MP 1,1-5,1 Hex 3.2 update from 2010 quad 2.8 photos new! CPU to use!

[Cardo45]

Philipma1957,

Did I understand you correctly when you indicated that this upgrade that you performed on a "2010 5,1 Single Processor" is an upgrade that only consisted of swapping out cpu's and does not require any "firmware, efi, or any type of software update"? I would appreciate confirmation on this from yourself or anyone else capable of helping me with this question. Thanks!

 

[Cardo45]

I am looking for an answer as to whether the X5690 Xeons will work in the 8-core (2.4GHz x 2 quad core Westmere) mid-2010 model, so far I have one person saying the X5680 will definitely work as tried.

I'll also be upgrading to 32GB of 1333Mhz since the hex core xeons support it. Gonna use the 32GB PC-10600 OWC kit.

Were you able to get confirmation on this. And is it possible that you could provide links of those that have experience with "2010 5,1 macpro dual processor upgrade".

 

[Loa]

Hello,

Did I understand you correctly when you indicated that this upgrade that you performed on a "2010 5,1 Single Processor" is an upgrade that only consisted of swapping out cpu's and does not require any "firmware, efi, or any type of software update"?

The whole issue of firmware update is to make the 2009 MPs into 2010 MPs! So if you already have a 2010 MP single processor, the Hex CPU (W3670, W3680, W3690) is already compatible, so it's just a question of swapping the CPU.

Loa

 

[philipma1957]

Philipma1957,

Did I understand you correctly when you indicated that this upgrade that you performed on a "2010 5,1 Single Processor" is an upgrade that only consisted of swapping out cpu's and does not require any "firmware, efi, or any type of software update"? I would appreciate confirmation on this from yourself or anyone else capable of helping me with this question. Thanks!

yes this is pretty much like swapping a 4gb ram stick for an 8gb ram stick
here is a link for you to buy a hex


http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3680~7ITEP374.htm

586 the seller is legit

Hello,



The whole issue of firmware update is to make the 2009 MPs into 2010 MPs! So if you already have a 2010 MP single processor, the Hex CPU (W3670, W3680, W3690) is already compatible, so it's just a question of swapping the CPU.

Loa

you are correct

 

[Cardo45]

yes this is pretty much like swapping a 4gb ram stick for an 8gb ram stick
here is a link for you to buy a hex


http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3680~7ITEP374.htm

586 the seller is legit

you are correct

Thanks for the reply! Also, I was trying to follow another thread on mac rumors where a "single processor unit" processor upgrade had been done on a mac pro 2010 5,1, and there was conversation about the "dual processor" mac pro 2010 5,1 upgrading only one processor at a time. Meaning -- those Westmere Xeon X5600 processors are currently around $1100-$1500 per processor, and it was explained that if doing an upgrade those (Westmere) are the only processor options for the Mac Pro 2010 5,1 dual processor systems. Therefore, one forum member was inquiring about the likelihood of removing both of the existing Xeon E5620 Quad 2.4ghz processors and putting one Xeon X5670 in one socket and leaving the other socket empty. He planned to purchase the second processor when it was more economical. The response was it should work with the one processor and the other socket being left empty. Do you have any knowledge or information on wether or not this will actually work. I never read where it had been confirmed on the other thread. And, if it is possible will it require any firmware/software update?

 

[philipma1957]

Thanks for the reply! Also, I was trying to follow another thread on mac rumors where a "single processor unit" processor upgrade had been done on a mac pro 2010 5,1, and there was conversation about the "dual processor" mac pro 2010 5,1 upgrading only one processor at a time. Meaning -- those Westmere Xeon X5600 processors are currently around $1100-$1500 per processor, and it was explained that if doing an upgrade those (Westmere) are the only processor options for the Mac Pro 2010 5,1 dual processor systems. Therefore, one forum member was inquiring about the likelihood of removing both of the existing Xeon E5620 Quad 2.4ghz processors and putting one Xeon X5670 in one socket and leaving the other socket empty. He planned to purchase the second processor when it was more economical. The response was it should work with the one processor and the other socket being left empty. Do you have any knowledge or information on wether or not this will actually work. I never read where it had been confirmed on the other thread. And, if it is possible will it require any firmware/software update?

I had a single core 2010 2.8 and turned it into a hex 3.2 I read some threads on the dual core but i never modded any of them. maybe some one else can help with that.

 

[wonderspark]

yes this is pretty much like swapping a 4gb ram stick for an 8gb ram stick
here is a link for you to buy a hex


http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3680~7ITEP374.htm

586 the seller is legit

That is where I got that exact CPU from a week ago. Did standard shipping, and it got here in three days from when I pushed the button! I've used Provantage many times, and love their service.

 

[philipma1957]

Not to praise provantage ,but here is a story about them .

I own a pegasus thunderbolt r6 has 6 trays for hdds. in order to get a new tray you must order a module the module is a 1tb hdd and the tray. before the hdd floods this module was 97 dollars. I ordered 2 from provantage total cost was 207 with shipping. They were out of stock two days before the flooding the flood came delaying the order until last week. nov 1 to dec 7. they did not charge me up front they charged me on dec 8. the item had arrived in my home the same day. Second they honored the pre flood price of 97 dollars the item is now 162! Very few companies would be this honest.

 

[Songdog]

you have the 2009 mac pro it needs an efi hack to accept the hex cup's. somewhere in this long thread there is a link to it and at least 5 or 6 people have put in hex 3.2, 3.33, 3.46, cpus. For the swap of single cpus 2009 and 2010 these photos work . you can put in a hex 3.33 now for a good price ebay link I give is for http://www.buy.com


http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Intel-Xeon-...57?pt=CPUs&hash=item2312528b49#ht_2969wt_1189


this is the best bang for the buck. real seller real warranty. if you go hex make sure you understand the efi hack. since you have the 2009 model.


now if you want drop in only this will work

http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-Xeon-W358...480?pt=CPUs&hash=item3cb9fecd88#ht_2432wt_803


of course the boost is not as good and the seller is in hong kong so good luck on warranty. I will look for some more info on the hack for you model. Maybe a single cpu 2009 modder can chime in? I know you all are out there!


heat and power are not a big deal. a few degrees with heavy renders and maybe 15 more watts. i do a lot of hand brake this hex core is the first machine I can't max the cores in. they run around 80 percent instead of 98-99 percent like a lot of quads do.

Just to be perfectly clear: Intel-Xeon-W3580-3-33-GHz is just a drop in for the 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 and no further mods are necessary?

 

[philipma1957]

Just to be perfectly clear: Intel-Xeon-W3580-3-33-GHz is just a drop in for the 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 and no further mods are necessary?

let me double check I am 90 percent sure. hellhammer would know for sure maybe he can answer for you.

 

[wonderspark]

Just to be perfectly clear: Intel-Xeon-W3580-3-33-GHz is just a drop in for the 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 and no further mods are necessary?

My 4,1 shipped from Apple with a w3580. I replaced it with a w3680 after updating the firmware to jump from quad to hex. With original 4,1 firmware, RAM runs at 1066, and with 5,1 firmware the RAM will run at 1333 on the quad w3580.

Yes, drop in with no mods necessary.

 

[ashman70]

My 4,1 shipped from Apple with a w3580. I replaced it with a w3680 after updating the firmware to jump from quad to hex. With original 4,1 firmware, RAM runs at 1066, and with 5,1 firmware the RAM will run at 1333 on the quad w3580.

Yes, drop in with no mods necessary.

How can 1066 RAM run at 1333 if its only 1066 RAM? I understand that faster RAM can run at slower speeds, I don't see how the reverse is possible?

AM

 

[wonderspark]

How can 1066 RAM run at 1333 if its only 1066 RAM? I understand that faster RAM can run at slower speeds, I don't see how the reverse is possible?

AM

I put my current 1333 RAM in prior to the firmware upgrade. No, 1066 RAM won't run faster than 1066, but if you happen to have 1333 RAM in there, it's only limited by the firmware. The W3580 will run 1333 if allowed. That is what I'm getting at.

 

[Louis Wu]

Thanks Philip!

Another Happy Customer!

I'll add my name to the list of people here who found your tutorial fantastic -- I would never have attempted it without seeing your post. I followed your directions (and sprang for a chip puller too because I was unfamiliar with how the CPU sat on the socket -- and mindful that I didn't want to use cotton pads!) and everything worked perfectly. Did the swap in September and then ran it 100% 24/7 for a week on the folding@home team (3446) before sending it off site to a client. Purrs happily... thanks again, Philip!

 

[philipma1957]

Another Happy Customer!

I'll add my name to the list of people here who found your tutorial fantastic -- I would never have attempted it without seeing your post. I followed your directions (and sprang for a chip puller too because I was unfamiliar with how the CPU sat on the socket -- and mindful that I didn't want to use cotton pads!) and everything worked perfectly. Did the swap in September and then ran it 100% 24/7 for a week on the folding@home team (3446) before sending it off site to a client. Purrs happily... thanks again, Philip!

cool. i am missing my pro. maybe they will come out with one late this year. i can do another thread on the upgrade.

 

[Louis Wu]

cool. i am missing my pro. maybe they will come out with one late this year. i can do another thread on the upgrade.

I can imagine you're missing your Pro -- now that I have one, I can't imagine doing my work without one! And I'm not a power-user either; most of the CPU gets donated to the folding@home team, but all of the single-threaded software really benefitted from the boost going to the 3.33 chip.

We're all looking forward to a new Pro, I think, even if it's just so we have confirmation of Apple's continued interest in their pro-level equipment.

If/when the new Pro debuts, I'll be looking out for your words of advice on mods!

 

[dksoutha]

Early 2009 MP Working Great @ 3.33Ghz

The mods presented by philipma1957 worked without hiccup on my Early 2009 single-CPU Mac Pro. I modded the EFI with the one for the 2010 model, installed 12GBs DDR3-1333, and then followed the steps to replace the CPU with a W3680. Anyone else notice how much gunk collects on the Northbridge heatsink? A lot. Cleaned everything up and put it back together, then pushed the power button and was quickly greeted by a partially eaten apple. Yay.

However, two things showed up that I did not expect: the RAM was running at 1066, and the SATA link would only work at 1.5GBps. The First thing you have to do is reset the PRAM. That takes care of the memory speed issue and allows the next step to have effect. That next step is resetting the SMC, which takes care of the SATA issue. Resetting the SMC before the PRAM had no effect.

Demo Mode 32-bit Geekbench score of 13813 with several apps running in the background. I'm happy.

Temps are lower by at least 2C, and the Northbridge is running 10-15C cooler.

Thanks for the info, philipma1957!

 

[Phildo]

Important update the 3.33 Ghz hex has dropped in price from 999 to 583 as per intels website.

as of dec 2011 the best deal is below

http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3680~7ITEP374.htm

586 for a new under warranty seller

Went to order a W3680 From Provantage today, but they won't ship to Australia.

Easy enough - just send it to a freight forwarder (ie http://www.shipito.com).

Go to checkout, and the only payment options are American Express and bank transfer, neither of which is available or suitable.

Anyone know of a mail order parts place that has the W3680 for around the same price?

 

[subfly]

Yeah, I don't think it kills warranty, but by saying It does I do feel morally safer since I really do not know for sure..

Hallo, I do not think it voids the warranty, but it could make for some discussions depending on who you get to talk to...

I have instead another worry, reading this

"the hacked firmware seems to have the unfortunate consequence of permanently modifying the Mac Pro's device identifier, an act which will render the Mac Pro's restore discs useless until a firmware downgrade is performed. Should the downgrade fail, it is essentially curtains for the user, as only the 2010-model restore discs can be used to reformat the Mac Pro."

here

http://vr-zone.com/articles/firmware-hack-grants-nehalem-mac-pros-access-to-westmere-cpus/12173.html

has me a little worried, even though I am not sure what is the real risk.

I thought I could format my HDs with disk utility starting from any OSX DVD or boot disk, what are restore disks? Does it mean that it will not be compatible with a Time machine backup? I use Carbon Copy Cloner, is this creating a problem with it? Is there a solution? I am waiting before installing the update (and therefore the CPU) because of this.

Thanks in advance for any hints

 

[wonderspark]

Yes, the restore disks are rendered useless. If you should lose all copies of your boot drive, it could be a problem. The firmware app lets you go back and forth, but in my case, I sold the original CPU, so to revert to 4,1 would result (I think) in my Mac Pro being "bricked" with an unsupported CPU. I would then have to swap in an older CPU that was supported by 4,1 and THEN my restore disks would work again.

I haven't tested this, obviously, and rather than worry about finding a way to restore to Snow Leopard, I've focused on having three copies of my boot drive instead. I realize that I can't hold on to Snow Leopard forever, so this problem will go away when I eventually update to Mountain Lion or whatever is out by the time I need a solution.

 

[philipma1957]

Hallo, I do not think it voids the warranty, but it could make for some discussions depending on who you get to talk to...

I have instead another worry, reading this

"the hacked firmware seems to have the unfortunate consequence of permanently modifying the Mac Pro's device identifier, an act which will render the Mac Pro's restore discs useless until a firmware downgrade is performed. Should the downgrade fail, it is essentially curtains for the user, as only the 2010-model restore discs can be used to reformat the Mac Pro."

here

http://vr-zone.com/articles/firmware-hack-grants-nehalem-mac-pros-access-to-westmere-cpus/12173.html

has me a little worried, even though I am not sure what is the real risk.

I thought I could format my HDs with disk utility starting from any OSX DVD or boot disk, what are restore disks? Does it mean that it will not be compatible with a Time machine backup? I use Carbon Copy Cloner, is this creating a problem with it? Is there a solution? I am waiting before installing the update (and therefore the CPU) because of this.

Thanks in advance for any hints

a)buy lion and install it via the app store. you should be able to use the app store to restore if it crashes.

b) clone 2 or 3 spare hdds use both super duper and carbon copy cloner

c) buy a snow leopard cd retail on ebay

d) install windows via bootcamp


I did all of the above at a cost of 200 or so.

 

[subfly]

Thanks to both of you, but I still do not get it completely.

In fact, I own a retail copy of SL, which is installed currently on a SSD. Due to its small size, I decided to put sw libraries like Aperture and iTunes on other disks as referred files. Are these libraries and other internal and external disks affected in any way?

What is the link between bricking and the restore and boot disks? Even the original DVD AFAIK is not keyed to the machine ID, isn't it? So why is it different with a retail copy?

If I install the FW upgrade on the machine, will it recognize the current HD? I assume so, even if the machine ID changes, since I read about no problem with this. An existing TM backup Could not be used because of the ID change, so I should start a new backup and erase the previous one, or start a new backup on another HD and keep the old one for older versions of files.

If I have a CCC backup I am fine since it is not linked to the machine ID and it should go on as if nothing happened. Is this right?

So I don't understand what would be the reason for bricking the machine, surely I am missing something.

a)buy lion and install it via the app store. you should be able to use the app store to restore if it crashes.

b) clone 2 or 3 spare hdds use both super duper and carbon copy cloner

c) buy a snow leopard cd retail on ebay

d) install windows via bootcamp

I did all of the above at a cost of 200 or so.

Is it needed to do all of the above or is each one a solution in itself?

Sorry for not being so quick, thanks for any further help.

 

[philipma1957]

any of my solutions should work. I happened to need lion for some programs I need snow or did for other programs and I need windows for other programs. I also had a stock 2010 and did not need to do the efi upgrade.

and bricking the machine is not correct term. you can just use your snow leopard clones if your current snow leopard hdd crashes.

what has happened to a 2009 is your turned it into a 2010 with the efi update. so you will always have a 2010 when you restore. another way to solve this is buy a 2010 set of mac pro snow leopard disks on ebay.

 

[wonderspark]

Yeah, I shouldn't have used the "brick" term.

I just mean that my 6-core CPU isn't recognized in a 2009, so if I switched the firmware back to the 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 firmware while running this 6-core CPU, it probably wouldn't boot up until I put the right CPU that the older firmware recognizes, and I'm not sure there would be a way to run the app to go back to 5,1 any other way. As long as I have a clone handy, it will never be an issue.

The other option is to find that Snow Leopard DVD that was mentioned, of course.

If I install the FW upgrade on the machine, will it recognize the current HD?

Yes, everything will be fine. I still have original HDDs in my machine.

When the firmware is updated to 5,1 firmware, the restore DVDs that came from Apple for the 4,1 firmware are no longer recognized as the correct type. This is because they wrote the code to prevent people from buying new machines and putting old versions of OSX on it.

The other catch to think about is that older versions of Snow Leopard don't recognize newer GPU cards like the 5870, so if you try to go backwards without an older GPU like the 4870 that came with 2009 Mac Pros, you could find your video card suddenly not working. This is probably the main reason Apple doesn't want you going backward in software. They know people will find out the hard way that things don't always work properly when you do this.

 

[kedavis]

Thank You

Hi Philip, I just want to say thank you for this thread. I did the upgrade yesterday and with your instructions it was super easy.

Before, 2.8 Ghz, now I have a 3.33 Ghz hex. Thank you.