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Buy a used Mac Pro

Gofaster2 said:
Isn't it a little wierd to be buying a used computer?
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No, especially if it will do what you need, and last long enough to make it viable until the next forseeable upgrade. :)

The '08's can hold their own, and depending on the specifics, can actually outperform the '09's (i.e. a 2.93 '09 Octad is faster than the base '08 @2.8GHz <notable price difference too>, but the 3.2GHz '08 is faster than the 2.93 '09 Octad for the same money from Apple <refurb '08 vs. new '09>).

And in the case of a refurbished unit, you get all the parts (keyboard, mouse, power cable,...), and a warranty. You can also add the additional Apple Care to it (highly recommended), and the systems have been tested out before packaging (new = POST testing + just beginning to load the OS, while the refurbs are gone through thoroghly).
 
I would love to order a refurbed unit from apple but the budget this year is what that one cost but I need to get monitors and video card plus a few other things.
 
It might also be a good idea to religiously stalk craigslist, a Mac Pro might show up there for a great price (just make sure you check out the deal thoroughly) I picked up my '09 quad for $1,500 :rolleyes:
 
Gofaster2 said:
I would love to order a refurbed unit from apple but the budget this year is what that one cost but I need to get monitors and video card plus a few other things.
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That machine was just an example, but any of the '08's would be a good machine.

I second Techie's post to keep a sharp watch on Craig's List for a decent deal. Just verify operation before paying for it (this has been an issue on eBay before, and quite recently for another member).
 
I need to get an 8 core in the next month or 2 and I'd appreciate any suggestions re; 08 xeon or 09 Nehalem.

I've been told go with 2.6 Nehalem but the cost is tough to swallow (for refurb) compared to 08 xeon. Might be glad I went with 09 in a few years though? May have to look at craigslist every day.

It's for recording use.

Torn!
 
chet.d said:
I need to get an 8 core in the next month or 2 and I'd appreciate any suggestions re; 08 xeon or 09 Nehalem.

I've been told go with 2.6 Nehalem but the cost is tough to swallow (for refurb) compared to 08 xeon. Might be glad I went with 09 in a few years though? May have to look at craigslist every day.

It's for recording use.

Torn!
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The '08 would be fine at any clock speed. Refurbished 3.2GHz models go for the same price as a base 2.26GHz '09 Octad from Apple, and it's actually faster. You can also add the extended Apple Care, which is highly recommended.

If that's out of budget, you'll have to look for a used system on CL (lower clock speed, such as the 2.8GHz base unit).

Just make sure you plan for upgrades, as they'd be needed. BTW, SSD seems to be a good thing to have for Audio work, given posts from those that use the software (lots of random access, which isn't mechanical drive's strong suit).
 
nanofrog said:
The '08 would be fine at any clock speed. Refurbished 3.2GHz models go for the same price as a base 2.26GHz '09 Octad from Apple, and it's actually faster. You can also add the extended Apple Care, which is highly recommended.

If that's out of budget, you'll have to look for a used system on CL (lower clock speed, such as the 2.8GHz base unit).

Just make sure you plan for upgrades, as they'd be needed. BTW, SSD seems to be a good thing to have for Audio work, given posts from those that use the software (lots of random access, which isn't mechanical drive's strong suit).
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Even the "old" 2.8 GHz octo holds its own against the new 2.26GHz octo


I would go with a 2.8 GHz octo, then cram it with RAM and fast HDDs/SSDs. that's where the real speed is. :D
 
macuserx86 said:
Even the "old" 2.8 GHz octo holds its own against the new 2.26GHz octo


I would go with a 2.8 GHz octo, then cram it with RAM and fast HDDs/SSDs. that's where the real speed is. :D
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I used the 3.2Ghz '08 as an example, as it's faster across the board. Others, it can shift one way or the other, depending on the exact systems compared.

But all of the '08's are a good value. EFI64 for longevity, and no special adapters needed to run an internal RAID array with a 3rd party card. They don't have the ICH10R throttling issue like the '09's either (an issue for mulitple SSD's or SSD + HDD array).
 
Hey thanks for that info. That helps to get to a decision. A 08 8 core (def. w/ apple care) is within reach budget wise I think. Just want to make sure the 09 doesn't offer something I'm not aware of that I may wish I had in a year or two.


Sorry for the ignorance but what type of drives are HDDs/SSDs ?
:eek:
 
chet.d said:
Hey thanks for that info. That helps to get to a decision. A 08 8 core (def. w/ apple care) is within reach budget wise I think. Just want to make sure the 09 doesn't offer something I'm not aware of that I may wish I had in a year or two.


Sorry for the ignorance but what type of drives are HDDs/SSDs ?
:eek:
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HDD = mechanical hard drive
SSD = solid state drive

And there's nothing special about the '09's that makes it more desirable, save perhaps the ability to use a Windows disk on the ODD_SATA ports. The '08's can't boot Windows, but they can in the '09's. Other than that, the '09's have some issues and potential ones (using the HDD bays with 3rd party RAID cards = $165USD adapter required). There's also the ICH10R throttling, and heat issues with the Quicktime X code in OS X (underlying code for iTunes, Flash,...). There's a thread on this, and so far, no solution.

You'd be far better off with an '08 model. Less expensive, and fewer potential headaches.
 
Thanks, everyone!

Thanks to your advice, I just ordered the refurb 3.2 2008 octo from Apple:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB451LL/A?mco=MTA4MzI5NTk

Now, I need more help. It needs more memory, and a 1TB main HDD....what do you guys recommend for those items, and where to get them? Also, I am migrating from a Dual 2.0ghz PPC G5 running 10.4.11 to the 10.6 that the MP comes with....should I let the migration software do its thing, or should I start from scratch with updated apps, and just export the data?
 
I would probably do a clean install of 10.6 and all free apps. The do migration to pull over stuff that isn't free and data. Take the HDD out of the G5 into the MP to do that.
 
dcpmark said:
Thanks to your advice, I just ordered the refurb 3.2 2008 octo from Apple:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB451LL/A?mco=MTA4MzI5NTk

Now, I need more help. It needs more memory, and a 1TB main HDD....what do you guys recommend for those items, and where to get them? Also, I am migrating from a Dual 2.0ghz PPC G5 running 10.4.11 to the 10.6 that the MP comes with....should I let the migration software do its thing, or should I start from scratch with updated apps, and just export the data?
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Make sure you replace the 500 GB HDD it comes with, as it is really slow. Use a different drive for a boot drive (feel free to use the original as storage). I'm gonna upgrade my boot drive to a WD Caviar Black 640GB soon. Get a nice fast boot drive.
 
bozz2006 said:
newegg.com is great for the HDDs and macsales.com is great for Mac Pro RAM.
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Yep. And given Christmas shopping, their running free shipping on items they may normally not (i.e. macsales is offering free shipping on orders of $150+ USD).

You might want to upgrade the graphics card as well.

It's a nice system, and is quite an upgrade from the G5. :)
 
dcpmark said:
So would this be the recommended 1TB HDD? Seems cheap enough:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

Any recommendations for the graphics card? I'm actually going to be using the MP with my old 20" Apple AGP Cinema Display for now. I believe it's DVI.
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Yes, the 1TB WD Caviar Black is a decent drive.

As per graphics, you have a few choices based on this:
Are you willing to flash or use injectors to make a PC version work, or do you want one that will work OTB?

If the latter, then you're stuck with an HD4870, or GTX285 as an upgrade from what it comes with. Both aren't inexpensive, but already have the EFI firmware, and will work. Install the drivers, then the card, and you're done.

If you're willing to do what it takes to get a PC version going, you can chose from more cards, some may have issues that need addressed each OS update though (other than the HD4870, and possibly the GTX285, as I'm not aware of a flashed unit yet, but there is a workaround for those as well IIRC).

If the updated card is just for Windows gaming, you don't need to do anything, as any PCIe BIOS based card will work under Windows (assuming the drivers are installed of course). It just won't work under OS X.
 
No PC gaming for me.....I'm a handheld nut.

Do I NEED a new card if I'm not gaming or doing any 3D work? I'll be using my MP for some video converting, encoding, burning DVDs, etc. I do want to run Windows 7 under Boot Camp, so I want a card that works in both worlds, and I'd definitely prefer it run OTB.
 
dcpmark said:
No PC gaming for me.....I'm a handheld nut.

Do I NEED a new card if I'm not gaming or doing any 3D work? I'll be using my MP for some video converting, encoding, burning DVDs, etc. I do want to run Windows 7 under Boot Camp, so I want a card that works in both worlds, and I'd definitely prefer it run OTB.
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You can always try out the stock card, and see how it goes for you. Fortunately, it's the 8800, and should be just fine for 2D work.

The only other upgrade that would help, is additional memory (2GB is too little these days).
 
I was thinking about maybe selling my Mac Pro, but then I decided that it has a few more years left in it. It runs great in Windows!
 
I know you guys have good insights but I must admit I may go with an 09 Nehalem.

Based on what a few DAW / Nuendo specialists tells me it simply will be a faster machine in the long run (and when hyperthreading is better utilized by OS hopefully soon). Recommended is 2.6 and above.

In my case the MP is "only" for recording studio use (with Nuendo) and their benchmarks lead them to these conclusions. That's not to say that an 08 wouldn't be a great machine as well though.

Just trying to weigh it all up and the 09 may come down a bit in price in a couple months when I need to buy and it's being cleared out... possibly, who knows.
 
chet.d said:
I know you guys have good insights but I must admit I may go with an 09 Nehalem.

Based on what a few DAW / Nuendo specialists tells me it simply will be a faster machine in the long run (and when hyperthreading is better utilized by OS hopefully soon). Recommended is 2.6 and above.

In my case the MP is "only" for recording studio use (with Nuendo) and their benchmarks lead them to these conclusions. That's not to say that an 08 wouldn't be a great machine as well though.

Just trying to weigh it all up and the 09 may come down a bit in price in a couple months when I need to buy and it's being cleared out... possibly, who knows.
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If that particular software is written (or will release shortly) that can utilize the Nehalem architecture (all cores, the memory bandwidth in triple channel mode, and even HT), then Yes, it's beneficial to have the newer system.

ATM though, there's not much software that can. What is, isn't in the realm of most MP users (medical, weather,... simulations for example). Software notoriously runs behind architecture changes, and doesn't seem to be speeding up the development periods to catch up more quickly from what I can tell. Going to pure 64 bit OS & applications may help this (cut out 32bit support all together = simplified development & much less legacy code to be recycled), but there's no certainty.
 
nanofrog said:
Yes, the 1TB WD Caviar Black is a decent drive.
Click to expand...

I saw this one as well, which is the same price but has a slightly different model number. Any ideas if there is a difference between this and the Newegg one, or is this just a case of Best Buy getting a different model number so they don't have to price match?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...&usc=All+Categories&ks=960#storeInventoryLink

UPDATE: Never mind. I found that this one is the "retail drive". Per WD it's the same specs.
 
dcpmark said:
I saw this one as well, which is the same price but has a slightly different model number. Any ideas if there is a difference between this and the Newegg one, or is this just a case of Best Buy getting a different model number so they don't have to price match?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...&usc=All+Categories&ks=960#storeInventoryLink
Click to expand...
No difference in the drive.

The newegg link is a bare OEM version, while the link you gave is the same drive in a retail box. That's it. :)
 
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