Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Looking at mid 2010 8 core

E

expat42451

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 25, 2013
102
0
where my backpack is
It has been a while since I have posted here --my machine search continues. I am currently looking at a mid 2010 8 core, Radeon 5770 graphics card, with 12 GB of RAM and a pair of WD 1 TB drives aboard.Machine is running Mavericks 10.9.3. The owner- original owner- is asking $2500 here in Quito Ecuador. I had an hour to look at it earlier today- not enough time for the extended Mac Pro diagnostics to run but the machine passed the short version with no errors or failures.

I attempted to load this benchmark
https://github.com/qnxor/macoh

but it refused to load and run - error message was something to the effect that it would not run on a machine with multiple processors. I also loaded IStat Menus to look at vitals. The owner uses the machine for music and video editing. In changing a video from another format to MP4, we were not able to load the machine heavily at all. I did notice that (don't remember the name of the program ) the process appeared to be multi threaded looking at the CPU graphs. I noticed a 15-20 degree F temperature difference between processor 1 and processor 2 and don't know that this is normal. Also there was a diode- sorry can't remember the number or name on the list- that ran pretty consistently between 150 and 160F. This temperature was constant and did not seem to be dependent on CPU loading.

Not knowing these machines I did not see anything out of the ordinary but of course don't know exactly what I am looking at. The fans all worked and the machine was reasonably clean inside. I did note that when I used IStat to spin the fans up to high we got some dust out of the machine. Otherwise, nothing we were able to do was able to cause any of the fans to spin up when running the OS and the MP4 conversion. When we ran the Mac diagnostics the fans did spin up but without IStat it was impossible to tell how fast- and we did not have time to complete the long test.

Is the temperature difference between the processors normal? I want to go back and run the long test before making an offer on the machine. I have seen the used prices on Everymac and while its not out of line, it is a 4 year old machine thats been used in a studio. Physically the machine looked good, no scuffs or marks on the case and comes with the small Mac bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I will be using the machine for some software development and possibly a server at the beginning of an internet project I am trying to do here.

Any suggestions or comments would be welcome. Any other benchmarks that anyone could suggest for stress testing would be appreciated as well. Beautiful, powerful beast but even so $2500 seems a lot to pay for a 4 year old machine. Price also does to include a monitor.

Thanks for the read and interest.

Expat
 
Last edited:
Before we can talk about specs, condition and so on.. are you sure that a 4 year old machine is a good choice ?
 
Good question. I have been debating that- considering for less money I can get a mini but of course might be somewhat limited as far as what I could do with it. The idea of a 4 year old machine bothers me from a reliability standpoint- plus given the age of the technology, how long spare parts might be available- and what is available now purely from a specification and performance standpoint. For $2500 I could probably build a pretty good clone. That is a question I am considering as well- whether a 4 year old machine is a good investment from a lot of standpoints.

On the other hand I can do upgrades on this one, different processors, SSD and graphics card and more RAM as the need arises. So its a difficult choice. It is a pretty beast though :)
 
It's because "Intel Power Gadget" do not support that CPU.

If you want to load up the CPU, just get a 4k movie and use handbrake to encode it once more. And at the same time, use GeekBench to stress your CPU or simply use "Yes" command in terminal to load up your Mac Pro. I am sure it will make the CPU load stay at 100%.
 
Power Gadget does not support Multiple CPUs. As for the Machine being four years old, it may not be. I have a 5,1, 2010 Mac Pro that is not yet one year old. Also this machine, with no software or firmware changes was CPU upgraded in 2012. This is the last of the expandable Mac Pros.

Lou
 
Lou

Many thanks for the information. The original owner said he purchased it in 2010. The reason I am considering the 2010-2012 Mac Pros- is that they seem - from what I have read here on the forum- a lot more upgradeable than the new ones. I have a background building machines, have done that for years and- the quality seems way better than what you buy most times when you are building from scratch.

Do you have any opinion on the temp difference between processors? I also have read on these machines it can be a mis application of thermal paste...

Many thanks for the interest. I have read quite a number of your posts in my browsing here on the forum.

Regards


Expat
 
^^^^As far as Temps go, my 2010 5,1 Mac Pro is running 130 watt TDP W5590 CPUs. Apple has never used CPUs in a Dual CPU machine with a TDP that high. Anyway mine run around 120° CPU A and 130° CPU B F at the Tdiode when at rest. I run my Boost Fans a little high to compensate.

Lou
 
Lou

Thanks very much for this. I am going back tomorrow and run yes > /dev/null 8 times to see what temps look like. Also going to try to run the entire stress test. Will report back on what I find.

Again many thanks
Expat
 
As he said expandability is what's great about this Mac. Not even the nMP comes close. The only advantage with the new one is that it comes with the latest architecture of Intel E5 V2 processors and u can change the processor in 5 years. But with the old Mac Pro, you don't have any more options, intel doesn't make cpus with that socket anymore! But again CPU doesn't go out of date as fast as ram and GPU go!
 
Back out to look again and check. Used yes > /dev/null 16 times to load the CPU's. IStat showed all 16 running at close to 100%. After the machine ran for about 10 minutes temperatures seemed to stabilize- the fans barely came off of idle. After it stabilized had the following temps- please note all are in degrees F.

Processor A T Diode 163
Heatsink 153

Processor B T Diode 135
Heatsink 125

IO Heatsink 148
IO T Diode 173

A Core 46.80 A - 1.14 V
B Core 41.42 A- 1.19 V

PS 1- 102 F
PS 2- 119 F

Not knowing these machines, is the difference between A & B processors something to be concerned about? Further testing needed before making an offer or......
Comments and recommendations please.

Thanks

Expat
 
Thanks very much for the reply. I appreciate the information- I was concerned a bit about the temperature differences as well as the current differences between the two processors.

Regards

Expat
 
Lou

Thanks for the info- yes I did- again not knowing the machines trying to make sure before forking over the cash. More than the temps the difference in current was one thing I was curious about - I can see a temp difference being a result of in case airflow or possibly the seating on one of the heat sinks being a little more effective than the other but I was surprised to see the current difference I did. Just may be the nature of the beast- or this particular one-

In any case thanks very much for the reply and for sharing your knowledge.

Regards

Expat.
 
^^^^It is as you put it "the nature of the beast". All 4,1 and 5,1 AFAIK run hotter in CPU A than CPU B. It's probably due to CPU/Heatsink location.

Lou
 
expat42451 said:
Lou

Thanks for the info- yes I did- again not knowing the machines trying to make sure before forking over the cash. More than the temps the difference in current was one thing I was curious about - I can see a temp difference being a result of in case airflow or possibly the seating on one of the heat sinks being a little more effective than the other but I was surprised to see the current difference I did. Just may be the nature of the beast- or this particular one-

In any case thanks very much for the reply and for sharing your knowledge.

Regards

Expat.
Click to expand...

Hi Expat42451 Was quite busy with work and could not respond quickly. This Mid 2010 8 core Mac Pro you are considering, I assume the cpus are the 2.4ghz x5620 Westmere. I recall in you were choosing either a 2008 2.8ghz 8 core or a 2009 Quad 2.66ghz from your previous post. In my opinion this Mid 2010 8 core machine is your best choice so far, I have been using this same model and it runs well. It's not the fastest specs but runs at cool temperatures. I upgraded the video card to a Nvidia EVGA 680GTX that made the workflow more responsive.

About the cpu temps, CPU A always runs warmer than CPU B, around 6 to 9 degrees warmer. I have used Mac Pros from 2008, 2009 up to the 2012 Mac Pros and CPU A always yields higher temperatures than CPU B. As for the machine being 4 years old, we'll just have to make do with what we have. Other choices are the New Mac Pro, Hackintosh or go Windows PC. If you decide to get the 2010 Mac Pro, just keep the interior clean from dust buildup, use an UPS protector. Just check the seller if he took good care of this Mac Pro and if he uses a UPS. Just keep the machine from away from dust and if possible use aircon.

If you can get the seller to bring down the price to $2300 that would be great. These 2010 8 core goes for around $2k to $2200 without a monitor. Your advantage there is you get to inspect the machine first hand and meet the seller personally. Good luck and hope you get to decide soon. :)
 
Macsonic

Many thanks for all of the info and sharing your history with the machines....

Understand about the "other choices" you speak of in what is available now. I currently am talking with the current owner about a price reduction. Its going to be interesting to see where this goes.

The processors are the quad 2.4GHz Westmeres. I was earlier looking at a single quad machine as you say.

Many thanks for the excellent information and for taking time out of a busy schedule to assist. I will post back as this unfolds. The machine is in good shape physically although when I looked at it the first time, I used IStat to run the fans to max and we got some dust out of it. Running in AC is going to be difficult to impossible where I am in Quito Ecuador. However regular cleanings and a good UPS are in the future of this one if I end up with it.

Regards

Expat
 
expat42451 said:
Macsonic

Many thanks for all of the info and sharing your history with the machines....

Understand about the "other choices" you speak of in what is available now. I currently am talking with the current owner about a price reduction. Its going to be interesting to see where this goes.

The processors are the quad 2.4GHz Westmeres. I was earlier looking at a single quad machine as you say.

Many thanks for the excellent information and for taking time out of a busy schedule to assist. I will post back as this unfolds. The machine is in good shape physically although when I looked at it the first time, I used IStat to run the fans to max and we got some dust out of it. Running in AC is going to be difficult to impossible where I am in Quito Ecuador. However regular cleanings and a good UPS are in the future of this one if I end up with it.

Regards

Expat
Click to expand...

Welcome and no problem. :) Hope the inputs will help you in your decision. One thing nice in having to use various models of Mac Pros you get to have an idea on how certain tasks and softwares behave in different specs and cpu speeds. When you have deadlines to meet, one gets so immersed with the task that your focus is to get the job done before the deadline that you don't get too conscious on the machine's specs. Without aircon is just fine. Just test the Mac Pro with this seller. Check that all I/O ports are working. I think the Radeon 5770hd would be fine for your needs. In my Mac Pro's optical bay, I removed the DVD drive and placed 2 extra HDs to add my storage capacities. Now using 6 HDs internally. Back to work for me.
 
I bought a used 2010 dual 2.4GHz recently, 5770, 6Gb, 1Tb. I think that model is good value, it was a fair bit cheaper than what you are contemplating, but I think it had been in a commercial environment. Have now upgraded CPUs to dual hex core 2.93GHz X5670 for about $US400 (very straightforward) and a few other things, so pretty happy. After the CPU upgrade I did notice that they were running at different temperatures, not high (machine wasn't doing much), but I think there was 2-3 deg C difference.
 
bin90a

Thanks for the info. I also think the price of the one here is a bit steep- It is 4 year old technology but the idea of upgrading to hex is attractive when considering that and the alternatives i.e. a nMP or a hack- the machine looks even better. This machine has been on the market for over a month- in fact I think for several months-- and I don't think the owner has gotten any serious offers on it. This one has been in a commercial environment as well, a sound studio here in Quito.

Thanks for the info. Wrote the guy that the asking was more than I was willing to pay and am going to give him a few days to chew on it.

Expat
 
Typical eBay price here in Oz for this spec machine is about $1.8-2k. I happened to get mine much cheaper, I think a commercial seller had >10 machines and was looking for quick sales. Even at the normal price, I think they are good value.
 
expat42451 said:
bin90a



Thanks for the info. Wrote the guy that the asking was more than I was willing to pay and am going to give him a few days to chew on it.

Expat
Click to expand...

I had exactly that 8 core 2.4 MHz MP for 2 1/2 years and it worked during all that period without any problem!
I had Apple Care for safety reasons but never needed any repair.
I sold it when it was nearing the end of Apple Care since I am not the person who can repair (or modify) a computer.
Therefore I preferred to sell it with still half year Apple Care in order to buy a new one with a new Apple Care safety for another 3 years.
I was very satisfied with that 8 core 2010 MP (5.1) :) while the previous MP (1.1) I had, made my life miserable with many repairs and countless kernel panics.:eek:
From my experience the 5.1 is very well built.
Just don't make the mistake I made trying to obtain USB3 speed with a PCIe card which only served to made my BT mouse crazy (and myself as well).:eek:
Live with USB2 and FW800 and accept the connection speeds it gives.
Le deseo mucha satisfaction y espero que obtenga una rebaja.:D
Cordiales saludos :)
Edmundo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back