Brand New Mac Pro - Owner

[seveej]

Congrats on the MP!

Unless you definitely need something Lion offers, I'd stay on snow leopard (in fact, I did, on my MP). The RAM will need some expansion, but unless you work on really intensive stuff 8 gigs should do (at least on SL), so your optimal (no loss) choice is to get 2X2 gigs for those two slots.

Unless you do GPU-heavy stuff (games, GPU-accelerated apps), the 3870 should do.

I really would not use an old HDD as system disk. In fact I strongly second using an SSD (been using SSD's as system disks since my Alu MacBook)

Those drive sleds may be quite pricey, but I understand your urge.

RGDS,

 

[mwhities]

OWC has on major issue: price. $419 for 16GB in 4GB sticks.
You can have that for $160-180 on eBay, with standard flat heatsinks.

I'll be looking for the lower cost for sure. I've had really good luck with Ebay and other "used" hardware sales.

Congrats on the MP!

Unless you definitely need something Lion offers, I'd stay on snow leopard (in fact, I did, on my MP). The RAM will need some expansion, but unless you work on really intensive stuff 8 gigs should do (at least on SL), so your optimal (no loss) choice is to get 2X2 gigs for those two slots.

Unless you do GPU-heavy stuff (games, GPU-accelerated apps), the 3870 should do.

I really would not use an old HDD as system disk. In fact I strongly second using an SSD (been using SSD's as system disks since my Alu MacBook)

Those drive sleds may be quite pricey, but I understand your urge.

RGDS,

Thank you. I don't really need anything Lion has, nor Snow Leopard, I just know Snow Leopard runs better than Lion (at least IMHO).

8Gs for sure. I will see about upgrading if my needs for the system changes. Good, I'm not to worried about upgrading the video.

The drive IS old but, it'ds no "old". 320G 7200 RPm drive. It's way slower than SSD but, for now, it's good. I'll get a SSD as soon as the budget allows.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Snowshiro]

I read up on swapping out CPUs but, I thought it was for the 08/09 or so. Yesterday, trying to find info out on this Mac Pro, I noticed that the logic board appeared to fit the other duals and the quads. I was going to eventually look into it but, I may look into it faster now. :

The 2006 Pro has 3 upgrade options for CPU

Intel Xeon 2.33Ghz X5345
Intel Xeon 2.66Ghz X5355
Intel Xeon 3.0Ghz X5365

All are quad core, so you're going from 4 physical cores to 8 for a pair. As I mentioned in my previous post, the majority of people seem to go for the 5355s because they're in plentiful supply and reasonably priced. The 5365s tend to command quite a significant price premium for a relatively small performance improvement.

If you go for a pair of X5355s, there are 3 variants: SLAC4, SLY9M and SLAEG. The most recent are the SLAEGs which have improved stepping (power management) so the power consumption while idle is lower. All three types work fine in the 2006 Pro though, and to be honest you probably won't notice a huge amount of difference in normal daily use. I have SLY9Ms in mine.

If you decide to upgrade at some point, by all means post again and there are plenty of people here who have already done the procedure and can advise you about some of the things to watch out for when changing the chips.

 

[TyPod]

23 Cinema HD @2560x1600? Little weird. Native is 1920x1200.
Seems like similar driver bug as with 7950s.

I saw that too! I was going to be rattled if my Cinema Display had a higher resolution than 1920 X 1200 all this time!

 

[mwhities]

The 2006 Pro has 3 upgrade options for CPU

Intel Xeon 2.33Ghz X5345
Intel Xeon 2.66Ghz X5355
Intel Xeon 3.0Ghz X5365

All are quad core, so you're going from 4 physical cores to 8 for a pair. As I mentioned in my previous post, the majority of people seem to go for the 5355s because they're in plentiful supply and reasonably priced. The 5365s tend to command quite a significant price premium for a relatively small performance improvement.

If you go for a pair of X5355s, there are 3 variants: SLAC4, SLY9M and SLAEG. The most recent are the SLAEGs which have improved stepping (power management) so the power consumption while idle is lower. All three types work fine in the 2006 Pro though, and to be honest you probably won't notice a huge amount of difference in normal daily use. I have SLY9Ms in mine.

If you decide to upgrade at some point, by all means post again and there are plenty of people here who have already done the procedure and can advise you about some of the things to watch out for when changing the chips.

Very cool. I saw those on Ebay today. Some seemed pretty well priced. I noticed the different names and had no earthly idea. I will ask for help.

Thank you for the write up, very helpful.

 

[mwhities]

Those drive sleds may be quite pricey, but I understand your urge.

I'm considering trading my #3 and #4 trays for 4 blank trays. I see they are going for 14.99 to 20 bucks on Ebay. Nothing urgent right now but, I'll address it soon.

 

[mwhities]

So the 320G is in as the boot drive and I was able to put my 1T drive in. Working perfectly. Now to get a couple more and hide a SSD drive in the optibay.

Last night, about 4 times, my power kinda "flickered". Maybe like a "brown out" or something like that. So, I turned if off and unplugged it before I went to bed.

So far tonight, nothing has happened. I'm not sure if it was the power it's self or the MP doing. Am I being to paranoid?

 

[mwhities]

System has been running none stop since the last post. I'm quite happy with it.

I decided to try and run Diablo III on it to see how it'd do. Ohh My! I'm VERY impressed. By default, the settings were on high and it ran wonderfully. It was like a new game. For those of you that play it, I had never seen the glowing under the dead bodies... My 2010 Macbook could only handle the lowest setting, so now, this is like a brand new game.

I literally walked around slowly checking out the details in everything. I like it. I believe that with this system being 7 years old, it's the fastest home system I've ever had. (Money has always been tight.) I got this system as a mind blowing price so, I really don't want to share it.

So, I will read the previous posts again but, what video cards are recommended for this system? It will be awhile before I buy as I want to get drives first. I do want to upgrade the video card for sure now.

I've been using iMovie for my "newbie" video editing. Is there another you all might recommend? I'm looking for inexpensive and easy to use program. It has to run well on Snow Leopard too. I prefer SL over Lion and since I can't run ML, I'm staying with SL.

Currently looking for a 256G+- SSD drive. I like this little mounting bracket that OWC has: http://eshop.macsales.com/owcpages/multimount/ I'm definitely going to get that.

EDIT: I didn't see any recommended (I scanned quickly). Note: I'll be running the 23" ACD AL and looking to get another, I doubt I'll get anything bigger anytime soon. So considering that, please recommend an inexpensive (better) video card that I have now.

Thanks!

 

[AnonMac50]

I'm on it now. It's running great! Need to get a KB and mouse now. This broken Dell KB sucks...

Added SSs.

Apple Cinema Display 23" 2560x1600?

 

[mwhities]

Apple Cinema Display 23" 2560x1600?

That's what it said. Docs at Apple says it can't but, in Lion it did actually look like it was, compared to when I installed Snow Leopard. Safari wasn't quite as small in SL as it was in Lion.

I need to slap another drive in and install Lion and compare. I suppose I could take full screen screen shots and then compare them.

 

[AnonMac50]

That's what it said. Docs at Apple says it can't but, in Lion it did actually look like it was, compared to when I installed Snow Leopard. Safari wasn't quite as small in SL as it was in Lion.

I need to slap another drive in and install Lion and compare. I suppose I could take full screen screen shots and then compare them.

If it is normally like that then I definetly want one.

 

[mwhities]

If it is normally like that then I definetly want one.

I don't believe it's normal.

http://support.apple.com/kb/SP77

Then again, no one thought the 2010 Mid-Macbook would support 16Gs ram...

 

[Dc2006ster]

I have the 2006 1,1 mac pro and over the years have done all those things suggested by Snowshiro. The SSD boot drive (128 gig) had the most effect. The video card upgrade to Radeon 5770 (?) was necessary due to failure of the original card. I upgraded the CPUs to quad core in my opinion it would be the last thing to do. It helps with general snappiness and with video editing or handbrake but with some tasks it made little or no difference.

 

[Snowshiro]

I have the 2006 1,1 mac pro and over the years have done all those things suggested by Snowshiro. The SSD boot drive (128 gig) had the most effect. The video card upgrade to Radeon 5770 (?) was necessary due to failure of the original card. I upgraded the CPUs to quad core in my opinion it would be the last thing to do. It helps with general snappiness and with video editing or handbrake but with some tasks it made little or no difference.

Yes, this is very true. Going to quad cores won't make much noticeable difference to general application usage like word processing or browsing the web. It only really comes into play for activities like video conversion or 3d rendering where the machine is munching through large amounts of data for a prolonged period of time. If you do a lot of ripping or 3D work, it can potentially cut the wait time almost in half (providing your application is capable of utilizing all cores).

That's what it said. Docs at Apple says it can't but, in Lion it did actually look like it was, compared to when I installed Snow Leopard. Safari wasn't quite as small in SL as it was in Lion.

I need to slap another drive in and install Lion and compare. I suppose I could take full screen screen shots and then compare them.

It might be scaling everything, so stuff looks smaller but isn't actually at a higher resolution. My 23" ACD is definitely 1920x1200 max.

I really don't mean to be rude, so please don't be offended by the dumb question, but you are absolutely sure it's a 23" right? The only reason I ask is that the 30" ACD native resolution is 2560×1600 which is what you reported. These days with people often owning 50" televisions (or bigger), 30 inches doesn't look quite as big as it used to...

 

[mwhities]

It might be scaling everything, so stuff looks smaller but isn't actually at a higher resolution. My 23" ACD is definitely 1920x1200 max.

I really don't mean to be rude, so please don't be offended by the dumb question, but you are absolutely sure it's a 23" right? The only reason I ask is that the 30" ACD native resolution is 2560×1600 which is what you reported. These days with people often owning 50" televisions (or bigger), 30 inches doesn't look quite as big as it used to...

It's a 23" HD ACD. When I installed Snow Leopard, it maxed 1920X1200. I think it's buggy.

 

[mwhities]

Are the numbers okay? Tonight my MP1,1 is louder (fans) than what it has been.



Seems quite hit for ram.

 

[GermanyChris]

Are the numbers okay? Tonight my MP1,1 is louder (fans) than what it has been.

View attachment 412098

Seems quite hit for ram.

Looks OK to me..

 

[TheEasterBunny]

That's what it said. Docs at Apple says it can't but, in Lion it did actually look like it was, compared to when I installed Snow Leopard. Safari wasn't quite as small in SL as it was in Lion.

I need to slap another drive in and install Lion and compare. I suppose I could take full screen screen shots and then compare them.

When you take screen shots, in the info window (right click/Get info) it will tell you the resolution of the screen shots. It will match the resolution of the screen.

 

[mwhities]

Looks OK to me..

Ok, just making sure.

Thank you.

When you take screen shots, in the info window (right click/Get info) it will tell you the resolution of the screen shots. It will match the resolution of the screen.

Yup yup. That's what I was going to do. Thanks.

 

[mwhities]

Well, can some one explain this?

I took screen shots of screen shots to show i didn't swap around.

Edit: Added System Report SS.

 

[mwhities]

At any rate. I gave up on Snow Leopard (Mostly because of the cost of SLServer.) and I am going to stay with Lion. I have experience with ML Server so, hopefully Lion won't ne to different. I just called Apple and ordered Server. I should receive an email with a download link and redemption code within 1-3 business days. So it could be next week before I get it.

I'm going to make the MP my storage/media center. I already have Plex up and running on it.

Anyone else here running Lion Server? Anything to watch for or anything?

 

[Snowshiro]

I'm going to make the MP my storage/media center. I already have Plex up and running on it.

Something you might want to bear in mind. It may not be a big deal for you, but I thought it worth mentioning:

Mac Pros suck power like you wouldn't believe. Particularly the first gen model. Generally media center machines tend to be the kind of thing that are powered up 24/7, in which case you may notice a significant hit on your electricity bills.

By comparison:

The media server I run in my home is about as stripped down as you can get, and draws 20 watts when being absolutely thrashed.

A 2006 Mac Pro 2 x Dual Core 2.66 draws over 170 watts when idle and 250 watts when being pushed.

Obviously I wouldn't dare tell you how you should use your machine, but I thought it might be worth knowing, since you're a new owner.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

Thnx!!!

If you can find a serial number, you can google mac serial decoder and there are websites that can tell you more about the system. As for the booting to a file folder with a question mark, it either means that there is no OS installed or that there is an issue with the HD.

WOW, great post! Checked my MP instantly

Serial Number:
Model: - Mac Pro (Early 2008) (CTO)
Codename: - No codename assigned.
Build Country: - This unit was built in Cork, Ireland.
Build Year: - This unit was built in 2008.
Build Week - Your Mac was built in week 29 of that year (July).
Production Nr.: - This unit was number 197 to be built that week.

----------

Just picked up a "2006 Mac Pro".

The person I bought it from (Craigslist) said it's a 2006 Model: #A1186 (I'll try to find the serial tonight after a movie date with the wife.) He said it boots up but, there is question mark with a folder that comes up.

I opened the side and pulled out the memory cards. Looks like two banks of 512mg (1gig per?) and 2 1G banks. Total 4Gs(?).

I've never had or opened up a Mac Pro so, I couldn't (even if I could) see what possible CPUs it has. Is there anyway, minus booting up to tell what kind it is? It doesn't have a hard drive installed (missing the hd glides(?) in the first two spots.) and I won't get access to mess with it until tomorrow night.

I go the logicboard number and google states it supports all the ranges of CPU that EveryMac has. (Just noticed 2008 possibly - http://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/?search_keywords=A1186)

Any help will be appreciated.

_
CHEERS! and HAPPY--MACCING!!!

 

[mwhities]

Something you might want to bear in mind. It may not be a big deal for you, but I thought it worth mentioning:

Mac Pros suck power like you wouldn't believe. Particularly the first gen model. Generally media center machines tend to be the kind of thing that are powered up 24/7, in which case you may notice a significant hit on your electricity bills.

By comparison:

The media server I run in my home is about as stripped down as you can get, and draws 20 watts when being absolutely thrashed.

A 2006 Mac Pro 2 x Dual Core 2.66 draws over 170 watts when idle and 250 watts when being pushed.

Obviously I wouldn't dare tell you how you should use your machine, but I thought it might be worth knowing, since you're a new owner.

Thanks for the info. I will see how much it goes up this next month. If it's to high, the wife will let me know for sure.

----------

WOW, great post! Checked my MP instantly

Serial Number:
Model: - Mac Pro (Early 2008) (CTO)
Codename: - No codename assigned.
Build Country: - This unit was built in Cork, Ireland.
Build Year: - This unit was built in 2008.
Build Week - Your Mac was built in week 29 of that year (July).
Production Nr.: - This unit was number 197 to be built that week.

----------


_
CHEERS! and HAPPY--MACCING!!!

I didn't follow a few I checked. They got my hopes up that it was a 2008 and it's actually the 2006. I'll see if I can find the URL that I used. It's on Apple's site somewhere.

 

[GermanyChris]

The apple serial decoder is kinda cool (Thanks Big Dave) but this made me smile. I think I've exceeded the max memory