If you looked you would know that Mac Pro is and always used Xeon family. Not consumer Bloomfield etc, though it is possible for single socket. And no, quads aren't 'yesterday' as a lot of software is still not using more than 2 cores let alone 8 threads.
The Intel family of processors has never and probably will not use "i9" but you can read up on Intel processors and Xeon family and Gulftown/Sandy Bridge on Intel and Wikipedia.
The Mac Pro may not be in any kind of desperate need for new socket even, just some upgraded graphic offerings.
Only the single-quad core 2009 mac pros allow for a desktop processor as Hatter explained, and its quite easy to do.. just like the old days when you would do a simple old fashioned processor upgrade.. In fact, it seems we single-quad owners now have a choice between xeon or desktop. Me, since I am a gamer and tinkerer and hard core modder, I decided to go with the desktop for the following reasons:
I have no use for ECC memory in anything I use, plus ECC slows down the computer, as the computer has to keep constantly check the memory for errors.. desktops don't have ECC memory.
Its cheaper and more for the consumer.. core i7 is also found in the imac 27 inch.
In addition to it being cheaper, its also good for just about anything..
Again, only consider the core i7 upgrade if you don't need ECC memory or plan on using it as a server for 24/7 days a week.. Also, according to benchmarks I have seen on Youtube, the core i7s are slightly faster sometimes 20 percent over their xeon brothers, but I think this has to do with ECC memory more so than the processor itself.
For dual 2009 Mac Pros, sad to say that it is not possible(well, sorta..) to upgrade the processors.. for this I address your attention to www.anadtech.com and search by processor upgrade 2009 mac pro duals quad-core.
Reason is simple: Apple decided to use standard OEM parts on the single-quad core. Notice, the integrated heat spreader on the processor. All PC type Intel processors have this integrated heat spreader. But, the processors Apple uses in the 2.26/2,66/2,93 dual quads are LIDLESS and can't be gotten at the consumer level.. You could goto Applepalace or other places to buy them, but they are expensive.
Hope this helps you in determining what direction to take.. Personally, for me the single-quad core with the i7 975 3.33 does everything I throw at it and can match the speed of the 2.26 and possibly 2.66 dual quad cores, but when it comes to applications(pro and audio) apps using multithreading, the 8-cores seem to take the lead, but not by much.
Remember also that the 4-core singles have 4 virtual cores for a total of 8 cores, while the 8-cores have 16.
The Mac Pro may not be in any kind of desperate need for new socket even, just some upgraded graphic offerings.
I wouldn't say this if I were you... at least on the rumors sites that is as I have been there and I see the crying and desparate needs of those who want the Hexcore models already.. and keep crying
** mac pro
**=this year.
For me, and most down to earth people.. i agree. We now need the Radeon 5890 or eyefinity series to work in the mac pro.. We don't need the architecture upgraded, at least not at this time.
Ok, so does this mean I can't go up to the max 32GB on my quad-core with the i7-975? I went to Intel's site and everything about the w3580 and i7 975 appear to be exactly the same.. even the 24GB memory you speak of.
i9 slated for Mac Pro as per a simple google search which lead to this article.
I found out about the i7 in the big Imac today.
Thank you everyone for your help, I appreciate the great information. I went to three retailers today and I didn't see one Mac pro. I saw 1 Mac mini, but all other stores were sold out. (Red Deer, Alberta, Canada) I did see my first Ipad...Uh no thanks, I'll stick with a real computer.
One phone dealer told me not to buy Iphone 4 because of antenna issue and told me to buy the current version and issure it, then when it goes poof have it replaced with version 2 Iphone 4, because Iphone 3GS will obsolete and dicontinued.
Thank you so much for your detailed answer, it was very generous of your time.
Its great to see that the 'do-it your selfers' are still working with Mac experimentation. You push Apple along the path of development whether you know it or not.
I got my power Mac from the scrap box, which was headed for recycling, and a friend of mine who sounds just like you, brought it to life. The computer was retrived in 2002 and it still works. It also had a new logic board installed in it that year, for free, by a 'genius guy' who worked in the factory in Cupurtino.
I'd like a new Apple computer with the new OS, but I think I'll just look for a close to new one. (used) The Mac pro is listed at 3800 bucks and needs more Ram, right out of the box.
I think you can put a i7 into a single processor Mac Pro (some one has already done it). The dual processor Mac Pro is using the Xeon 5500 series processor which support up to 144 GB (40 bit Physical Address Extensions), but computer only supports 32 GB of RAM.
PS. Quad core Mac pro only supports up to 16 GB of RAM.
Here is proof that my single-quad mac pro is running the desktop version:
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro4,1
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 3,33 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 6 GB
Processor Interconnect Speed: 6.4 GT/s
Boot ROM Version: MP41.0081.B08
*Notice my firmware bootrom version - was told that this is the newest firmware which I think has to do with this upgrade working.. as you can see, I have a choice between xeon or i7 if I want. Also, when you replace the xeon w3520(in this case this was mine), with a desktop i7, you MUST also get non-ecc memory. For most of us, we don't need ECC memory, at least I don't.
Yes, but if 16GB DDR3 chips were to come out, theoretically if you buy 4 of those it would be 64GB and on the dual would be 128GB.. I don't know if the memory controller can support either, but from what I gather Apple still thinks the duals can only do 32GB which gives me high hope that the single-quads can also do 64, but with 16GB ddr3.
