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What do you primarily use your Mac Pro for?

  • Professional - I use the Mac Pro to make a living

    Votes: 67 43.5%
  • Amateur/SemiPro - I use the Mac Pro to make some money on the side

    Votes: 19 12.3%
  • Hobbyist/Enthusiast - I just really like the Mac Pro

    Votes: 40 26.0%
  • Gaming - I like OS X, but wanted a powerful one to game with

    Votes: 4 2.6%
  • General purpose computer

    Votes: 15 9.7%
  • It does server duty

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • HTPC (home theater)

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • Space heater

    Votes: 2 1.3%
  • Other

    Votes: 6 3.9%

  • Total voters
    154

irked

macrumors member
Apr 8, 2017
55
30
My macs run projectors and video walls - theater, live music, corporate events, whatever.. The cheese grater is the absolute best mac platform i've found for my needs so far.
 

poematik13

macrumors 65816
Jun 5, 2014
1,222
1,412
film and tv post production (working and delivering at all resolutions), graphic and web design, general productivity and browsing.
 

kipwheeler

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2016
152
77
We (used to) get double duty out of it at my household.

(1) My wife used the mac in molecular biology for modeling/figuring out the folding of proteins and tetanus antibodies, but she always switched to her personal laptop for doing technical writing.

(2). I use the Mac Pro for prepping class lessons, html-stuff for online classes, and archiving digital images of medieval manuscripts. I've dabbled in amateur graphic design with it, again--mostly for making stuff to add some pizzazz to classroom presentations for my students.

Unfortunately, the pro is too long in the tooth now (it was a 2008), and I'm reluctant to hackintosh it further, so right now we aren't getting much use from it until either a new Mac Pro design comes out or we break down and switch to an iMac.
 

Flint Ironstag

macrumors 65816
Dec 1, 2013
1,330
743
Houston, TX USA
I have so many...

- personal workstations
- servers (time machine, crash plan, caching, software update, OD, file, plex, iTunes, home automation, etc.)
- enthusiast
- gaming
- HTPC
- other (machine learning, hash cracking, GPGPU)
[doublepost=1494034447][/doublepost]
We (used to) get double duty out of it at my household.

(1) My wife used the mac in molecular biology for modeling/figuring out the folding of proteins and tetanus antibodies, but she always switched to her personal laptop for doing technical writing.

(2). I use the Mac Pro for prepping class lessons, html-stuff for online classes, and archiving digital images of medieval manuscripts. I've dabbled in amateur graphic design with it, again--mostly for making stuff to add some pizzazz to classroom presentations for my students.

Unfortunately, the pro is too long in the tooth now (it was a 2008), and I'm reluctant to hackintosh it further, so right now we aren't getting much use from it until either a new Mac Pro design comes out or we break down and switch to an iMac.
Have you upgraded this 2008 with max RAM, SSD, and a modern GPU? They are still very capable machines.
 

AidenShaw

macrumors P6
Feb 8, 2003
18,667
4,676
The Peninsula
Have you upgraded this 2008 with max RAM, SSD, and a modern GPU? They are still very capable machines.
With slow PCIe, slow USB, slow processors, slow RAM, slow SSDs....

Hopefully the amigos won't screw up the mMP, and Apple will again make a reasonable high end workstation.

Until then - listen to the roses, smell the music. The cMP is dying. Desperate attempts to update it to 2013 technology won't save it.
 

flat five

macrumors 603
Feb 6, 2007
5,580
2,657
newyorkcity
the original use for my macPro was for professional use.
now, it's just taking up space.. not plugged in so not a space heater.
i guess i'll choose 'other'.. space waster ;)
[doublepost=1494036235][/doublepost]
My macs run projectors and video walls - theater, live music, corporate events, whatever.. The cheese grater is the absolute best mac platform i've found for my needs so far.

would you maybe prefer something considerably smaller in those scenarios?
 

ssgbryan

macrumors 65816
Jul 18, 2002
1,488
1,420
3d Art.

My workflow simply can't function on any other mac.

How long I stay with a mac is dependent upon what what the 3 stooges deliver with the mmp.
 

irked

macrumors member
Apr 8, 2017
55
30
the original use for my macPro was for professional use.
now, it's just taking up space.. not plugged in so not a space heater.
i guess i'll choose 'other'.. space waster ;)
[doublepost=1494036235][/doublepost]

would you maybe prefer something considerably smaller in those scenarios?
What've you got?
 

kipwheeler

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2016
152
77
I have so many...

- personal workstations
- servers (time machine, crash plan, caching, software update, OD, file, plex, iTunes, home automation, etc.)
- enthusiast
- gaming
- HTPC
- other (machine learning, hash cracking, GPGPU)
[doublepost=1494034447][/doublepost]
Have you upgraded this 2008 with max RAM, SSD, and a modern GPU? They are still very capable machines.

I haven't done the most recent upgrades (last time I upgraded it was 2012), but it's also got some water damage from a spillage incident and some other wear-and-tear issues that make me long for a more current replacment.
 

mattspace

macrumors 68040
Jun 5, 2013
3,147
2,861
Australia
As an Artist, as in traditionally studio trained, with a degree in fine arts, a recipient of nationally funded grants etc (not to brag, but to provide context for a level of professionalism of practice, as opposed to being a hobbyist), I'm one of those edge cases - the work i do requires the heavy lifting of a mac pro (and sometimes a crane), BUT realistically, Art doesnt (reliably) pay bills - the whole "it's a pro machine, so you should be able to afford it if you're a pro" just doesn't apply. Leases, financing etc, they're just not part of the world I work in. Peacemeal upgrading, when the financials suit me is pretty much a necessity.
 
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