What to do with a Mac Pro 1,1?

[izzy0242mr]

This thing is ancient. It has 32 GB RAM and 1.5 TB storage and two 3.1 GHz Xeon chips and is running High Sierra, I think. The beast sucks power like Count Ampula and I don't really want to use it as a backup machine for that reason.

Is it worth keeping the case and using it for a custom PC build or something down the road? It is a cool enclosure but definitely quite heavy.

 

[Amethyst1]

Is it worth keeping the case and using it for a custom PC build or something down the road? It is a cool enclosure but definitely quite heavy.

If that's your cup of tea, why not?

If you absolutely don't see yourself using it, you might also consider selling or donating it to someone who will be happy to make use of it. It is ancient, but still a somewhat powerful workstation.

 

[eyoungren]

This thing is ancient. It has 32 GB RAM and 1.5 TB storage and two 3.1 GHz Xeon chips and is running High Sierra, I think. The beast sucks power like Count Ampula and I don't really want to use it as a backup machine for that reason.

Is it worth keeping the case and using it for a custom PC build or something down the road? It is a cool enclosure but definitely quite heavy.

Well…I am typing this on a 2.66Ghz Quad Core Intel Xeon MP 5,1 (4,1 upgraded) with 32GB ram and a 1TB boot drive.

By Ghz your 1,1 beats mine. Your 1.5TB beats my boot drive (although my other three bays are filled).

And, you're running High Sierra, the OS I was on for over a year before moving to…Mojave.

As to sucking power, well…compared to what? A Raspberry Pi? You think your MP 1,1 can beat my 2.5Ghz PowerMac G5 Quad in power consumption? And guess what? My G5 Quad only adds $20/month to the bill. That's running 24/7, full power.

What kind of energy bill are you used to? My projected electric bill for July 2022 will be $400. This month it's $363. That's all down to air conditioning in Phoenix, AZ during the summer - not power hungry computers. That $20 my G5 Quad adds? What's that compared to what I just mentioned?

Your 1,1 is just fine.

 

[izzy0242mr]

What kind of energy bill are you used to? My projected electric bill for July 2022 will be $400. This month it's $363. That's all down to air conditioning in Phoenix, AZ during the summer - not power hungry computers. That $20 my G5 Quad adds? What's that compared to what I just mentioned

Fair point. I hadn't sat down to do the actual month to month cost. Currently I'm paying like $80/month but am moving soon and expect things to be more. Apartment though (both current and next), not house, so that may help. But still, not sure if paying an extra 25% of my bill is worth it.

What sort of stuff do you use yours for? My 14" MBP is my daily driver right now and I love it.

 

[eyoungren]

Fair point. I hadn't sat down to do the actual month to month cost. Currently I'm paying like $80/month but am moving soon and expect things to be more. Apartment though (both current and next), not house, so that may help. But still, not sure if paying an extra 25% of my bill is worth it.

What sort of stuff do you use yours for? My 14" MBP is my daily driver right now and I love it.

I use mine for word processing, graphic design, internet browsing, music streaming and video watching. Additionally, one of my internal drives (3TB) is for Dropbox and a folder in there serves as a weekly backup destination for all my other Macs/PCs. Thus all my other Macs back up to my MP weekly and it goes straight up to Dropbox. That keeps those backups off the drives of all the other Macs/PCs using Dropbox.

Incidentally, my 2015 work MBP is running High Sierra and I can use the latest version of Vivaldi on that Mac. So my browser is current on that computer AND my Mac Pro (which I also use Vivaldi on).

Last but not least, yes, it's likely to be cheaper for you with your electric bill. My charges stem from keeping a two story house cool in an average of 105 to 115º heat. The house before was only one story but actually had more square footage so the price hasn't really changed. Family of four, about 1600sq feet.

 

[theMarble]

and is running High Sierra, I think.

The 1,1 and 2,1 cannot run High Sierra. They are stuck at El Capitan (10.11.6), and not even the latest security update of El Cap (the later security patch will brick the whole computer).

El Capitan is still reasonably modern, however it doesn't support the latest root certificates which are a problem if you don't have a newer Mac.

 

[izzy0242mr]

The 1,1 and 2,1 cannot run High Sierra. They are stuck at El Capitan (10.11.6), and not even the latest security update of El Cap (the later security patch will brick the whole computer).

El Capitan is still reasonably modern, however it doesn't support the latest root certificates which are a problem if you don't have a newer Mac.

Oops, maybe it is El Cap. I currently have the computer in storage and not up and running so I can't check, but I am sure you are right.

Is there a way to install modern root certs on El Cap or no?

 

[theMarble]

Oops, maybe it is El Cap. I currently have the computer in storage and not up and running so I can't check, but I am sure you are right.

Is there a way to install modern root certs on El Cap or no?

Sort of.

While some would same that you could just download new certs online, you don't know what they have done to them and since the certs are one of the primary security features of an online-connected system, you should never take that chance.

The safe way is to use a modern Mac (High Sierra+) and Keychain Access to export the new certs, and install them onto El Capitan. I did this recently on a Mac running Mountain Lion so that it could access HTTPS (secure) websites. Works great.

 

[Amethyst1]

It’s also possible to just run Linux or Windows for access to current browsers, software and security updates.

 

[theMarble]

It’s also possible to just run Linux or Windows for access to current browsers, software and security updates.

Except that you'd be limited to 32-bit Windows or hacked semi-64bit Linux.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

I like my 1,1. With that being said, if we're being honest, I don't do all that much with it. My DD machines, like you, are portables. Those portables get daily use. If you are moving around a lot, I can see how the 1,1 would be a drag to have to transport vs a MB or MBP especially if the portables serve your need. I Have been struggling to find a niche for mine recently beyond legacy OSX box w/ legacy i/o (firewire etc) although why I have it in my collection is as a transition 1st gen Intel box. Just a neat time in Apple history that is also when I first started using and experiencing OSX and was a machine I could never hope to afford at the time.

 

[bkmoore773]

I have two early 2006 intel iMacs, both running Debian. My kids use them for online school activities, such as google docs, zoom, etc. They are perfectly good Linux machines. I'm writing this post on a G5 that puts out more BTUs than MFLOPS. My G5 is dual boot, running Sorbet Leopard (a patched version of 10.5 Leopard) and 10.4 Tiger.

It all depends what you want to do with the MacPro? If I had a MacPro 1,1 and gave it to my teenage son, he would want Linux or Windows 7. He has zero interest in vintage Macintosh software. If it were mine, I'd just run 10.6 Snow Leopard and enjoy it as a vintage computer. I'd probably use it for video editing, casual hobby coding, and playing old (free) video games. Again, it comes down to what you want your Mac Pro to do or not do.

Before you tear the guts out, look for an empty case or inoperative system and sell/give the MacPro to somebody who wants it as a functioning computer.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Before you tear the guts out, look for an empty case or inoperative system and sell/give the MacPro to somebody who wants it as a functioning computer.

Agreed, these boxes can still be very useful machines to the right person. Although I daily C2D era portables, I could easily get around on a 1,1 running El Cap or a linux variant and serve my personal needs just fine. No reason to gut a functioning box when you can pretty easily find gutted cMP and PM cases for custom build purposes - often free if you're patient.

 

[TheShortTimer]

As to sucking power, well…compared to what? A Raspberry Pi? You think your MP 1,1 can beat my 2.5Ghz PowerMac G5 Quad in power consumption? And guess what? My G5 Quad only adds $20/month to the bill. That's running 24/7, full power.

What kind of energy bill are you used to? My projected electric bill for July 2022 will be $400. This month it's $363. That's all down to air conditioning in Phoenix, AZ during the summer - not power hungry computers. That $20 my G5 Quad adds? What's that compared to what I just mentioned?

Thanks for putting the cMP's energy consumption into perspective. There's no end of discussions online which deride them and the PM G5 for that matter as being economically unviable for this reason and they made me question whether it was even worth using mine. I came across this very interesting blog entry which reveals that similar criticisms could also be made of the MDD models.

PPC Luddite: Power Consumption on Power Macs

The MDDs are practically just as power hungry as G5s. The single processor 1.25 GHz G4 which was the last Mac to boot OS 9 wasn't so bad. It idled at 80 watts, but the others, particularly the dualies, all idled at 130-150 watts. That's asking for a pretty big hit in the wallet when the power bill comes.

So then why is there a fixation with the PM G5 and cMP when earlier Macs are also affected by this issue and far more tasks can be achieved at a much faster rate by the former and the latter within the same space of time as a MDD for the same energy costs?

Your 1,1 is just fine.

That's inspired me to get mine in order: I've got a 4TB spinner and 32GB RAM at the ready to be installed. El Capitan will be more than sufficient.

 

[Amethyst1]

So then why is there a fixation with the PM G5 and cMP when earlier Macs are also affected by this issue and far more tasks can be achieved at a much faster rate by the former and the latter within the same space of time as a MDD for the same energy costs?

Power consumption at idle ain’t everything. What about power consumption when the CPUs are chugging away? How do G5s compare to G4s or cMPs?

 

[TheShortTimer]

Power consumption at idle ain’t everything. What about power consumption when the CPUs are chugging away? How do G5s compare to G4s or cMPs?

I don't know but I suspect that now you've posed the question, the community will provide the answer very soon.

Anyone up for comparing their machines and sharing the results? I'd do it but my desktops aren't set up currently.

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks for putting the cMP's energy consumption into perspective. There's no end of discussions online which deride them and the PM G5 for that matter as being economically unviable for this reason and they made me question whether it was even worth using mine. I came across this very interesting blog entry which reveals that similar criticisms could also be made of the MDD models.
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That's inspired me to get mine in order: I've got a 4TB spinner and 32GB RAM at the ready to be installed. El Capitan will be more than sufficient.

That's good.

You don't know how running a machine will impact your electric bill in your own situation until you use it in the manner you wish. Everyone has a different take on it.

 

[MultiFinder17]

I can't speak to power usage, but I've been looking to replace my main machine (a 2012 5,1) with something newer not because the power usage is crazy, but the heat output certainly is. I can definitely tell when it's been on for a while this time of year in Florida

 

[eyoungren]

I can't speak to power usage, but I've been looking to replace my main machine (a 2012 5,1) with something newer not because the power usage is crazy, but the heat output certainly is. I can definitely tell when it's been on for a while this time of year in Florida

I hear you. I can definitely feel that some times. Today I did anyway. We hit 113º today in Phoenix. It's supposed to be 115º tomorrow.

You don't get as hot as we do, but we don't have your humidity. I have no idea what I'd do if I had to deal with that.

 

[MultiFinder17]

I hear you. I can definitely feel that some times. Today I did anyway. We hit 113º today in Phoenix. It's supposed to be 115º tomorrow.

You don't get as hot as we do, but we don't have your humidity. I have no idea what I'd do if I had to deal with that.

Every time I'm standing outside my classroom in the outdoor hallway in a suit in August, or when I'm in my classroom but the A/C craps out because it's ancient, I just keep thinking to myself that some people pay good money to go to a sauna. I get paid to be in one! It at least makes me laugh while I'm sweating my ass off

 

[mateo14]

This thing is ancient. It has 32 GB RAM and 1.5 TB storage and two 3.1 GHz Xeon chips and is running High Sierra, I think. The beast sucks power like Count Ampula and I don't really want to use it as a backup machine for that reason.

Is it worth keeping the case and using it for a custom PC build or something down the road? It is a cool enclosure but definitely quite heavy.

I think it is a great machine for many PowerPC games.

I use Mac Pro 5,1 for daily tasks, which has Geforce 630 GT, so I can't install Mac OS X 10.6 with the 3D acceleration. However, I keep my old Mac Mini server from 2010 to play games for PowerPC Macs like Max Payne, SOF2, and so on.

I agree with the rest of the users that Mac Pro 1,1 could be a modern computer for you if you want to install Linux or Windows.