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If I don't sell 4,1 Mac Pro what can I do with it, use it for?

Luba

Luba

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 22, 2009
1,814
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If I don't sell my 4,1 2009 Mac Pro 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 24 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory, ATI Radeon HD 4870 512 MB GPU, and Intel 160GB SSD, what can I use it for? Or do with it? I am planning on getting the nMP when it comes out.

I could buy OS X Server and host my own website? Is it worth it from a cost/price standpoint? Sounds like it would be fun though.
 
Luba said:
If I don't sell my 4,1 2009 Mac Pro 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 24 GB 1066 MHz DDR3 ECC memory, ATI Radeon HD 4870 512 MB GPU, and Intel 160GB SSD, what can I use it for? Or do with it? I am planning on getting the nMP when it comes out.

I could buy OS X Server and host my own website? Is it worth it from a cost/price standpoint? Sounds like it would be fun though.
Click to expand...

You could build one hell of a home server

Check out Debian or Ubuntu

FreeNAS if you don't want to connect it to a display. Also you could use it to test new OSs. I don't know if ESX will run on it but it's worth researching. It's still really good hardware.

(I say this because I worry about HFS+ as a filesystem for a server of any kind, due to the risk of data corruption vs solutions like ZFS or even ext3/4)
 
The 4.1 Mac Pro form factor makes a good display stand.
I have a 4.1(->5.1) and a g5, holding up two led displays just behind
my three eye level displays. So I expect I will probably never be able
to part with them.
 
If you decide to keep it, flash it to 5.1 and go shopping for a pair of hex core chips.
 
rdsii64 said:
If you decide to keep it, flash it to 5.1 and go shopping for a pair of hex core chips.
Click to expand...
Or just one, unless you want to keep a spare around or plan on buying a new processor tray.;)

I think the "sell & buy storage" advice is the best; unless the flash & hex approach would give you enough juice you could put off the nMP purchase. I did the 4,1>5,1 upgrade and love my hex faux 5,1.
 
DPUser said:
Or just one, unless you want to keep a spare around or plan on buying a new processor tray.;)

I think the "sell & buy storage" advice is the best; unless the flash & hex approach would give you enough juice you could put off the nMP purchase. I did the 4,1>5,1 upgrade and love my hex faux 5,1.
Click to expand...

How much were you able to get your w3680/90 for? If you don't mind me asking
 
Mission Accomplished

Solution identified - see pic.
 

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DPUser said:
I did the 4,1>5,1 upgrade and love my hex faux 5,1.
Click to expand...

Did the same thing. A wonderful upgrade! :)

Celedral said:
How much were you able to get your w3680/90 for? If you don't mind me asking
Click to expand...

Provantage has the w3680 for $573 right now. I bought mine from them for $571 about a month and a half ago and they had the best price I could find at the time (I looked pretty extensively). My guess is they still have the best price. Here's the link:

http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3680~7ITEP374.htm
 
It is the fastest and most reliable NAS I have used. I manage two MP's and two Synology 1511+'s and the MP is rock solid fast. the Synology's are nice too but I never worry about my MP's. The MP's are a redundant backup for the Synology's.

As stated, power draw is mostly likely an issue for those concerned about a few extra dollars a month.
 
Run VMware ESXi 5.5 on it and then inside that you can run smaller Mac OS X server, or just plain Mac OS X, plus Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, whatever!

I have a Mac Pro 4,1, flashed to 5,1, that I am using as a home VMware server for many VMs.
 
If you use compressor, after effects, or any other application that can do network rendering, keep it to add additional power to the nMP when rendering.
 
If you replaced all the insides with a removable rectangular container, you could use it as a cheese grater.
 
So don't get OS X Server for $20 to set up server?

Debian and Ubuntu can handle file types that a Mac would create, I assume? So ZFS is just a file system and can deal with any file type that OS X or Windows or Linux creates?

Yes, don't want to connect a display as I'll be using the display with nMP.

modemthug said:
You could build one hell of a home server

Check out Debian or Ubuntu

FreeNAS if you don't want to connect it to a display. Also you could use it to test new OSs. I don't know if ESX will run on it but it's worth researching. It's still really good hardware.

(I say this because I worry about HFS+ as a filesystem for a server of any kind, due to the risk of data corruption vs solutions like ZFS or even ext3/4)
Click to expand...


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Willing to sell it for $1000, but no serious bites so far, and Thunderbolt storage costs more than $1000.

DPUser said:
Or just one, unless you want to keep a spare around or plan on buying a new processor tray.;)

I think the "sell & buy storage" advice is the best; unless the flash & hex approach would give you enough juice you could put off the nMP purchase. I did the 4,1>5,1 upgrade and love my hex faux 5,1.
Click to expand...


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So I could use an ethernet cable 6 and connected it to my router.

Is their a way to use an ethernet cable and connect it to a Thunderbolt 2 outlet for TB2 speeds?

aplnub said:
It is the fastest and most reliable NAS I have used. I manage two MP's and two Synology 1511+'s and the MP is rock solid fast. the Synology's are nice too but I never worry about my MP's. The MP's are a redundant backup for the Synology's.

As stated, power draw is mostly likely an issue for those concerned about a few extra dollars a month.
Click to expand...


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And no need for a display, so I could control all the VMs from nMP?

bplein said:
Run VMware ESXi 5.5 on it and then inside that you can run smaller Mac OS X server, or just plain Mac OS X, plus Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, whatever!

I have a Mac Pro 4,1, flashed to 5,1, that I am using as a home VMware server for many VMs.
Click to expand...


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I have Compressor as I use FCPx, but how do I tap into for network rendering with nMP?

juanml82 said:
If you use compressor, after effects, or any other application that can do network rendering, keep it to add additional power to the nMP when rendering.
Click to expand...
 
LOL, no. Going to get nMP. If I don't sell 4,1 Mac Pro (my current MP) just wondering my options are in terms of use. Trying to sell it hasn't been easy, either the prospective buyers are far away (shipping costs) or buyers want it for what I feel is too low of a price ($700). I am willing to sell it for $1000, which is $300 less than OWC for a similar spec'd MP. In any case, I like my old MP, the looks, the quiet humming of the fan, so I wouldn't mind keeping it.

It's a bit awkward, but I suppose I could use it as an external storage for 6 disks, 4 + the 2 optical bays, by connecting ethernet to ethernet of the nMP??

I should have a website, but I don't, so I could use it to host my future website using OS X Server?

I've been reading about doing a "brain transplant" and upgrading the processor to a hexacore (3.33 or 3.46) and upgrading the GPU to the GTX 680, and install USB3. Sounds like I could handle the installation work, but that's all around $1500.

cgk.emu said:
You have a Mac Pro and have no idea what to use it for????
Click to expand...
 
Luba said:
It's a bit awkward, but I suppose I could use it as an external storage for 6 disks, 4 + the 2 optical bays, by connecting ethernet to ethernet of the nMP??

I should have a website, but I don't, so I could use it to host my future website using OS X Server?
Click to expand...

Running a web site could be done, but it opens you up to some security issues. Most of the time you are better off placing a web site on an inexpensive web hosting provider rather than doing it on your own hardware unless you are an experienced server administrator.
 
macuser453787 said:
Did the same thing. A wonderful upgrade! :)

Provantage has the w3680 for $573 right now. I bought mine from them for $571 about a month and a half ago and they had the best price I could find at the time (I looked pretty extensively). My guess is they still have the best price. Here's the link:

http://www.provantage.com/intel-bx80613w3680~7ITEP374.htm
Click to expand...

The supply of new, boxed retail W3680 chips has evaporated. Gonna have to go the used on ebay route.
 
Luba said:
----------
And no need for a display, so I could control all the VMs from nMP?


----------
Click to expand...

Correct. You can put a monitor on it once to get ESXi 5.5 installed. From there, install the VCenter Appliance (it's a time limited license) to manage your ESXi server. It's a web-based GUI that works well with Safari and Chrome. If you really have no interest in running many OSes, it may be easier to run Mac OS X as your main OS and then run VMware Fusion (desktop virtualization) to run other OSes under Mac OS.

I like to run ESXi as that is what my customers run in production for server virtualization. Keeps my chops up.
 
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