Mid 2010 Mac Pro - $2000 - good deal?

[wonderspark]

My mac pro has had NO problems whatsoever for the entire life of its warranty. It is a Mac Pro 3,1 2008 model. Applecare will expire in 5 days. It started shutting down after a few minutes of use today! I took it in and they are going to run tests and possibly replace the power supply and the graphics card. Would have been about $800 if I didn't buy applecare. Damn good thing to have!!

I don't dispute the benefit at all. I took my chances, but I also tinker quite a bit. I've added a new CPU, two different GPUs and RAM kits, all the drives, various PCI cards and optical drives since I bought it. I figure if something goes wrong, I can fix it myself. I've taken what I think are good precautions to keep it in top condition. I have two UPS units in front of the system to keep it all happy, and I clean it enough that there's never more than the finest of dust layers inside.

Time will tell if it was a foolish gamble or not.

 

[carylee2002]

Few questions to be answered first.

I would check to see if had Applecare first. Then open it up and see how it looks inside. Is it well taken care of or does it looks like a dirty garage by the amount of dust inside. Also...does it include all the peripherals and monitor? If you are going to use premiere..you will most likely want a cuda card, 3gb sata /raid card and perhaps a spot for a AJA/Matrox card. At least you have the 5770 that takes up only one slot vs 5780 that takes up two. Be a skeptic...if not offer him a lower price while showing him any flaws that it may have.

 

[gentlefury]

I don't dispute the benefit at all. I took my chances, but I also tinker quite a bit. I've added a new CPU, two different GPUs and RAM kits, all the drives, various PCI cards and optical drives since I bought it. I figure if something goes wrong, I can fix it myself. I've taken what I think are good precautions to keep it in top condition. I have two UPS units in front of the system to keep it all happy, and I clean it enough that there's never more than the finest of dust layers inside.

Time will tell if it was a foolish gamble or not.

I do the same, I have installed additional ram, an SSD, 3 HDDs, and a new graphics card.

I fix anything that comes along software wise...but this is hardware. Without Applecare I would be out of pocket on this one.

 

[ActionableMango]

So is there no hope of maintaining a MP outside of AppleCare without it costing an arm and a leg? I guess I'm back to making a decision since the AppleCare issue is a big one.

It's a THOUSAND dollars more for a refurb with a warranty. Would you be willing to pay $1000 for a one year warranty? That's 50% of the cost of the used computer!

This has me also thinking about the timing and product cycle for the Mac Pro. Would a refurb cost $2000 when a new MP is released? I'm reading a refresh drops in March, others are saying July/August. I guess we're going into a grey area though.

I won't promise anything, but probably the refurb prices will remain stable. Just look at the 2009 MP refurbs, they have been that same crazy high price for years.

 

[zeypher]

Hi guys, after all that it turns out someone beat me to the punch. But I don't regret wanting to make an educated decision. At least next time I'll be ready having all the feedback from you guys. Thanks again, it was much appreciated!

 

[LionTamer2012]

RE: Mid 2010 Mac Pro - $2000 - good deal?

It seems like a fantastic price to me. Nearly $1000 less than the refurb store, and from a seller you trust? Yes.

But I ask the obvious question, why does he want to get rid of it?

I disagree. My Mac Pro 5,1 (Mid-2010) only cost 2100US$, and came with 3x2GB Apple Memory, 1x1TB Western Digital, 2.8GHz Processor, 16x SuperDrive. 3-5 Day Shipping included (came a day early, and was delivered on a Saturday). Included OS X 10.7.2 already installed, with Recovery Partition. I downloaded and installed 10.7.3 Combo Update.

The machine also included a new AMD 5770, along with new Apple Keyboard and Magic Mouse. I Year warranty, with option for Apple Care (249US$)

I put 2x2TB WD HDDs in, plus 1x1TB WD HDD, maxing out the drive bays. Still have two internal SATA bays available. I also replaced the 3x2GB memory cards with 3x4GB cards (cost less than 80$).

There is nothing this beast wont handle easily (except no eSATA or USB 3.0 http://cdn.macrumors.com/vb/images/smilies/frown.gif -- but that's OK, since I already had a 4TB WD Studio II w/USB 2.0, Firewire 400/800)

I purchased this from Apple's Store REFURBISHED. It's clean as a whistle, and quiet as a church-mouse, and runs very cool.

 

[ActionableMango]

I disagree. My Mac Pro 5,1 (Mid-2010) only cost 2100US$

You can disagree all you want, but you aren't paying attention because they are different computers. OP is quoting an 8-core model that runs almost $3000 on the refurb store. Your $2100 refurb is a quad core.