don't discount the power bill - a mac pro burns a LOT more power than a mini. If you run it 24/7 the power alone will cost quite a bit over the years.
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Mac Pro scam? Craigslist..
- Thread starter WhiteIphone5
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This is true. The Mac Pro pumps out a lot of heat too. I wound up having to buy an additional A/C unit for my office to compensate during the summer. It's nice in the winter though. 🙂
I just had the lowest electric-bill in 2yrs after getting rid of the 2006 Mac Pro 1,1.
I can't find my notes now, but I think the Mac Pro was 200W+ and I left it on 24/7. The Mini is more like 35W and I'm using the Energy Saver features.
Maybe a difference of $100/yr.
GermanyChris
macrumors 601
I use energy saver preferences the computer CCC's everynight then shuts down. It wakes up every morning just before my alarm goes off to cast some light then it gets shut down. It sleeps all day then I wake it up when I get back from work. it sleeps all weekend because I'm at my real home and I'm on the MBP. In the winter I like the heat because it mean that almost never turn the heat on, and in the summer I put it in front of an open window so the heat goes outside. I won't replace this MP for a mini for 2000 GB points and a shifting of all my internal drives external..
hwojtek
macrumors 68020
I honestly have no idea, it's an Asus 5870, however full disclosure is due - I run Mountain Lion on this computer using Chameleon. My former 4870 did display boot-time logo using DVI on Lion, but a couple of days after I switched to ML I also swapped the GPU, so I don't think my boot logo experience is relevant here.
I wouldnt be considering 2006 machine, Id rather buy mini and I think Im quite demanding user.
OK so the hardware is old but still capable, Id be worried about wear mostly. Motherboard could give up or RAM slots etc. Doesnt really seems like worth the hassle.
If you were looking at 2009+ machine that is a different story.
OK so the hardware is old but still capable, Id be worried about wear mostly. Motherboard could give up or RAM slots etc. Doesnt really seems like worth the hassle.
If you were looking at 2009+ machine that is a different story.
sOwL
macrumors 6502
Hijacking the thread again and I'm sorry, but I feel the need to once more stand up for this baby. It seems that my previous figures were also wrong, since Geekbench actually gives higher scores under Windows. This is from my friend's 2006 MP, using the 2,66ghz cpus instead of the 3.0ghz:
http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench2/1592408
Today, he told me he reached just bellow 12500 after making sure his cpus were idle before the test. When I get back home, I'm gonna run the tests on the 3.0ghz under windows, but for now this should make it clear.
edit: He also overclocks these to approx 3,1ghz, but again software overclocks won't work with geekbench. Also it's not the 2,1 really, its the 1,1 but I've upgraded his firmware once he got his chips. Only difference is that he doesn't run on any Apple's ram, while mine still has 2gb that comes from Apple.
edit2: Just to clarify, the 2006 is nowhere near today's high end workstations (like today's MPs) and it will consume much more power than a newer system (yes, like the mini) that runs on approx. same speeds. But the thing is, you should consider if you want this for a server to be running at 24/7 at cool temps or just a personal use computer to serve you well when you need it. If I bought one today, I'd probably go with a 2008-09 MP.
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Well now that's just a waste when a Mini will do just as well. The Mac Pro is big, power hungry, loud, and pumps a done of heat with an outdated bus, RAM, CPUs, etc.
I'd go for the mini for this just for the power consumption, heat and noise alone. It is really foolish to go through this mess for a tower that old.