Mac Pro 5,1: Single cpu = Single socket?

[zopiro]

I'm considering buying a 5,1 quad-3.2Ghz (W3565 if I'm not mistaken).

However, I'm concerned about my upgrade options and how long this machine might last. Is it possible to add another CPU or is the logic board one socket only? In case it's a single socket, is the six-core W3680 my only and best upgrade option?

Cheers!

 

[El Awesome]

Unless you change the CPU board to a dual processor one (which maked astronimic costs), the W3690 (a tiny bit faster than the W3680) is the best you can go.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

% of speed increase

In my humble opinion, going from the w3680 to the w3690(3.33 to 3.46) yields only 3.9 to 4% which is NOT WORTH IT..

The w3690 is for those with 2.8 ghz.. but from w3680, I wouldn't recommend it and as the other member pointed out.. by the time you get the dual board and its heatsinks(2009 and 2010 heatsinks are somewhat different), its not worth the cost.. add to that, the price of the x56xx series of processors.

w3680 is the best if thats what you have.. 4 percent isn't going to make any difference, in my opinion... UNLESS you are rendering heavy video, then maybe.

 

[thekev]

If you're buying a new one, buy one you'd use in its current configuration. You'll spend as much on the new cpu to drop in as you would on the upgrade. You'd also lose your warranty on the cpu swap unless you swapped the original back prior to taking it in. This would prevent you from selling the original cpu to offset the cost. If you're trying to save money, it would require a cheap used one. If you picked up a used 4,1 and a W3680 for $500-600 or whatever they cost at the moment, you could save some amount of money. The mac pros aren't really that great of a buy at the moment. They're just what you have available.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

I still think the 2008 Mac Pros were the best bang for the buck.. but with this firmware upgrade from 4,1 to 5,1 on 4,1 Mac Pros, I would have to say the 4,1 is an incredible buy, especially the single-quad cores..

The duals would also be a good buy if not for the processors themselves(they cost an arm in a leg), plus you would need 2010 heat sinks as it would be somewhat difficult to get an IHS based processor in the 2009 sockets.

If you're buying a new one, buy one you'd use in its current configuration. You'll spend as much on the new cpu to drop in as you would on the upgrade. You'd also lose your warranty on the cpu swap unless you swapped the original back prior to taking it in. This would prevent you from selling the original cpu to offset the cost. If you're trying to save money, it would require a cheap used one. If you picked up a used 4,1 and a W3680 for $500-600 or whatever they cost at the moment, you could save some amount of money. The mac pros aren't really that great of a buy at the moment. They're just what you have available.

 

[thekev]

I still think the 2008 Mac Pros were the best bang for the buck.. but with this firmware upgrade from 4,1 to 5,1 on 4,1 Mac Pros, I would have to say the 4,1 is an incredible buy, especially the single-quad cores..

The duals would also be a good buy if not for the processors themselves(they cost an arm in a leg), plus you would need 2010 heat sinks as it would be somewhat difficult to get an IHS based processor in the 2009 sockets.

They were arguably at the time, but there are too many reasons not to buy now. Ram is too expensive. It's likely to be dropped on OS support significantly sooner as it's a different board design, much like how Apple dropped the 1,1 and 2,1 simultaneously. I'd say there are too many negatives in one today unless it's just remarkably cheap.