Anyone replacing Mac Pro 5,1 with the new mini?

[bzollinger]

Hello,

Since the new mac mini is out today I was wondering if anyone is planning on replacing their 2010 Mac Pro with a new mini? And if so how will they address storage and other potential challenges, and what build will you opt for?

My 2010 Mac Pro has been a champ for 8 years, but would benefit from a full re-install as the High Sierra isn't running real smooth on it. Or maybe it just needs to be replaced. It seems like buying a mid-spec'd mac mini and a solid external storage system would be a good way to go.

Thoughts?

 

[iKnowMr.Jobs]

We're at the point now were even the fastest Mac Pros from 2010 & 2012 are clocking slower in Multi-Core Geekbench than the 15 inch MacBook Pros that are shipping today. My guess is that the BTO Mini with the 6-core i7 will beat out the Mac Pros as well. No substantially faster, but faster none the less.

Me personally, I'd wait for the new Mac Pro if you don't absolutely need a new machine right now. Even if your work is being impeded by the speed of your machine, I doubt that the Mini could do much to speed up the process.

 

[Mellofello808]

I will be upgrading from a quad core 2012, that has served me well.

The nice thing about the mini is that the io is excellent. You can run exernal everything off of it, and build a system that works for you with thunderbolt and USB 3 devices. Storage will run extremely fast,x and things like egpus will allow for some path to future upgrades . Besides aesthetic concerns of having a bunch of boxes it is a pretty great solution.

I will probably end up going pretty all out and building a raid array, and building a egpu this year, in addition to finally being able to upgrade to a 4k monitor.

Still haven't decided on what configuration to order. I will wait until they get out in the wild to decide.

 

[bobbydaz]

I’m considering it. Was going to upgrade video card on my 2010 mp and I take it to Mojave but wondering if it’s now time to just kill off an 8 year old system.

 

[kevink2]

With a gap of 2 1/2 years, this Mini is partially replacing my 2008 Mac Pro.

The Hackintosh I used in between recently became Windows only due to hassles with keeping things working. So I'm in good Apple graces again.

 

[namethisfile]

This is why that as much as the cMP 5,1's are loved for being "upgradeable" and having "slots" and such, the thing is so huge that when a Mac Mini out performs it hands down, the thing literally becomes "the elephant in the room." The only thing cMP's are viable to are poor people like me, imo.

PS--What I mean by "Elephant in the room" is the size of the cMP in your room... and as it ages and becomes irrelevant, IMO, it becomes like an elephant.... in your room...

PSS--It starts to take up more space, literally and figuratively... and time... as its performance declines and sucks 3 times more watts off the wall to just type this in MR compared to newer tech of today...

 

[djjclark]

Currently I have a 3,1 with a nivdia 680. It seems a top mini would easily out due the cpu but when it came to graphics it can’t come close to the 680. Looking foreward to some testing.

 

[finchna]

would have if it could use 128GB (or even better 256GB) ram.

 

[namethisfile]

Currently I have a 3,1 with a nivdia 680. It seems a top mini would easily out due the cpu but when it came to graphics it can’t come close to the 680. Looking foreward to some testing.

Well, not with TB3 now. You can buy the most affordable TB3 eGPU enclosure and throw an RX 560 and that will beat a GTX 680.

PS--Not in games. But, in productivity tasks, the RX 560 is more power efficient, more VRAM and faster in opencl tasks and metal tasks (I think)...

 

[elleana]

Me, coming from a 2012 Mac Pro, which I'm currently using mainly for Lightroom and Photoshop work.

Deciding between the i5 and i7 6 core version, and 16GB or 32GB RAM. Will probably pick up some sort of Thunderbolt external storage as well to replace the hard disks in my Mac Pro at the moment.

 

[StrawberryX]

Depends on how the mini's behave in the wild.
If you do graphics you need an eGPU.

If they thermal throttle a lot compared to mac pro 2013 or the comming mac pro.
It will be ennoying and the mac pro still has something over the new mini.

Now compared to most Mac Pro's
+ faster ram
+ most likely faster CPU unless It slows a lot under full load making it slow doing long renders/exports etc .
+ thunderbold 3 for eGPU and fast NVMI SSD or raid sata III SSD/enclosures
+ more portable than mac pro 2013

USB 3 doesn't trim and doesn't do smart status.

It will be like al new macs, if you do a lot of work,
multiple PCIe boxes, multiple Sata boxes, raid stuff and external HDD's.
and probably an eGPU depending on your work and mac.

It's probably a nice upgrade for a Mac Pro 2013 too,
and more easy, you already have a lot of thunderbolt storage etc ...

A nice windows workstation is around 2000
An ok Mac is around 2000 or more + external thunderbolt boxes etc ...
Maybe just enough again to keep people away from switching.

If it doesn't throttle it will probably be a hit with the crowd that loves mac os.
And needs something like a fast i7, 32GB ram or more, fast SSD's for scratch disks and projects,
and a GPU if needed.

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

...as its performance declines and sucks 3 times more watts off the wall to just type this in MR compared to newer tech of today...

Yes the performance per watt ratio is terrible. + Internal and external hardware power management is also terrible.
[doublepost=1540992652][/doublepost]

...USB 3 doesn't trim and doesn't do smart status...

USB 3.0 and newer with UASP supports TRIM on Windows and Linux. I used it myself. macOS is the problem, not USB 3.0 or newer.

I use the SMART Utility by Volitans Software together with USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 enclosures which use the ASMedia ASM1153e chipset, and it shows detailed S.M.A.R.T. data for internal and external HDDs or SSDs, serial numbers and other manufacturer information.

 

[redheeler]

Advantages of the Mac Pro 5,1:

• Cheaper to add hard drives, no external enclosure required.
• Cheaper to add optical drives, no external enclosure required.
• Cheaper to add graphics cards, no external enclosure required.
• Cleaner setup, no external cables or enclosures to plug in.
• ECC RAM, more slots, higher RAM ceiling.
• Better performance per dollar.

Advantages of the Mac mini:

• Better performance per watt.
• Better single-core performance.
• Faster SSD.
• Faster RAM.
• Better connectivity.
• Less space.

So now that most of the Mac Pro 5,1's advantages are price, it really comes down to what you're willing to spend. And similarly to the 2013 Mac Pro, the external enclosures will add up to cancel out most of the space savings of the smaller desktop.

 

[phoenix-mac-user]

I am replacing my Mac Pro 2009 that has been upgraded to 5,1 to a Mac Mini. I will probably wait a couple months just to make sure there are no issues with it but I can't justify spending $2500 on the current 5 year old Mac Pro that may never get an upgrade, and I think I like this more anyway. Will spend 1200-1500 on the Mac Mini and then go with an eGPU if I need it for my personal video editing/photo work that I do. Even with the eGPU, it is still less than the 6,1.

 

[StrawberryX]

Yes the performance per watt ratio is terrible. + Internal and external hardware power management is also terrible.
[doublepost=1540992652][/doublepost]
USB 3.0 and newer with UASP supports TRIM on Windows and Linux. I used it myself. macOS is the problem, not USB 3.0 or newer.

I use the SMART Utility by Volitans Software together with USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 enclosures which use the ASMedia ASM1153e chipset, and it shows detailed S.M.A.R.T. data for internal and external HDDs or SSDs, serial numbers and other manufacturer information.

Thanks for the info.
I asume most users of Mac products use MacOs as their main OS.

I have a MP 6.1 and all the boxes make a lot more noise than my cMP 3.1.
In some I can put more silent fans, but It's a lot more time and money.
Same would be the case with a 5.1 but I don't have one.
Space is not really in issue, I have all the externals 3m away.

To make a 6.1 or Mac Mini as functional as a 5.1.
There is a lot of extra cost on thunderboxes etc ...

But a 5.1 is getting old.
The Mac Future is probably something expensive with a lot a extra boxes.
I don't think there will ever be a mac like the Mac Pro 1.1 - 5.1 to practical, and hard to revolutionize an ATX tower ...

I was going to build a windows tower.
But the new mac mini with eGPU could be ok ... I don't know.
It will be more expensive.
I think the 2019 Mac Pro will be priced astronomical ...
Like all curent mac products.

At least there are more options now.

 

[tpivette89]

I am also on the fence about replacing my 5,1 with a new Mac Mini. I would only go for the i7 model, and minimal RAM to start (would upgrade using cheaper sticks available everywhere else but Apple). I would opt for the 256GB SSD to keep costs down (run only OS and apps off it).

As far as expandability, one would probably only need one RAID enclosure for all backups and storage, and a eGPU for extra muscle. Those are the only external boxes I would need, so not a lot of clutter.

The new Mini comes damn close to what a maxed out CPU in a dual processor 5,1 can score in Geekbench multi-core performance (pair of X5690s hitting about 26500). Keep in mind, that's 12 cores vs 6 also. Single core isn't even close, with the same dual processors coming in at around 3000 in the 5,1. Also consider that the 5,1s at best only have one more official OS support before they are regulated to obsolete status by Apple. The new mini has at least 6 - 8 years I would guess.

I could even part out my 5,1 and pretty much break even on the Mini I would order. Decisions, decisions...

 

[bzollinger]

Lots of good info here folks! Thanks for all the posts discussing lots of pros and cons, and lots of options. It is nice to have some viable options to choose from. It's nice to hear the real world benefits versus getting stuck on paper specs. I think I'll sit and wait and see how these minis do, and hear feedback from those willing to make the switch.

 

[bengi]

Just ordered a Mac mini with the i7, 512 and 32 GB RAM to replace MP early 2008. I do not believe I will see much improvement, but this small thing will serve until the the new MP is out. Still have to decide how I will handle my 4 internal hard drives. What enclosure do you suggest?

 

[StrawberryX]

Akitio has some interesting options.
OWC does too, I don't own any OWC stuff.
If you want cheaper, Orico has lot of stuff.
Their are many brands

 

[pl1984]

We're at the point now were even the fastest Mac Pros from 2010 & 2012 are clocking slower in Multi-Core Geekbench than the 15 inch MacBook Pros that are shipping today. My guess is that the BTO Mini with the 6-core i7 will beat out the Mac Pros as well. No substantially faster, but faster none the less.

Me personally, I'd wait for the new Mac Pro if you don't absolutely need a new machine right now. Even if your work is being impeded by the speed of your machine, I doubt that the Mini could do much to speed up the process.

Which means these systems are only slower in multi-core Geekbench benchmarks. I have a 2010 MP and a 2012 rMBP. Despite the fact the rMBP beats the MP in single and multi-threaded Geekbench scores the MP easily bests the rMBP when it comes to compute intensive work.

The point: Geekbench is a lousy indicator as to whether a given computer will outperform another computer.

 

[mrhansolo]

I could even part out my 5,1 and pretty much break even on the Mini I would order. Decisions, decisions...

That was my thoughts when purchasing the new 2018 mini. Recently did the USB3 upgrade, and added a 7950 graphics card. Was holding out doing the NVME upgrade to see what was introduced yesterday. While I wont break even, selling my 5,1 and going with the new mini made sense over doing the upgrade.

 

[ElectronGuru]

Just ordered a Mac mini with the i7, 512 and 32 GB RAM to replace MP early 2008. I do not believe I will see much improvement, but this small thing will serve until the the new MP is out. Still have to decide how I will handle my 4 internal hard drives. What enclosure do you suggest?

these guys will know
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder

 

[Dr. Stealth]

I replaced my maxed out 2010 5,1 a couple weeks ago with a new self-built PC Workstation. I really needed faster more current hardware for my work.

But, I wasn't ready to completely give up on macOS. So I put my 2014 Mac Mini next to the new Workstation and I'm running both (at 4K) with a KVM switch. I toggle back and fourth between them all day. It's awesome.

Yesterday I bought the new 2018 i7 Mini to replace my 2014. Can't wait to merge it into place.

 

[kensic]

Just ordered a Mac mini with the i7, 512 and 32 GB RAM to replace MP early 2008. I do not believe I will see much improvement, but this small thing will serve until the the new MP is out. Still have to decide how I will handle my 4 internal hard drives. What enclosure do you suggest?

seriously would also like to know enclosure suggestions.

such as do i really need a thunderbolt enclosures if only 7200rpm spin disk go in there? (to reduce cost)

 

[namethisfile]

seriously would also like to know enclosure suggestions.

such as do i really need a thunderbolt enclosures if only 7200rpm spin disk go in there? (to reduce cost)

I suggest browsing here:

I am not an affiliate of this store, but, just a fellow internet-window-shopper...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?ci=8413&fct=fct_a_filter_by|03_INSTOCK&N=4294542361

To answer your question, no. You don't need a TB enclosure. A spinning HD has around 100-200MB's Read and Write Speeds, If I am not mistaken.

So, a Firewire800/eSATA enclosure will be fine. Or, even USB 3.1 Gen2 ones, which I see available and seem to be cheaper than TB3 enclosures....

You just need the appropriate Firewire to TB cable, of course....