Friends - My faithful MP 5.1 has performed flawlessly for 10 years. Before I pull the trigger on a new M1 Mac, I'm wondering if simply upgrading the CPUs (currently 8 core Westmere. 2.4Ghz) with two Xeon X5680's (two 6 core - 3.3Ghz) might give me just enough extra horsepower for the extra demands of newer instrument plugins in the mean time. I don't need to spend the $$ for a video card in order to upgrade to Mojave.
Would a correctly amount of thermal paste applied to the X5680s be enough to handle any heat issues?
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Dan V.
Mac Pro 5.1 - Upgrade?
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Mac Pro 5.1 - Upgrade?
Mac Studio Ultra 64gb; Motif 8; Novation Summit, Yamaha MOXF6, Mach Five Three; Altiverb, UVI Stuff, Acoustic Legends; Plugsound Pro; Fender Strat; Stylus, Omnisphere 2.8, Trillian
- HCMarkus
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Re: Mac Pro 5.1 - Upgrade?
You'll find the machine is considerably more powerful with the 5680s. It will be both snappier and deeper with the new CPUs. It is such an inexpensive upgrade, I'd recommend giving it a go regardless; you can sell the 5,1 for more as a 12 core if you decide it is not strong enough for you.
Make sure you have a true 5,1 (as opposed to a firmware-updated 4,1). If yours is a 4,1, you will need to use care in upgrading, as the dual CPU 4,1s used de-lidded CPUs. Plenty written about this on the web, including MacRumors.com in the Mac Pro Forum.
Make sure you have a true 5,1 (as opposed to a firmware-updated 4,1). If yours is a 4,1, you will need to use care in upgrading, as the dual CPU 4,1s used de-lidded CPUs. Plenty written about this on the web, including MacRumors.com in the Mac Pro Forum.
HC Markus
M1 Mac Studio Ultra • 64GB RAM • 828es • macOS 13.6.4 • DP 11.31
M1 Mac Studio Ultra • 64GB RAM • 828es • macOS 13.6.4 • DP 11.31
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Re: Mac Pro 5.1 - Upgrade?
... and a poo-tonne of info posted right here by the humble, dear Sir Markus.
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Re: Mac Pro 5.1 - Upgrade?
This is what I thought. Makes sense for the time being. It is a genuine 5.1, not a firmware upgraded 4.1HCMarkus wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 3:08 pm You'll find the machine is considerably more powerful with the 5680s. It will be both snappier and deeper with the new CPUs. It is such an inexpensive upgrade, I'd recommend giving it a go regardless; you can sell the 5,1 for more as a 12 core if you decide it is not strong enough for you.
Make sure you have a true 5,1 (as opposed to a firmware-updated 4,1). If yours is a 4,1, you will need to use care in upgrading, as the dual CPU 4,1s used de-lidded CPUs. Plenty written about this on the web, including MacRumors.com in the Mac Pro Forum.
Thanks,
DV
Mac Studio Ultra 64gb; Motif 8; Novation Summit, Yamaha MOXF6, Mach Five Three; Altiverb, UVI Stuff, Acoustic Legends; Plugsound Pro; Fender Strat; Stylus, Omnisphere 2.8, Trillian