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

Mac Pro 1,1 Questions

O

Ommid

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 27, 2008
338
14
Hi all

I have just adopted what is probably a rare dual 2.0Ghz Mac Pro (from memory this was a downgrade!? Lol)

I have read around past few days and intend to make it 3.0Ghz/8 core depending on costing.

Just bought an X1900XT to change the current 7300GT. Was going to go for the Quadro but didn't think there is a point (?) I wanted to ask, is there much point putting a 4870 in either?

It currently has 8x512mb, now I read that the more ports that are filled the higher the band with. So 2x2GB is < 8x512MB is this right??

Thanks everyone :D
 
Check the XT1900 against this support note as some of them were recalled. I recently installed the 5770 into my 1,1 Mac Pro (2.66 Ghz), it's a ton better than the XT1900 ever was, it's both much faster and much quieter.
 
Ommid said:
Hi all

I have just adopted what is probably a rare dual 2.0Ghz Mac Pro (from memory this was a downgrade!? Lol)

I have read around past few days and intend to make it 3.0Ghz/8 core depending on costing.

Just bought an X1900XT to change the current 7300GT. Was going to go for the Quadro but didn't think there is a point (?) I wanted to ask, is there much point putting a 4870 in either?

It currently has 8x512mb, now I read that the more ports that are filled the higher the band with. So 2x2GB is < 8x512MB is this right??

Thanks everyone :D
Click to expand...

Dual 2.0 MPs are quite rare as you had to specifically downgrade to them... however if you can take it to Octo 3Ghz it will be a screamer (Not as fast as a 5,1 , but close). As far as RAM goes, the ultimate would be 2x2GB + 6x512MB - give you plenty of breathing room then...
 
tyr2 said:
Check the XT1900 against this support note as some of them were recalled. I recently installed the 5770 into my 1,1 Mac Pro (2.66 Ghz), it's a ton better than the XT1900 ever was, it's both much faster and much quieter.
Click to expand...

And it works 100%?? I had a read and it appears to work 100% :S Would love to hear what you say!

chrismacguy said:
Dual 2.0 MPs are quite rare as you had to specifically downgrade to them... however if you can take it to Octo 3Ghz it will be a screamer (Not as fast as a 5,1 , but close). As far as RAM goes, the ultimate would be 2x2GB + 6x512MB - give you plenty of breathing room then...
Click to expand...

I was going to go for 4 x2gb, is it better to have more sticks or less?
 
I did this same upgrade last spring. turned it into a 3Ghz 8core with a 4870 flashed pc card and upped to 9GB ram from 5gb. Not a single prob. Breathed new life into an old machine. Highly recommended.
 
Yeah, people are probably getting tired of my enthusiasm for old Macs but I agree that upgrading a 1,1 is worthwhile.

It works out cheaper than new, will deliver most of the performance of a new one and keeps stuff out of landfills.
 
The Mac Pro 1,1's CPU is starting to show it's age but other than that it's a good machine with upgrades (even better if you upgrade the CPU, obviously.):D
 
Ommid said:
And it works 100%?? I had a read and it appears to work 100% :S Would love to hear what you say!



I was going to go for 4 x2gb, is it better to have more sticks or less?
Click to expand...

It depends on whether you need the RAM or not.

Arrange the RAM like this (left is closest to the motherboard:)

2 2 0 0
2 2 0 0

Then use your computer. If you are running out of RAM, (check for page outs in the activity monitor) arrange like this:

2 2 512 512
2 2 512 512

The reason for this is, the latency from slots 3 and 4 will slow access down, but is still better than writing to virtual memory.
 
To be honest 8GB is more than enough.
I just read that more sticks give you more bandwidth but increase latency but I didn't know if it was proportional. I thought more bandwidth is good.
I have decided to skip the whole 3.0Ghz thing and go for the 8 core like mentioned.
Also maybe boot from SSD
 
i think the sweet spot for processor upgrade is the E5345's. You can pick them up around $250-$280 for a pair on eBay if you watch. This will give you 8 cores at 2.33GHz and ZDNet Clock has no problem taking them to 2.66GHz.

The E5355 (X5355) are much too expensive for the small bump to 2.66GHz but maybe you can get lucky and find some for less than $500 for a pair (maybe).

The X5365 (3GHz) are just insanely priced. Seem to go in the $1000 range for a pair. Might as well get a newer Mac Pro if you were looking at those :eek:
 
As far as video card upgrade I recommend the 5770. Much lower power than the 4870, much quieter, and about the same performance. Just pick up a PC version and flash it. I got a used 5770 for $115 shipped and took about 5 minutes to modify the BIOS to EFI and reflash. Works with both DVI displays.
 
I was gutted to find a pair of X5365 had gone for the same price you are quoting for the E5345, but that was a few days before I had my machine, the guy who bought them must be doing back flips, I will try and find the one you mentioned, thanks for your help.
 
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