New or used, which Mac Pro?

[cadams]

My head is spinning after 10 hours researching a new Mac purchase, and I could use some advice.

I'm going to get a Mac Pro, even though I don't need a tenth of its processing power at the moment. Reason is, I keep my Macs for a long, long time - can't afford to buy them often - so they have to be very upgradeable to stay useful over the years. (11 years in the case of the Mac I'm typing this on!)

My options are as follows (the prices may seem steep to anyone in the US, but I'm in Europe, and we always have to add around 25%):

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2006 Original Intel Mac Pro, 2 x 2.66 GHz -- This is a used machine, upgraded to 3GB RAM and 3 hard drives totalling 1.7 terrabytes. I'm thinking of offering $2,300 for it. Reasonable?

Jan 2008 Mac Pro, 2 x 2.8 GHz -- New, standard configuration, at $3,300.

2009 Nehalem Mac Pro, 1 x 2.66 GHz -- New, standard configuration, at $3,100.

2009 Nehalem Mac Pro, 2 x 2.26 GHz -- New, standard configuration, at $4,100.
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The dual Nehalem is probably way over the top, but I keep oscillating around the other three and can't decide.

If I bought the Nehalem single-processor machine, would I be limited to single-processor CPU upgrades, if one day such things become available? If not, the Nehalem 1 x 2.66 GHz looks better than the slightly pricier, year-older 2008 2 x 2.8 GHz.

Considering I'm looking for longevity here, would it be a mistake to buy the 2006 Pro, since it's already 2.5 years old? If not, I could save $1,000 and get a dual-processor Mac with massive storage.

Your thoughts would be much appreciated.

TIA,
Chris Adams.

 

[Demosthenes X]

See this thread. You will save money and get longer service from your purchase if you buy a lower-end machine now, and replace it more often:

Don't waste your money on the Mac Pro. You'll be further ahead by buying the linked refurb Mac, putting the savings in a savings account, and replacing the iMac every three years.

You figure that by spending $3300 you can buy a new Mac Pro and have it last 8-9 years. If you instead buy an iMac today, and put the remaining money in the bank at 5% interest, and buy a new iMac every three years, that same amount of money will last you 12 years. That's a 33-50% increase in the life of your computer, for the same amount of money. And that doesn't even include the money you could make back by selling the old iMacs as you replace them. If you factor that in, I'll wager you could make that $3300 last you more like 15 years!

And you get newer technology, newer software, etc. each time you upgrade. If you decided to upgrade the OS and iLife to match, you'd be spending more than $1000 extra just for software than you would by buying a new computer more frequently, which would include that software.

Poor financial decision any way you cut it, imo.

You say you "can't afford to buy [a new machine] often". Well, obviously you have the funds right now. Buy an iMac, put the rest in the bank, and don't spend it.

You're way, way further ahead by adopting a different upgrade cycle and pacing your spending than you are by blowing all your money at once every ten years. And you'll have a better computing experience, with warranty coverage, the latest hardware, and updated software.

 

[clyde2801]

www.mac2sell.net is a good online resource to estimate the value of a used mac.