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Kake001

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 22, 2020
16
1
Hi guys I am newbie here I have mid 2010 Mac Pro single core cpu I am looking to upgrade to dual core cpu I have chance to purchase used dual core cpu Mac Pro 2010 and I am thinking of swapping cpu trays and purchasing two X5690 6 core CPUs is this possible in my situation any problems your see? This is image of computer I am planing to purchase it’s around 150

Thanks
 

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adam9c1

macrumors 68000
May 2, 2012
1,885
312
Chicagoland
Hello,

From your description it sounds like your current computer and the one you are looking to buy are both 5,1 2010.
The tray from the one you are buying will work with your computer.

One thing I would recommend is this:
After the purchase of the $150 computer, run the tray as is in your computer to confirm the hardware is stable.

Buy quality thermal paste, and a wrench, Count the number of turns for each screw. Remove and reinstall in cross pattern, turning 3x per screw. Also remember the two heat sinks are not interchangeable.

You got this!
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,437
13,581
Hi guys I am newbie here I have mid 2010 Mac Pro single core cpu I am looking to upgrade to dual core cpu I have chance to purchase used dual core cpu Mac Pro 2010 and I am thinking of swapping cpu trays and purchasing two X5690 6 core CPUs is this possible in my situation any problems your see? This is image of computer I am planing to purchase it’s around 150

Thanks

Yes, you can replace the single CPU tray of mid-2010 Mac Pro for a dual CPU tray of another mid-2010 or mid-2012, but not from an early-2009.
 

Kake001

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 22, 2020
16
1
Hello,

From your description it sounds like your current computer and the one you are looking to buy are both 5,1 2010.
The tray from the one you are buying will work with your computer.

One thing I would recommend is this:
After the purchase of the $150 computer, run the tray as is in your computer to confirm the hardware is stable.

Buy quality thermal paste, and a wrench, Count the number of turns for each screw. Remove and reinstall in cross pattern, turning 3x per screw. Also remember the two heat sinks are not interchangeable.

You got this!
Hi yes my current computer is Mac pro mid 2010 3.46 single 6 core Intel and thanks you for all the info
 

Macsonic

macrumors 68000
Sep 6, 2009
1,709
100
Hi yes my current computer is Mac pro mid 2010 3.46 single 6 core Intel and thanks you for all the info
You can also visit this Mac Pro upgrade guide by Greg. He also has a YouTube channel. Another good and helpful source is MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave, authored by Tsialex.
Definitive Mac Pro Upgrade Guide
Youtube Channel- Mac Pro Upgrade Guide

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave
 

doobydoooby

macrumors regular
Oct 17, 2011
237
339
Genève, Switzerland
While the same clock speed, for many apps the twin may not be much faster. And then there is the risk and hassle. Still, worthwhile to replace the heat sink cement on the CPU.
Yep I can agree with this, I have a dual core machine and honestly the second cpu makes little difference these days. I guess it depends what you are looking to run on a 2010 mac pro... my assumption is that if you were going to be hard core video processing then you would have a more up to date machine so this would be for more run-of-the-mill applications. Unless you happen to be using one of those high-intensity apps that are geared to use multiple cpus then set your expectations low. There's a bit of risk involved in shipping out one cpu tray for another in the motherboard vs very little return. Of all the upgrades I took on mine (admittedly 2008 not 2010), the most noticeable were the graphics card, wifi card and ram.
 

MrScratchHook

macrumors 6502
Dec 17, 2022
288
100
United States
Hi guys I am newbie here I have mid 2010 Mac Pro single core cpu I am looking to upgrade to dual core cpu I have chance to purchase used dual core cpu Mac Pro 2010 and I am thinking of swapping cpu trays and purchasing two X5690 6 core CPUs is this possible in my situation any problems your see? This is image of computer I am planing to purchase it’s around 150

Thanks
Also, when you recieve the new mac and do all the upgrades to it, keep the other one just incase you need to trouble shoot in the future. you just never know when these cMP's will break down and its always handy to have a second one to test the problems
 
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