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W5590 or X5677

AkuskaUK

AkuskaUK

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 18, 2011
376
177
Shanklin, Isle Of Wight
Im looking to upgrade my 2010 2.4Ghz 8Core Mac Pro, which processor would everyone recommend? I don't need to go 12core as no programs i use would use so many cores.

I run Logic 9 and play a few games on a separate bootcamp HD (DayZ, BF4, Crysis)

Any help would be appreciated!
 
Above answer is incorrect. I actually first upgraded to the W5590s in my 5,1 Mac Pro, then, about a year later, upgraded again to X5677s. With the X5677s the temps are a little bit lower and I can run the fans slower. The X5677 is also faster, and with the slower fan speeds the Mac is quieter. I highly recommend the X5677s.

Lou
 

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  • X5677 Geekbench.jpg
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Above answer is incorrect. I actually first upgraded to the W5590s in my 5,1 Mac Pro, then, about a year later, upgraded again to X5677s. With the X5677s the temps are a little bit lower and I can run the fans slower. The X5677 is also faster, and with the slower fan speeds the Mac is quieter. I highly recommend the X5677s.
Click to expand...

Lou, what fan speeds are you using?
 
flowrider said:
Above answer is incorrect. I actually first upgraded to the W5590s in my 5,1 Mac Pro, then, about a year later, upgraded again to X5677s. With the X5677s the temps are a little bit lower and I can run the fans slower. The X5677 is also faster, and with the slower fan speeds the Mac is quieter. I highly recommend the X5677s.

Lou
Click to expand...

How is my opinion incorrect?

Maybe I should have elaborated more, but real world performance difference is negligible - 6% at most in the real world due to the larger cache and 4% clockspeed increase. Most of the time this is a second here or there on a small task.

You can get a pair of either for under $200, so happy hunting. With 3.2GHz W5580s at under $50 each they would be my choice.
 
Last edited:
^^^^If you check my Geekbench scores that I posted, you'll see a 13% difference. My other reasons are posted in my answer.

You're entittled to your choice, and if paying $50.00 for CPUs is your choice, a prior generation processor, is important to you, than that's great. I spend more than that on dinner.

My opinion, is that you are wrong and that's false economy. My CPU is faster, cooler, draws less power and my Mac runs quieter with the X5677 than it did with the W5590.

Lou
 
flowrider said:
^^^^If you check my Geekbench scores that I posted, you'll see a 13% difference. My other reasons are posted in my answer.
Click to expand...

That's Geekbench and isn't completely indicative of real world performance.

You're entittled to your choice, and if paying $50.00 for CPUs is your choice, a prior generation processor, is important to you, than that's great. I spend more than that on dinner.
Click to expand...

They are a prior generation but offer the same performance per MHz. The extra cache is nice and better performance per watt, but it not a huge difference. I happily spend money on CPUs, I just think at this level you can get some great deals on the slightly slower models and get more RAM, better GPU or something else that offers more overall performance.

Unless he imports AkuskaUK will likely be looking at £100 more for X5677s over W5590s. He already has loads of RAM and a good Graphics card though, so his call. For CPU intensive games maybe that's 1 FPS, maybe 2 due to the cache.
 
^^^^You have given your opinion, I have given mine. I have used both. I will not argue any further.

Lou
 
Umbongo said:
Whatever is cheapest.

This looks a bargain.
Click to expand...

That ebay seller doesn't post to the UK.

----------
AkuskaUK said:
Im looking to upgrade my 2010 2.4Ghz 8Core Mac Pro, which processor would everyone recommend? I don't need to go 12core as no programs i use would use so many cores.

I run Logic 9 and play a few games on a separate bootcamp HD (DayZ, BF4, Crysis)

Any help would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

Take a look at these X5677 cpus. Seller and cpu are in the UK.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Xeo...prg=20131017132637&rk=2&rkt=4&sd=221596351949
 
I thought about posting a new thread, but let me borrow the attention from those in the know…

I sit on a 3.33GHz 6-core in my 5.1. Looking to upgrade and I guess that means swapping the whole tray and going 8 or preferably 12 core.

I don't want to go below my current 3.33GHz single thread performance.

My two questions:

  1. Is there a concensus on where the price performance is concerning dual CPUs for 5.1?
  2. Where do I buy them? Is there a reputable dealer that everyone knows about, or am I looking at Ebay? What shall I search for (not too familiar with the socket/cpu names)?

Thanks!
 
AkuskaUK said:
You are also a lot more skilled than i am ;) Only part I'm worrying about is applying the thermal paste.
Click to expand...

Get a Artic Silver Clean set and check out videos on youtube.

Also install a software like iStatPro to check the CPU temperature. After changing my CPU including cleaning the old thermal paste the temperature dropped to 42°C for daily work.

It's quite easy to be done and you can't do anything work really ;-)
 
Coyote2006 said:
Get a Artic Silver Clean set and check out videos on youtube.

Also install a software like iStatPro to check the CPU temperature. After changing my CPU including cleaning the old thermal paste the temperature dropped to 42°C for daily work.

It's quite easy to be done and you can't do anything work really ;-)
Click to expand...

Thanks :) I have iStat Pro already, i use it to watch the temps of my machine due to it being full to the brim!

Ill get on with watching some videos now, i can't believe i didn't think of that since i spend a lot of time on YouTube!
 
AkuskaUK said:
You are also a lot more skilled than i am ;) Only part I'm worrying about is applying the thermal paste.
Click to expand...

Dont worry about applying the thermal paste.
Clean the old paste off thoroughly. I used this kit...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003VRBPAI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

There are plenty of you tube instruction videos to check.
You will want a 3mm hex head tool with a long handle, I used this one... http://www.fephydraulics.co.uk/onli...info&cPath=16_37_102_276_331&products_id=1447
The long handle makes it easy to reach the screws that hold the cpu heatsink in place.
You could count the amount of full turns it takes to unscrew each screw to avoid over tightening the screws when you come to replace them.

It is easy, just take your time.
 
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AkuskaUK said:
Thanks :) I have iStat Pro already, i use it to watch the temps of my machine due to it being full to the brim!

Ill get on with watching some videos now, i can't believe i didn't think of that since i spend a lot of time on YouTube!
Click to expand...

I remember that I found a pdf explaining how to use thermal paste correctly on my IBM W3680 on their website. Check the producers website for this kind of information ;-)
 
When buying used Nehalems and Westmeres -

Consider that these CPUs could have been overclocked significantly to the point of degrading their performance. Thus, I'd recommend buying them only from businesses that update servers or buy server pulls because they're less likely to have been overclocked improperly/excessively. So I'd try to avoid purchasing them from individuals. Being in the States and preferring new Nehalems and Westmeres over old ones if I cannot find server pulls, I like eoptionsonline.com [ https://www.eoptionsonline.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?limit=25&q=x5677 ]. I, however, haven't tried x5677s.
 
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