Viability of Older Mac Pros

This is a topic that has seen some discussion here, but it tends to be fairly specific (e.g. "should I buy this model of Mac Pro?") and my question is more general. I'm about to purchase a new computer to replace my late 2009 27" iMac, and am probably going to get a 15" rMBP (the higher end model), as this would also serve to replace my aging 11" Macbook Air. I'm pretty confident about this purchase, but it is a little on the pricy side, and the size of the 15" rMBP makes me wish there was a way I could just buy a desktop and a laptop separately. Only, I don't really favor the new iMacs over the new rMBP, so I wrote them off early in the shopping process.

But I've read some stuff about used Mac Pros that seem to indicate that they're workhorse desktop computers, even years after they were released. I've snooped around on eBay a little bit and found that a lot of them have 16GB+ of RAM, multiple quad-core CPUs, multiple GPUs, enormous HDDs, and extensive capacity for upgrading. They also often hover in the $1200 range, which would free up some cash for me to supplement it with a new Macbook Air (far more portable than the 15" rMBP) for about the same amount as I'd spend on a 15" rMBP.

My question is this: how viable are these older models? I'm not very informed about the myriad CPUs and GPUs out there, and on paper a lot of these computers still look like really solid performers. Am I wrong? How do they actually compare to current iMacs and the rMBP refresh?

thekev said:

You should probably stick to 2009 or later, and you should be able to do better than $1200.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that was on the high end. I've seen other ones on eBay go for $650 and up, but some of those seem to be the ones that people warn against buying at this point (specifically, the ones with Nvidia 7300 GPUs and other fast-aging specs). I know the figure I threw out is high, but mostly my point was that at the very most it seems like I would still be spending just about half of what a new rMBP would be costing me, even with a student's discount.

Do you have any specific suggestions about models/specs I should be looking for? I'm essentially just looking for a computer to get me through the next 4-5 years. I'm not a power user, and I don't necessarily need the high-end specs of the new rMBP; they're largely to future proof it so I don't have to worry about updating it anytime soon. Most of what I do is: Internet, email, productivity stuff, media consumption, social media, and some moderate gaming. Would a Mac Pro fit the bill for a few years of that, or is that a pipe dream? I know they're built for GPU-intensive activities, but I also know that games like BF4 and such don't necessarily use the GPU in the same way things like video processing does. Hearing myself ask if a 2010/2011 Mac Pro would be a solid all-around/occasional gaming rig into 2018 sounds a little ridiculous, but I honestly don't know, especially since they support multiple graphics cards and seem to be very upgrade-friendly.

Again, I'm not committed to this at all, but I'd really like to explore all my options. After tooling around with one in the Apple Store, the 15" form factor isn't a deal breaker, but I wouldn't even be considering it if the 13" one had similar specs. I feel like I'm giving up small size, light weight, and convenience for the sake of having an all-in-one, do-everything laptop.