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I am considering buying a used mac pro 5,1. However, I want to know what chipset the mac pro has before I buy. The only place I could find the chipset listed was on Wikipedia and it was wrong because according to intel, that chipset(X58) supports few to none of the listed cpus the mac pro can come with from the factory. I was wondering if anybody who has a mac pro 4,1 or 5,1 could tell me what chipset it has so I can check on intel’s site to see ALL of the possible cpus the mac pro 5,1 could have.
If you purchase Mac Pro 2010 or 2012 with two processors (2x6=12 cores), I suggest you to upgrade its CPU into Intel Xeon X5690 (3.46GHz),. Till I write down this today, the price of X5690 on ebay is around 400$ for a pair (two) of CPU alone or, around 600$ for a pair of CPU plus kits. This price is not included the service. You can find “how to” instructions on YouTube or other place. You can buy the lowest Mac Pro with 2.4GHz (around 1000-1500 now ) then upgrade its CPU by your self. Don’t forget to upgrade its RAM too! But, be careful to choose the right one since many (!) Mac Pro 5.1 is actually the upgraded Mac Pro 2009 (4.1).
Review this sites info: EveryMac - Mac Pro’s. Locate your exact system and post an update to your question with the info as there are a few different models and not all of them can be upgraded. Update (03/23/2016) The MacPro5,1 uses two 6 core Xeon CPU’s: X5670 (12M Cache, 2.93 GHz or X5675 (12M Cache, 3.06 GHz. But without knowing which logic board you currently have as you didn’t tell us. I can’t tell you if these CPUs will work or not as the socket and the firmware within your system will dictate if these CPU’s will work.
Check out the upgraded processors boards the seller is offering. They are some of the fastest Macs ever! http://stores.ebay.com/brgins4sale?_trks…
I recommend sticking with the Westmere processors on the Mac Pro 5,1. The 6 core is the best value Mac Pro you can purchase. My two cents…
