MOTUnation.com

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.

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.

... and a poo-tonne of info posted right here by the humble, dear Sir Markus.

HCMarkus 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.

This is what I thought. Makes sense for the time being. It is a genuine 5.1, not a firmware upgraded 4.1

Thanks,

DV