Buy low end Mac Pro now, upgrade later?

Wondering if it makes sense to buy a low end 2ghz Mac Pro now, and then upgrade later (to for example, higher ghz or maybe a Clovertown cpu).
The difference now is about $300 for a 2ghz versus a 2.66ghz, which I suppose would get me by for some time. Cpu upgrade later would mean having to sell the old cpus, can PCs use these as well as Macs? That would certainly make them easier to sell, and then buy new faster cpus or even a new processor class.

It depends on whether you use the MacPro and applications that benefit from quad-core, from faster cpu, or whether you are memory bound.
I rarely need or use iDVD or iLife and the 2GHz model is plenty for my needs it seems.
I figured the cost of 2x512 extra from RAM (1GB isn't enough you really want 2GB, more if you run DTP or video editing) and I wanted to buy a 10K Raptor which I (and anyone) would find welcome addition.
Before, my SP G4 MDD 1.25 was just not cutting it and was only an 'interim' upgrade from an even older system while I waited for something better than the 2005 G5 series.
Also, 2GHz, for me, is fine and more than enough. If I was doing it again, I would have gotten the 2.66GHz just because it would have shipped faster
Games? professional? bragging rights? I would never plan on having to upgrade cpu, or selling the OEM processor (might want them someday).

Similar Messages

Is it worth buying the old Mac pro now, for iOS dev and designing?

I want to replace my old Macbook Pro unibody 2008 late model, and buy something instead of that. Currently it has 8gb ram, an SSD drive, but it's getting slower and slower. I want to replace it with something, and if I don't have to I won't spend ~3000€ for a new machine.
Would it make sense for me to buy an old Mac Pro (2008 - 2010 model, with at least 16gb ram, and SSD, and 2x27" monitor) and use that to create my iOS apps and design with Photoshop and Illustrator. I don't need a machine to do crazy stuff like 3D modelling (don't have time for it ) nor gaming.
Thanks.

The 2009 model and later are worth buying. They also feature Multi-Threading, which gives a performance boost.
The 2008 model uses older FBDIMM memories, and its memory has been severely limited in size and expensive (unless you drop down one notch and use 667MHz, which has become quite affordable).
The 2009 model and later change to processor-on-a-shelf, with either a one-chip or a two-chip shelf installed. Each offers four memory slots per processor. 4 DIMMs @8GB would give you 32GB four under US$400.
Four-core models would do what you are talking about, and you can upgrade to a 6-core processor if you are handy and can deal with thermal paste.

Questions about buying a new Mac Pro for 4k video editing.

Hi everyone,
I'm currently looking into buying a new mac pro and I have a few questions. I'm a filmmaker/freelance editor looking to get a system that can handle any/at least most 4k formats that I might throw at it, and will hopefully last me around 7 years or so, like my last mac pro has. I've saved up about $5,300 and am becoming more obsessed with getting it asap, but am willing to wait a bit and save up more if necessary. I also play the occasional elder scrolls or civilization game, and might run windows on the new system as well. So here are my questions:
1. I've read rumors that a newer build could be released this year, with newer processors and graphics cards. Is there anything to point to when? I tend to buy things a month before a newer version is released, and I'd like to prevent myself from doing it this time around..
Here's the Build I'm looking at:
6 core
2 D700s
base ram to be upgraded myself to 32Gb (2x16Gb cards leaving 2 slots empty to expand to 64Gb later)
512Gb-1Tb internal hd
2. Should I be considering the 8 core? I'm not too excited about the additional $1500, but I want a system that will last.
3. Is getting the two 16Gb chips of ram and leaving two slots empty a bad idea?
4. I currently work with FCP studio 2 and love it. Not sure whether to go with FCP X, or adobe. Any thoughts?
5. I'm not finding many deals for cheaper ram and hard drives. OWC's prices seem to be comparable to Mac's. I want to do the ram so I have room to upgrade to 64Gb later, but are there any hard drives out there that would make it worth upgrading it myself?
I appreciate any insights you might have. I plan on getting a decent raid and 4k monitor in the next year or so, but for now just want a base system that will keep me editing and will be ready for 4k when I take that next step.

The late 2013 Mc Pro uses Intel Xeon ECC processors (error correction), and as far as I know Intel has not announced any newer Intel Xeon processors than those in the late 2013 Mac Pro. I would not expect to see an update to the 2013 Mac Pro until the end of 2015 at the earliest and probably later than that.
If time is not an issue, then you should be quite happy with the 6 core 2013 Mac Pro. It will do an excellent job with 4K video footage. And, yes, I would suggest getting the best raid system you can afford. That is actually more important than processor speed since I/O is frequently the bottleneck when doing multi camera video or 4K video.
I have the latest version of Adobe's Premiere Pro 2014 CC installed on my late 2013 Mac Pro and i have used it a bit without problems. However, I find it much much slower to edit with than FCP X. Also be advised that if you Google you will find several individuals on the Adobe Forums who purchased the late 2013 Mac Pro and have not been able to use it with Premiere Pro CC because of either a hardware incompatibility or software issues between Premiere Pro CC and BMD's Resolve. It is quite possible that I have not experienced these problems because I have not made very demanding projects with Premiere Pro CC on my 2013 Mac Pro.
I strongly recommend FCP X. Apple released FCP X before it was ready, and many early users were unwilling to take the time to learn how to use this very different NLE which is not track based. Apple has over the last 3 years since FCP X was released, issued more than 10 updates (all free), and the program is stable and blazingly fast. I urge you to check out the FCP X training offered by Ripple Training and/or Larry Jordan. Both are inexpensive, and worth every cent. Watch their training videos and you will be up to speed in FCP X in no time at all, and you will wish you had switched a long time ago.
If you can afford the 1 TB of PCie internal flash storage on your Mac Pro, then by all means get it. For me 1TB is well worth the cost.
As far as editing 4K video, the format of the video will be important to the ease of editing. For example, I am able to edit in its native format (XVAC S) several streams of 4K video form my Sony FDR-AX100 with no problems. If I were editing Sony's XVAC format used in their professional 4K cameras, that might pose a problem that would require transcoding. Similarly for other 4K formats. XVAC S is an easy format to edit natively because it is essentially a high bit rate h.264 format.
Best of luck on whatever you decide to do, and happy editing.
Tom

Early 2009 Mac Pro CPU upgrade

Hello all
I just purchased a 2009 2.66 quad core Mac Pro. I am wondering if the CPU is upgradable. Since the new CPU sits on a slide out tray and shares the same CPU socket as the 8 core CPUs. Can a user upgrade the CPU later? Say if I want to upgrade my 3500 2.66Ghz CPU to 5500 2.9Ghz CPU?

As a mac pro enthusiast this is something I have been trying to figure out as well. With this insanely high premium price on a new mid to top end model vs what it was a year ago I am curious if it would be doable to buy an oct-core 2.26 (or whatever the low end oct is) and upgrade to two nehalem processors myself at a later point. I work on computers inside and out for a living so replacing the CPU doesn't scare me. I just want to know what the part is, if its required to socket a Xeon in each slot or could it be done with just two Nehalem processors. Upgrading the CPU is very doable in a mac mini or a mac pro, its about what you have to socket into the slot. If anyone knows if the mac pro's i7 slot supports non-xeon processors that would be all the info I need.
Thanks
-Jacob

About to buy a new Mac Pro

A few months ago I posted a very simlar question, but can't find it anymore.
I'm ready to purchase a new Mac Pro, now I have a 2008 8 Core 2.8GHz with 10 gig ram and was looking at the latest 8 core with a lesser speed of 2.4. GHz and cannot find a benchmark comparison of those two models. The closest I found was at Barefeat's site, where it show a chart with the difference of 6 seconds exporting 50 JPGs out of Aperture, 68 seconds on the new 8 core and 62 seconds on my 2008. My opinion is that the difference doesn't worth a $3,500 dollars purchase, unless there are numerous advantages I'm overlooking.
Another idea was to double the ram on mine and get a new video card, planing to keep my 2008 as a server in case I buy a new one.
Need advice and suggestions, making a decision this weekend before something else comes up and spend the money . As I said, purchasing a new one is not an issue, just want to make sure is worth it.

Mac Pro 2009 and later have Multi-Threading and improved memory, so their specs for compute power are near double what 2008 and previous models were:
Primate Labs has posted Geekbench results for all the Mac Pro models since 2006. Here are some of the numbers in 32-bi/64-bit modes:
2.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 4011/4445
2.66 GHz 4-core 2006, 5178/5865
2.8 GHz 4-core 2008, 5650/6456
3.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 5768/6567
2.66 GHz 4-core 2009, 8265/9226
2.8 GHz 4-core 2010, 8629/9723
2.93 GHz 4-core 2009, 9072/10072
2.8 GHz 8-core 2008, 9105/10523
3.0 GHz 8-core 2007, 9172/10783
3.0 GHz 8-core 2008, 9460/11153
3.2 GHz 4-core 2010, 9829/10279
3.33 GHz 4-core 2009, x/11475
3.2 GHz 8-core 2008, 10108/11807
3.33 GHz 8-core 2009, 10304/11476
2.26 GHz 8-core 2009, 11831/13323
2.4 GHz 8-core 2010, 12722/14083
3.33 GHz 6-core 2010, 14049/15781
2.66 GHz 8-core 2009, 14330/16034
2.93 GHz 8-core 2009, 15529/17608
2.66 GHz 12-core 2010, 20226/22733
2.93 GHz 12-core 2010, 21661/24333
from: http://www.lowendmac.com/deals/best-mac-pro-prices.html
This chart shows that to EQUAL what you have now, buy a 2.93GHz FOUR-Core 2009 or later.
The real "sweet spot" in the current offerings is the six-core at only 1.5 times the entry models instead of 2x or 3x. (It's a build-to-order of the four-core.)
In case of a tie, always choose more MegaHertz over more processors.

Buying the new Mac Pro

Hi there, I want to buy the new mac pro, I am a after effect user, need to know which graphic card to select, there is two option: 1-NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB four of them, or 2-ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512MB of GDDR5 memory single one.
Thanks Edward.

true Andrew!!
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT (256 MB)
I have, works with AE CS4, basta.
no need for Photoshops' geeky eyedropping and GPU intense interface improvements.
anything else is pure hardware marketing insanity (not blaming Adobe directly, ok!?)
I think it's really time for a slowdown on new technology impacts and settle down to the key purposes and develop them. that would take a huge impact on operability, stability, exchange among other platforms.
this digital warfare must come to an end.
it kills creativity!
without creativity this planet will become dead...

Hello I am in Afghanistan i searched that in realtek but that told me you coulde not use this sit   I writ again my problem    i installed win 7 32 bit in my mac pro 13-inch, Late 2011 Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5

On Thu, Jun 14, 2012 at 12:54 PM, mahdi ehsani <[email protected]> wrote:
On Sun, Jun 10, 2012 at 7:29 PM, Apple Support Communities Updates <[email protected]> wrote:
Apple Support Communities
Re: after install windows 7 32 bit there is no sound my mac is os x 10.7.2
created by The hatter in Boot Camp - View the full discussion
This solved my question
This helped me
you have RealTek on your workstation and just download the current driver which is easy to findwww.realtek.com
This solved my question
This helped me
Did this help? Go to the message, sign in, and reply or mark the response as correct or helpful
Start a new discussion in the same community/choose-container!input.jspa?contentType=1&containerType=14&container=2143&ac_ci d=op123456
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hello I am in Afghanistan i searched that in realtek but that told me you coulde not use this sit
I writ again my problem
i installed win 7 32 bit in my mac pro 13-inch, Late 2011 Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5   Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 (11C74)
but there is no sound in windows 7 please send me a address sit for downoad driver that i can use in Afghanistan
believe it is confus me and other friend that bought 5 mac's that are the same and i serched a lot of site without result
please help us by address site please please .....
<Edited by Host>

hello I am in Afghanistan i searched that in realtek but that told me you coulde not use this sit
I writ again my problem
i installed win 7 32 bit in my mac pro 13-inch, Late 2011 Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 Software Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 (11C74)
but there is no sound in windows 7 please send me a address sit for downoad driver that i can use in Afghanistan
believe it is confus me and other friend that bought 5 mac's that are the same and i serched a lot of site without result

Tried to restore my mac pro, now it`s not working, can i use the time machine backups?

Tried to restore my mac pro, now it`s not working, can i use the time machine backups?

Yes.

Need to buy a new mac pro

I read some reviews and tests on web, but didnt get a conclusion... What config is better to buy:
1. Mac Pro 2008 3,1 8 core 3.0mhz 8gb RAM 500gb HD nivida geforce 8800gt - U$1.000
2. Mac Pro 2010 4 cores 2.8mhz 3gb RAM 1tb HD Ati radeon HD 5770 - U$1800

On CPU testing, the numbers are only about 18 percent different:
Primate Labs has posted Geekbench results for all the Mac Pro models since 2006. Here are some of the numbers in 64-bit mode:
2.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 4506
2.66 GHz 4-core 2006, 5933
2.8 GHz 4-core 2008, 6543
3.0 GHz 4-core 2006, 6661
2.66 GHz 4-core 2009, 9225
2.8 GHz 4-core 2010, 9659
2.93 GHz 4-core 2009, 10119
2.8 GHz 8-core 2008, 10715
3.2 GHz 4-core 2010, 10834
3.0 GHz 8-core 2007, 11014
3.0 GHz 8-core 2008, 11376
3.2 GHz 8-core 2008, 12054
2.26 GHz 8-core 2009, 13400
2.4 GHz 8-core 2010, 14174
3.33 GHz 6-core 2010, 15574
2.66 GHz 8-core 2009, 16066
2.93 GHz 8-core 2009, 17608
2.66 GHz 12-core 2010, 22418
2.93 GHz 12-core 2010, 24219
3.06 GHz 12-core 2010, 25375
--from http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-mac-pro-prices.html

Os lion crashing on mac pro now and then after startup trying to open first app

Os lion crashing on mac pro now and then after startup trying to open first app like safari, nothing seems to respond then I restart it and its ok. Then after many uses it does it again.

Take it to an Apple Store.
Claypool Addict wrote:
I've tried holding r, command + option + p + r, option + r, c.
That command does nothing.
Try option/command/R
Don't press it until you hear the chime, don't release it until you see recovery loading, don't press other random combinations unless you know what they do.

Will the1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive Kit for Mac Pro now in the Mac Store work with my Mac Pro1,1?

Will the 1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive Kit for Mac Pro now in the Mac Store work with my Mac Pro1,1? My details of my Mac Pro is as follows:
Model Name:          Mac Pro
Model Identifier:          MacPro1,1
Processor Name:          Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed:          2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors:          2
Total Number Of Cores:          4
L2 Cache (per processor):          4 MB
Memory:          6 GB
Bus Speed:          1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version (system):          1.7f10
Hardware UUID:          00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2059956

It will say "green" and use less power, park its head probably, and while early units had some trouble they have evolved. Variable rpm or slower rpm also. They can be much less expenisve way to add storage.
WD Caviar Green
WD Green 2TB
For the system, 640GB is a nice size. Look for 64MB cache to help insure your drive is the latest models which will also say "6G SATA 3" which is fine.
WD Caviar Black 1TB 6Gb
WD Black Caviar 2TB
larger means higher density platter, I find the 1TB and larger Blacks to run hotter/warmer and companys want drives to be able to run warmer or with less cooling. - but for really cold drives other than SSD I have found all my WD 10K VRs to have the absolute coldest temps.
Just noticed Amazon having better prices than Newegg on 1TB - and WD and Hitachi.
Green for your external backup, for media libraries that are not high volume access, to run cool and less power. Enterprise for system and performance. TimeMachine sometimes makes a poor backup method with some green cases.

Upgraded Mac Pro, now purchased iTunes HD movies won't play

I just upgraded my Mac Pro (2006) to a Mac Pro (2008) so it would be a little faster, be Mountain Lion compliant, etc. The new Mac Pro has an ATI Radeon HD 5770 and I am continuing to use my 30" Cinema display.
Now when I try to watch a purchased iTunes movie or TV show that I had previously purchased on my old Mac Pro, I get the "This movie can be played only on displays that support HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection)" message. When I look at the show listing in iTunes, thay have the joint HD-SD emblem, so they should be able to be played in the lower resolution, correct?
I can't believe that with all of the apple products and media I have purchased, everything 100% apple, I am no longer able to watch apple movies!
Any suggestions?
Thanks
jmac

See if any of these links helps:
> iTunes for Windows: Unable to view or play HD video content that requires HDCP
> Troubleshooting iTunes for Windows Vista or Windows 7 video playback performance issues
> iTunes: Frequently asked questions about viewing and syncing videos
Hope this helps.

Upgrade to mac pro now FCP won't open files

Howdy, i have upgraded from a 20" imac to an 8 core mac pro with 10 gigs ram-1.82 Terra HD and now I can't open the files I was working on with the imac. I can launch FCP but once I try to open a file it crashes the program.
All software is up to date (OSX 10.5.2, FCP 6.0.3).
thanks, Gary

I have also called tech support and they suggested I reinstall the entire FCS1 & 2 software so I did. Everything seems to be running properly now.
I've learned that using migration assistant isn't such a good idea for FCS but it did save me a lot of time on my other programs so it was helpful.
I appreciate everyone's help and wanted to post what I've learned in case somebody else has had this problem.
thank you, Gary

Mac Pro 2008 - upgrade to 2010 model or not?

I have a Mac Pro 2008 2.8 gHz with 12GB RAM. I'm not running Premiere Pro CS5 which is great and seems to love RAM and processor speed. I also recently got a CUDA card to take advantage of it's GPU acceleration.
My question is: Should I get a new Mac Pro 2010, 6, 8, 12 core or just upgrade my RAM to say, 24GB and perhaps get some SSDs (maybe even in a RAID 0) as my boot drive.
The RAM upgrade will be in the $650 range, SSDs could be at least that. I'll need RAM anyway for a new model as my old RAM isn't compatible.
Getting a new model could set me back $5000 (or more) when it's all loaded.
I'm also a little disappointed in the 2010 Mac Pros, for example my 2008 Mac pro was a no-brainer, but now I'm ambivalent about this upgrade to 2010, thinking there may be new models out this year that fill in all the holes. I kind of feel like the 2010 Mac Pro upgrade was a little like the Final Cut Pro 7 upgrade, it was a stop gap because Apple needed to do something. I could be wrong about this though.
I know this is kind of a difficult question to answer, but if you have any opinions, please feel free to lend any advice.

PCIe 3.0
USB3
Intel SATA3 6G
Socket LGA1356
Socket LGA2011
3G SSD (by the time 4th Gen SSDs are out, one unit would make out our current SATA channel bandwidth)
Mid-range Xeon roadmap:
Socket LGA1356, a direct replacement for the current Socket LGA1366. The parts here are 6-core and 8-core Sandy Bridge single-socket and dual-socket capable but mid-range positioned Sandy Bridge Xeon - and, ultimately, Core i7 - parts with up to 20MB of L3 cache, three DDR3-1600 memory channels just like the existing LGA1366 Westmeres with one memory speed grade higher, and 24 PCIe v3 lanes on-chip.
The single external QPI v2 link runs at up to 8 gigatransfers/sec, or 32GB/sec bidirectional bandwidth, a 25 per cent speed up over the current generation, but also feeding a third more cores on each socket.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/1811091/2011-intel-xeon-update-holy- socket-trinity
Intel is set to replace its current high-end socket, LGA1366, when it releases its new 8-cores processors in the Late 2011. This socket is expected to be released alongside Sandy Bridge-EX in Q3 2011, and will support 4 memory channels as well as 40× PCIe 3.0 lanes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_2011

Kernel Panic Mac Pro now dead!!!

Big problem here:
Kernel Panic - but system totally locked out of any key combination apart from Hardware test on Install Disk 1 (OS X 10.4). Hardware test (loop running 12 hours) finds NO problems.
Have swapped out RAM, swapped out HDD, tried to boot using install (shift key gives me the bootable options) but Kernel Panic at every attempt.
Nothing has been loaded extra, and even running with new HDD and RAM teh system still locks out in Kernel Panic.
Before sending this back to shop - any ideas out there??
Help would be massively appreciated guys - been using a Mac since 1988 - first time I've been stumped!!!!
Mac Pro Quad 3Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.8) also have Powerbook 12 "

Hi Frank
thanks for the response - I will get onto the right forum as suggested for teh MacPro! Must have been finger trouble!
I have swapped out the RAM and the HDD - so I am left with Kernel code and PRAM (which has been zapped).
I will be buying my first diagnostices Apple software later today (Techtool Pro) and using a Firewire lead to remove all my files from the MacPro.
18 years of trouble free computing - using everything from a Mac Classic through all models (incliding a G5 - just sold) and never a problem I couldn't fix within twenty minutes.
Intel has a LOT to answer for and I am now considering a move away from Apple.
cheers
Frank
i hate to tell you that this part of the forum is for
the Macbook pro , not the Mac Pro
this here is the Mac Pro part of the forum
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=
194
your problem could be from a bunch of things, you
went threw most of the process of elimination tho
and you haven't found a fix, my sudjestion would be
to take it to apple and have them repair or or
replace it. cause what ever that is its not sounding
good.
so you removed all but one stick of ram and tried it
and if that fails take the other one out and put
another one back and test them all to see if they do
the same thing. also i have seen HDD's going bad
cause KP's is your firmware up to date

Buy low end Mac Pro now, upgrade later?

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