Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Please help me upgrade my Mac Pro 1,1

aaron321

aaron321

macrumors member
Original poster
May 22, 2014
72
4
Providence
I have four questions about processors and RAM upgrades for my old Mac Pro 1,1

1) If I choose to buy quad core 3GHz replacements, instead of the cheaper quad core 2.66GHzs, should I be concerned about how to cool the processors? what about firmware?

2) The RAM I will buy will be either one of the following from "Nemix", but I cannot make a decision! Please help!


$54.28 (+2 year warrantee for $4.74) $59.02
8GB (4X2GB) APPLE MAC PRO MEMORY ECC FULLY BUFFERED DDR2 667 PC2-5300 FB DIMM NEMIX RAM
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B006E2Q64C/ref=nosim/betteraddons-20

$59.99 (+2 year warrantee for $4.74) $59.02
8GB (2X4GB) NEMIX RAM Certified Memory for APPLE MAC PRO 2006-2007
1,1 2,1
MA356LL/A A1186 (DDR2 667MHz FBDIMM FULLY BUFFERED)
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B0085MH238/ref=nosim/betteraddons-20

3) Does a "matched" pair of RAM also need to match all the other pairs of RAM in the computer? Or just in each pair per riser?

4) There are plenty of places to buy RAM for this Mac, but in regards to processor shopping, it seems like slim pickins, and I don't trust most of the sources on Ebay,. etc. to provide me with some quality, matching 3GHz processors at a good price… So where should I look?
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I purchased two sets of the 2 x 4GB modules (16GB total) from Nemix. I was very satisfied with their memory. I recommend the 4GB modules as they will give you room to grow should you want to expand beyond 8GB.

Sorry, I cannot answer any of the other questions.
 
Thanks, reco2011. That's all right, I have a lot of questions.

I was just curious.. Does it make a difference using larger sticks of RAM vs. smaller ones in double the quantity? (I guess it doesn't really matter much)

But shopping for the processors seems to be much more difficult for a variety of reasons. I guess there isn't a market for them since this is such an old Mac.

I'd like to place an order today or tomorrow if possible, so this post is directed at anyone with leads on where to get 2.66 or 3GHz quad core processors from a trustworthy source. It would be appreciated!
 
The recommendation is to use more modules for any given capacity than fewer. Doing so increases the memory bandwidth as the memory is spread across additional memory controllers. For the average user additional memory bandwidth typically manifests itself in benchmarks. You're unlikely to perceive a difference in real world use.

With that said my preference is the higher capacity modules as future upgrades won't require the replacement of existing modules. If you purchase the 4 x 2GB modules you cannot upgrade unless you discard at least a couple of the existing modules. If you purchase the 2 x 4GB modules you can add additional memory without discarding the existing modules. If you do not feel you will ever upgrade then the 4 x 2GB modules may be fine (and you'll save about $5.00 too!).
 
reco2011 said:
The recommendation is to use more modules for any given capacity than fewer. Doing so increases the memory bandwidth as the memory is spread across additional memory controllers. For the average user additional memory bandwidth typically manifests itself in benchmarks. You're unlikely to perceive a difference in real world use.

With that said my preference is the higher capacity modules as future upgrades won't require the replacement of existing modules. If you purchase the 4 x 2GB modules you cannot upgrade unless you discard at least a couple of the existing modules. If you purchase the 2 x 4GB modules you can add additional memory without discarding the existing modules. If you do not feel you will ever upgrade then the 4 x 2GB modules may be fine (and you'll save about $5.00 too!).
Click to expand...

That's what I thought I should do.
I was just thrown off by an apparent variety in wording for the manufacturer's descriptions of such completely similar items on Amazon.
Anywho, the processor thing is what really befuddles me. It's tough to find them online and when you do, you are not sure who is really selling the item, perhaps. All I really want is new, matching processors that are quad core and fast. Of course, a warrantee never hurt anyone, either.
 
reco2011 said:
Do you have links to the specific processors you're considering?
Click to expand...

yup.
Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processors, exactly as described under 'build to order options' in this link on apple.com:

http://support.apple.com/kb/sp30

They cannot be purchased from Apple now, since they are older, but I'm sure they can still be purchased from "wherever" My dilemma is where's the best place to go for that?
 
My recommendation would be to search for the processor model number (Xeon x5365). There are several source available. It looks like you can even buy them brand new if you want to drop ~$1,200 per processor. One seller on eBay is selling a pair for $180. 99.7% positive feedback with a 30 day return.
 
reco2011 said:
My recommendation would be to search for the processor model number (Xeon x5365). There are several source available. It looks like you can even buy them brand new if you want to drop ~$1,200 per processor. One seller on eBay is selling a pair for $180. 99.7% positive feedback with a 30 day return.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help, man. Sadly, it's not easy to shop for this item. Especially if you want a matching pair that's new. Used? I'm not sure I want that.
 
Last edited:
If you move forward I'd be interested in hearing back from you on the upgrade. I used to own a quad 3.0GHz MacPro 1,1 but ended up selling it as it wouldn't run the 64-bit kernel...something I need for virtualization support. I replaced it with a 2010 quad 2.8GHz Mac Pro that I picked up for $850. Bumped the memory to 32GB and it makes a great virtualization platform.

----------
aaron321 said:
Thanks for your help, man. Sadly, it's not easy to shop for this item. Especially if you want a matching pair that's new. Used? I'm not sure I want that.
Click to expand...

Look at it this way: You can buy new and achieve the assurances new affords you. But it will cost you roughly $2,400 for two processors. Or you can buy used and pay $180 for a pair. IME processors rarely fail. If you buy and install them it's likely they'll continue to function without problem (unless you improperly install them). Given the age of the computer $180 seems reasonable to take the plunge given you have 30 days to return them.
 
reco2011 said:
Here's the listing I found:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/261479481228?lpid=82
Click to expand...

I was looking at that one the other day! True, it's cheaper and also has the 30 day warrantee included. But it seems impossible to determine just how "used" one processor is in comparison to another being sold by a different company somewhere else.

One important detail that sticks out like a sore thumb to me is the fact that some will list their used processor(s) as "clean pull".

Is that actually important? Or is it more of a sales pitch than anything else?
 
aaron321 said:
I was looking at that one the other day! True, it's cheaper and also has the 30 day warrantee included. But it seems impossible to determine just how "used" one processor is in comparison to another being sold by a different company somewhere else.

One important detail that sticks out like a sore thumb to me is the fact that some will list their used processor(s) as "clean pull".

Is that actually important? Or is it more of a sales pitch than anything else?
Click to expand...

I can't speak to how each seller defines "clean pull" but I imagine it's something along the lines of "Pulled from working system and thermal paste has been removed". Personally I wouldn't have any hesitation purchasing these processors. Removal from the system is quick and easy...taking only seconds. Cleaning the thermal paste off is trivial as well.

IMO if the processors work when they arrive then they're likely to continue working. Processors have a very low, relatively speaking, failure rate.
 
ok, thanks

----------

One final question before I place an order: What's your opinion on sellers who list their processors as "seller refurbished" LOL
 
I can't speak to what "seller refurbished" means either. Probably just some "marketing" speak when it comes to processors as the only thing they can really do is to pull and clean them. IOW I wouldn't put any merit in it.
 
reco2011 said:
I can't speak to what "seller refurbished" means either. Probably just some "marketing" speak when it comes to processors as the only thing they can really do is to pull and clean them. IOW I wouldn't put any merit in it.
Click to expand...

I agree. It's foolish for a seller to list something like a processor as "seller refurbished" when everyone already knows there isn't a damn thing they can technically do to "refurbish it". I got a good laugh out of that one. Thanks for helping me out! Bye.
 
aaron321 said:
On Ebay, I didn't find anything in the US for $180 (matched & SLAED) that was ready for purchase, but the following seems to be a trustworthy source with a 30 day warrantee:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-P...365-/161312646814?pt=CPUs&hash=item258efba69e


I just need to get everything else ordered and set it up for installation before I order the processors.
Click to expand...

I bought my processor upgrade from this seller, and I found him to be prompt, and honest about his products. I definately would have no problems buying from him again.
 
reco2011 said:
I can't speak to what "seller refurbished" means either. Probably just some "marketing" speak when it comes to processors as the only thing they can really do is to pull and clean them. IOW I wouldn't put any merit in it.
Click to expand...

My guess is that the process to refurbish the processor is:

1. Clean thermal paste off of processor
2. Drop processor in a package

Voila! Seller-refurbished processor. :p
 
I wound up buying the 8GBs of RAM, Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste, the 2.6 quad core processors (used), and another backup drive to make sure this all goes smoothly. I do have more questions before I begin:

1) Besides backing up and making sure the unit is grounded, is there anything else I ought to do before or after installation of new processors? I have installed additional RAM and HD's before, no problem.

2) Where can I find a simple glossary for noobs who have no idea how to interpret the list of data Geekbench 3 (for Mac) generates? I'd like to use it before and after as a test.
Here's what I got the other day:
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/compare/595100?baseline=595100

3) Should I update the firmware after installing the processors? Or it is not even important? Some people say it is not important if the processors seem to work, but I know I might run into other issues if I don't.
 
Last edited:
I have a 2006 Mac Pro 1,1 with the netkas firmware update to 2,1, 14GB of RAM, a 120GB SSD for a boot drive and three other conventional drives. A 7300GT is used for graphics.

I just bought a pair of 5355 SLAEG working pulls on eBay last week for $50 shipped with a 30 day guarantee. Put them in Friday night and all has been well since. You will need to have the 2,1 firmware update and reset the PRAM before the system will recognize the processors.

I'm a former data center server guy, and I can assure you that processors don't "wear out" from my experience. As long as they are handled properly and installed correctly working pulls should last you a good long time.

My GB single benchmark remained pretty much the same as I would expect, but the multiprocessor benchmark went from the mid 4000s to almost 10,000 with the quad processors.

Do understand that for the most part you're not going to see a significant difference in general performance, as most of your applications are single threaded. Where you will see the difference is in multiprocessor/threaded apps for things like rendering.

For example, as an unofficial benchmark I rendered a short video clip in Handbrake before and after the swap. Before it took almost exactly 60 seconds to render the clip. The same clip rendered with the quad processors got done in 40 seconds.

Using Tiamo's patch to create the proper files and modifications, I was successful in installing Mavericks to a secondary drive.the only issue was graphics, as the 7300GT isn't supported in Mavericks. I found an ATI 5570 on eBay last week which I should have on Wednesday. Once I get that installed I should be able to run Mavericks without issues.

Take your time, don't get overwhelmed, and make one change at a time. That way if there are problems you'll know where to start.

I'm really excited about extending the life of my Mac Pro! I love mine and can't imagine using anything else.

MacDann
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back