Found an 09 Mac Pro for $40

[flowrider]

Pretty sure I'm gonna sell.

I wouldn't, if I were you. the 4,1 has potential, lots of potential. The 1,1 does not. You needed to kludge it just to run the latest OS. Get rid of the Tiamo Kludge and keep that sucker. Your old 1,1 should more than recoup what you paid for the 4,1.

Lou

 

[OS6-OSX]

You did not mention what apps you use on the Macs. Whatever they may be, the option to remain current on them is better with the 4,1 than the 1,1.
After you get the 4,1 up and running with the OS and apps of your choice, the 1,1 will be headed out the door!

 

[matty1551]

If I leave both these machines AS IS, which is faster? Please do not factor in future upgradability.

Mac 1,1
2 Quad Core 2.66 CPU (x5355)
20 GB RAM
Nvidia GTX660

Mac 4,1
1 Quad Core 2.66 CPU (w3520)
16GB RAM
Nvidia GTX 660

This is mostly for everyday tasks, occasional gaming, and occasional Logic Pro use.

 

[CASLondon]

If I leave both these machines AS IS, which is faster? Please do not factor in future upgradability.

Mac 1,1
2 Quad Core 2.66 CPU (x5355)
20 GB RAM
Nvidia GTX660

Mac 4,1
1 Quad Core 2.66 CPU (w3520)
16GB RAM
Nvidia GTX 660

This is mostly for everyday tasks, occasional gaming, and occasional Logic Pro use.

They're pretty close, other than the multiple core rendering speeds might be faster as is on that earlier machine AS IS

That 4,1 you can get a fast hex core upgrade, and it will probably smoke the earlier one. And your GPU options should be wider down the road, improving game performance

 

[flowrider]

If I leave both these machines AS IS, which is faster? Please do not factor in future upgradability.

Look Here:

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-X5355-vs-Intel-Xeon-W3520

They're pretty close, other than the multiple core rendering speeds might be faster as is on that earlier machine AS IS

I don't agree - the architecture of the 4,1 is 2 generations newer than the 1,1. Faster bus, faster Ram, better, newer design.

Lou

 

[NOTNlCE]

Keep in mind your '09 has Hyperthreading on that Quad Core, so OS X will see 8 cores, similar to your 1,1 - the raw multicore performance may be slightly lower when you check up on the CPUs, but the 4,1 is almost twice as good as the 1,1 for occasional gaming, and though you might not notice it that much, is probably much better for casual use due to faster RAM access. Though I remember you saying previously that you don't have an SSD - a PCIe SSD will do wonders for either machine, but will perform better in your 4,1 due to the increased PCIe bandwidth.

The Architecture advancements alone are worth switching to the 4,1 - let alone the future upgradability and OS X support. There's just no reason NOT to use the 4,1 imho.

EDIT:

I would suppose the reason it was thrown away was the faulty video card, but I'd run some stress tests for a few days to make sure that was the issue. Don't want a logic board dying on you if you choose to sell your 1,1.

 

[Macsonic]

If I leave both these machines AS IS, which is faster? Please do not factor in future upgradability.

Mac 1,1
2 Quad Core 2.66 CPU (x5355)
20 GB RAM
Nvidia GTX660

Mac 4,1
1 Quad Core 2.66 CPU (w3520)
16GB RAM
Nvidia GTX 660

This is mostly for everyday tasks, occasional gaming, and occasional Logic Pro use.

Hi Matty1551 Just sharing some inputs. For general daily tasks like surfing, emails or moderate encoding the difference is minimal between the 1.1 and 4.1 Mac Pro. In major heavy tasks, the 4.1 Mac Pro will be faster though in certain tasks the speed difference may be minimal. I don't play games but I think the 4.1 will be faster if the game you're playing runs on 64bit. I have used various Mac Pros from 2006, early 2008 3.1, 2009 4.1 up to the 5.1 2012 Mac Pros and certain daily tasks, the speed was minimal or hardly noticeable. What is also important is keeping your Mac "healthy" and optimized and how you manage your files so your Mac runs smoothly and apps run snappily. Normally best way is to store your work files on a separate HD and just have your boot drives with just your apps.

It's up to you if you want to keep your 1.1 Mac Pro as a second backup or sell it as probably you are more familiar with your needs. You'll get a mix of suggestions whether to keep or sell your 1.1.

 

[matty1551]

I understand its an upgrade over my 1,1 but its an upgrade I don't want, nor need. I could see how a lot of you pro users could be drooling over that potential upgrade but I guess for me it's more hassle than its worth.

If anyone out there is in the San Jose area in CA and wants to come check out the 09, shoot me a PM.

Most likely going to part with it if I can find someone local.

 

[Macsonic]

I understand its an upgrade over my 1,1 but its an upgrade I don't want, nor need. I could see how a lot of you pro users could be drooling over that potential upgrade but I guess for me it's more hassle than its worth.

If anyone out there is in the San Jose area in CA and wants to come check out the 09, shoot me a PM.

Most likely going to part with it if I can find someone local.

You can also try out the 4.1 Mac Pro to compare. Hands on real world experience opportunity is there. Your advantage is you got it at a good price that you can't get anywhere.

 

[h9826790]

Look Here:

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Xeon-X5355-vs-Intel-Xeon-W3520

Agree that the 4,1 will be faster in almost all aspect. Even though multi core performance, the single CPU 4,1 may still perform better. As the link reported, 64bit GeekBench shows that the W3520 has more than double performance than the X5355.

Also, even though I do not consider future hardware upgrade. The software support for 4,1 is still better than 1,1 (e.g. you can run Mavericks on it natively). A better OS will give you better performance as well.

For just $40 dollars. I will keep that 4,1. Let's say I don't want to invest any more on that machine. And if the graphic card is the only problem. I will simply move my current graphic card to the 4,1 and use the 4,1. Then keep my 1,1 for a period of time as a safe backup.

The RAM may cost more money as well. However, if you are patient enough to search on the net, you should able the get 4x4G DDR3 1066MHz ECC with less than $60. The machine is not a new machine anyway, I won't bother to get any expensive new RAM in it.

For a total of $100 or less. It's definitely a good move from a 1,1 to 4,1.

 

[matty1551]

Guys (and girls), why can't I get it to boot osx? My windows drive booted fine. My main drive has tiamos efi so I stopped trying with that. I installed mavericks on my new ssd from my MacBook Pro and then swapped it over to the pro and its giving me a "no bootable device".

What am I missing? I'm feeling like it must be something simple because this shouldn't be happening.

 

[matty1551]

Nevermind. Was using a windows keyboard and was not hitting the "option" key.

 

[zephonic]

Congrats on your $40 W3520! Now THAT is the deal of the year!

I'd hate you if you sold it, but I'd be reluctant to recommend keeping it. All cMP's are going to go the way of the dodo in the next three years or so.

But for $40, hell dude, why not keep it and use it? You could prolly sell it and make a tidy profit, but a few hundred bucks versus using a machine that can run Mavericks and most likely 10.10 as well...

Either way, you'll come out ahead.

 

[Macsonic]

Nevermind. Was using a windows keyboard and was not hitting the "option" key.

I was using a Windows keyboard too years ago and use the "alt" key to select my boot drive. Just a side note, from my experience, when booting by selecting the boot drive via "option key", the 2006 to 2008 Mac Pros' HD icons would show up on the screen somewhat faster than the 2009-2012.

 

[CASLondon]

Congrats on your $40 W3520! Now THAT is the deal of the year!

I'd hate you if you sold it, but I'd be reluctant to recommend keeping it. All cMP's are going to go the way of the dodo in the next three years or so.

But for $40, hell dude, why not keep it and use it? You could prolly sell it and make a tidy profit, but a few hundred bucks versus using a machine that can run Mavericks and most likely 10.10 as well...

Either way, you'll come out ahead.

I can't see that. They were selling cMP up until about 9 months ago. There's no obvious reason they will go the way of the dodo in the next 3 years. I would guess you'd have at least 5/6 years

 

[Macsonic]

I can't see that. They were selling cMP up until about 9 months ago. There's no obvious reason they will go the way of the dodo in the next 3 years. I would guess you'd have at least 5/6 years

Yep. These cMac Pro are still useable for the next 5+ years. I've also met clients or design production agencies still using 1.1 Mac Pros and even PowerMac G5s. It's not the fastest or the newest computer today but they're earning good money from those machines. I guess it's up to one's personal preferences.

 

[A Hobo]

So tiamos boot efi is my issue then.

----------

The computer is a single 2.66 W3520.

Do you still think this machine will outperform my dual CPU 2.66 on my Mac Pro 1,1?

Depends on what you do.
In single threaded and memory intensive apps 4,1 will be faster. In gaming as well.
In multithreaded apps it won't, unless you'll upgrade CPU to Hex.
I own both: 1,1 with 28GB RAM and 5365s and 4,1 with W3570 and 48GB.
4,1 has undoubtedly higher potential than your current MP.

you're kidding? the 2009s cpu will destroy the 2006s, the 2006 is 2x dual core 2.66ghz, based on core 2 tech, the 2009 is a quad core (8 thread) part based on the nehalem tech, and will beat the older 1,1 in every single application.

----------

Guys (and girls), why can't I get it to boot osx? My windows drive booted fine. My main drive has tiamos efi so I stopped trying with that. I installed mavericks on my new ssd from my MacBook Pro and then swapped it over to the pro and its giving me a "no bootable device".

What am I missing? I'm feeling like it must be something simple because this shouldn't be happening.

you should reset the PRAM, its defaulting to a windows boot, hence the bios error. resetting the pram will clear that and default to a OSX priority boot, its a good idea to do it even though you say you got passed it by using Option. there could be other setting that need clearing. (chances are the previous owner used to boot to windows before he trashed it)

 

[666sheep]

you're kidding? the 2009s cpu will destroy the 2006s, the 2006 is 2x dual core 2.66ghz, based on core 2 tech, the 2009 is a quad core (8 thread) part based on the nehalem tech, and will beat the older 1,1 in every single application.

No, I'm not. I guess you didn't read that OP has 2x 5355 (2.66 Quad Cores) in his 1,1.
Hyperthreaded core doesn't give the same computing power as physical core.
In well multithreaded apps 2x 5355 are faster than 1x W3520. You can check these graphs which I made one day when I was bored.
First is Cinebench 11.5, second Blender Cycles CPU (Mike Pan - seconds to render), third is Geekbench 2.2.7 64-bit.
If you'll convert numbers to %, you'll have a better picture. All tests were made on my own machines.
If I'd be the OP, I'd follow the advice to sell the 1,1, but I am not him

 

[adam9c1]

If you decide to keep 4,1 before you sell 1,1 make sure 4,1 is stable ie no issues.

Rock on

 

[matty1551]

I have most of my stuff on the 4,1 to test it out. I'm still hesitant to make the full switch though.

How much do you think I could get for my 1,1? (2 quad core CPU, 20GB Ram)

 

[macuser453787]

How much do you think I could get for my 1,1? (2 quad core CPU, 20GB Ram)

When I was shopping for my MP I noticed that macofalltrades.com had some really good prices (I bought my previous Mac from them back in 2004, which was a G4). Their prices seemed to be about where the prices were at for similar MP models being sold on ebay at the time. This is Mac of all Trades' MP page.

Check out the attached screen shots from that page. The file named "prices" shows the prices of the 1,1 (and 2,1) that they have right now (I highlighted the model names and prices in yellow). I also included a "comparison" file so you can get an idea of specs for each of those three models. I suggest finding the nearest specs to your 1,1 in it's stock config and then factor in any differences specific to your machine's actual config (for example the 20GB RAM and 8 cores that your 1,1 has). You can also check for any MPs with similar specs on ebay.