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Base 2009 Mac Pro for $400 or Keep Upgraded 2006 Model?

Gav Mack said:
I have searches saved on eBay for all the Xeons as an independent Apple tech - they do crop up. This seller had 5 and went in just over a day. If you can't find anything have a rummage through the dell and hp workstations they may just be listed as six core xeon rather than the W36xx cpu code, there are loads over your side of the pond. With Dell Precision you could always ask for the service tag and look up the spec on their website.
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Excellent advice. Thanks so much!

I did find a bunch of X5680 Xeons that are significantly cheaper than the single processor counterpart. I've looked through the forums and it seems like one of those would work as well. Just trying to find out if there's anything I would need to do differently for that chip. I read something about the 2009 models being "lidless" and I'm not too sure what that means. More research.
 
^^^^The only 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 models that used lidless CPUs were the Dual Processor models. The Single Processor 4,1 Mac Pro uses a normal lidded CPU. The X5680 will be a plug and play, actually Remove & Replace, in your machine.

Lou
 
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flowrider said:
^^^^The only 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 models that used lidless CPUs were the Dual Processor models. The Single Processor 4,1 Mac Pro uses a normal lidded CPU. The X5680 will be a plug and play, actually Remove & Replace, in your machine.

Lou
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Awesome! Thanks.

Looks like it'll be an easier upgrade than the 1,1.
 
boodaddyz said:
FORGET 4.1!!!! If I were you I would flash that 2009 as a 5.1 2010 model! You can upgrade to a 12 core Westmere with 1333 ram... With x2 5650's in that beast, you will get the same score as the new 2013 mac pro...

As snorkelman, & GameFreak also suggested. It's the best option...

Watch this first
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU8p86qHnek&list=UUR30L3xMivkmqBv2tpLNfZQ

This follow this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAdgT-hJuXU

Good luck man!
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Ermm, he is going to flash it :D
 
How is your project here coming along?

Did you get a 4.1 for 400 bucks?

I got my MacPro 4.1 in a good deal too...
I've got the Dual 2x 2.26 Ghz Quad Core, but I did make the upgrade to 2 x 2.93 Ghz Quad Core (cost was about $75 for both CPU's) and its a lot faster...

I did do a bunch of other upgrades too though :)
 
Wow thats a awesome price still compared to what they go for second hand here in Australia.

I just bought a second hand mac pro 3,1 for $400AU.

Cost me another $600AU to upgrade the unit to 16gb ram, nvidia gtx 680 and dual quad core 3.2ghz xeons.
 
So I held off on buying the 4,1 MacPro for a little bit. I wanted to work out a better price for multiple units (they have 4 that aren't going anywhere, unlike the MacBook Pros that flew off the shelves). That and the holidays are eating into my purchase power.

If I wait till January, I'm certain they'll still be there and they may even lower the price to get rid of them. Plus I'll be able to use my professional supplement (the perks of being an academic) so it wouldn't really cost me anything.

Also just found out that my department invested in a beautiful online edit suite and pulled out the stops. The space is gorgeous and I've got access to it since none of my projects anymore are commercial.

Sadly, now the need for the 4,1 isn't as pressing. But I'll pick it up in January, or wait for a batch of 2010s to make their way to surplus...

Crappers. They've got a 13" MacBook Pro 2.7Ghz i7 for $150. Must resist!
 
MacPoulet said:
So I held off on buying the 4,1 MacPro for a little bit. I wanted to work out a better price for multiple units (they have 4 that aren't going anywhere, unlike the MacBook Pros that flew off the shelves). That and the holidays are eating into my purchase power.

If I wait till January, I'm certain they'll still be there and they may even lower the price to get rid of them. Plus I'll be able to use my professional supplement (the perks of being an academic) so it wouldn't really cost me anything.

Also just found out that my department invested in a beautiful online edit suite and pulled out the stops. The space is gorgeous and I've got access to it since none of my projects anymore are commercial.

Sadly, now the need for the 4,1 isn't as pressing. But I'll pick it up in January, or wait for a batch of 2010s to make their way to surplus...

Crappers. They've got a 13" MacBook Pro 2.7Ghz i7 for $150. Must resist!
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Who's they? I'd be interested in that.
 
"They" would be the equipment surplus department at the university I work at up here in Canada. All computers get rotated out on a three year lifecycle and they sell 'em to the public.

Not sure what condition the $150 MacBook is in, it may need a new battery or trackpad at that price.

They had a 15" model last week for $250 with a bad battery, but it was working off the battery so I don't know what was wrong with it. Mind you, by three years, I'm sure most of the batteries are due to be replaced anyway.
 
I'll take a look at what's left when I'm back on campus and let everyone know what condition it's all in.

Totally agree that batteries and trackpads are a cinch to fix in these things.

Now if only they'll give me a deal on a 2009. Or I just wait for a 2010 to show up... I just can't believe these departments run them stock. Who gets a Mac Pro to run with 3GB of ram? Was probably a glorified desktop for web browsing.
 
MacPoulet said:
I'll take a look at what's left when I'm back on campus and let everyone know what condition it's all in.

Totally agree that batteries and trackpads are a cinch to fix in these things.

Now if only they'll give me a deal on a 2009. Or I just wait for a 2010 to show up... I just can't believe these departments run them stock. Who gets a Mac Pro to run with 3GB of ram? Was probably a glorified desktop for web browsing.
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Thank you, buddy!
I am looking forward to it :)
 
So a bit of a recap a year later...

I didn't get that Mac Pro for $400, but others showed up. I just picked up an identical base model 4,1 Mac Pro for $150 at my uni's surplus store. Plans are to do the firmware upgrade to make it a 5,1 add more ram, and eventually replace the CPU with a six-core.

Now I've still got the 1,1 (firmware upgrade to 2,1 and swapped out the CPUs for two quad-core 2.66ghz) and I'm trying to decide what I should do with it. I can't keep both, so I'll try to sell the 1,1 which has 16gb of ram, a 560 TI card and Intel SSD. I wonder if I should part it out or sell it all together. I may just take the video card and SSD to put in the new one and sell the 1,1 for like $50-$100. The ram alone should be worth a fair chunk of change...

Any thoughts on what else I should do to this new (to me) 4,1?
 
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MacPoulet said:
So a bit of a recap a year later...

I didn't get that Mac Pro for $400, but others showed up. I just picked up an identical base model 4,1 Mac Pro for $150 at my uni's surplus store. Plans are to do the firmware upgrade to make it a 5,1 add more ram, and eventually replace the CPU with a six-core.

Now I've still got the 1,1 (firmware upgrade to 2,1 and swapped out the CPUs for two quad-core 2.66ghz) and I'm trying to decide what I should do with it. I can't keep both, so I'll try to sell the 1,1 which has 16gb of ram, a 560 TI card and Intel SSD. I wonder if I should part it out or sell it all together. I may just take the video card and SSD to put in the new one and sell the 1,1 for like $50-$100. The ram alone should be worth a fair chunk of change...

Any thoughts on what else I should do to this new (to me) 4,1?
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So, uh, where is this university surplus store that's selling 4,1s for $150? :rolleyes:
 
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ActionableMango said:
Darn it--I could make it to Vancouver or Victoria, but Alberta is too far.
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Don't know how much it would cost to ship it to Victoria (got a friend there who owns a camera store)... But yeah, you'd have to drive through Oregon and Montana and that could be long... (guessing you're in Washington?)
 
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