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I have a 2006 1,1 Mac Pro - And Guess what?!?!

Sean Dempsey

Sean Dempsey

macrumors 68000
Original poster
It still does everything!!!

I know right?

At this rate, I don't know when I'll need to upgrade since this machine STILL DOES EVERYTHING A 2010 WOULD, maybe 10% slower or so (we're talking a few seconds).

It's not like Mac Pro's just stop working after 12 months.
 
The same could be said about the majority of macs built within the previous 4 years. My 2007 MacBook is still zipping along.
 
🙄
That doesn't make the current Mac Pro any less amazingly expensive for what you get.
stridemat said:
The same could be said about the majority of macs built within the previous 4 years. My 2007 MacBook is still zipping along.
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Exactly. They should just stop updating everything.
 
Okay, I assume many people still use these machines (myself included).

The point of this thread is?
 
At this rate, I don't know when I'll need to upgrade since this machine STILL DOES EVERYTHING A 2010 WOULD, maybe 10% slower or so (we're talking a few seconds).
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nope🙂

beside... whats the point of your thread?
 
So does my Macbook from 2008 but because it has a crappy GPU (x3100) and is noisy I am currently saving up for a Macbook Pro and also because Aperture kills this Computer even though it's running of an external and I have 3gigs of ram
 
I was built 42 years ago...everything still works, and I can even outrun most people built only 20 years ago! Hahahaha
 
I find the biggest limiting factor in Macs is the GPU; my GPU for my iMac 8,1 just can't cut the cake very well anymore.

However if you have a Mac Pro this is quite fixable.
 
The point is, as opposed to cars, computers don't "wear out."

A 2006 1,1 Mac Pro performs at the exact same speeds that it did on the first day it was opened.

I'd love to see a real world showdown between a 2006, and a 2009. Both with 16 gigs of RAM, and running off a SSD only.

I doubt you'd be able to find a reason to upgrade from a 2006 to a 2009 in that case.

And if you're buying new, a 2009 Mac Pro is going to be more than powerful enough for any modern applications, waiting for a 2010 is basically pointless.

If you have a Mac Pro - it's fast enough for years to come.
If you don't have a Mac Pro - the 2009 is fast enough for years to come.


It's like if you were buying a Backhoe for an excavation company - you buy your first one, and use it until it physically breaks. Every year, Cat and Case and Komatsu come out with a new Backhoe, but guess what, you don't need it. Until your 7 year old Cat breaks down permanently, it does the same stuff.


In all honestly, other than for Vanity or bigdick points, who would have NEEDED to upgrade from a 2006 Mac Pro to a 2009/2010? I know lots of people WANTED to, but really, real world performance tests would show it probably wasn't that huge of a jump.


Cars wear down and get worse over time. A computer does not. In 2006, we couldn't believe the power of the Mac Pro. And guess what, they've gotten no slower, no less powerful.

So really, people waiting for a 2010 mac pro are saying "I want to waste my money on a machine that I could basically get right now, for alot less, but I need the latest and greatest!!!11"
 
Just because you don't need more speed doesn't mean that nobody does. There is great amount of people who do their WORK on Mac Pro and faster machine simply means more work can be done and more money will flow. Low-end hexa core will already be 50% faster than current low-end octo is. If that speeds up your render by 50%, you are looking at huge difference, let alone what 12-core would offer.

Yes, it won't speed up your Safari or iWork but apps like After Effects that can benefit from the extra cores will really fly and the difference will be significant. Most people won't benefit from the new one but it's not your job to judge who do and who do not. If I needed Mac Pro for work purposes and I would do heavy renderings, I wouldn't think twice would I wait or not. A new one will simply run circles around the current one in tasks that can really benefit from the extra cores

You may be fine with what you have but you aren't the only human on this planet
 
I'm majoring in Arts and Technology and when it comes to mental ray rendering, rendering time can always be faster, thus one could always make use of more processing power.
 
Tat's my machine too. My only wish is that during this rather extremely hot weather we've been having here, that it would run cooler than it does. It's not hot, just too hot for the confined space it is in.
 
I would be happy with mine, if my 8800gt didnt die and I wasnt back on the 7300... noticed the lack of OpenCL loving.
 
My 2008 Mac Pro is fine for my needs, but I want the 2010 to come out so I can buy a newer GPU (hoping for the Radeon HD 5870xt). I've got 14 Gigs of memory, plenty of storage, and an SSD. The only hiccup I have is that most of my 32bit-only plugins for Logic don't work well (or at all...) under 64 bit Logic, so I can either use all of my memory in Logic, or use the plugs. So either Apple has to make some adjustments to its 32-bit bridge, or the plugin makers need to get off their asses and release 64-bit updates. 🙁
 
Sean Dempsey said:
Cars wear down and get worse over time. A computer does not.
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Not disagreeing with the general concept (I intend to keep my 2009 for a long time), but let's talk about...

-electromigration

If a certain processor isn't designed correctly, the conductive surfaces will deform. AFAIK, it only takes one transistor failure to kill a processor, but I could be wrong. In addition, a nasty voltage spike could (in addition to damaging other components) also lead a poorly-produced processor (one in every batch!) to slowly decrease its clockspeed.

-capacitors

The companies that produce parts for Apple know that they need to use components of a particular caliber (otherwise Apple loses money with RMAs), but every now and then a capacitor will fail and/or stop working - aka "popped caps". You can replace these yourself, although there's a chemical hazard involved (plus you can get better caps and replace them yourself)

-heat dissipation

Don't live in a dusty environment. If you do, tear apart your machine on a regular basis to clean out the heatsinks. Not to mention if a coolant is used, failure at least results in a mess depending on the material or at most can kill a machine. Not to mention thermal paste can dry out, which needs replacing.

-hard drives

They last a long time. But there are bad batches that eventually lead to bad blocks (almost every producer has had a massively bad batch in the past). Consistent failures mean that your computer needs a new hard drive.

-warping

A motherboard can warp over time, sometimes making RAM banks useless. etc.

I'm not disagreeing that your computer is going to go any slower (unless you get a lot of dust in your heatsinks). Its just that a computer does need maintenance from time to time, much like a car. I -hate- car analogies, but cleaning is like changing the oil filter, yada yada. Its why computer janitors exist.

tl;dr: Spergin' about computer maintenance.
 
Hellhammer said:
Just because you don't need more speed doesn't mean that nobody does. There is great amount of people who do their WORK on Mac Pro and faster machine simply means more work can be done and more money will flow. Low-end hexa core will already be 50% faster than current low-end octo is. If that speeds up your render by 50%, you are looking at huge difference, let alone what 12-core would offer.

Yes, it won't speed up your Safari or iWork but apps like After Effects that can benefit from the extra cores will really fly and the difference will be significant. Most people won't benefit from the new one but it's not your job to judge who do and who do not. If I needed Mac Pro for work purposes and I would do heavy renderings, I wouldn't think twice would I wait or not. A new one will simply run circles around the current one in tasks that can really benefit from the extra cores

You may be fine with what you have but you aren't the only human on this planet
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Exactly. There are many people(not me) who are actually Pros at what they do for a living and a new processor could really help their career or job. It's a little closed minded to think that Apple should not release new Mac Pros.

+1
 
I see your point, and its valid for those who only use their computer lightly or for home use, but that doesn't really fly if you make income with that computer and you need the speed. I'd like to think many Mac Pro users are in that latter category.

Smart companies and small business owners understand.... time is money. Whether you're running a studio of fifty artists or even if you're just a freelancer.

If I can get my work done faster, I'm all for it. Working hard on a Saturday afternoon- the only spinning beach ball I wanna see is a real one on the sand in Venice or Santa Monica.

Running with the backhoe metaphor, what if you could buy a 2010 backhoe that can move 40% more dirt for the same price as you paid for your smaller 2006 model? Well, if you run an excavation business, thats adds up over time to be alot of money.

Ever done any 3d animation? Or editing? Or 2d animation? Or sound work? You need all the speed you can afford. A 10-hour 3d scene render on a 30 percent faster machine is saving you 3 hours of your life. A significantly faster machine can mean the difference in Flash, Toonboom or After Effects between a responsive machine that works and plays back preview animation with filters etc realtime, and a POS thats constantly a step behind, tripping you up and interrupting your workflow.

Nothing makes me want to throw a chair thru the window more than a ****** slow computer.....

Ahh, nevermind. If you've never had a deadline, maybe you wouldn't understand. +1 what Hellhammer said.
 
leftywamumonkey said:
Exactly. There are many people(not me) who are actually Pros at what they do for a living and a new processor could really help their career or job. It's a little closed minded to think that Apple should not release new Mac Pros.

+1
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Hi.

I'm a full-time, professional hi-res print and graphic developer. I've had my Mac Pro running at full tilt since the day I bought it 3 years ago, son. So don't give me this crap about how "pro" users need more. I am a pro user. I am the definition of pro user. I am self-employed and make ever DOLLAR for my family from this Mac Pro.



But the fact remains the same, and always will:

A good craftsman never blames his tools.

Cavepainter said:
I see your point, and its valid for those who only use their computer lightly or for home use, but that doesn't really fly if you make income with that computer and you need the speed. I'd like to think many Mac Pro users are in that latter category.

Ahh, nevermind. If you've never had a deadline, maybe you wouldn't understand. +1 what Hellhammer said.
Click to expand...



I've had more professional deadlines and work in my Mac Pro than you could imagine, sonny. And for 15 years before that, it was on a PC.

Since I bought my Mac Pro in summer 2007, I've used it to work day in and day out, usually 7 days a week. It completely supports my entire family on it's humble, yet respectable quad core shoulders.

So yeah, I probably understand BETTER than you do. Ever ran your own business? Ever been totally reliant on your OWN work producing 100% of your income? Or are you just a paycheck casher who has never been at the helm and known what it's like to not only work, but run the whole business and steer the ship at the same time as well?

I was making money using computers while you were still pooping in your diapers.

Again; A good craftsman never blames his tools
 
Sean Dempsey said:
Hi.

I'm a full-time, professional hi-res print and graphic developer. I've had my Mac Pro running at full tilt since the day I bought it 3 years ago, son. So don't give me this crap about how "pro" users need more. I am a pro user. I am the definition of pro user. I am self-employed and make ever DOLLAR for my family from this Mac Pro.



But the fact remains the same, and always will:

A good craftsman never blames his tools.
Click to expand...

I'm a full time, professional engineer and current researcher. To me, faster computers lead to faster job completion and faster simulations. This is why "pro" users need more performance as they can eek out more work in the same amount of time as before

Perhaps the things you use your computer for are not that taxing (aka a mac pro is overkill for your needs) or you simply fail to recognize that there are many out there where faster performance is well worth whatever premium there is as the increase in performance will pay for itself.

By the way, your car analogy is flawed. A computer, using older components will slow down due to the modernization of software that will be run on the machine. If it weren't for continuous software development that requires more and more computing power, your argument would make more sense. Cars on the other hand do not face that same scenario really. Cars from 20 years ago accelerate just as fast and perform just as well as the new ones today in the task of getting somewhere from A to B for the most part. The roads or fuel (which I will make analogous to computer software for computers) do not lead to forcing of buying new cars to fulfill that purpose of transporting individuals effectively

However, my analogy is also fundamentally flawed as you can not simply compare cars and computers but I hope I illustrated my point.
 
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