Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Success: 2006 Mac Pro upgraded - 2 x Xeon 5355 Quad-cores!
- Thread starter JPamplin
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
This may sound embarrassing but I didn't know you could upgrade the processors off of Mac Pro's.
I knew long it before I got this Mac. The problem was getting the right Xeons. I thought I can switch to these 5400 series with 12 MB cache
Someone's tested them in Mac Pro 2006 and they didn't work. Too old MB chipset.
It's actually the EFI support. The chipset should support them.I knew long before I got this Mac. The problem was getting the right Xeons. I thought I can switch to these 5400 series with 12 MB cache
Some special info about temps.
I've started Vista Ultimate 64-bit SP2 and loaded Orthos 4 times and StressCPU test for about an hour - max load on 8 cores.
Here are the temps:
First Xeon (newer stepping with lower voltage): 56C,55C,53C,52C
Second Xeon (older stepping with higher voltage): 74C,72C,68C,69C
Fans were spinning at ultra silent level (no difference beetween idle and stress). No instability issues so far.
On Mac OS X fans are spinning automatically faster on high load.
My Micron FB-DIMM's got 82C
I've started Vista Ultimate 64-bit SP2 and loaded Orthos 4 times and StressCPU test for about an hour - max load on 8 cores.
Here are the temps:
First Xeon (newer stepping with lower voltage): 56C,55C,53C,52C
Second Xeon (older stepping with higher voltage): 74C,72C,68C,69C
Fans were spinning at ultra silent level (no difference beetween idle and stress). No instability issues so far.
On Mac OS X fans are spinning automatically faster on high load.
My Micron FB-DIMM's got 82C
If you had gotten a board alone there's a good chance the manufactuer would have provided a BIOS update to support the new processors.
I knew long it before I got this Mac. The problem was getting the right Xeons. I thought I can switch to these 5400 series with 12 MB cache
I thought the CPU's on Mac Pro's aren't suppose to be upgradable?
When someone says that you can't do something, it usually means they don't offer any supported method for the common user to do it.
It doesn't mean it's impossible to do. 99% of things that someone says can't be done, are done. That's what the internets are good for. The internets are great resources for these sorts of things.
Remember those stickers they used to (and maybe still do?) put on things that say "Do not open. No user serviceable parts inside". Yeah, well once you open it, you're no longer a "user" and when they say things aren't "user" upgradable, you're no longer just a "user", so go ahead and upgrade it!
I might upgrade to a 2008 Mac Pro next year then.
Though a refurbished Arrandale MacBook feels right.
Though a refurbished Arrandale MacBook feels right.
"A while back we tried to get two Harpertowns (IIRC we took two Xeon X5450; I think they now go by the name Xeon E5450) and put them into a first-generation MP. We couldn't get it to boot. We didn't play around with it for long, but we concluded that even though there are some reports of people getting Harpertowns to run on that chipset, Clovertown (for example the Xeon X5365) is the best you can do on a first-generation MP. It's quite likely that this has to do with the firmware Apple used on the MP. It's a shame though because Clovertowns are quite expensive. In many cases it will probably be more economical to sell of the older MP and replace it with a new one (which comes with other benefits) instead of upgrading it to expensive Clovertowns especially now that Gainestown (the first DP server variant of Nehalem) MPs are about to arrive. I guess it depends mainly on what kind of stuff you installed into an older MP and how much of it you can transfer to a newer box." http://forums.macnn.com/65/mac-pro-and-power-mac/377797/can-i-upgrade-my-mac-pro/
Great job Spacedust! Welcome to the MacPro1,1 Octo-Club! ;-)
I keep hearing about this 32-bit vs. 64-bit EFI on the Pros. Is this a BIOS (firmware) issue that MIGHT be upgradeable in software? Like flashing the BIOS of a PC video card? Is the 64-bit EFI something that could be downloadable?
I know, it's probably crazy, but I can dream can't I?
I keep hearing about this 32-bit vs. 64-bit EFI on the Pros. Is this a BIOS (firmware) issue that MIGHT be upgradeable in software? Like flashing the BIOS of a PC video card? Is the 64-bit EFI something that could be downloadable?
I know, it's probably crazy, but I can dream can't I?
Apple's policy of firmware upgrades is the worst in the industry. They never ever touch a product they have sold to improve customer choice after sales. Every Chinese or Taiwanese 25$ MoBo manufacturer does it but don't expect Apple to do anything to enhance the stuff they have successfully shifted through their sales. Quite contrary they deliberately design hardware and firmware to stop customers exploiting upgradebility.
Well folks, no longer a member of the upgraded 2006 mac pro club. Just sold my baby. Will have to see what i can do to upgrade my 2008 cpu's. Runs just fine now though so will see what snow leopard has to offer. Enjoyed all the help from you guys. Needed the money for my new panasonic hmc150 camcorder. Maybe when the next generation mac pro comes out I'll grab one.
That's Apple.
Apparently they prefer to force users to pony up for a new system sooner than is actually necessary. On occasion, the users find a way, but it's not consistent across models, and therefore can't be depended upon.
Yep, the more it pleases to be able to read about all these great upgrades in CPUs, graphics and SSDs that are reported on this board. I'm really sold. MR Forums is the best I've come across in a very very long time.
It's far cleaner and less hostile than most I've come across as well.
Makes for a much nicer atmosphere. I've seen that a lot of posters are getting great deals on upgrade CPU's. And seeing that I can never quite find these deals (ebay or otherwise); here's a question for all of you: How much are you willing to pay for a pair of x5355's or x5365's?
hyram
hyram
Given a bit of time you can usually get them for 50% of the price of LA Micro. They seem to have all the upgrades at outrageous prices. Privatly you can mostly buy a pair for their price. So that is a reasonable first guide. It also is worthwhile to look for used machines with the upgrades. I saw 10 machines with 5365 octad for 2000 on German ebay.
5355 Xeon failure
Hi
I am new here but was hoping someone might have an answer
I tried the dual 5355's into my early 2007 Quad (dual Xeon 5130s) as a replacement for my ageing G5.
On start up all I get is an error message saying to restart and lots of lines of code and a nasty grey screen. The only part that makes sense says the Mac can only find one core and it was expecting two.
i bought the 5355's new on ebay from a local PC parts dealer. They were packaged by HP but the chips have the usual Intel ID stamps on them.
Is it possible the 5355s are faulty? Or one of them? I put the original 5130s back in and the Mac works fine again so I'm pretty sure that it wasn't that I was following the wrong procedure.
Completely at a loss to understand why it didn't work.
Hi
I am new here but was hoping someone might have an answer
I tried the dual 5355's into my early 2007 Quad (dual Xeon 5130s) as a replacement for my ageing G5.
On start up all I get is an error message saying to restart and lots of lines of code and a nasty grey screen. The only part that makes sense says the Mac can only find one core and it was expecting two.
i bought the 5355's new on ebay from a local PC parts dealer. They were packaged by HP but the chips have the usual Intel ID stamps on them.
Is it possible the 5355s are faulty? Or one of them? I put the original 5130s back in and the Mac works fine again so I'm pretty sure that it wasn't that I was following the wrong procedure.
Completely at a loss to understand why it didn't work.
Yes, it should have. Here's what I would check:
- take a soft brush or compressed air and blow off the undersides of the new chips really well, then clean the contacts with a soft cloth and alcohol
- blow out the pins in each socket - thermal paste is not good on those pins
if it happens again, you may have a bad chip. The Pro may take one or the other, so I would mount one 5355 in slot A (upper one) and leave the second one empty - see if each one comes up on it's own.
I've never tried that but I'll bet it will work. Let us know what happens,
JP
- take a soft brush or compressed air and blow off the undersides of the new chips really well, then clean the contacts with a soft cloth and alcohol
- blow out the pins in each socket - thermal paste is not good on those pins
if it happens again, you may have a bad chip. The Pro may take one or the other, so I would mount one 5355 in slot A (upper one) and leave the second one empty - see if each one comes up on it's own.
I've never tried that but I'll bet it will work. Let us know what happens,
JP
I thought about trying a single chip at a time but I had assumed that the 5355s had to work as a pair(?), sort of like ram modules I guess.
Will give it a go.
Thank you
If the parts were new and from a local dealer I would definitely claim the faulty part. I usually try to pay PayPal to protect against such mishaps. I once got my money back after a vendoe took my money and did not deliver.