Mac Pro 2006, Worth Buying?

[Des Zac]

I want to buy a mac that is compatible with Lion and will be compatible for maybe 1 to 2 more OS's. Would a Mac Pro 2006 work? Since they still use Xeon in the most recent release I was hoping that would hint at a long lifespan. Up to 32GB of RAM, that's eight times the crap PC we have, the one that I desperately want to replace. Would this be a great replacement?

Here are my concerns:

#1: It says it game with an Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT, and we have an Nvidia GeForce 9500 GT in our PC, would it be compatible?

#2: Could I use our hard drives with Windows on them with it and be able to access them just like we were on our PC in Dual Boot?

#3: Is it reliable? Did they break often or will that not be as much of a concern with the Mac Pro?


Thanks for all of the help,

-Zach

 

[lewdvig]

I have one that I got last year. Other than using lots of power, it is awesome.

Mine has 16 GB, upgraded to two quad cores and a RADEON 5770.

Having the five disk bays is awesome - I have RAID and Time machine in the one box and plan to add an SSD and Boot Camp partition.

 

[tersono]

1: No, your video card won't work - it would need a Mac-compatible BIOS. It my be possible to flash it, however.

2. No. You'll need to install boot camp (or Parallels) first - THEN install Windows.

3. Yes, they're pretty much bomb-proof.

Sounds like a good option - provided the price is right. Just bear in mind that a current i7 iMac will probably be noticeably faster.

 

[Des Zac]

1: No, your video card won't work - it would need a Mac-compatible BIOS. It my be possible to flash it, however.

2. No. You'll need to install boot camp (or Parallels) first - THEN install Windows.

3. Yes, they're pretty much bomb-proof.

Sounds like a good option - provided the price is right. Just bear in mind that a current i7 iMac will probably be noticeably faster.

Although the i7 iMac is over 4* the price

 

[Daud]

I had Mac Pro shortly several months ago (got it for $800 and spent $200 on memory and Xeon 3.0 upgrade)and now I am on Mac mini 2.5.

You have not told us about how you would use the Mac. Unless you need the flexibility of the multiple HD bays, I think it is not a right purchase, unless you get it for $500.

Negs: memory is expensive and only clocks at 800MHz. It draws a lot of electricity and makes lot of heat. It might not pass the next OS evolution.

Consider strongly the 2.5GHz Mini.

 

[Des Zac]

They're around 400 on ebay. I want to talk my parents into getting a current-gen mini but I want them to be able to keep all of the data from the PC without having to have any external storage devices... that's why I wanted a Pro. I'm planning on buying it myself, so I don't want to spend any more than $500.