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How future proof is the Mac Pro

M

Meep

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 5, 2008
76
1
UK
Hi,

It's a simple question really, how future proof is the Mac Pro? I'm really talking about upgradability as i know the Macs of old sometimes had the CPU soldered in, is this still the case? How long would say the Mac Pro would be usable for? Well beyond the 3 years of Apple Care?

Sorry if it's a bit of a random question, i just want to know really as the inital cost is really holding me back (thinking of getting Dual Quad Core 2.8Ghz with 8800 but base everything else and upgrading that when the money is available from the Education store) and if i knew it could last me well into the future that would take a weight off my mind.

Thanks
 
Thanks for the quick response, does anyone know the normal power usage of the 2008 Mac Pro? I could only find specs for the 2006 Model and I don't think my flat mates will like me if create massive power bills......
 
Meep said:
Hi,

It's a simple question really, how future proof is the Mac Pro? I'm really talking about upgradability as i know the Macs of old sometimes had the CPU soldered in, is this still the case? How long would say the Mac Pro would be usable for? Well beyond the 3 years of Apple Care?

Sorry if it's a bit of a random question, i just want to know really as the inital cost is really holding me back (thinking of getting Dual Quad Core 2.8Ghz with 8800 but base everything else and upgrading that when the money is available from the Education store) and if i knew it could last me well into the future that would take a weight off my mind.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Consider the cost of Dual Quad Core 2.8Ghz (2 CPU's, not the whole computer, at today's prices) would you put buy them and put them in a 3 year old computer knowing that all the other parts in the computer are 3 years old plus 3 years technologically behind? Something to think about on upgrading CPU's.
 
im pretty sure that the only cpu you will ever be able to get for these is the top one offered now, the next cpu to be named xenon will be a completely different architecture, intel seem to be moving at some pace now with architectures which is both good and bad lol. though im sure will osX and apps becoming better and better at utilising multipul cpus theoretically these machines could just get faster as the software catches up to the hardware.
 
speakerwizard said:
im pretty sure that the only cpu you will ever be able to get for these is the top one offered now, the next cpu to be named xenon will be a completely different architecture, intel seem to be moving at some pace now with architectures which is both good and bad lol. though im sure will osX and apps becoming better and better at utilising multipul cpus theoretically these machines could just get faster as the software catches up to the hardware.
Click to expand...

Until Intel change the socket (amount of pins). Thats what annoyed the hell out of me with AMD, you no sooner bought a new chip. 6 Months to a year later they changed the socket. So you were SOL in upgrading. Well, you could still upgrade, but you would need a new motherboard and memory. If you needed to. Though thats not really an upgrade is it... when its replacing the guts of the system. With older parts collecting dust.

The worst one was that they changed the socket for DDR2, and the performance gain was very little.
 
kirkbross said:
100% future proof. If you buy a Mac Pro now you will never have to buy a computer ever again. It's awesome.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, it will be good enough for as long as it will boot up. (That's what I told my wife when I ordered mine)
 
If you buy a loaf of bread today, tomorrow it will be from yesterday.
That's the same with a computer, they just change to fast.
You really need to buy for todays needs because there is no way of knowing what will be out 2-3 years from now.
Just take a look of the computers we had 3+ years ago they are now being spanked in performance by models such as the current $500.00 Mac Mini.
People that talk about future proofing usually just trying to talk them selfs in to justify their purchase imho.
 
dukeblue91 said:
If you buy a loaf of bread today, tomorrow it will be from yesterday.
That's the same with a computer, they just change to fast.
You really need to buy for todays needs because there is no way of knowing what will be out 2-3 years from now.
Just take a look of the computers we had 3+ years ago they are now being spanked in performance by models such as the current $500.00 Mac Mini.
People that talk about future proofing usually just trying to talk them selfs in to justify their purchase imho.
Click to expand...

exactly my MacBook Pro spanks my families 8 year old (a bit more than 3 years old though) pentium 4 PC and has double the HDD space and its a notebook!
 
Roy said:
Consider the cost of Dual Quad Core 2.8Ghz (2 CPU's, not the whole computer, at today's prices) would you put buy them and put them in a 3 year old computer knowing that all the other parts in the computer are 3 years old plus 3 years technologically behind? Something to think about on upgrading CPU's.
Click to expand...

I never meant that i would but a brand new CPU in the Mac Pro in 3 years time, that would just be stupid. I meant that say for example in 2 or 3 years time i find out i can get two of the current 3.2Ghz Processors cheap (like some people have upgraded their G4's with newer G4's but had to desolder them) then i would and could just to put them in to give the Mac Pro a little bit more life.
 
Meep said:
I never meant that i would but a brand new CPU in the Mac Pro in 3 years time, that would just be stupid. I meant that say for example in 2 or 3 years time i find out i can get two of the current 3.2Ghz Processors cheap (like some people have upgraded their G4's with newer G4's but had to desolder them) then i would and could just to put them in to give the Mac Pro a little bit more life.
Click to expand...

But that situation is the very same situation I was alluding to, but it is the 3.2Ghz guy making the decision to put a 6.4Ghz in an older computer, with older hardware. Considering Apple's past and peeking into the future, I would say "Don't count on it and realistically don't expect it".
 
Roy said:
But that situation is the very same situation I was alluding to, but it is the 3.2Ghz guy making the decision to put a 6.4Ghz in an older computer, with older hardware. Considering Apple's past and peeking into the future, I would say "Don't count on it and realistically don't expect it".
Click to expand...

I don't think you are getting what i'm saying, all i wanted to know was if the Mac Pro's CPUs where soldered in or not. NOT to take them out to put in a another computer but to upgrade them in the distant future if the need was to arise.

And also to make it clear i would upgrade them with faster (more Ghz) Harpertowns (not the next Xeon version) which will be a lot cheaper in the future than the £500 it currently costs. Allowing me to MAX out my Mac Pro thus giving it a longer life span (like you replace RAM Sticks and HDDs with higher density ones when the prices becomes more resonable)
 
Meep said:
I don't think you are getting what i'm saying, all i wanted to know was if the Mac Pro's CPUs where soldered in or not. NOT to take them out to put in a another computer but to upgrade them in the distant future if the need was to arise.

And also to make it clear i would upgrade them with faster (more Ghz) Harpertowns (not the next Xeon version) which will be a lot cheaper in the future than the £500 it currently costs. Allowing me to MAX out my Mac Pro thus giving it a longer life span (like you replace RAM Sticks and HDDs with higher density ones when the prices becomes more resonable)
Click to expand...

I don't think you are getting what I'm saying. Let me try again.

1..CPU is not soldered in.

2..You want to keep your Mac Pro.

3..You think that a few years down the road, someone who bought a 3.2Ghz Mac Pro (likes yours, but a 3.2Ghz) is going to buy 2 CPU's of say 6.4Ghz and will take the 3.2Ghz out of the his computer to sell to you at a really good bargain. And will work perfectly in your Mac Pro.

Now, what do you see in Intel's CPU Roadmap (and they do have a plan and it is published) that the guy with the 3.2Ghz going to be able to replace the 3.2Ghz with faster CPU's that will fit and work in his 3 or so old Mac Pro?
 
Look at the resale values for mac models from three years ago. That should tell you everything you need to know.
 
Roy said:
Now, what do you see in Intel's CPU Roadmap (and they do have a plan and it is published) that the guy with the 3.2Ghz going to be able to replace the 3.2Ghz with faster CPU's that will fit and work in his 3 or so old Mac Pro?
Click to expand...

He doesn't understand that Intel will never produce significantly faster Xeons that will be compatible with this generation of Xeon's socket and supporting chipsets.
 
MikeL said:
He doesn't understand that Intel will never produce significantly faster Xeons that will be compatible with this generation of Xeon's socket and supporting chipsets.
Click to expand...


Thanks. You said it much better than how I tried to explain it.
 
MikeL said:
He doesn't understand that Intel will never produce significantly faster Xeons that will be compatible with this generation of Xeon's socket and supporting chipsets.
Click to expand...

Actually i do, but you know thanks for not being a dick and just shouting your mouth off. The current Xeon chip goes up to 3.2Ghz but that upgrade is way out of my budget at the moment but as with all tech the cost will come down so might be in the future.

I never said I was going to buy the chips off another Mac Pro owner, I thought you’d have an open enough mind to think I might buy it off a 3rd party company that may offer the 3.2Ghz chip as part of an upgrade kit such as this: http://www.macobserver.com/article/2007/10/29.12.shtml that's available for G4's.

All i wanted to know was if the cpu was soldered in (and it wasn't until your third reply that you actually said no and not some garbage about how i suck in broken english). I knew that the CPU was soldered in the old iMac's, PowerBooks and iBooks and all you had to say was "no they're not" and not that i'm an idiot for thinking someone would sell me their CPUs which i never actually mentioned planning on doing. I found out from doing my own research that the chips are replaceable (and seems to have always been for the Mac Pro line) and if the next gen of Xeon use the same socket (I know all about sockets and computer hardware as I’m doing a electrical engineering degree and probably know more about the inner workings of a processor than you but again thanks for not being a dick) then it is possible to upgrade to them, like hardmac did before http://www.hardmac.com/articles/70/ .

I found both those sites after the people on this forum acted liked a bunch of five year olds and decided to insult and ridicule me rather than help. If i was a switcher i would be seriously put off by your elitist and ignorant attitudes and would reconsider if i wanted to be part of this “mac community”.

and yes by the way i do know about intel's roadmap that knowledge isn't limited to ignorant c**ks like you
 
What does the roadmap say for the next socket? I'm probably going to be looking for a new Mac in 9 months or so
 
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