What would you currently do if your MP bust?

[deckard666]

I have a 2,548 day old MacPro which I love to pieces - given me zero trouble in the 8 years I have had it and has been left on 24/7 for the last two ! I had no idea to this week that if mine bust it would cost me around a thousand quid to find a good replacement (a friend of mines got burnt this week) - Would all of you just replace your current machine with another old one rather than an iMac or Mac laptop ?

 

[Squuiid]

If all the internal parts still work, then sure, I'd replace with another low spec cMP and swap in the parts.
If the entire thing caught fire and all was lost then I'd review my options more carefully, especially as I'm keen to have a 5K screen.
5K iMac and MBP with LG 5K + eGPU are both good options IMO.

 

[deckard666]

I dont have that sort of money although I bought my MP 2x2.4 quad a year old and can't remember how much I paid - Were they very expensive back in the day ?

 

[nordicappeal]

Im on one to those lovely 2010 cMP I love it but currently I looking for replacement. An iMac Pro might be it for me now. If possible I would love to be able to keep it and upgrade it. Well if it died today I would get an iMac Pro - I like it.

 

[pl1984]

It all depends on the situation. One can purchase a used cMP for a reasonable price and follow squuiid suggestion of installing the working parts into the new system.

 

[deckard666]

No-one is interested in moving over to a PC then if the unthinkable happened ?

 

[jbarley]

Like pl1948 said, ^^^

 

[JesterJJZ]

iMacPro until new MacPro comes along.

 

[deckard666]

In terms of our MP power then how does it compare to like a current macBook or even an iPhone X ?

 

[flyinmac]

I'm still using my 2006 Mac Pro (in my signature).

I have a hackintosh running El Capitan as an iTunes media server supporting 3 Apple TV's and also serving as my primary music station to rock the upstairs (and my poor neighbors across the street).

I have a total investment of about $50 into the hackintosh. Probably less, but being generous in my estimate.

Honestly, it performs very well. And aside for encoding tasks, I'd say it's as responsive as my Mac Pro.

So, if my Mac Pro died, I'd probably replace it with another Hackintosh. I'd probably go a bit higher end than my current Hackintosh. But, I certainly won't pay Apple's markup for computers again. I've been unimpressed with their hardware offerings for years now, and it's just not worth the price to me anymore.

I'm also in a position where I can just as easily move to Windows, and be fine. I actually started migrating to Windows a while back, and have no complaints. The Mac Pro and my Hackintosh are my only remaining Mac OS machines, and I like them fine for the tasks I use them for. But I no longer use Mac OS for production or business purposes.

I do prefer doing my video and audio work in Mac OS. Hence the Mac Pro still having value to me. And I prefer having a direct replacement for my iTunes library if it should become damaged. So the Mac Pro and my Hackintosh maintain identical libraries. So if the worst happens, I just clone the iTunes library from one machine, and the other one is back up and running. No investment lost.

Given the architecture of OS X, it's easier to just keep iTunes in one format, than it is to have a Windows and a Mac library for backups.

A PC would obviously be fine, but generally my PC's are performing real work, while I let the Hackintosh just sit idle waiting for a TV to request a movie, or for a party to break out that requires it to liven up the dance floor with music (yep, the house is equipped lol).

So, my answer would be Hackintosh or a Windows replacement.

No way I'll ever buy another iMac (I've never had one survive my workload - always die cause I push my work machines to their limits, and iMacs can't thermally keep up with what I throw at them).

And there's no way I'll ever pay what Apple seems to think a Mac Pro is worth. I can get what I need much cheaper in a PC. I don't need a Mac Pro. I just need a better box than an iMac.

 

[steveOooo]

Depends if u need it asap.

I would probably go for a fully loaded iMac at about £4k

I bought a second hand full spec late 2013 mbp at £900 as a emergency backup

 

[pl1984]

In terms of our MP power then how does it compare to like a current macBook or even an iPhone X ?

We would need to know more about the use case you're thinking of. What types of applications are being used? Is it used to make money or is it for personal use? Was the failed system performing adequately? Do you want to move to newer technology? How soon is a replacement / repair required? What is the budget? There are too many factors to give a generic answer.

As for power compared to a MacBook or iPhone again that depends. Generally speaking the cMP excels in situations where multithreaded applications can be used or applications which can benefit from a GPU. When it comes to single thread performance the cMP is falling behind even entry level Macs (though I don't know how it compares to the latest MacBook / MacBook Airs).

Is there a specific application or area you have in mind?

 

[CrazyNurse]

Man, questions like this make me think of the worst-case-scenario...like if my house burned down.

I clone all my internal drives to 2.5" drives a couple times a year in addition to TM backups...but the cloned drives are under the same roof, still.

To scared to send all my personal docs, Lightroom, music, and video libraries to the cloud

I can't really think of a reason not to jump to a Win10 tower if I could access my files.

 

[flowrider]

Lou

 

[pertusis1]

I have a spare 4,1 sitting around. I would stick all the upgrades from my 5,1 In that and keep going.

 

[flyinmac]

I have a spare 4,1 sitting around. I would stick all the upgrades from my 5,1 In that and keep going.

That's an ideal situation.

Unfortunately, I only have exact replica spares of all my PC's. If any of them die, I just move hard drives and RAM, and go back to work.

I'm happy with the life I've gotten out of my 2006 Mac Pro. I've certainly gotten my $2500 worth out of it. It was a great bargain then. Unfortunately the days of a decent spec'd brand new Mac Pro for $2500 with an expected useful life of 12+ years is long gone. Doubt Apple will ever deliver that bargain again. Granted I've invested perhaps $300 more into it over the years. But the point is still valid.

 

[ssgbryan]

I would execute my transition plan to windows. Apple is no longer a computing company, it is a fashion company. I don't give a d**n about fashion - my computer is a tool, and nothing more.

If my Mac Pro (4,1) died, I'd move to my backup (1,1 - fully loaded) until I moved to a windows (Ryzen 7/Nvidia 1080) box.

AFA software, it would cost me about $500 to move from Mac to Windows (ZBrush license) - the HDs and data will move just fine.

 

[fendersrule]

Easy question, I would build a PC. I've been using Windows A LOT on my 5,1. Super fast OS, more optimized than Mac OS. The only problem, is that you're not as well connected with all of your devices like Mac OS allows for, although Windows keeps getting better. I think you can now connect your phone to Windows, so you can get most of the way into a "connected" ecosystem with Windows nowadays.

I have too many expensive/vital components that are easily transferable, like my SSDs, Blu-ray player, and GTX 1070. iMacs are way too expensive for the configuration I'd need. Apple simply doesn't provide me with any other offerings but the 5,1.

 

[Mac Moof]

So I have a 2009 Mac Pro that has continued on over the years after being pulled apart and upgraded and pieced back together. While I have used Macs all my life since a Quadra 610 and I do have a spare mac mini sat in the cupboard but I think it would switch to a self built PC.

I would love to think that I could hold out till a new Mac Pro comes along but since Apple is giving no timelines that could be another year from now. Plus as everyone else mentions the great deal of the 2009/10 Mac Pro are long gone and Apple's new pricing means that I still might not want to afford a new Mac Pro when its released.

 

[Flint Ironstag]

With the $1k off, I could drive an iMac Pro + eGPU for a bit.

 

[Razzerman]

No-one is interested in moving over to a PC then if the unthinkable happened ?

Sad to think it will happen one day. Having a spare gives a bit of a cushion for the short term, but long term I reckon hackintosh will be my best option. As others have said, the new mMP will be eye-wateringly expensive, especially in the U.K.

 

[Flint Ironstag]

... As others have said, the new mMP will be eye-wateringly expensive, especially in the U.K.

Why do people continue to think this? cMP was always in the ballpark with SIMILARLY CONFIGURED Dells & HPs. It's not made out of magical stuff and it absolutely has to be price competitive with its peers otherwise why exist?

 

[ssgbryan]

Why do people continue to think this? cMP was always in the ballpark with SIMILARLY CONFIGURED Dells & HPs. It's not made out of magical stuff and it absolutely has to be price competitive with its peers otherwise why exist?

Because that is the direction Apple is going......

It looks like the 3 stooges believe their own press clippings.
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No-one is interested in moving over to a PC then if the unthinkable happened ?

A lot of folks have already left. More are waiting on the nmp. If Apple screws this one up, I suspect that most of those that remain will be leaving. I have jumped OSs before, this one would be a LOT cheaper than my last one (OS/2 to OSX). The only real cost going forward is the cost of ZBrush 5.

I have a plan in place to transition to the PC. The thing is, once I make that move, there won't be a reason to keep an iphone or an ipad. The quality difference between Apple and the PC world isn't what it used to be. The reality is that moving from OSX to Windows 10 will be an improvement for anyone that isn't chained to an OSX specific piece of software.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^I use my cMP & my MBA. But I use an Android phone, a Samsung Galaxy S6. iPhones are 'just two darn expensive. I buy my phone when it's a couple of years old, I just replaced my Galaxy S4 last month with the S6. It's much easier to find new (past model Galaxy's) than iPhones, and much cheaper. I can interface with my mac from my phone and vice versa. And I can download software from the Google Play Store on my Mac directly to my phone.

Lou

 

[Razzerman]

It's not made out of magical stuff and it absolutely has to be price competitive with its peers otherwise why exist?

It's not just Apple's prices which have gone up in the UK. All imported stuff has gone up in price, mainly due to the nose dive the pound took after the Brexit vote. Still, with Apple being priced highly in the first place, the nett effect is a perceived price hike, especially on the top end gear. If the mMP comes in around £2k to £2.5k, I'd be happy with that (depending on configuration of course).