8-core 2.26ghz Nehalem Mac Pro Upgrading

Hi, All,

I'm considering getting the low end Intel 8-core 2.26 GHz Nehalem Mac Pro for video editing purposes. Through some investigation, I've learned that:

The processor is modular, so there's a good chance (re: not guaranteed) that you can swap it out for a faster one later down the line, though such an upgrade falls into the "unsupported" category. Mac Pros have traditionally used LGA sockets, meaning off-the-shelf parts will physically fit. The current batch of Mac Pros use LGA 1366 sockets.

Anyone have any ideas when processor upgrades might become possible and would it be through Intel itself?

Thanks in advance.

Found the answer to my question:

Sure thing. They're available for order right now:

2.66GHz Quad
2.93GHz Quad

There are actually several different processors available from 2.0GHz all the way up to 3.2GHz, including some with speeds inbetween those offered by Apple (such as 2.4GHz and 2.53GHz). I haven't posted them all, but if you search Newegg's site for "lga 1366 xeon quad-core", all the right part numbers will come up.

To be clear though (and possibly crush all those dreams), just because it fits, doesn't mean it will work. It probably won't be long before a tech review site or individual tinkerer tries such an upgrade, so wait for news of such an attempt before making any investment based on unconfirmed information. Yeah, it will probably work, but it's an expensive "probably" if proven wrong.

A note of caution: it may be best to avoid the 3.2GHz processor as the Mac Pro may not provide sufficient power or cooling to keep it happy.