Mac Pro w/ only 1 CPU?

[topgunn]

Does anyone know if a Mac Pro will operate with 1 of the Xeons removed?

 

[Mr. Mister]

I've been wondering this as well, and I think it's possible but I'm sure as hell not gonna try it.

 

[topgunn]

I don't expect anyone with a Mac Pro to try this. Maybe someone with a little more knowledge of the 5000x chipset or multiprocessor systems in general could educate me a bit.

 

[Mr. Mister]

I think it's possible because single-proc Xeon systems can use dual-proc motherboards.

 

[ampd]

I remember this being brought up in one of my CS courses and it will still run normally without problems

 

[Sun Baked]

Something wrong with CHUD?

 

[Zwhaler]

Yay, lets make our Mac Pros slower.

 

[Trekkie]

Architecturally from the chipset perspective there is no reason you cannot run with one processor.

however they could have designed their firmware to go 'oh crap, i'm broken' when both aren't seen.

 

[Mr. Mister]

Yay, lets make our Mac Pros slower.

Perhaps some of us want to collect $800 in exchange for power that a small percentage of apps actually take advantage of?

 

[CyberPrey]

Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor would be very disturbed by that last statement.....

 

[tipdrill407]

Perhaps some of us want to collect $800 in exchange for power that a small percentage of apps actually take advantage of?

Would anyone actually pay $800 for a processor that's not brand new??

 

[thegreatluke]

Would anyone actually pay $800 for a processor that's not brand new??

The processors that the Mac Pros use cost about $800 each.

So one ripped out of a Mac Pro might get about $750 (just $50 off because of no box/whatever I guess and it's not NIB)

 

[topgunn]

A Mac Pro with one 2.66GHz processor would be faster than a dual processor 2.0GHz machine in 95% of the applications available. So someone can buy a dual 2.66GHz for $2499 ($2299 with edu discount) and get $700 for the unused CPU leaving them with the $1799 ($1599) "consumer" Mac Pro that so many people are clammering for.

 

[bousozoku]

Perhaps some of us want to collect $800 in exchange for power that a small percentage of apps actually take advantage of?

The operating system has been taking advantage of multiple processors for quite a long time. Isn't that enough?

 

[Willis]

i think it'd be a bit pointless though. and you'd have to be confident enough to pull it out to start with. i know i wouldnt even dream of it. all that power is why i would buy the machine to start with

 

[risc]

however they could have designed their firmware to go 'oh crap, i'm broken' when both aren't seen.

I work with multi processor Xeon boxes daily and I can see no reason for it not to work other than the great advice given above. As for selling them it might not be as easy as you think. Every tier 1 Xeon box I work with has a specific heat sink for that model of machine, and without the correct heat sink they aren't fitting in anywhere. So even if it does work you may have to drop your price by heaps if Apple use non-standard heatsinks. Which I would assume they do to keep the machine quiet.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Anandtech successfully ran one with only one processor. They also ran it with only one 512 MB FB-DIMM. (Apple officially says memory must be installed in pairs.)

 

[topgunn]

Anandtech successfully ran one with only one processor. They also ran it with only one 512 MB FB-DIMM. (Apple officially says memory must be installed in pairs.)

From AnandTech, "The fifth configuration was the dual socket dual core Mac Pro 2.0GHz with one socket disabled, thus running as a dual core Mac Pro 2.0GHz." I take this to mean that they used CHUD to turn the CPU off, essentially. I don't think they physically removed the processor.

 

[Bunsen Burner]

Does anyone know if a Mac Pro will operate with 1 of the Xeons removed?

I do not think the 5000X chipset will allow it.

BB

 

[Anonymous Freak]

From AnandTech, "The fifth configuration was the dual socket dual core Mac Pro 2.0GHz with one socket disabled, thus running as a dual core Mac Pro 2.0GHz." I take this to mean that they used CHUD to turn the CPU off, essentially. I don't think they physically removed the processor.

Ah... Yeah, re-reading it, that does make sense.

I do not think the 5000X chipset will allow it.

I know from personal experience that the 5000X chipset will allow the computer to run with only a single processor. For more proof, look at the configurations from HP and Dell. Both sell 5000X-based workstations that are configurable with one or two processors.

 

[Super Macho Man]

Woodcrest isn't pin-compatible with Conroe, is it? If it is, you could take out both the procs, sell them, replace them with a midrange Conroe and end up a $1300 Mac with PCI slots.

 

[topgunn]

I do not think the 5000X chipset will allow it.

BB

I would think that Intel would want a machine like this to keep running if one of the processors was missing or failed. Its another redundant level of redundancy to insure that the machine will not crap out in the middle of a mission critical project. Not that CPU's fail out of the blue but it is still better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Woodcrest isn't pin-compatible with Conroe, is it? If it is, you could take out both the procs, sell them, replace them with a midrange Conroe and end up a $1300 Mac with PCI slots.

No, they are not. Woodcrest is a Xeon that uses the Xeon 771-pin socket. Conroe is a 'Core 2' chip that uses the 775-pin socket that had been used for Pentium (4/D/Extreme) processors.

And, of course, neither are compatible with Merom's 479-pin ('Core 1'-compatible) socket.

 

[Silentwave]

Woodcrest isn't pin-compatible with Conroe, is it? If it is, you could take out both the procs, sell them, replace them with a midrange Conroe and end up a $1300 Mac with PCI slots.

Not at all. LGA 771 for Woodcrest, LGA 775 for Conroe.
Oh yeah and they use different RAM too.

 

[DavidC1]

http://www.techreport.com/etc/2006q2/woodcrest/index.x?pg=9

Yes you can.