Mac Pro 2008 worth it at good price?

[onecoolazzgeek]

So I found a deal for a 2008 Mac Pro with 16gb RAM, 1.5tb hdd, 30-inch cinema display, and dual xeons for $499. The reason I am considering it is because I have purchased a 2014 Mac Mini and I'm still within my return policy. I bought the mid-tier model for the RAM and Processor bump but I'm finding the HDD speed lacking as both my laptop and gaming PC's have me used to SSD speeds.

Would you guys jump on this deal and return the Mac Mini? I'm guessing it is still able to be upgraded and, at the price, it is $100 less than what I paid for that Mini. Seems like a no-brainer, but wanted to be sure seeing that it is a 2008 model.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hellhammer]

Is the 30" Cinema Display included at $499? If so, then hell yes because the display alone is worth at least $300-400 today as long as it's fully operational and in decent condition.

 

[onecoolazzgeek]

?Y

Is the 30" Cinema Display included at $499? If so, then hell yes because the display alone is worth at least $300-400 today as long as it's fully operational and in decent condition.

Yep, it's included. I think it's an office selling old equipment as the guy had to ask his boss the manufacture year for me. From the pics, it looked fine. I'll be going by after work to check it out.

 

[Hellhammer]

Yep, it's included. I think it's an office selling old equipment as the guy had to ask his boss the manufacture year for me. From the pics, it looked fine. I'll be going by after work to check it out.

That would explain the price. If everything looks good, I would go for it. The Mac Pro does make more noise and draw more power than the Mini, but if those aren't concerns it's still a great computer. If you end up not liking it you can just sell the Mac Pro and keep the display as well.

 

[jjhoekstra]

My brother and me have a little side-business where we buy/get old non-functioning macPros, repair them and than sell them on. They are great machines, BUT you have to remember that an 8 year old computer can easily die without warning. Faulty hdd's is what we see most often, followed by bad connectors/cables. I personally use an MBP to earn money and an old MP for fun stuff.

 

[onecoolazzgeek]

My brother and me have a little side-business where we buy/get old non-functioning macPros, repair them and than sell them on. They are great machines, BUT you have to remember that an 8 year old computer can easily die without warning. Faulty hdd's is what we see most often, followed by bad connectors/cables. I personally use an MBP to earn money and an old MP for fun stuff.

I'd be using the MP strictly for web dev and random coding, along with any other projects I want to run (malware testing in VMs and such) to keep my netsec skills up to snuff. For fun, I use the gaming PC and work I use my laptop. Honestly, I would have been fine with the Mac Mini, if it wasn't for that slow HDD. I plan to upgrade the drive in this one if I get it and I'm sure I can find a psu sufficient for it if it dies.

 

[pastrychef]

Keep in mind that the Mac Pros suck down lots of power. An i5 Mac mini would probably give you more single core processing horsepower.

Also, keep in mind that LCD displays with CCFL backlighting will dim over time.

Personally, I would keep the Mac mini instead of going for this deal...

 

[ProjectManager101]

I have that Mac Pro, it runs just fine. It has a SSD drive in the second optical port and it flies. The other 4 hard drives ports have 4x 4GB drives each for a total of 16GB raid for storage, actually they are 8GB since one is redundancy and is super fast. I have 2 video cards, the original and a 4GB Nvidea for the 30" display. It flies... for video editing is good as long you do not have to do much rendering.

 

[onecoolazzgeek]

So, I went ahead and bought it! Turns out the guy also listed it on Craigslist at $399 (by mistake) but he honored the price and through in a brand new Apple Wired Keyboard and a generic mouse. So all in all, for $399:

2x Xeon 2.4ghz quad core
16gb RAM
AMD 5770
Sata II Raid controller (it was installed but not mentioned)
1.5 TB HDD
2x SuperDrive (though one needs to be realigned because it can't open)
30 inch Apple Cinema Display
Wireless-N
Apple Keyboard (New)


I have a pretty good display anyway so o could easily sell it for around $300 and would have only paid $99 for the whole shebang! I may sell the keyboard as well, since I already own a Bluetooth Apple keyboard and Magic Trackpad.
[doublepost=1464308449][/doublepost]

Keep in mind that the Mac Pros suck down lots of power. An i5 Mac mini would probably give you more single core processing horsepower.

View attachment 633101

Also, keep in mind that LCD displays with CCFL backlighting will dim over time.

Personally, I would keep the Mac mini instead of going for this deal...

I understand completely, but it's a around $200 difference between the Mac Mini and this. Since my main complaint with the mini is the HDD speed, I would either have to break my warranty and upgrade or spend more money on a better model. Not too worried about the monitor itself, I have two monitors at home already (1080 and 1440) so I'm good if anything happens.
[doublepost=1464308498][/doublepost]

I have that Mac Pro, it runs just fine. It has a SSD drive in the second optical port and it flies. The other 4 hard drives ports have 4x 4GB drives each for a total of 16GB raid for storage, actually they are 8GB since one is redundancy and is super fast. I have 2 video cards, the original and a 4GB Nvidea for the 30" display. It flies... for video editing is good as long you do not have to do much rendering.

Which video card are you using?

 

[pastrychef]

So, I went ahead and bought it! Turns out the guy also listed it on Craigslist at $399 (by mistake) but he honored the price and through in a brand new Apple Wired Keyboard and a generic mouse. So all in all, for $399:

2x Xeon 2.4ghz quad core
16gb RAM
AMD 5770
Sata II Raid controller (it was installed but not mentioned)
1.5 TB HDD
2x SuperDrive (though one needs to be realigned because it can't open)
30 inch Apple Cinema Display
Wireless-N
Apple Keyboard (New)

2x Xeon 2.4ghz quad core

Sounds like a Mac Pro 5,1 more than a 3,1. If it's a 5,1, then it's a very good deal.

 

[onecoolazzgeek]

2x Xeon 2.4ghz quad core

Sounds like a Mac Pro 5,1 more than a 3,1. If it's a 5,1, then it's a very good deal.

No, I'm just stupid. Was going off the top of my head since I hadn't gotten out the car yet. It's 2x 3ghz Xeon Dual Core. Still a good deal @ $399 and more than enough for what I need