Does it matter where a CPU was pulled from?

[derb ryan]

Hey guys,

I regularly see CPUs that were pulled from Macs sold at higher prices than the same CPU that was pulled from a Windows workstation.
My guess is that they are the same (except the ones without IHS).

Am I safe to install a CPU (w3680) that was pulled from a Dell etc. into my Mac Pro?

Thanks!

 

[tpluth]

Some Xeons installed in Macs are lidless (no integrated heat spreader), so they're a direct drop in for those Macs. The Xeons with the IHS don't quite fit under the heatsink becaused of the extra height.

I know the Mac Pro 4,1 used lidless processors. I'm not sure which other models did.

I was able to installed lidded Xeons in mine, though.

 

[snorkelman]

nope doesnt really matter

in this particular case all W3680 are identical (other than a few engineering samples they were all same stepping)

You can find them with two possible part numbers but thats only down to whether it was originally retail boxed unit or bulk supplied on trays

for benefit of anyone wandering past the thread in future - 4.1 dual processor systems used lidless CPU's but single processor 4.1 system didn't

 

[flowrider]

Am I safe to install a CPU (w3680) that was pulled from a Dell etc. into my Mac Pro?

Thanks!

If your machine is a single processor 4,1 or 5,1 Mac Pro and the answer is YES!

Lou

 

[mtasquared]

If the cpu was ever overclocked (as is commonly done in Windows gaming systems) then the chance of it experiencing a subsequent fault is higher. Overclocking is not possible on newer macs, thus a chip pulled from a mac is highly likely to be in good condition. If it was underclocked the chance of the cpu experiencing a fault is even lower.

Source: Microsoft's retroactive study of 1 million pc's.

 

[Gav Mack]

If the cpu was ever overclocked (as is commonly done in Windows gaming systems) then the chance of it experiencing a subsequent fault is higher. Overclocking is not possible on newer macs, thus a chip pulled from a mac is highly likely to be in good condition. If it was underclocked the chance of the cpu experiencing a fault is even lower.

Source: Microsoft's retroactive study of 1 million pc's.

PC Xeon workstations and servers that have hosted nearly all the chips we have all used to upgrade our cMP systems I seriously doubt have ever been overclocked; as I have never seen a bios with overclocking settings inside one

Only the dual socket 4,1 Xeons are lidless.

 

[mtasquared]

PC Xeon workstations and servers that have hosted nearly all the chips we have all used to upgrade our cMP systems I seriously doubt have ever been overclocked; as I have never seen a bios with overclocking settings inside one

Only the dual socket 4,1 Xeons are lidless.

Yeah, you're right if pulled from a server it is better than if pulled from somebody's personal PC. I think that is why after 3-4 years of typical gaming usage (where schmucks like me over clock to try to get that extra 3-4 fps) your typical PC is a pile of ****, and why a Mac of the same age still nets you a nice wad of cash.

 

[EdDuPlessis]

Pull them yourself. Buy a rack server (or cheap PC workstation) on eBay. Pull the CPUs from the server to install in your Mac. Put your old CPUs in the server. Sell the server on eBay. This is cheapest way at the moment to get the best Xeon for your system.