#3.46 6 core mac pro cpu upgrade#
#3.46 6 core mac pro cpu pro#

If you want someone else to de-lid your CPUs for you, I can help with that too. It’s easy to do this yourself, have a look at my video here. There are people selling de-lidded CPU’s but prices are usually ridiculous.

#3.46 6 core mac pro cpu upgrade#

If you want to upgrade your 4,1 CPUs to something better than was possible at the time, you will have to de-lid them yourself, send them to someone to de-lid them for you, or spend a decent amount of money extra for de-lidded CPU’s on sites such as eBay.

#3.46 6 core mac pro cpu pro#

What if I can’t find de-lidded CPUs?Īll CPUs compatible with the 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro are sold with heat spreaders on them, specific models for the 4,1 Mac Pro’s excluded. The heatsinks will not make contact with the CPU and the clamps have nothing to push down on with the heat spreader missing so the CPU would loosely float around in the socket. There are no tricks to make de-lidded CPUs work in a 5,1 tray. Lidded CPUs in a 4,1 tray can be done but I advise against it. There are thermal pads on the heatsinks that transfer heat away from certain board components, if a lidded CPU is used in a 4,1 tray, additional thermal pad strips must be applied to ensure contact. Without spacer rings, one risks too much pressure on the CPU which can damage the socket. There are ways to get lidded CPUs in a 4,1 tray, this requires the use of spacer rings on the four heatsink screw posts to make up for the thickness of the heat spreaders. Lidded CPUs are too thick for the 4,1 CPU tray and de-lidded CPUs are too skinny for the 5,1 CPU tray. Lidded refers to the presence of a heat spreader, de-lidded refers to this heat spreader being removed.ĭe-lidded CPU on the left, lidded CPU on the right. The 4,1 CPU tray holds de-lidded CPUs accompanied by a spacer. You will also find Copyright markings which makes them easily identifiable. On a 5,1 there are clamps holding the CPU in the socket. On a 4,1 CPU tray, the processors lay loose in the socket and the heatsink holds them down. Subtle differences such as board markings and components being slightly different aside, the CPU sockets are way different. Now the differences are a little more obvious. Now let’s take the heatsinks off and have another look. The screw-holes on top of the heatsinks are positioned differently but that is something easily overlooked. You’re not crazy and I did not trick you. This article focuses on the dual-processor models but I will touch on the single processor models later as well. The only difference is in/on the processor (CPU) tray.

Until you take it apart, there are none, apart from some component positions such as capacitors and unused connectors. Visual differences between the 4,1 and 5,1. Something it can not do when still running the 4,1 firmware.Īll other models can not exchange parts with the 4,1 and 5,1 and vice versa. It also means the flashed Mac can support macOS Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave natively. Flashing the firmware of a 4,1 to that of a 5,1 allows for faster processors and RAM to be installed. As such, a 4,1 can be firmware flashed to 5,1 and can be upgraded the same way as a ‘real’ 5,1. The 4,1 and 5,1 models are 99.9% identical when it comes to hardware.

MacPro7,1 – 2019 Why does this article only explain the difference between the 4,1 and 5,1? Here are all Mac Pro model ID’s in order: 4,1 and 5,1 refer to a Mac Pro’s Model Identifier. So, since I haven’t written anything in a while, allow me to explain 🙂 Forget the difference, what does 4,1 and 5,1 even mean? Even in 2020 (and years to come), there will be plenty of people that first get started on upgrading an older Mac Pro or maybe even owning one for the first time. When I see people on Facebook and other forums ask “what’s the difference between 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro?” or “Can I use a 4,1 CPU tray in a 5,1 Mac Pro” I think to myself ‘this is common knowledge, isn’t it?’. My apologies, sometimes I take certain information for granted.