aramis

My Mac Pro runs 24/7 and gathers a lot of dust, looking at how clean my desk is around it's base, compared to the rest of...

I am using 2x8GB 1600MHz RAM modules in this MacBook Pro. Works noticeably faster than the standard 1333MHz.

Hi, thanks for your answers. I would rather not open my (AppleCare covered) machine -if I can- to clean the fan, although it's very tempting to do so. iFixers by nature, right? Either way, I will try to use the canned air trick as suggested. At the same time, I decided to try (ordered) the "COREFILTER - Air Filter Base for Apple Mac Pro" to provide the base of the machine a dust filter. Will provide feedback regarding the fitting, use, dust capture, cleaning, airflow, etc, if desired. It's not a sales pitch or promo, just feedback on an attempt to solve the dust-problem.

17” 2011 Macbook Pro 2.5 (BTO) has a different section at the left hand side, the part where the cables for the wireless hook up. Pay attention to the layout and think before untying any screws. The board that hooks up the wireless is “in” a separate bridge, installed next to the DVD writer with independent screws for suspension.

I didn't need to change anything, no update required: booted into OS X and the CPU was detected.

Yes, Ben, you could. 2nd hand CpU's are available on eBay, Amazon and various companies. Review suitability of your proposed CPU that it will fit the socket FCLGA2011, and pay attention to voltage. ECC support, and TDP. Switching CPU isn't an easy task and it has risks replacing it.

Pete, here are a few places to look for an E7 CPU to see if it will fit/work in the Mac Pro late 2013 with the FCLGA2011 socket. Check for voltage, ECC support and TDP (base 130 watts for default CPU's) and other specs: http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/index.h... and search for socket 2011 compatibility. Also, check http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced?s=t... , this is Intel's database for its products; it appears only the E7v2 and E7v3 may fit the board. Do your homework and find a suitable CPU. This way I found that my replacement E5-2687Wv2 would work.

Late 2011 Macbook Pro 17" A1297 2.5GHz i7-2860QM supports 1600MHz DDR3 RAM according to Intel's Ark (http://ark.intel.com/products/53476/Inte...), faster than what Apple suggests. I tried 2x8GB 1600MHz SODIMMs (opposite 2x16GB maximum as supported by Intel, yet cannot find the modules anywhere) and it works. The machine is a lot faster compared to the default 1333MHz RAM.

Completed E5-1650v2 (default 6-core 3.5GHz CPU) upgrade to an E5-2687Wv2 8-core 3.4GHz CPU. Scariest job done ever. Geekbench 4 results Mono/Multi Core: E5-1650v2 (default CPU) 3688/15900 with loads of OS X stuff running in the background, E5-1650v2 (default CPU) 3901/17425 after switching off background processes, then E5-2687Wv2 (upgraded CPU) 3989/22447 with loads of OS X stuff running in the background. Comments on the process above: check your bit size prior to applying your driver, as I found just a few screws having a different bit size than explained above (too small i.e. 5 vs 7, or 8). Also, power supply assembly is hard to put back into place as was before: it's all a very tight fit! Don't force, simply retry fitting if it doesn't fit the first time. Extra information: after original CPU removed, it's a bit tricky to get the new CPU in place as you'll be putting the motherboard on TOP of the CPU according to the process above. Hope this helps.