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Picked up a mid-2012 quad core cMP for $250

Loar

Loar

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 23, 2011
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Picked up a mid-2012 quad core cMP (MD770LL/A), all working great. Do you think I got a good deal? This came with 16GB RAM + 4tb HDDs. Do you think this is worth upgrading to use as a daily driver (I didn't have a desktop before this) & which upgrades would you recommend?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is my first Mac Pro! :)
 
Loar said:
Picked up a mid-2012 quad core cMP (MD770LL/A), all working great. Do you think I got a good deal? This came with 16GB RAM + 4tb HDDs. Do you think this is worth upgrading to use as a daily driver (I didn't have a desktop before this) & which upgrades would you recommend?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is my first Mac Pro! :)
Click to expand...

If the Mac is good enough for your usage, then no upgrade is really required. However, a SSD sure will make your system much more responsive, and you can benefit from it. In general, a 850 Evo is good enough.

Also, USB 3.0 card is also a useful upgrade in general.

For CPU, GPU, RAM, Wi-FI ac, BT 4.0...... it depends on your usage.
 
Last edited:
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Loar said:
Picked up a mid-2012 quad core cMP (MD770LL/A), all working great. Do you think I got a good deal? This came with 16GB RAM + 4tb HDDs. Do you think this is worth upgrading to use as a daily driver (I didn't have a desktop before this) & which upgrades would you recommend?
Click to expand...
Good deal and, yes, worth upgrading to use as a daily driver for sure. It's also pretty fun to do!

Given how little it cost you I'm assuming you have some spare cash for upgrades. If you want a high end and problem free system (with boot screens) I'd recommend the following:

Intel Xeon X5680 3.33GHz Six Core CPU (Cost effective upgrade. 3.46GHz CPUs are overpriced IMO)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/593927-001-...101625?hash=item3d34753539:g:-TgAAOSwB-1YuLZg

Noctua CPU Thermal paste
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CQU14A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

HyperX Predator PCIe 480GB AHCI SSD (The only compatible PCIe SSD for the Mac Pro that's still readily available)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V01C6M8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Apple AC/BT 4.0 WiFi and Bluetooth upgrade
http://www.osxwifi.com/apple-broadc...-with-adapter-for-macpro-2009-and-macpro-2010

EVGA GTX 680 2GB (you'll need a PC to flash the BIOS to Mac Edition)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-NVIDIA...402089?hash=item3f766702e9:g:UoMAAOSwax5Yshv1
Flashing guide: http://www.sugarway.com/evga-gtx680-flashed-for-mac-use/

Sonnet Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe card (somewhat expensive for a USB 3.0 card but by far the best IMO)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XPUHO10/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

As for RAM, 16GB may be sufficient, and while I wouldn't go for the link below given the ridiculous high cost, it will give you an idea of what you might need if you wish to max out the RAM:

Transcend 64GB (16GB x 4 Kit) JetMemory DDR3-1600 ECC Registered DIMM 2Rx4 For Mac Pro Mid 2010 /Mid 2012 (TS64GJMA534Z)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JIJU9V4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

All the upgrades listed above work perfectly using native macOS Sierra drivers. Just plug and play! There are no glitches, problems or incompatibilities that I have found and you will end up with a very fast and stable Mac Pro ;)
 
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I recently ended up with a 2.4 2010 octo for around the same net cost after selling some of the things that came with it.

Cost $200 on ebay for 2x 6 core 3.33 cpu

About $70 on ebay for 48 gb ram

$20-30 ish to add usb 3 and about that much again for a nice powered hub.

added Ssd drive of choice, a more recent big platter and a 270x i had sitting in a closet and its a hell of a machine for <1k
 
pierrox said:
Sorry about the thread hi-jacking - good deal you got btw...
My Mac Pro has no wifi but has bluetooth. If I had this card, do I need to add antennas for the Wifi? I already have an external antenna for BT (to get a better range than with the inside one), but afaik, there's no wifi antennas in the machine?
Click to expand...

The 4,1 has the antennas in place ready for the card. The 5,1 all came with a card by default, and so of course the antennas too. I don't know about older models.
 
pierrox said:
Sorry about the thread hi-jacking - good deal you got btw...
My Mac Pro has no wifi but has bluetooth. If I had this card, do I need to add antennas for the Wifi? I already have an external antenna for BT (to get a better range than with the inside one), but afaik, there's no wifi antennas in the machine?
Click to expand...

You Mac Pro is the 4,1? If yes, all 3 Wi-Fi Antennas are there. But you may need to remove the processor cage before you can reach them.
 
Yep it's a 4,1. Didn't know it came with all the antennas, that's good news. Since they're inside, does that mean the wifi is as bad as is BT (until I did the external antenna mod...)?
 
pierrox said:
Yep it's a 4,1. Didn't know it came with all the antennas, that's good news. Since they're inside, does that mean the wifi is as bad as is BT (until I did the external antenna mod...)?
Click to expand...

No as bad as the BT, external antenna can help to get better signal but not required in general.
 
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devynbrew said:
[QUOTE="=I'd recommend the following:

Intel Xeon X5680 3.33GHz Six Core CPU (Cost effective upgrade. 3.46GHz CPUs are overpriced IMO)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/593927-001-...101625?hash=item3d34753539:g:-TgAAOSwB-1YuLZg
Click to expand...

So how do you install that processor? Is it it straight forward enough?

Search the threads. Super simple on a 2009 single CPU machine (EFI update required) or any 2010-2012 (EFI update NOT required.):

Pull CPU Tray
Unbolt heat sink(s)
Un-clamp and remove stock CPU(s)
Clean heatsink(s)
install new CPU(s), clamp and paste
Re-Bolt heatsink(s)
Re-install CPU tray

For single-CPU Mac Pros, the W3680 or 90 will also work. Sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive.

Dual CPU 2009 4,1s require more care... research before doing the upgrade.
 
DPUser said:
So how do you install that processor? Is it it straight forward enough?

Search the threads. Super simple on a 2009 single CPU machine (EFI update required) or any 2010-2012 (EFI update NOT required.):

Pull CPU Tray
Unbolt heat sink(s)
Un-clamp and remove stock CPU(s)
Clean heatsink(s)
install new CPU(s), clamp and paste
Re-Bolt heatsink(s)
Re-install CPU tray

For single-CPU Mac Pros, the W3680 or 90 will also work. Sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive.

Dual CPU 2009 4,1s require more care... research before doing the upgrade.
Click to expand...
Do bear in mind however that X56xx CPUs allow for a higher maximum RAM limit than the W36xx CPUs.
And yes, it's a VERY simple upgrade unless you have a dual CPU 2009 Mac Pro.
[doublepost=1489174994][/doublepost]
Loar said:
Picked up a mid-2012 quad core cMP (MD770LL/A), all working great. Do you think I got a good deal? This came with 16GB RAM + 4tb HDDs. Do you think this is worth upgrading to use as a daily driver (I didn't have a desktop before this) & which upgrades would you recommend?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is my first Mac Pro! :)
Click to expand...
Any updates Loar? How have you gotten on?
 
Last edited:
DPUser said:
So how do you install that processor? Is it it straight forward enough?

Search the threads. Super simple on a 2009 single CPU machine (EFI update required) or any 2010-2012 (EFI update NOT required.):

Pull CPU Tray
Unbolt heat sink(s)
Un-clamp and remove stock CPU(s)
Clean heatsink(s)
install new CPU(s), clamp and paste
Re-Bolt heatsink(s)
Re-install CPU tray

For single-CPU Mac Pros, the W3680 or 90 will also work. Sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive.

Dual CPU 2009 4,1s require more care... research before doing the upgrade.
Click to expand...
Squuiid said:
Good deal and, yes, worth upgrading to use as a daily driver for sure. It's also pretty fun to do!

Given how little it cost you I'm assuming you have some spare cash for upgrades. If you want a high end and problem free system (with boot screens) I'd recommend the following:

Intel Xeon X5680 3.33GHz Six Core CPU (Cost effective upgrade. 3.46GHz CPUs are overpriced IMO)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/593927-001-...101625?hash=item3d34753539:g:-TgAAOSwB-1YuLZg

HyperX Predator PCIe 480GB AHCI SSD (The only compatible PCIe SSD for the Mac Pro that's still readily available)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V01C6M8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Apple AC/BT 4.0 WiFi and Bluetooth upgrade
http://www.osxwifi.com/apple-broadc...-with-adapter-for-macpro-2009-and-macpro-2010

EVGA GTX 680 2GB (you'll need a PC to flash the BIOS to Mac Edition)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-NVIDIA...402089?hash=item3f766702e9:g:UoMAAOSwax5Yshv1
Flashing guide: http://www.sugarway.com/evga-gtx680-flashed-for-mac-use/

Sonnet Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe card (somewhat expensive for a USB 3.0 card but by far the best IMO)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XPUHO10/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

As for RAM, 16GB may be sufficient, and while I wouldn't go for the link below given the ridiculous high cost, it will give you an idea of what you might need if you wish to max out the RAM:

Transcend 64GB (16GB x 4 Kit) JetMemory DDR3-1600 ECC Registered DIMM 2Rx4 For Mac Pro Mid 2010 /Mid 2012 (TS64GJMA534Z)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JIJU9V4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

All the upgrades listed above work perfectly using native macOS Sierra drivers. Just plug and play! There are no glitches, problems or incompatibilities that I have found and you will end up with a very fast and stable Mac Pro ;)
Click to expand...

So, I have a Mac Pro 5,1 with a Quad Core Xeon Processor. Is the W3680 or the X5680 the most likely upgrade option? I'm confused what is what, here.
 
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Thanks all for the great suggestions, much appreciated! Went for the X5680 & a 1TB SSD to start with. 64GB RAM is next on my list.
 
Loar said:
Thanks all for the great suggestions, much appreciated! Went for the X5680 & a 1TB SSD to start with. 64GB RAM is next on my list.
Click to expand...
Which SSD? 960GB Predator on a Lycom or Angelbird PX1?
 
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