si-ghan-bi wrote:mkush wrote: flash the firmware to make it think it's a 2010, and put in a 3.33GHz six-core chip
Source?
http://forum.netkas.org/index.php/topic,852.0.htmlYou have to create an account on their board and log in, then if you look at the bottom of the first post in the thread above, you can download the utility. It downloads the firmware straight from Apple when it runs.
Executive summary: 2009 and 2010 Mac Pros are virtually hardware identical. With the firmware update, a 2009 machine (MacPro4,1) thinks its a 2010 (MacPro5,1). You can then install Westmere Xeons.
If you get an 8-core 2009 machine, you can install a pair of 6-core chips and get a 12-core machine. This however is slightly challenging because the 4-core chips you're replacing in the 2009 machine did not have integrated heat spreaders like the "normal" Intel chips have. That means that the heatsink does not fit correctly. There seem to be ways around this (hardware tweaks) but I did not feel like going that route because (1) it looked more challenging/risky than I felt up to, (2) the base price of a 2009 8-core machine was (duh) higher than a 4-core and (3) the CPUs are still expensive, say around $1200 each.
The route I chose was to buy the cheapest 4-core 2009 possible (2.66GHz). After the firmware flash, you can put in a 6-core 3.33GHz (W3680) which can be had for around $550, or a 6-core 3.46GHz (W3690) which uses the same power and dissipates the same heat as the W3680. The downside is that the W3690 costs more like $1050, so it's a $500 premium. I went that way although I'm still not sure it was the right choice. $500 is a pretty big difference. Anyway, important to note that going the single CPU route, you do NOT have the issue with the heatsink like you do if you want to upgrade dual CPUs: both the old CPU and the new CPU use the integrated heat spreader, so all is compatible, just drop in the new CPU and put everything back together.
The Mac Pro I found on eBay was $1300 shipped. There were ones slightly cheaper, but they did not include shipping and did not include the original box which I like to have. So if you want, you can get the equivalent of a $3000 new 3.33GHz Pro for under $2000.
Finally, the memory is important. If you get 1333MHz memory and your CPU supports it, so does the 2009 Mac Pro. I ordered Kingston KTA-MP1333DRK3/24G, which is 3x 8GB modules. Was $191 on Amazon.
I have not received any of this yet. I will report back once all is done.