Advice on buying a refurb Mac Pro 2006

[alejandro1938]

Hi guys! I just wanted to know your thoughts on this ad in compusa.

http://www.compusa.pr/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5541860&CatId=4353

I'm a film student and I've already worked on some local productions and I'm looking in to doing my own. I already have a nice mini dv cam and a second hand 2006 macbook pro(core duo, not C2D). I was thinking of picking up this 2006 Mac Pro.

I know its old, but its in my budget and I own some spare ram and hhd i could throw in it. The reason I'm keen on getting this particular product from compusa is that I live in puerto rico and getting things shipped here is impossible. And even if it does ship, the cost of shipping usually falls under international shipping which is quite expensive.

So my question is this, is it worth investing in this machine to do my own short movies, eventually features or should I work on my 15in macbook until I can afford an i7 imac or whatever new mac pro comes out? I dont think Final Cut pro would run very well on my current machine.

Please let me know what you think and many thanks in advance!

 

[Hellhammer]

Sounds like a good deal because it's refurb, not used so you have full warranty. iMac would probably be faster but not as expandable as Mac Pro. You can throw in ATI 4870 and multiple HDs without any problems

 

[canes960]

Hi guys! I just wanted to know your thoughts on this ad in compusa.

http://www.compusa.pr/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5541860&CatId=4353

I'm a film student and I've already worked on some local productions and I'm looking in to doing my own. I already have a nice mini dv cam and a second hand 2006 macbook pro(core duo, not C2D). I was thinking of picking up this 2006 Mac Pro.

I know its old, but its in my budget and I own some spare ram and hhd i could throw in it. The reason I'm keen on getting this particular product from compusa is that I live in puerto rico and getting things shipped here is impossible. And even if it does ship, the cost of shipping usually falls under international shipping which is quite expensive.

So my question is this, is it worth investing in this machine to do my own short movies, eventually features or should I work on my 15in macbook until I can afford an i7 imac or whatever new mac pro comes out? I dont think Final Cut pro would run very well on my current machine.

Please let me know what you think and many thanks in advance!

You Can get a Refurbished one from Apple for $2,149. I am just thinking that would be a better deal. IT is the current model not 2006.

 

[alejandro1938]

I would love to get a refurb from apple but they don't ship to puerto rico.

I didn't know the 27in imac was faster than the model I'm looking into; considering the amazing screen it has it would seem like a better buy. I'll have to look around if I can get it shipped here or what the resellers are asking for. I know my local best buy has the i5, not the i7 tho. Its a shame we don't have an official Apple Store, the resellers here are a pain the deal with and usually overcharge.

also, i read that the mac pro model i'm considering doesnt support 64bit in snow leopard, is this true? Would the age of the model be a HUGE problem for new programs and upgrades?

once again, thanks for your comments!

 

[Hellhammer]

I would love to get a refurb from apple but they don't ship to puerto rico.

I didn't know the 27in imac was faster than the model I'm looking into; considering the amazing screen it has it would seem like a better buy. I'll have to look around if I can get it shipped here or what the resellers are asking for. I know my local best buy has the i5, not the i7 tho. Its a shame we don't have an official Apple Store, the resellers here are a pain the deal with and usually overcharge.

also, i read that the mac pro model i'm considering doesnt support 64bit in snow leopard, is this true? Would the age of the model be a HUGE problem for new programs and upgrades?

once again, thanks for your comments!

I think you're fine with i5. i5 and i7 use newer micro-architecture and smaller manufacturing process so they are noticeably faster than CPUs in that Mac Pro.

It may not support 64-bit kernel but that does not affect your performance or any apps really. The age of the model doesn't affect because it still uses Intels which are and will be supported in future.

 

[whizpup]

I would love to get a refurb from apple but they don't ship to puerto rico.

I didn't know the 27in imac was faster than the model I'm looking into; considering the amazing screen it has it would seem like a better buy. I'll have to look around if I can get it shipped here or what the resellers are asking for. I know my local best buy has the i5, not the i7 tho. Its a shame we don't have an official Apple Store, the resellers here are a pain the deal with and usually overcharge.

also, i read that the mac pro model i'm considering doesnt support 64bit in snow leopard, is this true? Would the age of the model be a HUGE problem for new programs and upgrades?

once again, thanks for your comments!

Yes.. I too would absolutely go with a new 27" iMac over that older MacPro. Better storage is the biggest plus with the MP over the IM27 in my view..but the IM27 will top up at 16GB of triple channel DDR3 RAM which kicks butt AND thise parts gets cheaper each day.. while the legacy DDR2-667 FBDIMM RAM used in that older MacPro has doubled in cost over the past year and will keep climbing as global production shifts from DDR2 to DDR3... things to consider.
I'd even look at your electric bill under the MP. Each month that MP is running, I'm pretty sure it uses double the power. It really adds up over a year or 2 or 3.

I'd actually like to look up those power number, hopefully I'm no more than 30% full of crap on that score!

 

[bokdol]

just so you know. on apples referb page they have a 27 core i5 for 1699. and i think this is a much better deal then the compusa model. plus you get apple care for 1 year, and you can actually play games

 

[macrumorsMaster]

Not that great a deal, IF you can get an ebay seller to send to you in PR. I've seen them go for closer to 1000-1300 on ebay with those specs. Plus no tax(if you pay tax with compusa in PR, not sure).

 

[Hellhammer]

just so you know. on apples referb page they have a 27 core i5 for 1699. and i think this is a much better deal then the compusa model. plus you get apple care for 1 year, and you can actually play games

He lives in Puerto Rico and no refurbs in there. US store only accepts US credit cards and ships to US

 

[alejandro1938]

I've seen this mac pro model close out around those prices, 1100-1300, but then you factor in the shipping (mostly 200) and its almost around the same price as getting it from compusa.

Yes, I weep every time I visit the apple refub store. But such is life.
I think I'm going to pass on the mac pro and go for an i7 imac. I will take me a half month or so to get all my funds together and maybe in that time something new from Cupertino will pop out.
I think the extra cost of the imac is leveled with the quality of the screen. Which I will demand to test on site, I don't want to lug the thing over to my house just to have to bring it back because the screen is tinting yellow or broken or flickering. Also i7>i5, for 200$ future-proofing and better performance is worth it.

Thanks a lot for your advice guys, I'll post again when I make my final purchase.

 

[alejandro1938]

I've seen this mac pro model close out around those prices, 1100-1300, but then you factor in the shipping (mostly 200) and its almost around the same price as getting it from compusa.

Yes, I weep every time I visit the apple refub store. But such is life.
I think I'm going to pass on the mac pro and go for an i7 imac. I will take me a half month or so to get all my funds together and maybe in that time something new from Cupertino will pop out.
I think the extra cost of the imac is leveled with the quality of the screen. Which I will demand to test on site, I don't want to lug the thing over to my house just to have to bring it back because the screen is tinting yellow or broken or flickering. Also i7>i5, for 200$ future-proofing and better performance is worth it.

Thanks a lot for your advice guys, I'll post again when I make my final purchase.

 

[Hellhammer]

Also i7>i5, for 200$ future-proofing and better performance is worth it.

i7 is only available in Apple Online Store so you can't get it from a reseller unless you ask them to order it for you