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Have 2008 Mac pro 2.8 quad. Worth it to upgrade?
- Thread starter wesk702
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Here is my 3.33GHz quad core:
Here is my 3.33GHz 6-core a week or so later:
So, 34% increase from 4-core to 6-core at same processor speed. Guess it depends on what you consider "worth it," really. For me, $587 for the chip, and I'm hoping to sell my old quad 3.33 for $305 or more (W3580 up on eBay) which would put my cost to $282 or less. I edit HD video, so it was worth it to me.
Hang on a tick... I just read you have a 2008 Mac Pro. I didn't realize you could upgrade the firmware from 3,1 to 5,1. Is that what you're proposing, or do you mean buying a new 2010 Mac Pro?
for well-multi-threaded tasks, your 2008 MP gets about the same Geekbench score as the 2010 3.2 quad, i.e. they have the same CPU performance. given that, a 6-core would give you about 50% more performance in the best-case scenario.
for single-threaded, it'll be at least 30%. 3.6 GHz (max turbo) vs 2.8, plus some per-clock advantage to the 2010 due to the new architecture.
for single-threaded, it'll be at least 30%. 3.6 GHz (max turbo) vs 2.8, plus some per-clock advantage to the 2010 due to the new architecture.
In the real world, the new 3.33 6 core will be over twice as fast *per core*, and will also then give you two more cores, over your 2008 quad.
It's a big jump. Even if you had an octo 2.8ghz 2008 mac pro (like me), it's still a good jump.
If you want a big 'everyday' jump, buy an SSD and make sure you have at least 8gb ram. That's what will make your computer 'feel' fast. Only get a new machine if you can't run the plugins you want to run, etc.
FWIW the OP ha a 2008 Mac pro quad 2.8, not the 2010.
It's a big jump. Even if you had an octo 2.8ghz 2008 mac pro (like me), it's still a good jump.
If you want a big 'everyday' jump, buy an SSD and make sure you have at least 8gb ram. That's what will make your computer 'feel' fast. Only get a new machine if you can't run the plugins you want to run, etc.
FWIW the OP ha a 2008 Mac pro quad 2.8, not the 2010.
How much do you value performance?
What you get for what you spend depends on what you need to do on your Mac Pro. A brand new single processor Mac Pro costs a large amount of dollars. A single 6 core will set you back $3699 and still has a 2010 chip set in it.
Is this worth a 15000 point Geekbench score to you?
I run an 8 core 2.8 GHz Mac Pro from 2008 with an SSD and 16 GB RAM. It scores 10900 on Geekbench and those beasts can be picked up secondhand for much less (about $1800). Another consideration is that Apple will very likely refresh the Mac Pro line with Sandybridge server chips in the new year making the current range look slow. Food for thought.
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/511814
What you get for what you spend depends on what you need to do on your Mac Pro. A brand new single processor Mac Pro costs a large amount of dollars. A single 6 core will set you back $3699 and still has a 2010 chip set in it.
Is this worth a 15000 point Geekbench score to you?
I run an 8 core 2.8 GHz Mac Pro from 2008 with an SSD and 16 GB RAM. It scores 10900 on Geekbench and those beasts can be picked up secondhand for much less (about $1800). Another consideration is that Apple will very likely refresh the Mac Pro line with Sandybridge server chips in the new year making the current range look slow. Food for thought.
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/511814
no don't the new mac pro is coming out soon with huge speed increases so i would just wait and hang on a little bit longer
Not for Christmas.
Mac Pro updates are around the corner, and three months from Christmas you may try to do physically impossible things like biting your own behind because you bought a new machine so close to the update.
The "Current" MP is, as has been mentioned, around a year and a half old tech. If you're set on a tower, I suggest waiting.
Same boat.
Not really needing a new Mac Pro, I would love a new one.
Got the 2008 Mac Pro, 8 Cores, 8 GB RAM and Radeon 4870.
This Mac is my "everything I want in a computer", i.e. gaming (OS X and Boot Camp) is also part of it.
Narrowing down why I want a new Mac Pro: X-Plane 10.
I could get SSD inside and the Radeon 5870, but I feel I'm spending quite a sum of money updating an almost 4 year old Mac.
I'm definitely waiting for a new Mac Pro. Hoping same number of cores or more (that was a slight problem regarding the 6-Core Westmere 3.33GHz last year...), but also significant single-thread performance boost.
Especially X-Plane (9 and 10) eats GPU AND CPU. Getting a Radeon 5870 inside an '08 Mac Pro, and the performance gain playing X-Plane will be disappointing. Not in most games, but it will disappoint in X-Plane.
So, here's to a new Mac Pro, Radeon 7970 (2 GB VRAM), 8 Cores or more, 1600 MHz RAM, SSD, etc... all for a cute little price.
That'll give me about 10fps more on X-Plane 10.
Not really needing a new Mac Pro, I would love a new one.
Got the 2008 Mac Pro, 8 Cores, 8 GB RAM and Radeon 4870.
This Mac is my "everything I want in a computer", i.e. gaming (OS X and Boot Camp) is also part of it.
Narrowing down why I want a new Mac Pro: X-Plane 10.
I could get SSD inside and the Radeon 5870, but I feel I'm spending quite a sum of money updating an almost 4 year old Mac.
I'm definitely waiting for a new Mac Pro. Hoping same number of cores or more (that was a slight problem regarding the 6-Core Westmere 3.33GHz last year...), but also significant single-thread performance boost.
Especially X-Plane (9 and 10) eats GPU AND CPU. Getting a Radeon 5870 inside an '08 Mac Pro, and the performance gain playing X-Plane will be disappointing. Not in most games, but it will disappoint in X-Plane.
So, here's to a new Mac Pro, Radeon 7970 (2 GB VRAM), 8 Cores or more, 1600 MHz RAM, SSD, etc... all for a cute little price.
That'll give me about 10fps more on X-Plane 10.
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Doesn't the 2008 single processor have an empty CPU socket and a matching Xeon and heat sink will make it a 8 core?
