CPU Upgrade Question

[Luthraz]

I am currently using a Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale processor @ 3.16Ghz.

 

I want to upgrade to a Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40Ghz.

 

I am using a G41M-ES2L motherboard running 10.7.3.

 

Can I just swap these out and have it work? I'm using a custom dsdt as well so I'm thinking I may need to disable that.

 

I basically need some sort of tutorial for how to do this or a recommendation. I'd also like to know how to make a dsdt after the fact. I have the FAQ thread on that which I will probably follow but if someone else has made one for this board with similar specs that would probably be easier and save me time.

 

Any advice on this would be most appreciated!

[Gringo Vermelho]

Unless you changed something in the Processor Scope code in your DSDT (which you shouldn't, now that Chameleon handles that part) it'll probably just work without having to do anything.

 

My PC also has an E8500 (and what an amazing CPU that is if I may say so myself) I'd like to hear about what the difference in performance is like, once you have "upgraded". I'm thinking it will be worse, and if not worse, then just about the same.

Even if you are working with something specifically designed to take advantage of all four cores at the same time.

 

A Quad Core version of the E8500 exists (exact same specs, cache size, capabilities etc, but four cores) but it is rare and VERY expensive. I don't remember the model name. Q9xxx something Extreme I think.

[Luthraz]

Oddly enough, my FPS dropped from 32.81 fps to 26.35 FPS in Cinebench but the rendering went up from 1.24 pts to 2.4 pts. I am thinking it's because the test is reliant on using one processor for the OpenGL test. Gonna play some Left 4 Dead 2 and see if it "feels" any better. Thanks so much for the tip, I'm happy I didn't have to do a lot to get it working properly.

 

I am also considering upgrading my Gigabyte G41-ES2L motherboard to a full ATX board. Any idea how easy that is to swap out? I plan on buying another Gigabyte mobo... any recommendations would be great! I have 8 gigs of DDR3 Ram as well to put on a better setup than my current one.

[Luthraz]

Just another update, L4D2 runs about as great as you could expect it to run with all settings on high. It still has that weird issue where sound causes lag at times but it's only a split second and I've never played a hl2 game where that didn't occur on occasion (pc or mac).

 

Also, I am able to watch 4K videos now with 0 stuttering. The Wolfdale would choke on that constantly. With all four cores being used at almost maximum, it runs properly.

[Gringo Vermelho]

Thanks for posting. It's not bad at all. I'd like to do the same thing if I ever come across a cheap Quad core...but I'm not getting anything below 3 GHz, I wouldn't want performance to drop much on anything that can only use a single core.

 

4K videos eh?? Know anywhere I can stream one of those? Youtube only goes up to 1080p even on videos that say they are 4k (NYC Surf, Life in the garden, the one with fish). None of those are skipping here and CPU usage stays below 40%. /EDIT yep, Life in the garden does skip a bit.

 

May I ask what video card do you have?

 

How difficult it will be to transplant an OS X installation to completely different hardware depends on how compatible the new hardware is....obviously. OS X does not "omit" anything based on your hardware during installation, everything is still there, therefore an OS X transplant is a lot likelier (is that even a word?) to work than say a Windows transplant..which usually doesn't work at all or crashes a lot unless the hardware is very similar, I've tried to do it a few times and it usually fails spectacularly.

The only thing I can think of is that If you have native power management working you'll probably have to a change your model identifier (/extra/smbios.plist) to one that matches better with a Core i CPU. Unless you plan to stay in the Socket 775 world..which will be fine for at least a couple of years more I'm sure.

 

Another thing is that your hardware UUID will change (because it's generated based on something Chameleon pulls from your motherboards actual smbios/DMI) - many apps depend on this for licensing information, including iTunes and tons of pro software. Also lots of apps store their settings by hardware UUID, so many will revert to default settings. I can't really say to what extent this will affect you, you're going to have to try it see what happens.

[Luthraz]

Thanks for the info.

 

In youtube you just need to choose "original" in the settings, it's always above 1080p. That will enable the 4K stream.

 

I am using a Sapphire Radeon 5870 which, quite oddly, won't work properly with my Apple LED Cinema Display in Windows 7. I have the Atlona DP400 converter and essentially when going through that in Windows the card detects it as a 720p display and won't go above 1280x720 resolution!

 

I do plan on staying in the Socket 775 world mainly because this processor does everything I need it to do just fine. The main reason I want a newer mobo is just to have more Sata ports and to use the 8 gigs of DDR3 Ram I have not being used. I plan on buying the most compatible Gigabyte motherboard that meets that description heh.

[Gringo Vermelho]

That would be any of the three EP45T boards.

 

The EP45 series is famous around here for being extremely compatible. Apparently, on later BIOS revisions, Gigabyte made the DSDT more OS X friendly too. These boards are hard to come by now, especially the full-featured ones.

I'm in a good mood today and I have the day off tomorrow, so here you go, full service:

 

The EP45T-DS3R looks like the best choice.

It has DDR3 support, dual Realtek LAN, Texas Instruments Firewire with 3 ports, a JMicron P-ATA controller, and your Q6600 is on the supported CPUs list.

http://www.gigabyte....px?pid=2851&dl=

You should update it to the latest available BIOS (using Q-flash and a thumb drive) before installing any OS.

 

Realtek 8111C LAN works with this driver:

http://lnx2mac.blogs...osx-driver.html

I have no idea if it can handle both devices at once though. If not, see if you can disable one of them in the BIOS.

 

ALC 889A audio will work with a patched AppleHDA.kext + ICHx HDEF device code in DSDT.

Use HDAWizard to patch the AppleHDA binary: http://www.insanelym...howtopic=266531

Along with the appropriate DSDT HDEF device code from post #24 here:

http://www.projectos...findpost&p=3781

 

JMicron 368 P-ATA controller works with JMicron36xATA.kext.

JMicron36xATA.kext.zip

To free up resources, disable it in the BIOS if you don't have any P-ATA drives.

 

Use ACHIPortInjector.kext for the ICH10R in AHCI (or RAID mode, if you want to set up a hardware RAID with Windows on it. OS X cannot be installed onto a ICHxR hardware RAID but will work on non-RAIDed drives connected to the ICH10R when in RAID mode)

AHCIPortInjector.kext.zip

 

Use a MacPro3,1 smbios.plist (add your own serial number!):

MacPro3,1 smbios.plist.zip

 

Use this fakesmc plugin for hardware monitoring: http://www.projectos...?showtopic=1597

 

There are a number of small adjustments that can be made to the DSDT to slightly increase compatibility. Don't touch the CPU scope code though, as I said earlier, there is no need for that anymore. Any modification to the CPU scope code is likely to break Chameleon 2.1's P- and C-states generation.

 

Because the board has the ICH10R Southbridge, you must edit the LPC device code to get native speed stepping working correctly, as shown here:

http://www.projectos...findpost&p=2532

Note that in Gigabyte DSDTs, the LPC device is named PX40.

 

Standard "forced IRQ" removal procedure: http://www.projectos...p?showtopic=564

Besides slow SATA transfers, this can also cure stuttering sound and other anomalies/hangs.

It's recommended to do this even if there are no apparent issues because it "unlocks" the IRQs so that OS X can distribute them without restriction.

 

Here's a great legendary thread full of Gigabyte DSDT goodies: http://www.insanelym...howtopic=192518

WARNING: Beware of obsolete information and files. Lots of stuff that we used to rely on in the old days is not needed anymore.

 

The TI Firewire ports, and USB, being part of the ICH10R, will just work.

 

Good luck tracking down one of these boards, they are hard to find.

 

If you can't find one, the Asus equivalent to Gigabyte's EP45 series is the P5Q series. They are nearly just as easy to get working.

[TH3L4UGH1NGM4N]

+1 to LGA 775 not dying I'm still running on my q8200 OC'd to 2.73 Ghz which is still holding it's weight in everyday use. You'd def benefit a lot from the full 8gb in OS X. When it comes on to the Gigabyte boards they really don't get much easier than that brand because the majority of their boards have been tested and working on OS X with the least bit of difficult.

 

As for the ACD only displaying at 720p, seems like it could be on the drivers end. If you have another gpu lying around by chance you can test it out and see if it's the 5870 causing the issue or if it's something else.

 

I plan on holding on to this chip until probably about next year ish when IVB matures a bit or when they drop a hexacore chip I'll jump on the upgrade bandwagon.

 

@ GV Yeah, YT does indeed display up to 4K on those rare videos that people shoot in 4K to begin with.

[Luthraz]

The EP45T-DS3R looks like the best choice. (...)

Awesome dude, thanks for the great info! I'll be searching for this on ebay in the coming weeks!

 

Also laughingman, it is a driver issue which Radeon will probably never resolve unfortunately. But I have another graphics card I can pop in should I be forced to use windows for a longer period of time than normal, and/or an alternate display. :-)

[Luthraz]

Any idea how much the EP45T-DS3R typically goes for? There is only one on eBay and it's $130, seems kind of steep for such an old board.

[Gringo Vermelho]

Sorry, no idea. It is a very nice P45 motherboard though, I'm not surprised.