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Mac Pro 2009 processor upgrade went wrong

S

sebh

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 9, 2015
44
3
munich
Hi,

I wanted to upgrade my early 2009 Mac Pro 8 Core to a 12 Core with Firmware 5.1 upgrade.

Like the guy on this thread i got almost the same Problem.:mad:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2800/upgrading-and-analyzing-apple-s-nehalem-mac-pro/11

after i changed the cpus i get a red light near the CPU A socket near dimm slots and a CPU A Temperature Overheat warning LED.
after i remove the CPU_A heatsink i saw some bended pins hurray!
So it looks like i killed the processor board. but what happend to cpus is it killed too or how can i know that its shorted or something.
Has anyone some advice or experience with those problems?
 

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sebh said:
But if i try that and it dosent work is the cpu than in danger.
Click to expand...

No, the pins are all on the board and not on the CPU. At this point your board is pretty much shot, your only chance would be to very carefully try to bend back the ones that are out of place, but no guarantee it will work. With the dual CPU 4,1 you have to be super careful with how much you tighten and preferably use washers.

Sorry that happened to ya man =\ but it's definitely a risk you take when going this route.
 
lowendlinux said:
You asked for advice and experience, that is my advice and experience.
Click to expand...

ok thx

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Zorn said:
No, the pins are all on the board and not on the CPU. At this point your board is pretty much shot, your only chance would be to very carefully try to bend back the ones that are out of place, but no guarantee it will work. With the dual CPU 4,1 you have to be super careful with how much you tighten and preferably use washers.

Sorry that happened to ya man =\ but it's definitely a risk you take when going this route.
Click to expand...

i thought i tight it not much but i did the board is telling ;)
i'm just confused that the guy from AnandTech killed both board and cpu.
 
sebh said:
ok thx

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i thought i tight it not much but i did the board is telling ;)
i'm just confused that the guy from AnandTech killed both board and cpu.
Click to expand...


You could have killed both the board and CPU but you won't know unless you bend then pins back and give it another go. If you get a dead processor light on the CPU switch them and try again. If you still get a dead processor light on that CPU then buy a processor board. I see them on ebay for $400-$800 put you CPUs in the new one more carefully with the new one or better yet de-lid them while you processor board shopping.
 
lowendlinux said:
You could have killed both the board and CPU but you won't know unless you bend then pins back and give it another go. If you get a dead processor light on the CPU switch them and try again. If you still get a dead processor light on that CPU then buy a processor board. I see them on ebay for $400-$800 put you CPUs in the new one more carefully with the new one or better yet de-lid them while you processor board shopping.
Click to expand...

sorry my english is not perfect what is de-lid?
yeah i found one at uk for about 450 Euro with shipping because i'm from Germany and the customs from USA is expensive.
http://www.thebookyard.com/product.php?cPath=87_207&products_id=9612
 
lowendlinux said:
You could have killed both the board and CPU but you won't know unless you bend then pins back and give it another go. If you get a dead processor light on the CPU switch them and try again. If you still get a dead processor light on that CPU then buy a processor board. I see them on ebay for $400-$800 put you CPUs in the new one more carefully with the new one or better yet de-lid them while you processor board shopping.
Click to expand...

I'll second the de-lidding suggestion. Yes it adds more expense, but being able to just follow the 2009 technicians guide is priceless IMHO.
 
Unless you’re an experienced engineer with the relevant equipment, de-lidding a CPU will likely go wrong. There is a guy who has the above credentials and will perform the de-lid for you properly, but obviously at a cost. Better and cheaper to read, re-read and re-read again the guide here: http://pindelski.org/Photography/2013/07/08/mac-pro-2009-part-tbd/
This is, IMO, head and shoulders above every other guide I found. I followed it to the letter and my 4,1 processor upgrade worked first time. Two things I think need amplification from this guide: the tightness of the heatsink threads can vary *wildly* - regardless, you *must* follow the logic of counting the turns. Secondly, it’s easy to lean on heatsink B whilst working on heatsink A and vice versa. Avoid leaning on the heat sinks.
 
Last edited:
ok i tried it again with bending the pins back.
Now it shows CPU B Temperature Overheat warning.
But no light at processor Board.
 

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another question when i change the processor board is the Mac Pro still on Firmware 5.1 ?
 
Last edited:
Depends which whether you buy a 4,1 board or a 5,1 board. The seller will be able to tell you.
 
Upgrader said:
Depends which whether you buy a 4,1 board or a 5,1 board. The seller will be able to tell you.
Click to expand...

i would buy a 4.1 board. But for 12 Core Westmere Xeon CPUs you need to do the firmware hack.
And i don't know on what part of the mac pro the firmware is on.
 
Ah I see, sorry, didn't quite understand your question. Yes, you'd have to perform the firmware flash again if the firmware was on 4,1 and to do this your boot disk would need mountain lion 10.8.5 or lower installed.

This raises an interesting question: could you install a 2010 processor board in a 2009 machine? The components between the two models are almost identical. I'm guessing not as I think I would've read this already but it would be handy.

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I'd assumed the Firmware was on the board, not the chip.
 
Upgrader said:
Ah I see, sorry, didn't quite understand your question. Yes, you'd have to perform the firmware flash again if the firmware was on 4,1 and to do this your boot disk would need mountain lion 10.8.5 or lower installed.

This raises an interesting question: could you install a 2010 processor board in a 2009 machine? The components between the two models are almost identical. I'm guessing not as I think I would've read this already but it would be handy.

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I'd assumed the Firmware was on the board, not the chip.
Click to expand...

i think i read somewhere than you have to change both processor board and Backplane/Logic Board.
 
sebh said:
i think i read somewhere than you have to change both processor board and Backplane/Logic Board.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think that's right. Might be worth digging the Anandtech article out where he crushes his pins and take your cue from there.

Can I ask, what upgrade guide did you follow?
 
sebh said:
i watched this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAdgT-hJuXU

but also looked at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng34AVZS8Aw
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/step_by_step_mac_pro_processor_upgrade
Click to expand...

Both YouTube videos miss some fundamental points that need covering. The Mac Observer article is better, but still doesn't afford this subject the gravity and detail it requires. Please, please read and re-read the Pindelski article I posted above. It will arm you with a very thorough understanding of all aspects of the upgrade process and greatly improve your chances of success. The author says that he's upgraded many 2009 machines with this method and not had one failure. I believe him.
 
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