Is a 2013 nMac Pro still worth buying

[rjtiedeman]

" I would definitely be more inclined to look at an iMac Pro if you never plan on upgrading the internals, as it’s not easy to do,"

I have spent a lot on updates to my cMP. Memory and SSD were good investments. USB-3 PCI works great but not really necessary for the way I use my cMP. The processor up grade was an OK investment. Geek Bench scores went up just a little. So You are right I don't need to up-grade for at least 4 years if I get a well set up iMac Pro. Thats 4 years with the same thing on my desk. How scary is that. Takes the fun out of work.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^And when the "Next Big Thing" comes, you can't buy it and install it

Lou

 

[Macshroomer]

The iMac Pro is getting mixed reviews.

From who? Mine is a monumental leap in performance, like 10x faster at everything than my “built” 2012 Mac Pro 5,1.

It’s running cool too, no thermal downclocking, etc. I’m like you, got kind of tired of trouble shooting things on the 5,1 because it is SO modified. It’s been a great machine but it is way, way outdated hardware and we can’t up the CPU in these things higher that 3.46.

 

[AlexMaximus]

From who? Mine is a monumental leap in performance, like 10x faster at everything than my “built” 2012 Mac Pro 5,1.

It’s running cool too, no thermal downclocking, etc. I’m like you, got kind of tired of trouble shooting things on the 5,1 because it is SO modified. It’s been a great machine but it is way, way outdated hardware and we can’t up the CPU in these things higher that 3.46.

I am absolutely with you on this one, and I think there is no doubt, - the iMac Pro is a Great Solution for a Professional. I would turn arround and geht one myselfe right away, if I would make a living from that Kind of work. Unfortunately I am just a Mac geek and engineer that never started into the professional creative market. Here in Germany there is just not enough demand and no Hollywood arround, and my pimp box is strong enough for doing that Occational 4K Mavic Air video. Besides that, I think Most people also ignorie the Advanced cooling system on the iMac Pro and its mission critical importance. Every old Mac buff, that went through an G4 MDD Windtunnel experience and later on Veraxed it, Know's what I am talking about.

I am sure, that 10 core machine is an absolute Blast!

 

[jkma707]

I have the same issue... I have a deal on getting a Mac Pro Late 2013 Quad Core with 16gb ram for $900, is this worth it? I mean I could go hackintosh and all but I would like my Apple Experience to work seemlessly. I do edit 4K and I know lots of computers struggle in that area in general (we use proxies and etc), but Thunderbolt 2 limitations?
Is it better to buy a 2015/14 i7 MacBook Pro with 16gb ram and the added GPU than this Mac Pro? There are basically the same price when I compare.. maybe the new 2017 i7 2.9 GHz MacBook Pro 1TB 16GB added GPU and Thunderbolt 3?

I do wanna build my PC but then again, so much confusion, parts, things don’t work here or there..

*I don’t want an iMac though, they are good machines but in my area the screen is too big I know the screen is amazing but I do want a UltraWide screen instread tbh..

 

[AlexMaximus]

I have the same issue... I have a deal on getting a Mac Pro Late 2013 Quad Core with 16gb ram for $900, is this worth it? I mean I could go hackintosh and all but I would like my Apple Experience to work seemlessly. I do edit 4K and I know lots of computers struggle in that area in general (we use proxies and etc), but Thunderbolt 2 limitations?
Is it better to buy a 2015/14 i7 MacBook Pro with 16gb ram and the added GPU than this Mac Pro? There are basically the same price when I compare.. maybe the new 2017 i7 2.9 GHz MacBook Pro 1TB 16GB added GPU and Thunderbolt 3?

I do wanna build my PC but then again, so much confusion, parts, things don’t work here or there..

*I don’t want an iMac though, they are good machines but in my area the screen is too big I know the screen is amazing but I do want a UltraWide screen instread tbh..

Hmm.. that's a good question, and I think it depends. I do really like the design of the 2013 nMP. So in my opinion, you will get a very nice design icon. The quad-core model is great at low prices if you have a subsequent CPU upgrade in mind.
Those old Xeons CPUs are becoming more and more affordable and there are endless CPU upgrade tutorials on YouTube for a long time now. So the question is two parted. Will you be happy with the quad-core doing 4K? - Workable, but most likely not.
Putting a fast Multicore XEON CPU in that trash can and working with an 8- or 12 core machine is a whole different ballgame. If this work of yours is not your main source of income and more of a Semi-Pro hobby, a 2013 nMP could be a very nice setup that lasts and looks stylish on the desk.
On the Macbook question, I am kind of split as well. If you do serious work on a MacBook Pro, chances are, it will get hot very fast, the battery will degrade as fast and chances are high that your laptop GPU will not last very long.
It is a different story if you travel a lot, then there is no alternative. But if you do not, I would not go the laptop direction. Back in the day of my MBP 17/2010, I had to get a cooling pad, my onboard Nvidia M330 GPU failed two times and my battery had to be replaced after 4 years usage. I don't complain, it was a solid solution for 8 years upgrading it along the way with ram and SSD as well as a second HDD data doubler.
Problem is, you don't have those options anymore. Your battery replacement is more difficult than ever, Ram cannot be upgraded anymore, expansion is expensive because of TB3 dock prices and third party upgrades are not available anymore. To be honest, with 4K work I would go for the Mac Pro and upgrade it with a Xeon out of Ebay. You my hit the 1500 Dollar mark, but you may have a very solid machine that lasts longer than a laptop. It also can grow with you along the path. With the script out of egpu.io webpage, you can add an egpu later on and even internal SSD expansion is possible with amfeltec or owc.