New cMP user introduction

[MisterAndrew]

Hello everyone.

Last week I sold my quad core Mac mini for $750 and I bought a cMP 5,1 for $500 to replace it. It's a 2010 8-core model (MC561LL/A). Really nice condition. It came from a design studio in Portland. It was an extra machine they had for interns/freelance so they said it wasn't used much. It has 12GB of RAM and the HD 5870 graphics card. I wasn’t planning on going with a dual processor model, but for the price I went for it. According to the archived Apple Store product page the original price for this configuration was $4149, so I think it was a pretty good deal.

I used CCC to copy my old drive to the one in the cMP running Sierra and of course the Apple Hardware Test files for the 5,1 aren’t there, so I managed to install those and run the test. No problems found.

The 1TB hard drive is very slow, so I plan to upgrade it with an Apple/Samsung SSUBX SSD in a PCI-e adapter for the boot drive and an ADATA SU900 2.5" SSD for the secondary. I was planning on going with a Samsung 850 EVO or PRO, but then I came across the recently released SU900 which features 3D MLC NAND memory like the 850 PRO, but was on sale at Newegg for less than an 850 EVO. Hopefully it turns out to be a good drive.

I decided on dual X5675s because I couldn't justify spending 3x as much for the X5690s for a marginal speed boost. I also think it's better they are 95w rather than 130w and they were offered as part of an official configuration by Apple. Pretty crazy that a pair of CPUs selling for $100 on eBay now used to be a $2400 option.

I also ordered parts to upgrade the Airport card for Handoff & Continuity. It was less than $40 for a genuine BCM94360CD card pulled from an iMac, mini PCI-e adapter, and IPX extension cable for the BT antenna on eBay. I went with a 14” IPX extension. There was also an 11.8”, but I wasn’t sure if that will reach.

I’m undecided on the graphics card right now. I think the HD 5870 is actually okay for now. I was planning on ordering a GTX 1080, but it looks like prices have been dropping a lot lately and they are going to start making them with faster memory so I decided to hold off for now. I would also like it to have an EFI rom for the Mac and I'm concerned how a flash from Macvidcards would affect the manufacturer warranty. It looks like Macvidcards only offer a 60-day warranty on the cards they sell.

I’d like to upgrade the RAM with 16GB sticks, but I don’t want to spend the money on 6 right now. Is it okay to run 1 16GB stick for each processor (in slots 1 and 5 only)? Or would it be better to pick up some cheap 4GB RDIMMs to stick in there with them?

 

[HiroThreading]

Good idea on the CPU, SSD and wireless card!

For the GPU, it would totally depend on your workload and the type of apps you use. The most hassle free GPU would probably be something like a flashed reference 7970 (or any other Tahiti GPU based card).

As for the RAM, definitely stick to six sticks. You want to occupy every memory channel that your CPUs have -- 3 per CPU in your case. Anything less, and you will lose performance due to lower memory bandwidth (empty memory channel).

 

[sparkie7]

I decided on dual X5675s because I couldn't justify spending 3x as much for the X5690s for a marginal speed boost. I also think it's better they are 95w rather than 130w and they were offered as part of an official configuration by Apple. Pretty crazy that a pair of CPUs selling for $100 on eBay now used to be a $2400 option.

Congrats on new acquisition!

Where did you source the X5675s ?

 

[MisterAndrew]

Good idea on the CPU, SSD and wireless card!

For the GPU, it would totally depend on your workload and the type of apps you use. The most hassle free GPU would probably be something like a flashed reference 7970 (or any other Tahiti GPU based card).

As for the RAM, definitely stick to six sticks. You want to occupy every memory channel that your CPUs have -- 3 per CPU in your case. Anything less, and you will lose performance due to lower memory bandwidth (empty memory channel).

Okay, thanks. I found some memory that's not a bad price, so I'll just go ahead and get 6. There are Samsung M391B5673FH0-CH9 DIMMs in it now. So I chose Samsung M393B2G70AH0-YH9. Identical specs besides being 16GB and registered (and 1.35v capable.) It's dual ranked. I noticed there was also quad ranked M393B2K70DMB-YH9 for a little less, but I assume that might be a little slower (?).

Congrats on new acquisition!

Where did you source the X5675s ?

I found them on eBay.

 

[whgmkeller]

I also ordered parts to upgrade the Airport card for Handoff & Continuity. It was less than $40 for a genuine BCM94360CD card pulled from an iMac, mini PCI-e adapter, and IPX extension cable for the BT antenna on eBay. I went with a 14” IPX extension. There was also an 11.8”, but I wasn’t sure if that will reach.

Hi there,
Could you please give exact info on which specific parts you have ordered for the airport upgrade? I would like to do this in my 2012 5,1 Mac Pro as well and I'm not quite sure which parts to source.

Thanks !!

Willem

 

[MisterAndrew]

So I actually decided to go with 8GB RAM sticks rather than 16GB, so I'll have 48GB total. I think that's probably plenty of memory. I don't think the apps I use will fully utilize 96GB. I ordered these: Samsung m393b1k70ch0-yh9. They're also dual ranked and registered. I hope they work out well. $100 for 48GB of RAM is quite a bargain I think.

Hi there, Could you please give exact info on which specific parts you have ordered for the airport upgrade? I would like to do this in my 2012 5,1 Mac Pro as well and I'm not quite sure which parts to source. Thanks !! Willem

Yes, the airport card is Apple P/N: 653-0014. The adapter was on eBay with title "Express Adapter Card PCI-E Mini PCI for Apple BCM94360CD BCM94331CM Tablet." The BT extension was on eBay with title " 2pcs 14'' U.FL IPX Cable Male to ipx Female Wifi Extension Mini PCI Card 35cm." There's also an 11.8" one on there so you might want to take an exact measurement to see if that would work instead.

I'm going to follow the instructions here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...orking-on-mac-pro-2010-keep-updating.1748061/. Except use the BT antenna extension so we don't need to play with it. So we'll just be soldering 2 wires to the adapter card that will go to the old BT module connector for USB power. I'm not sure what wire size that is. It might be about 24 gauge. 22 gauge or 0.35 mm2 is probably fine.

 

[whgmkeller]

So I actually decided to go with 8GB RAM sticks rather than 16GB, so I'll have 48GB total. I think that's probably plenty of memory. I don't think the apps I use will fully utilize 96GB. I ordered these: Samsung m393b1k70ch0-yh9. They're also dual ranked and registered. I hope they work out well. $100 for 48GB of RAM is quite a bargain I think.



Yes, the airport card is Apple P/N: 653-0014. The adapter was on eBay with title "Express Adapter Card PCI-E Mini PCI for Apple BCM94360CD BCM94331CM Tablet." The BT extension was on eBay with title " 2pcs 14'' U.FL IPX Cable Male to ipx Female Wifi Extension Mini PCI Card 35cm." There's also an 11.8" one on there so you might want to take an exact measurement to see if that would work instead.

I'm going to follow the instructions here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...orking-on-mac-pro-2010-keep-updating.1748061/. Except use the BT antenna extension so we don't need to play with it. So we'll just be soldering 2 wires to the adapter card that will go to the old BT module connector for USB power. I'm not sure what wire size that is. It might be about 24 gauge. 22 gauge or 0.35 mm2 is probably fine.

Thanks!! I'll look into this.
I am situated in Netherlands but I'm sure Ebay will be able to help me out.

Willem

 

[Thessman]

Hello Mr Andrew, we have the same name, and I also happen to be in Portland right now,
anyway I just wanted to mention that apart from the X5675s and the x5690s you could maybe use the x5677s if you don't need 12 physical cores, and they are a lot cheaper too.

Have fun with the new beast.

 

[whgmkeller]

I decided on dual X5675s because I couldn't justify spending 3x as much for the X5690s for a marginal speed boost. I also think it's better they are 95w rather than 130w and they were offered as part of an official configuration by Apple. Pretty crazy that a pair of CPUs selling for $100 on eBay now used to be a $2400 option.

I bought my 2012 model with 2 x 2,4GHz a year ago. Since then, I have upgraded my boot disk to PCI-e SSD, my RAM to 48GB. And today - yep, today - I upgraded my CPU's to 2 x 3,06GHZ - the X5675's. I decided on those because these are the fastest ones that Apple originally supplied in the Mac Pro, and I don't really need anything faster.

Upgrading went smooth - piece of cake, actually. I can highly recommend it.

I als plan to upgrade my wifi/bluetooth; thanks again for your info.

Willem

 

[zoltm]

Greeting from Hong Kong, Mr. Andrew, I am in the same position recently. My trusted Early 2009 Man Mini, failed on me after 8 years of very please and most importantly, reliable operation. No blue screen, no register, no regular re-install, the usual MS crap. I told myself that Mac should be my next computer.

After doing for some research lately, I discovery the huge vault of value to be unleashed in the classic MAC PRO. That was a dream computer when I bought my Mac Mini back then. I simply could not afford one back then.

I am so thrived after many google and you-tubing that a classic Mac Pro is my next computer.

I came up with two Mac Pro deal in the local scene.

1. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, Quad Core 2.93 CPU, ATI Radeon 4870 GPU, 640G SATA, 8G RAM, @ US$270
2. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, 2x Quad Core 2.26 CPU, Nvidia GT 120 GPU, 1T SATA, 8G RAM, @US$500

You start this thread with a nice "To-Do-list", that gave me a very good list of reference.

I would like your opinion, on the above, which one is a better deal?

Look forward to further interaction in this thread. I am thrived that I finally get my hand on this dream computer, a Mr. Jobs invention. My previous dream computer is the Next, which is also a Mr. Jobs invention.

It is such a beautiful computer, truly timeless.

Emmanuel

 

[MisterAndrew]

Hello Mr Andrew, we have the same name, and I also happen to be in Portland right now,
anyway I just wanted to mention that apart from the X5675s and the x5690s you could maybe use the x5677s if you don't need 12 physical cores, and they are a lot cheaper too.

Have fun with the new beast.

Hey thanks. Do you live in Portland or are you visiting? The X5677 looks like a good processor. It has a little better single-core performance, but it is also 130w.
[doublepost=1494576023][/doublepost]

I bought my 2012 model with 2 x 2,4GHz a year ago. Since then, I have upgraded my boot disk to PCI-e SSD, my RAM to 48GB. And today - yep, today - I upgraded my CPU's to 2 x 3,06GHZ - the X5675's. I decided on those because these are the fastest ones that Apple originally supplied in the Mac Pro, and I don't really need anything faster.

Upgrading went smooth - piece of cake, actually. I can highly recommend it.

I als plan to upgrade my wifi/bluetooth; thanks again for your info.

Willem

Hey, today I installed my X5675s. I was a little worried they might not be good since the seller shipped them simply wrapped in cellophane wrap and they were a kind of dirty. I carefully cleaned them with 91% isopropyl alcohol. I used Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut thermal grease. Right now they are idling at 38-40 degrees C for CPU A and 32-34 degrees C for CPU B. I think those are pretty good temperatures.

I ran the Geekbench 4 benchmark and the CPUs didn't increase in temperature more than about 5 degrees. My Mac Pro scored 2776 for single-core and 23497 for multi-core. That's the 3rd highest multi-core score for a Mac Pro with these processors listed on Geekbench. Interestingly Geekbench shows my 2010 Mac Pro as being a Mid 2012 model. Maybe that's because it matches a 2012 configuration now.

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/2816554
[doublepost=1494577030][/doublepost]

Greeting from Hong Kong, Mr. Andrew, I am in the same position recently. My trusted Early 2009 Man Mini, failed on me after 8 years of very please and most importantly, reliable operation. No blue screen, no register, no regular re-install, the usual MS crap. I told myself that Mac should be my next computer.

After doing for some research lately, I discovery the huge vault of value to be unleashed in the classic MAC PRO. That was a dream computer when I bought my Mac Mini back then. I simply could not afford one back then.

I am so thrived after many google and you-tubing that a classic Mac Pro is my next computer.

I came up with two Mac Pro deal in the local scene.

1. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, Quad Core 2.93 CPU, ATI Radeon 4870 GPU, 640G SATA, 8G RAM, @ US$270
2. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, 2x Quad Core 2.26 CPU, Nvidia GT 120 GPU, 1T SATA, 8G RAM, @US$500

You start this thread with a nice "To-Do-list", that gave me a very good list of reference.

I would like your opinion, on the above, which one is a better deal?

Look forward to further interaction in this thread. I am thrived that I finally get my hand on this dream computer, a Mr. Jobs invention. My previous dream computer is the Next, which is also a Mr. Jobs invention.

It is such a beautiful computer, truly timeless.

Emmanuel

I agree that the classic Mac Pro are now a very good value. For about $1000 I've built a Mac Pro that would have cost $9099 in 2013. Both those machines you listed look like a good deal. You will need to decide if you want 1 or 2 processors. I think the dual processor 4,1 takes de-lidded processors though, so it would probably be easier to upgrade the single processor model, or look for a dual processor 5,1. To tell if it's a real 5,1 and not an upgraded 4,1 check to see that the SMC version for the processor tray is 1.39f11.

http://web.archive.org/web/20130307214527/http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD771LL/A

 

[Baunkjaer]

Greeting from Hong Kong, Mr. Andrew, I am in the same position recently. My trusted Early 2009 Man Mini, failed on me after 8 years of very please and most importantly, reliable operation. No blue screen, no register, no regular re-install, the usual MS crap. I told myself that Mac should be my next computer.

After doing for some research lately, I discovery the huge vault of value to be unleashed in the classic MAC PRO. That was a dream computer when I bought my Mac Mini back then. I simply could not afford one back then.

I am so thrived after many google and you-tubing that a classic Mac Pro is my next computer.

I came up with two Mac Pro deal in the local scene.

1. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, Quad Core 2.93 CPU, ATI Radeon 4870 GPU, 640G SATA, 8G RAM, @ US$270
2. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, 2x Quad Core 2.26 CPU, Nvidia GT 120 GPU, 1T SATA, 8G RAM, @US$500

You start this thread with a nice "To-Do-list", that gave me a very good list of reference.

I would like your opinion, on the above, which one is a better deal?

Look forward to further interaction in this thread. I am thrived that I finally get my hand on this dream computer, a Mr. Jobs invention. My previous dream computer is the Next, which is also a Mr. Jobs invention.

It is such a beautiful computer, truly timeless.

Emmanuel

It all depends on your needs. The first one will be faster in single core operations. The latter will be way faster in multi core operations.
As far as I can recall, the 4,1 uses de-lidled CPU`s - hence it´s a pain in the a.... to upgrade to CPU´s.

 

[kschendel]

...I came up with two Mac Pro deal in the local scene.

1. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, Quad Core 2.93 CPU, ATI Radeon 4870 GPU, 640G SATA, 8G RAM, @ US$270
2. Early 2009, MacPro 4,1, 2x Quad Core 2.26 CPU, Nvidia GT 120 GPU, 1T SATA, 8G RAM, @US$500

You start this thread with a nice "To-Do-list", that gave me a very good list of reference.

I would like your opinion, on the above, which one is a better deal?

Obviously it depends on what sort of applications you are running, but if it were me buying I'd get #1 the single CPU model, and upgrade the firmware and CPU. You can get 3.33Ghz x 6 cores (12 threads) in a W3680 for a very decent price, and there are other possibilities as well. You'll want to drop in one or more SATA SSD's and possibly add memory. The dual CPU option has more top end potential if you are doing things that can use all the cores, but the dual (4,1) upgrade will cost double (since you're buying 2 chips) and is much more of a hassle because of the previously mentioned delidded chips needed.

 

[MisterAndrew]

I was wrong about the adapter card for the airport card. The one I ordered does not support USB power. So I ordered this one instead: http://r.ebay.com/1TF1dm. Hopefully that one will work out well.

 

[tofuguts]

The BT extension was on eBay with title " 2pcs 14'' U.FL IPX Cable Male to ipx Female Wifi Extension Mini PCI Card 35cm."

Thanks for this... I've been wondering if something like this existed to save messing about with the antenna!