I was hoping to be able to pick up a new Mac Pro soon, but that's off the table for now. That being the case, I'm looking into what I can do to get my early 2009 Mac Pro running better.
My current setup:
2 x 2.26 quad xeons
32GB RAM
7200rpm 640GB HD
ATI Radeon HD 4870 512 MB graphics
I've been reading about my options, and it looks like replacing the CPU's with W5590's is possible, but difficult for someone who's never done something like that before. Another option is to replace the HD with a 480GB SSD, which looks like it's about the same price as buying a pair of W5590's on eBay, and is way easier for a novice to do.
So which would give my machine more life? The CPU upgrade or the HD swap?
Bonus question: Is there another video card that I can replace my 4870 with? I play some games (in OS X, not via bootcamp) in my free time.
Thanks for your input!
My current setup:
2 x 2.26 quad xeons
32GB RAM
7200rpm 640GB HD
ATI Radeon HD 4870 512 MB graphics
I've been reading about my options, and it looks like replacing the CPU's with W5590's is possible, but difficult for someone who's never done something like that before. Another option is to replace the HD with a 480GB SSD, which looks like it's about the same price as buying a pair of W5590's on eBay, and is way easier for a novice to do.
So which would give my machine more life? The CPU upgrade or the HD swap?
Bonus question: Is there another video card that I can replace my 4870 with? I play some games (in OS X, not via bootcamp) in my free time.
Thanks for your input!