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CPU (and other) upgrade for MacPro 5,1
- Thread starter 1970mgbgt
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What are you guys talking about, says the OP?
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Yes, this is a pretty standard thing to do. I recently upgraded from 8 to 12 cores and I upgraded my RAM knowing full well that I would be upgrading the processors later. If you buy 1333MHz RAM it will just run at 1066Mhz until you change the processors.
This is the Mac Pro forum, you should get used to people getting caught up in discussions that may not be 100% relevant to your original question.
When I had x5680's, the fans would kick in more often. It was audible. The x5670 is the highest Apple ever went on these machines retail wise because it used less power and generated less heat.
But to be honest, the fans weren't a big deal if you apply thermal paste the way that is in the MAC PRO manual (google around). I say get the x5690's so you can squeeze more performance out if it.
I had a Samsung 830 Pro on my Velo x2 (I moved this drive over from a 2011 MacBooK Pro). For the second port I took out the bottom SuperDrive (I never used either) and just put it in there. Ran a SATA wire and a SATA power splitter (I had these already but theyre cheap) and just arranged the cable. No problems. I recommend getting the Velo X2 and a 1TB SSD. Then in the future you can get another SSD if you want. Use the HDD bays for files like movies and mp3s as they don't require speed.
For the USB3.0 Card, I ran a custom wire I made and connected it to the second sata power port on the splitter. But to be honest, there are USB 3.0 cards out there (or even 3.1 by now) that don't require a power cable and eat power from the PCIe port. So that saves you some headache.
Answers below in Red:
Lou
SDAVE, say you put an 850 EVO on an Apricom Velocity Duo x2. You have another SATA III port with it, right? Where do you hang a drive that you plug into that port?
The Duo x2 mounts and powers two drives and plugs into one PCIe slot.
Also, is it ok to buy memory BEFORE doing the CPU upgrade? Does everything change with the CPU, or can I go ahead and install memory based on what's in there now.
Yes, the CPU manages RAM Speed. Slower CPUs that run on 1066MHz RAM will run just fine using 1333Mhz or even 1866 RAM. So for faster processors in a 5,1 Mac Pro you'll want 1333MHz RAM It's not the number of cores, it's the speed of the processor and the CPUs specifications that determine the speed of the RAM it can handle. My Ram supplier since 1986 has been:
http://www.datamemorysystems.com/ap...06ghz-md771ll/a-cto-mid-2012-memory-upgrades/
The reason I ask is because Crucial wants to know what processor is in the machine. If I buy based on the two 4-cores, and then swap them for the two 6-cores, what does that do?
Answered above.
WILL I BE COMMITTING PERJURY TO MICRON SEMICONDUCTOR CORP?
Don't understand?
Or does not matter?
Lou
Yes, this is a pretty standard thing to do. I recently upgraded from 8 to 12 cores and I upgraded my RAM knowing full well that I would be upgrading the processors later. If you buy 1333MHz RAM it will just run at 1066Mhz until you change the processors.
This is the Mac Pro forum, you should get used to people getting caught up in discussions that may not be 100% relevant to your original question.
Have absolutely no problem with that whatsoever. I was really asking what the meaning of the words was.
And thank you for your reply about memory.
Thanks for that.
I've been wondering if it is possible or even worth it to upgrade the USB ports on the FRONT of the machine, as they see a lot of use with camera cards. Any thoughts?
Micron Technology own Crucial. It was a small joke (very small) about their lying on their web form that determines what ram you need.
Thanks for the answers, Lou.
I'm sure there are people out there that have done it, but I would just get a USB 3.0 extension cord and connect a hub behind your display...
I have a powered USB 3.0 Hub double sided taped to the top of my machine Just behind the top carry handle. It is hooked to a HighPoint RocketU USB 3.0 PCIe card. For me it's just as handy to reach as the front USB ports.
Lou
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Lou,
Is there a reason to buy the Samsung SM951 512Gb SSD for $380, when one could have the Transcend MT800 512Gb SSD for $225?
Thanks,
Bill
Why did you pay up for the Highpoint, when the Inateck for two thirds less? If you don't mind my asking.
Bill
No, that's not the reason, neither card requires power. I had an Inateck at one time and it was a fine card, but the RocketU has four separate USB channel controllers while with the Inateck card the four outputs all share one controller. Thus, the RocketU is faster if you have more than one device plugged into it.
Lou
It's amazing how people reviewing on Amazon either love it or despise it, more of the former. It seems not to like 20009 Mac Pros, if the reviews are any guide, though there are Windows people also hating it. Plenty of people just love it and remark on how much faster it is "than my old USB card."
Hi Dave,
Don't know if you'll get this, but I've seen about 700 MAC PRO manuals in my internet travels.
The whole project has been kind of thrown into doubt by Thomas Pindelski himself. He has taken down the link to "the Pindelski Protocol," or whatever you want to call his instructional demo. I spent a whole day studying his website, and came away feeling that anybody who undertakes their own CPU upgrade had better be an engineer or at least have had their hands in the guts of many computers before. He had pictures of mangled processors.
He'll upgrade your Dual cMP 4,1 if you send him the whole tray carefully wrapped with a check for over $1000, which, for a guaranteed high quality job is probably reasonable. He will not under any circumstances, however, touch a 5,1 - his response to that question being one single word. Hey, the man has standards. I get that.
His description of the possible hazards and consequences of unknowingly bumping into one scared me enough to pause, and begin to search for an "upgrader," and there are some. They advertise on Ebay under "Mac Pro Cpu" or similar search terms. Many are based in SoCal, and service the film industry, I gather, who covet the old Mac Pro for the same reasons we do. I almost went for one today, but he wanted too little money for the job, and he also wanted my PayPal payment info upfront before I even sent him the tray - before he even gave me his shipping address. That stopped me. He's still emailing me.
So, I'm still thinking about what to do, and searching for either an expert (other than OWC) to do the job, or the guts to do it myself. I'm handy enough with plugging stuff in inside the box, but this is heart surgery on the machine. I just put a whole bunch of stereo components in the car, and they work alright. This is a whole other level of hazard though. One can still drive a car without music, however unpleasant that might be. I must say I admire all the folks here who have done their own.
Know anybody that you trust that could do this for me?
Meanwhile, I'll be bracing my backbone for adventure.
Thanks to all of you who gave your time and expertise to answering a bunch of noob questions. I really really appreciate it.
Bill
Here's the actual service manual, I forget which page number it's on but it shows how to apply it properly. It's similar to the usual pea sized one done by everyone else, but when I did it with this manual the temps were really steady and I was more careful.
FYI, 5,1 MPs are very easy to upgrade CPU wise since the tray is removable and you can work on your desk. The 4,1 is a pain because you have to delid the CPU so it's better to either buy a tray off eBay or pay someone to do it.
I highly recommend you upgrade the 5,1 yourself. There are also a few good youtube videos as well.
FYI, 5,1 MPs are very easy to upgrade CPU wise since the tray is removable and you can work on your desk. The 4,1 is a pain because you have to delid the CPU so it's better to either buy a tray off eBay or pay someone to do it.
I highly recommend you upgrade the 5,1 yourself. There are also a few good youtube videos as well.
Yeah, I was just looking at those offers, among several that will take your tray, upgrade it, and send it back. There are many.
If it's not as hard as you say, maybe I'll give it a whirl. Thanks for the manual. Haven't gotten to the CPU part yet.
Stiffen up, spine.
How do you know who's selling undemolished processors and who's selling dogs? I think Lou mentioned someone on Ebay named "Westporter". Is there a way you can search for a single seller on Ebay?