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MP 6,1 Buy Mac Pro 2013 in 2019?

Your situation is exactly like mine. I've a Mac Pro 2010 and planning to get a used Mac Pro 2013. However, my existing Mac Pro 2010 has a lot of PCIe-devices connected. Such as Vega 56 and bunch of external SAS RAID drives + SAS enclosure (to house those SAS RAID drives).

If I switch to Mac Pro 2013. Then I also need to get one external SAS-to-thunderbolt enclosure to house the SAS controller. If I switch to external thunderbolt-based enclosure to house those external SAS drives. I would also need to invest the very same amount of money. In either case, I would need to buy a Mac Pro 2013 + SAS-to-Thunderbolt enclosure at the same time. Which is $$$ + $$$$$.

I'm still thinking alternative. My Mac Pro 2010 is very very fast when processing 4K video footage on FCPX. The only reason is the OS upgrade capability to newer macOSes in fore-coming years. It seems that to pay for double hardware for such an upgrade is silly.
 
I think a new Mac mini would be a better option if you want an eGPU. The best option may be to save up for a year and then buy a used or refurbished Mac Pro 7,1.
 
MisterAndrew said:
I think a new Mac mini would be a better option if you want an eGPU. The best option may be to save up for a year and then buy a used or refurbished Mac Pro 7,1.
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If not to use Mac Pro grade computer. You cannot make use of multi-threading applications such as Handbrake. I'm a video editing and post processor. I've tried both hardware accelerated encoding on Handbrake (videotoolbox by Vega 56) and just the software encoding (totally relies on CPU encoding) on Handbrake. The quality of the output video of software encoding is far better than the output of hardware encoding. If you are a quality-demander. You should use the software encoding engine.

In such case, more CPU threads has become a major benefit. So need a Mac Pro. The output quality of h264 hardware encoding by Vega 45, 64...etc cannot beat the quality output by software encoding produced by Xeon CPU. It's ironic. I've a GPU hardware accelerated Mac Pro. But always need to step back to use only the software encoding to produce optimal quality output.
 
I’ll just chime in and say that I did what the topic says.

But I bought it more as a curiosity item, because I was impressed by the design (more so than the new one) and the fact that it’s not 100% made in China.

We’ve been mostly a Mac household since Apple’s Intel switch, but it’s been slowly reverting in later years, as Windows has gotten better and better, and Mac has only gotten more and more expensive.

The Mac Pro replaced a late 2014 Mac Mini that was atrocious to use even on the day of purchase (I regret never returning it, our previous Mac Mini felt faster). But my wife’s aging MacBook Air will most likely be replaced by a Windows laptop. Apart from the insane hardware prices (which honestly, I used to justify with MagSafe, sleep light, battery meters and such small, but unique features which are now gone), the fact that OpenGL is deprecated and 32-bit applications outright banned, plus that the application selection on MacOS is a wasteland compared to Windows (and the “delicious generation” is long dead) leaves little reason to stay with Apple.

I will use the Mac Pro for some casual app development and mail, but nothing more. Apple lost the desktop wars, and the new Mac Pro shows it (and any future ARM laptop will be the final nail in the coffin).
 
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I'm kinda in the same boat of an aging Mac Pro (4,1) and considering upgrading. The tallest nail is being able to run the latest OS. Considering Apple was selling the 2013 Pro up until... a few weeks ago?.. it should be getting the latest OS updates for at least 3 more years I expect. With my current system, I'll only get security updates for another 2 years (Mojave). It's still a solid machine, over 10 years old now.

So... upgrade primarily for new OS or keep to security updates, hoping hardware I want comes along?

If so, what to upgrade to?

Tall nail: general PC hardware. Windows is not an option. in the context of the machine being a tool, I can choose the parameters of the tool I use, and Windows is no. Hackintosh? They're fiddly, especially with OS updates. It's a cost-saving measure, not a trouble-saving measure. And if it's work critical, there is such a thing as "too cheap to afford."

Next option: new Mini. I have personal experience with watching mini after mini have its motherboard crap out from overuse. Video transcoding with poor thermal design, they aren't "melting" or anything, but the system as a whole is not designed to be driven to the extreme for hours upon hours for more than 2 or 3 years before they'll flake out. Out of warranty surprise. Light duty browser machine mostly, otherwise it's disposable.

Next option: iMac? Honestly, this is probably the best of the new options, I think. High performance chips better than the mini, better thermal design (i think?), and the price isn't horrendous. Also a 4k/5k screen might be nice. I think i need to think about this option a bit more, really.

Next option: used 2013 Pro... might be able to find one for about the same price as a new Mini that fits the need. Mactracker has Geekbench speed numbers that say single-core performance is less than the new mini, multi-core is near comparable on the low end and a little slower on the high end. Again, this is a machine you *should* get another 3 years of updates. If Apple decides not to, yeesh. After that, 2 years security updates. Longevity also depends on its prior life, but I hope it would be more than the mini. Also better if you tinker with the hardware, or want to upgrade elements, which a new mini has practically none. So... my-own-tech or warranty-sealed?

Personally, I think I can hold out with security updates for a couple months to see what happens with the 2013's prices and reconsider other new machines. They're not getting any newer. If prices go up, it's from demand. If they go down, it's more normal. Maybe they'll pop up as reconditioned with a 3rd-party warranty either way.

End brain dump.
 
Lycestra said:
I'm kinda in the same boat of an aging Mac Pro (4,1) and considering upgrading. The tallest nail is being able to run the latest OS. Considering Apple was selling the 2013 Pro up until... a few weeks ago?.. it should be getting the latest OS updates for at least 3 more years I expect. With my current system, I'll only get security updates for another 2 years (Mojave). It's still a solid machine, over 10 years old now.
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Is the sole reason you're considering replacing the 4,1 based on security updates? If this system otherwise meets your needs and isn't used on the Internet then I wouldn't worry about them.

While they're important and I recommend installing them when they're available their discontinuation should not be a reason to stop using an otherwise perfectly good setup. For example I have a Windows 2008 Server system which isn't connected to the Internet. Even though Microsoft will be discontinuing security updates for this OS after January 2020 (three more months) I have no plans to replace it. I see no reason to do so as it's doing everything I use it for perfectly well. The discontinuation of security updates won't change that.

This is not to say security is not important, it is. But the merely discontinuation of security updates is not an automatic reason to discard an otherwise perfectly usable system.
 
Lycestra said:
...Considering Apple was selling the 2013 Pro up until... a few weeks ago?..
Click to expand...

Apple is still selling the 2013 model -- new --. I just looked two minutes ago. A banner at the bottom of this page will take you to the configuration/order page.
www.apple.com

Mac Pro

Mac Pro with M2 Ultra combines our most capable Apple silicon yet with PCIe expansion for the ultimate in workstation-class performance.
www.apple.com
 
Yes, it is there.

irvW2CY.jpg
 
Didn’t see that banner until pointed out.
FYI 8 core nMP from Apple £3899, from Amazon UK £2368 (which is cheaper than they are selling 6 core).
 
MarkC426 said:
Didn’t see that banner until pointed out.
FYI 8 core nMP from Apple £3899, from Amazon UK £2368 (which is cheaper than they are selling 6 core).
Click to expand...
Don't feel bad as I missed it too. I was looking for something like a link an completely missed what was staring me in the face!
 
I got a refurb nMP with 1 year warranty for 1500 euro more than two years ago. ( EU )

Was a nice deal then, no new mac mini.
Pro selling points are super silent decent but far from superpower workstation.
Probably the most upgradable mac you can buy new or refurb,
Ram, processor, hard drive and most upgrades are dirt cheap, except thunderbolt expansion cases.
There are better CPU's than the standard Apple one's.
There is a 3.7 Ghz 6 core and 3.3 Ghz 8 core
The 8 core is pretty nice 4135/27254

It even has a GPU compared to the mini, even two ... but It's also the most sucky part in the design.
If your software loves GPU, they are old, when abused they could fail,
eGPU can improve but TB2 will slow it down.

And sadly the trashcan got thrown in the trash, like eGPU has trickery ...
You get fancy upgrades like bricked eGPU ...
So for future proofing It's not ideal.
Sure Apple will neglect it further.

4.1/5.1 has other downsides.
It's noisy, uses more electricity, you just know support will end.
Very capable.

For future security stuff.
Buy iMac Pro, Mac Mini or Regular Imac ... or nnMac Pro.
Maybe the nMP would do better under duress then mini or regular Imac ...
for photo editing I hate glossy screens ...

But I don't care about latest OS.
You don't buy 12 core xeon macs to get the ultimate experience of the latest OS gimmicks,
and at the same time your pro software is bricked until some update and files delete themselve when you "save" instead of "save as" until Apple resolves that problem in version .4 ...
 
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MarkC426 said:
Didn’t see that banner until pointed out.
FYI 8 core nMP from Apple £3899, from Amazon UK £2368 (which is cheaper than they are selling 6 core).
Click to expand...
Not that I want one, but I should have grabbed one from Amazon, I think they had it listed wrongly, it’s now £3699...... 🤨
 
In retrospect, definitely I should not have bought a new Mac Pro 6,1.

You could currently buy a 256GB HD, 32MB Ram, 12-core, D300 for $1500 on EBay. You could then buy a $200 Intel 660p NVMe drive. That would cost you $1700 and it would work.

I think it is more reliable than a Hackintosh except if you build a Hackintosh with 2 bootable disks on it, then that is probably more reliable.
 
I have to say.... a Mac Mini with a 3.2-4.2GHz 6 Core i7 fitted with this Thunderbolt 3 Dock from Satechi and keep in mind the Mac mini is upgradable to 64GB of memory

Along with a EGPU.... you can’t go wrong with that setup... you can even wire up everything to where the EGPU is hidden
 
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It's great to have an international board.
and the message system doesn't recognize many kanji in Japanese or Chinese - so it must be English.
 
So where is the upgrade threshold? I personally have a Mac Pro 5,1 with a dual X5675 (3.06ghz) and multiple SSDs/HDDs... plus have the ability to upgrade GPUs and PCIe SSDs... but at a limited speed.

Do I (and countless others) upgrade to the Trashcan and use an eGPU, or do we fork over countless thousands and buy a new 7,1? I have a 3.0 Mac mini (2018), but besides the TB3 output, I don't see a reason to upgrade.

For the "pro"sumer, this is a hard decision...
 
This looks great, but............................
the Kickstarter page only has 32 days left and they have only raised $16k of $670k.
Plus if you pledge $1000, you get 25% off (whatever the price is).
So it sounds bloomin expensive.
Almost sounds like a scam.
 
MarkC426 said:
This looks great, but............................
the Kickstarter page only has 32 days left and they have only raised $16k of $670k.
Plus if you pledge $1000, you get 25% off (whatever the price is).
So it sounds bloomin expensive.
Almost sounds like a scam.
Click to expand...

Yeah, propably you are right. Otherwise it looked quite interesting...
 
You got me looking at an old YouTube video though.
Seems you can connect 2 eGPU’s to MacBook Pro / iMac Pro, don’t see why you can’t do the same with the mini.
Resolve was blazing fast using 2 eGPU’s and internal gpu..... :)

 
You can't seriously consider the trash can mac pro in 2019 in comparison with the latest mac mini:
- no TB3 and you stick with old gpus. And if they fail because of hard workloads, you're ***
- no USB 3.1 Type C
- much slower single core CPU speeds

So why the heck are they still so expensive? My guess is: you can't forget that design ;) and forgive.

That's why we've just bought one to
- improve its support in the app
- make a nice upgrade project

Upgrade prices if interested:
- 1500$, MacPro6,1 6 Core Xeon 2xD500 16 GB RAM 256 GB
- 140$ 8 Core Xeon 2667 v2, 3.3Ghz/4.0 Turbo
- 230$, 1 TB Apple original NVMe ssd
- 100$, 64 GB ECC RAM

Roughly 2k and you could sell/reuse old xeon/ram/ssd
 
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