I can buy Mac Pro ma356 for $650 are they any good?

[walkz87]

Hi all

i have an oppitunity to purchase a older Mac Pro ma356 for $650 AUS.

How powerful/compatable are these computers? how would it compare with my Imac 27 I7 2.8 i currently own?
Can this mac pro run lion and 64 bit? what is the max speed of the ram which can be used?
Are there any foreseen limitations which can be seen with this model?

***Here is the confiquration of the model being sold***
2 x 2.66GHz Intel Xeon (Woodcrest) Dual core processors (Total: 4 cores & 8M cache)
4GB DDR2 Fully Buffered ECC Memory
7200GT 256MB Graphics
500GB Sata Storage
CD/DVD Burner Combo
Keyboard/Mouse/Power cable INCLUDED
OSX Snow Leopard 10.6 Installed (no other software installed or included)

***here are the original configuration of the model***
Product Specification:
General Type Personal computer
Product Form Factor Tower
Width 8.1 in
Depth 18.7 in
Height 20.1 in
Weight 42.3 lbs
Processor Type Intel Xeon 5150 / 2.66 GHz
Multi-Core Technology Dual-Core
64-bit Computing Yes
Installed Qty 2
Max Supported Qty 2
Processor Main Features Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology, Intel Execute Disable Bit, Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology, Intel Virtualization Technology
Cache Memory Type L2 cache
Installed Size 8 MB
Cache Per Processor 4 MB ( 2 x 2 MB )
Mainboard Data Bus Speed 1333 MHz
RAM Installed Size 1 GB / 16 GB (max)
Technology DDR2 SDRAM - ECC
Memory Speed 667 MHz
Form Factor FB-DIMM 240-pin
Features Fully buffered
Configuration Features 2 x 512 MB
Storage Controller Type 1 x Serial ATA - integrated
Controller Interface Type Serial ATA-300
Channel Qty 4
Storage Hard Drive 1 x 250 GB - standard - Serial ATA-300
Optical Storage Type DVD±RW (+R DL)
Read Speed 32x (CD) / 16x (DVD)
Write Speed 24x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 6x (DVD+R DL)
Rewrite Speed 24x (CD)
Monitor Monitor Type None.
Graphics Controller Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT
Video Memory 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM
Type PCI Express x16 - plug-in card
Max Monitors Supported 2
Digital Video Standard Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Audio Output Type Sound card - integrated
Input Device Type Mouse, keyboard
Keyboard Interface USB
Features Built-in two USB 1.1 ports
Mouse Technology Optical
Interface USB
Networking Networking Network adapter - integrated
Data Link Protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet
Expansion / Connectivity Expansion Bays 4 (total) / 3 (free) x internal - 3.5" x 1/3H ¦ 2 (total) / 1 (free) x front accessible
Expansion Slot(s) 8 (total) / 6 (free) x memory - FB-DIMM 240-pin ¦ 1 (total) / 0 (free) x PCI Express x16 - full-length, full-height ¦ 2 (total) / 0 (free) x processor ¦ 3 (total) / 3 (free) x PCI Express
Interfaces 1 x display / video - DVI-Analog/Digital - 29 pin combined DVI ¦ 1 x display / video - DVI-Analog/Digital (dual link) - 29 pin combined DVI ¦ 2 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 ¦ 2 x IEEE 1394b (FireWire 800) - 9 pin FireWire 800 ( 1 in front ) ¦ 2 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 6 pin FireWire ( 1 in front ) ¦ 5 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A ( 2 in front ) ¦ 1 x headphones - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ¦ 1 x audio - SPDIF input - TOSLINK ¦ 1 x audio - SPDIF output - TOSLINK ¦ 1 x audio - line-in - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ¦ 1 x audio - line-out - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Expansion Bays Total (Free) 4 ( 3 ) x internal - 3.5" x 1/3H ¦ 2 ( 1 ) x front accessible
Expansion Slots Total (Free) 8 ( 6 ) x memory - FB-DIMM 240-pin ¦ 1 ( 0 ) x PCI Express x16 - full-length, full-height ¦ 2 ( 0 ) x processor ¦ 3 ( 3 ) x PCI Express
Miscellaneous Cables Included DVI-VGA adapter
Power Device Type Power supply
Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Operating System / Software OS Provided Apple MacOS X 10.5
Software Apple QuickTime, Apple Mac OS X Mail, Apple iCal, Apple DVD Player, Apple Address Book, Apple Safari, Apple iChat AV, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, Apple Dashboard, Apple Spotlight, Apple XCode Developer Tools, iWork '08 (Trial), Apple iLife '08, Apple Spaces, Apple Quick Look, Apple Time Machine
Environmental Standards ENERGY STAR Qualified Yes
Manufacturer Warranty Service & Support 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year ¦ Technical support - phone consulting - 90 days
Environmental Parameters Min Operating Temperature 50 °F
Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
Humidity Range Operating 5 - 95%

 

[derbothaus]

Mac Pro's are very good. That one is very old. It is basically 2 core 2 Duo's equalling 4 Processors. No hyperthreading, no turbo boost, no 64-bit efi for later OS's. Your iMac is faster as well.

 

[walkz87]

would you say its worth the money?

derbothaus thanks for your help

i didnt think it would be as fast as my current Imac but would it still be fast enough to run music applications Cubase, Logic. was thinking of using this Mac Pro to make my instruemenat tracks along with storing libaries of sounds & back ups as you can 4 HDD. will it support 4X1TB HDD's? then i would use my Imac to record vocals and final Mixing with all the heavy plugins & automations. also link/network the 2 up for file sharing.

would you say its worth the money? is a good buy

 

[Umbongo]

It'll support 4 HDDs. $650 is a good price for the system.

 

[walkz87]

ddr 2 667 mhz ram

thanks Umbongo

i have read that ddr 2 667 mhz ram is the fastest which the board will support. is this corret? if so how much will an extra 4GB cost me?

 

[Toumak]

Hey,

that is a good price for such a monster.
And the best is that you can upgrade it :
- add ram (about 100$ for extra 4GB)
- change CPUS : 2 Xeon 5160 (= 4x3GHz with 8MB of cache) is about 200$
- change video card : it supports up to HD 5870
- add an ssd or/and up to 5 hdds
...

I would say that id depends of what the mac will be used for.
But I still have a 2006 Mac Pro (4x3GHz 12GB SSD + HD 5870),
and it is still a really powerful computer.

 

[Neodym]

And the best is that you can upgrade it :
[...]
- change CPUS : 2 Xeon 5160 (= 4x3GHz with 8MB of cache) is about 200$

You can even implant 8 core-CPUs: 5355 (8x2,66GHz) or 5365 (8x3,0GHz).

i have read that ddr 2 667 mhz ram is the fastest which the board will support. is this corret?

Yes.

if so how much will an extra 4GB cost me?

Depends on where you're from. In Europe you can currently get a 4GB Kingston Kit (2x2GB) for ~70-75,- € and an 8GB Kingston kit (2x4GB) for around 140,- €.

 

[accessoriesguy]

just a heads up i believe mac pros come stock with buffered RAM as apposed to unbuffered RAM, it costs a bit more, but its better for servers since it helps prevent RAM errors.

 

[rhett7660]

Bigger question, what do you plan on using it for?

 

[ActionableMango]

How powerful/compatable are these computers? how would it compare with my Imac 27 I7 2.8 i currently own?
Can this mac pro run lion and 64 bit?

Your iMac is much faster.

You can run Lion and you can run 64-bit applications, but you cannot run a 64-bit kernel due to the 32-bit EFI. (Well, technically you can run 64-bit kernel with some hacks.) I think this means you also cannot use anything that relies on a 64-bit KEXT.

Are there any foreseen limitations which can be seen with this model?

Your CPU upgrade path is pretty limited. It's old and slow technology compared to current Macs.

Wi-fi and bluetooth were options on a MP this old, so unless this specific one has those added, you might need to spend additional money to use wireless networking or devices.

Optical bays are IDE/PATA, not SATA.

According to Barefeats the best video card you can take advantage of is the ATI 5770. (ATI 5870 works, but costs twice as much and doesn't really improve things on this model MP.)

Some Nvidia graphics cards won't work at all because they need 64bit EFI.

You won't get audio out from HDMI and MDP ports.

 

[goMac]

just a heads up i believe mac pros come stock with buffered RAM as apposed to unbuffered RAM, it costs a bit more, but its better for servers since it helps prevent RAM errors.

I don't believe you can install unbuffered memory at all into a Mac Pro until the 2009 models.

 

[wikus]

I don't believe you can install unbuffered memory at all into a Mac Pro until the 2009 models.

FB-DIMMs only in the 1,1 Mac Pros. I would know. And the RAM is super expensive, especially when its rare.

 

[G-Force]

Mac Pro 1,1/2,1/3,1 all use FB-DIMMs.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

It is okay for the money. You can upgrade this Mac Pro quite easily as they are a joy to work inside.

Consider:-

1. SSD

2. Memory from OWC:-
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/53FB1MPK04GB/

3. Faster graphics card, say a nVidia Ge Force 8800GT for Mac Pro 1.1

4. Upgrade the CPU to X5355/5365 Quad Cores. Get them for about $300 on eBay etc.

PM me, left click on name, for assistance Down Under.

 

[MacinJosh]

Your CPU upgrade path is pretty limited. It's old and slow technology compared to current Macs.

True, but my 4-core 3.0Ghz is still up there with the current base MBP and Mini in terms of Geekbench scores. Not bad for a 6-year-old machine. I get 6827 for 64-bit and 6146 for 32-bit in Snow Leopard.

A 5365 setup would get 5-figure results.

Wi-fi and bluetooth were options on a MP this old, so unless this specific one has those added, you might need to spend additional money to use wireless networking or devices.

Yes. If the OP needs to, I can point him to a reputable eBay seller in Hong Kong who sells official Apple parts new and used with free shipping worldwide. I bought both BT and WiFi and spent only USD26.99 for both of them together. Shipping was prompt and they work perfectly.

 

[nambuccaheadsau]

My 1.1 Mac Pro with X5355 processors, 16GB memory, OWC Mercury Extreme and ATI Radeon HD4870 1GB return a Geekbench score of 9806 which puts it up there with much later machines.