Is it worth fixing my old mac pro?

I have a Mac pro Dual Core that I bought in around 2006
I cant tell you what HD/Ram it has as I cant remember off the top of my head and dont have the machine with me as its at the apple store.
Now I have never so much as had a niggle of a problem with it in all the years Ive had it and havnt even thought about a new machine as its been more than reliable and has suited my needs well.
UNTILL two weeks ago my machine went into kernal panic, after trying everything I could I decided it was time to take my old trusty mac pro to the geniuses!
Well they have now had it for a couple of weeks and have narrowed the issue down to the logic board and graphics card, that cost of repair is £650 inc VAT OUCH!!!
Now Im in a right royal dilemna, it seems a lot of money to me to through at an old mac, however I am prepared to pay it out if its going to keep going for another few years. But Im thinking I might live to regret it if it goes wrong again!
At the moment the cost of a new mac pro is out of reach so my options are to sell my macpro for parts and to buy a 6 month - a year old mac pro or do I get a new 27inch Imac instead?
The last time I had an Imac (8 year +) it was not nearly good enough for the applications I was using and was way to slow. However I know they have improved dramatically and look like a better spec than what im currently using anyway, so I was wondering if I should be considering this?
I have a Macbook Pro 2.4 intel Duo core and Im quite happy with that and it handles my work without an issue, so on that basis I think an Imac would work.
I use my computer for mainly web development but I do quite a bit of graphics work also for print. I mainly use photoshop, navicat, Fetch, dreamweaver and illustartor quite often needing them all open at once.
So my options are:
Repair my mac witch it the least expensive solution, but do I put £650 into an older machine?
Sell it for parts and buy a 6 month - a year old mac pro
Sell it for parts and buy a top spec Imac
Please help, im not sure what the best option is

The last time I had an Imac (8 year +) it was not nearly good enough for the applications I was using and was way to slow. However I know they have improved dramatically and look like a better spec than what im currently using anyway, so I was wondering if I should be considering this?
The current iMacs are much faster than your current machine.
GeekBench Processor and Memory Performance:
Mac Pro 2.0 GHz    4029
Mac Pro 2.66 GHz 5202
Mac Pro 3.0 GHz    5801
iMac (2011) i7 3.4 GHz   11609
iMac (2011) i5 3.1 GHz    8379
MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4 GHz (2 cores) 3342
I have a Macbook Pro 2.4 intel Duo core and Im quite happy with that and it handles my work without an issue, so on that basis I think an Imac would work.
I think that you are correct.

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.

Migrating your old Mac Pro to your new Mac Pro issue's with Adobe Software

I Have just bought a new Mac Pro and after migrating the information from my old Mac pro photoshop and other Adobe software are not loading
HHow do I fix this problem?

Try uninstalling the programs from the old Mac and installing them on the new Mac

6-month old Mac Pro has already had a new logic board and power supply

At a cost of $400 in shipping and a one-month wait, my 5-month old Mac Pro got a new power supply and logic board
Now I keep getting kernel panics, runaway kernel_task in Activity Monitor, and corrupted boot drives
External Firewire drives work some of the time, and occasionally my USB devices dont work either
This computer is a nightmare - how do I begin to figure out if this is OS (10.6.4) or hardware related?
The extended AHT test reports that all is OK - as does an extended memory test using Applejack
Should I do firmware updates and re-install the 10.6.4 combo pack, or am I just wasting more of my time?
I've got 4 macs and this is the only one that works badly - I think Apple's OS updates are getting as bad as Windows updates

My first question is why you spent $400 to get a 5 month old system fixed. That should have been covered under the warranty. So someone ripped you off, or you left out some key details.
And if you had both the logic board and PSU replaced, did you ever stop to think that maybe the problem lies with the power coming into your house? It's not really the big power spikes or blackouts you need to worry about, since those are pretty rare. What you need to worry about are the small fluctuations in voltage that happen several hundred times a day, if not an hour. Sometimes there's not quite enough power, other times there's a little too much, and all of this takes a steady toll on the PSU. It will do what it can to try and feed the rest of the computer a steady diet of electricity, but sometimes a jolt will get past it and start damaging other components. It could even cause data corruption on your HDD.
If the PSU and logic board already went, who knows what damage it may have caused to anything else. It may just be taking longer to show up.
It might also be that whomever ripped you off to the tune of $400 simply traded you one defective logic board for another. Or maybe they don't really know how to protect against ESD. I once saw a repair shop where the techs smoked in the same room they did the repairs. Sadly, for every one good tech out there, there's probably at least 3 complete idiots. Kind of like auto mechanics.
And I never have problems with Windows or Apple updates. Seems like on Windows the majority of people who have problems with updates are either running some program designed to change the way Windows looks or messes with low level system files, or they have a malware infestation they were unaware of/oblivious to. Most of the people who have problems with Apple updates seem to be the same way. They're running some truly bizarre programs that mess with the system in ways programs were not intended to mess with the system. There's generally a reason OS vendors provide an API for developers. You deviate from that at your own peril.

Old Mac Pro vs. new iMac?

I have a nearly three year old Mac Pro that is currently being serviced at my local Apple Store. For almost three years I have had trouble with it -- first it spontaneously rebooted itself which was fixed by replacing power supply, logic board and processor. The other problem is the recurring (but randomly recurring) seizing of Time Machine. I've tried three separate external hard drives, three different cables, all the FW ports, archive and reinstall twice, erase and reinstall twice, and hours on the phone with tech support. No one knows what to do. I have no confidence that they'll find anything this time either. I've just about had it. And my Apple Care runs out in two weeks. So...I'm thinking of getting a new iMac to replace it, because I'm not doing the heavy duty phot/video/design work on the Pro that I thought I was going to do. I know it's a hard question to answer, but aside from the speed, which I probably won't notice that much, what are the biggest trade-offs "stepping down" to the iMac? Thanks

Your 2nd and 3rd disk drives will be external Firewire 800 drives. Slower than internal drives.
You can't change your mind. No video card upgrades 2 years down the road. What you buy is what you live with. You can expand memory to 16GB (which seems plenty to me) and you can (with some effort) replace the disk drive with a larger one.
On the other hand:
1. Less money, a lot less.
2. An awesome 27-inch monitor.
3. Close to the same performance. See http://marketingtactics.com/Speedmark/
4. Quiet.

I was running remote desktop on my old mac pro running 10.4.11. Upgraded to new pro running 10.6.7 Can I get remote desktop to run on new computer?

I was running remote desktop on my old mac pro running 10.4.11 Just upgraded to new pro running 10.6.7 Can I get my previous remote desktop to
run on new computer?
Thanks

Are you talking Apple's Remote Desktop software, or Microsoft's?

I have a new Mac Pro. I want to use my old Mac Pro as a storage drive for photos and old documents, linked to my new Mac Pro. How do I set up the old computer?

I have a new Mac Pro. I want to use my old Mac Pro as a storage drive for photos and old documents, linked to my new Mac Pro. How do I set up the old computer? Both computers have OS X10.9.3. Currently they are connected by a Firewire 800 cable.

You certainly could keep the old Mac Pro in Firewire mode (hold down the T key on its keyboard as you boot) to show its drives on the new MP. This is basically as fast as putting the drives into a Firewire enclosure.
Or you could boot it normally and share its files over the network using the Sharing panel of System Preferences. If you turn on both File and Screen Sharing, you don't even need to have a monitor attached - you can do all administration using screen sharing. However, this method requires that you open all files over the network, which will be slower than the direct-connect method above, and may also not work with all applications.
Matt

I'm getting an error trying to re-install Lightroom 5 on my new Mac Pro. The old Mac Pro died. When i try to enter my Serial

hello. I had Lightroom 5 on my old Mac Pro. Worked great. The Mac PRo died. I bought a new Mac Pro and am trying to re-load Lightroom but it won't accept my Serial number. Please help. Thanks.

You can look here
Adobe - Lightroom : For Macintosh

Need a RAID that will work on both new and old Mac Pro

Desperately need to expand my RAID storage, and also not quite ready to buy the new Mac Pro. Are there any high quality 6TB+ RAID enclosures that will work on both the new and older non-firebolt Mac Pros? I already have a sh*t load of 2TB 3.5 drives, so I only need an enclosure.
Even when i get the new macpro, I will use the old mac pro as a second station, so i need the RAID to work on both.

Why not go for a eSATA Raid and a cheap eSATA card for old Mac Pro and get either a Thunderbolt to eSATA or USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter for your new Mac Pro? Thunderbolt to eSATA is faster, of course.
I have a MacPower/Inxtron Hydra 4 x 2 TB eSata for example. I have a eSATA card in my Mac Pro and when I need to use it on my Retina Macbook Pro I use a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter. Gives me about 240 MBytes/s with Raid 5.
On the eSATAcard it's just a little bit more, like 250/260 MBytes/s.

How to i deleted unwanted migrated data from my old mac pro to new one

greetings
i currently bought the new mac pro retina display 250 GB (mid 2014) OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 (operating system), and migrated data (including app) from my old mac pro- 512 GB (mid 2010). they apps include parallel windows and after migrating i want to delete these app because they consume about 10 GB of my hard. when i try to delete it, it doesn't even show the trash icon + when i opened get info it is unavailable (parallel window icon is windows 7 & its copy). please help on how to delete

Hi there Sue,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
Congratulations on your new MacBook Pro! It sounds like you’re running into an issue deleting items that were migrated from your previous notebook to your new device. Take a look at the article linked below, it provides a lot of great information that should help you resolve any issues deleting those files.
OS X Yosemite: Delete files and folders
Take care,
-Jason

GeForce 7300 GT from the old MAC Pro don't work on a new mac pro why ?

Hello,
I have buy a GeForce 7300 GT on eBay, i think this one come from the old mac pro.
I have put it on my new MAC PRO and my mac don't see it...
Why ?
Can i have a drivers ?
TY for your help ^^

Apple was emailing people that did, not sure if they still do.
It would be so easy to say "Mac Pro (2008) or later" instead we have:
Compatibility: * Requires Mac Pro with PCI-Express 2.0
Which not everyone knows is, or means "Mac Pro (2008)"
They do need a tech note or knowledge base to go along.
http://www.apple.com/macpro/technology/graphics.html
http://www.apple.com/games/hardware/

Old mac pro G5 doesn't start.

On an old mac pro G5. Chime works, power button is solid, air refresher works but the mac doesn't start. The screen is blue with the mac start design but the bar is not moving and the mac doesn't start at all. Apple test hardware is returning a mother board default code which is : 212C/1/1:0x0000094, Anybody has an idea ? Thanks

Hi Raoul,
I believe that's 2l2c instead of 212c, which is a Logic Board problem.
He can find NOTHING wrong with my iMac. It works like a charm. He made phone calls to his AASP contacts and they all said the same thing: Error code *2I2C/1/1: 0x00000092* indicates that the logic board needs to be replaced, but they are mystified that my computer is showing no symptoms.
Then to confuse us all...
The error code you report appears related only to machines manufactured for distribution in the European Union. If yours was originally purchased there, I don't believe that you have an actual issue. It is more likely an anomaly with the test software and the particular set of logic boards fabricated for use in products in that region.
Both here...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2021774?start=0&tstart=0

Can't install OSX 10.7 Lion on old Mac Pro...

i've got an old mac pro... i think it is 2007 or 2008 vintage... it is the 2.66mghzzz model...
it is so old it can't run OSx 10.8 and up... so I am stuck running 10.7xxx
anyway, system disk died recently...
made an OSX 10.7 install thingy on a 8gb USB drive using my new Macbook Pro...
problem is the install keeps hanging after starting the install... i've attached screenshots showing how far it gets...
i've let it sit for a few hours and no progress... i reckon it should normally finish installing of a USB stick in maybe 30 minutes or so?
is it possible that the 4tb SSHD drive i am installing onto is too big for this machine?
it has been using other 4tb drives so not sure this is an issue?
really stuck here... argh...
thanks

thanks for your reply...
yes, I realize it will only install on older macs... my Mac Pro is the 1,1 model... the 2.66mhz processor is from the 2006-2008 era....
i believe it shipped with 10.4 or 10.5 OSX...
it was previously running 10.7.5 which is the newest OSX that was allowed to be installed on it....
so it should allow 10.7 to be installed? Or do I have to start with the much older osx?
I downloaded Lion 10.7 from the mac app store and it of course wouldn't let me install it on anything, even the 4tb SSHD drive when I connected it via USB/SATA adapter to macbook pro as it is too old for running 10.7 install on this machine but I was apple to use SuperDuper app to make a boot drive of the 10.7 download form the mac app store onto a 8gb USB flash drive and make it bootable...
The 4tb SSHD drive appears to work on system as I can run disk utility and format it and mount it etc etc...
Perhaps there is something wrong with my install USB flash drive I made? I am really stuck here...
thanks for your help...

Bought internal bluetooth card in 5 year old Mac Pro; not working right?

Bought internal bluetooth adaptor for my 5 year old Mac Pro. It searches for bluetooth devices, but dosn't find bluetooth devices; any advice?
I secured it interlanly with the two screws supplied. Had replacement card sent out, but same thing?
Using it with Apple Magic Mouse. I know mouse works as I tried it on friends new iMac.
Using latest Snow Leopard, and have seperate boot drive with Lion. Dosn't work on either.
Bluetooth ikon shoes in bar at top, and all software functions normally, just dosn't detect anything?
Thanks.

Try smc and pram reset.

Expected iMac performance compared to old Mac Pro

I have a Mac Pro I got in January 2008, it has two quad-core CPUs - Xeon 5365 3GHz and 8GB or RAM. It won't let me upgrade to OSX 10.8 and I have more and more software I want to use that's requires 10.8. I have 10.7.5 installed now. I'm thinking of getting a new iMac. The new Mac Pros are too expensive. My current Mac Pro doesn't perform very well when I edit video with iMovie. I'm wondering if a new iMac will have significant better performance then my old Mac Pro. I'm thinking of getting 27" iMac with 3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5 with 8 GB or RAM. Will I see a noticable improvement in performance with iMovie?

Hi Scott,
I think you want the i7 for your work.
I don't have figures for the 2013s, but for a rough idea...
Mac Pro "Quad Core" 2.8 (2008)... Geekbench: 5669/6498
Mac Pro "Eight Core" 2.8 (2008)... Geekbench: 9162/10564
iMac "Core i5" 2.7 21.5-Inch (Late 2012)... Geekbench: 8068/9145
iMac "Core i5" 2.9 21.5-Inch (Late 2012)... Geekbench: 9202/10756
Mac mini "Core i7" 2.3 (Late 2012)... Geekbench: 10626/11825
Mac mini "Core i7" 2.6 (Late 2012)... Geekbench: 11367/12807
iMac "Core i7" 3.1 21.5-Inch (Late 2012)... Geekbench: 12490/14143
iMac "Core i7" 3.4 27-Inch (Late 2012)... Geekbench: 12857/13772

Is it worth fixing my old mac pro?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for