere it has socket FCLGA2011, thanks
Click to expand...
Yes.

forums.macrumors.com

Mac Pro CPU Compatibility List

Bokkow and I have created a Mac Pro CPU compatibility list. The intent is to cover all relevant and compatible CPU upgrades for all Mac Pros. These are asked about over and over and over again, so I thought it would be nice to have it all in one place. Constructive criticism, corrections to...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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aclarubicin said:
Manual fan control is advised, even with stock CPU
Click to expand...
May I ask you if there's a tuto or a thread to learn how to control cpu fan ? I never dealt with that on my 6 core macpro... Maybe I just need a software ? btw I noticed my mac is getting noisy since I've upgraded to Mojave... fans are running faster, are aware of that issue ?
 
MrTed said:
Thanks ! What would you recommand between 2667v2 and 2687W v2 ? 2687W has 3,4Ghz CPUs so it's more powerful, isn't it ? I think my choice is between those two now.
Click to expand...
Suppose it doesn't matter, if you can choose I'd get the 2667
 
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Hi All

I have just found this thread through google as I have been trying to see if I have the best processor that I can get or if there is anything that I can upgrade to. I currently have the 2690v2 with 3745 Single-Core score and 28285 Multi-Core.

Judging by this thread the 2697 V2 will be a slight improvement with around 32226 Multi. Would this be stable with fan control?

Im afraid this is all a bit of a new area for me, so would I notice any difference if i were to upgrade? I mainly use the computer for Photoshop (albeit quite complex files) and illustrator. I do find that it slows down as I can end up with lots of files open at once.
Could anybody advise on the difference of upgrading to 128gb RAM from 64?

Cheers
 
Volxstu said:
Hi All

I have just found this thread through google as I have been trying to see if I have the best processor that I can get or if there is anything that I can upgrade to. I currently have the 2690v2 with 3745 Single-Core score and 28285 Multi-Core.

Judging by this thread the 2697 V2 will be a slight improvement with around 32226 Multi. Would this be stable with fan control?

Im afraid this is all a bit of a new area for me, so would I notice any difference if i were to upgrade? I mainly use the computer for Photoshop (albeit quite complex files) and illustrator. I do find that it slows down as I can end up with lots of files open at once.
Could anybody advise on the difference of upgrading to 128gb RAM from 64?

Cheers
Click to expand...
What kind of work do you need the machine for? Comparing Geekbench charts gives a hint but it’s not really close to real life use cases.
Also, the 10 core single core performance is better compared to the 12 core, so it really depends on the application you’re usually working with.
 
I mainly use Photoshop and Illustrator but I do end up with say 20 packaging artworks open in illustrator, PDF compatibility off but I often work with overprint Preview, Similar for InDesign and a few complex Photoshop files with multiple smart objects within smart objects.
Itunes seems to be a big problem these days. I cant even use it on the Imac that I use at work.
 
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Volxstu said:
I mainly use Photoshop and Illustrator but I do end up with say 20 packaging artworks open in illustrator, PDF compatibility off but I often work with overprint Preview, Similar for InDesign and a few complex Photoshop files with multiple smart objects within smart objects.
Itunes seems to be a big problem these days. I cant even use it on the Imac that I use at work.
Click to expand...

I don’t think the 12 core would improve your workflow. Especially since you would lose single core performance.
 
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After the upgrade, SMC reports the fan is not spinning (0 RPM) but it does. Also can't control the fan.
Has anyone experienced that?
 

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crystalidea said:
After the upgrade, SMC reports the fan is not spinning (0 RPM) but it does. Also can't control the fan.
Has anyone experienced that?
Click to expand...

Do you get a stable wifi / bluetooth connection? First thing that comes to my mind is the fan assembly ribbon cable that's connected to the I/O board. You might wanna try to reconnect / reseat the cable.
 
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