Is the 2009/2010 Mac Pro the best Mac Apple have ever made?

[pl1984]

I upgraded from the MDD to a MP 3,1 tower, and not only was it just as loud as the G4, but it sucked about 3X the power. I only kept the 3,1 for a year before I upgraded to an nMP, which I love due to the small size and absolute silence. For my purposes it's better than the MP towers, but it was a bit scary making the leap to such a proprietary system. Now that I've had the nMP for a few years, I don't mind the non-upgradability, as its plenty fast for me and will be for the foreseeable future. Having 6 thunderbolt 2 ports is totally sweet. I have a 50 foot optical thunderbolt cable running through my walls so my external hard drives are in the basement. That way I can't hear the hard drives whirring but I still get plenty of transfer speed. In my opinion, this is a vast improvement over internal drives. I don't play many games, so the built-in video cards are fine. I just hope mine doesn't get the dreaded video card failure...

My 3,1 Mac Pro is very quiet.

 

[z970]

The 3,1 is a solid system capable of doing a lot of real work today. From an absolute performance perspective none of the cMP (and I could even argue the 6,1 Mac Pro) are competitive with current technology offerings. But we continue to use them. What separates the 1,1 - 3,1 is Apple's discontinuation of operating system support. Last year 3,1's were still desirable. With the release of macOS Sierra that changed over night.

Whether a 3,1 is blazing fast depends on what you need it to do. Long gone are the days when a new generation of CPU / Mac was released and the majority of the market would see increased productivity. It's only those who need the latest technology who will benefit. I read the PPC section of this forum and I'm impressed with what the guys in that forum do with older equipment. In the end whether a system is fast enough depends on the end users needs. IMO the 3,1 Mac Pro is still a solid system for many users.

THANK YOU!

That puts an end to it.

 

[steveOooo]

Certainly best value
Not the best as my second hand top specced late 2013 Mbp is more or less as good in fcpx as my 2010 mp is and has a screen on it oh and it doesn't require a month of weight training to lift it and carry it down / up a flight of stairs

 

[nigelbb]

FYI, the 3,1 come with 6400 FB-DIMM. It's more expensive than what you linked to max out.

The difference in performance is all but indistinguishable between 667MHz FB-DIMMs & 800MHz FB-DIMMs. If you insist on 800MHz FB-DIMMs then be aware that the used price has plummeted in the last year or two & they are still very affordable upgrade at $100-120 for 32GB (8x4GB). Apple were the only manufacturer to use the 800MHz parts & then only in the 2008 Mac Pro 3,1 so now those systems are getting old there is plenty of supply but not much demand hence the price drop.

 

[neomorpheus]

Well, “ever made” is very braod and subjective.

Thats said, imho, the best were:

Apple IIgs
Mac Plus
Mac SE 30
Mac IIci
Several PowerBooks
MacBook Pro 17
cMP 5.1

 

[AidenShaw]

Well, “ever made” is very braod and subjective.

Thats said, imho, the best were:

Apple IIgs
Mac Plus
Mac SE 30
Mac IIci
Several PowerBooks
MacBook Pro 17
cMP 5.1

I would think that "best Mac" really means "best hardware + OS".

Which would also mean that any system that didn't ship with Apple OSX can't be on the list.

Windows entered the top tier when NT 3.1 with memory protection was released. The Apple systems without memory protection don't make the list. (Remember when "force quit" more or less required a reboot?)

Nice hardware with a bad OS isn't a contender for "best".

 

[pl1984]

I would think that "best Mac" really means "best hardware + OS".

Which would also mean that any system that didn't ship with Apple OSX can't be on the list.

Windows entered the top tier when NT 3.1 with memory protection was released. The Apple systems without memory protection don't make the list. (Remember when "force quit" more or less required a reboot?)

Nice hardware with a bad OS isn't a contender for "best".

While Mac OS had many technical shortcomings there was something about it which made it a great OS to use. I wouldn't eliminate any Mac from consideration just because it can't run OS X.

 

[Naimfan]

I would think that "best Mac" really means "best hardware + OS".

Which would also mean that any system that didn't ship with Apple OSX can't be on the list.

I think that they've been going downhill since the Mac II fx - which is probably because that was the (first and) last Apple system that I've used.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. But why, if the only Mac you used was an Mac II fx, do you post so much about Macs?

 

[vallejo]

BTW, updated my brother's 3,1, ripped out the MacOS drive, and stuffed in an SSD with only Windows 10, along with a GTX 1060. Not only can he play games at double the frame-rate, his machine browses the web faster, Youtube HD videos are smoother, and instead of "hey bro, build me a PC, my **** is slow"

Is it possible to make the 1060 work in the Mac Pro with OS X? I've been trying to no success...

 

[h9826790]

Is it possible to make the 1060 work in the Mac Pro with OS X? I've been trying to no success...

Only on MacOS 10.12.4 or later, but not any OSX.

 

[vallejo]

Only on MacOS 10.12.4 or later, but not any OSX.

I'm using Sierra, but video shows no sign of life...

 

[h9826790]

I'm using Sierra, but video shows no sign of life...

Sierra means 10.12.6?


Did you install and activate Nvidia web driver?

Did you try remote login to see if the GPU is recognise in system info? (something like this)

 

[mikas]

I just love you all. Even Aiden Shaw.
From a 604 to G5 to an intel X5680.
Z80 to a 86030 with a math unit.
Oh Boy. Who would not love it?

 

[AidenShaw]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. But why, if the only Mac you used was an Mac II fx, do you post so much about Macs?

Most of my posts are about technology - technology that is shared by systems from tablets to supercomputers. Some of them even attempt to help out with a question or problem.

And in my opinion, Windows systems based on the DOS code base are unreliable crap - just like Apple systems were pre-OSX. When NT3.1 and OSX came out - they had a nice foundation but needed a long time to become mature. (NT didn't replace the Win9x codebase for consumers for almost 9 years, although it took over the workstation/server market much sooner.)

Through the lens of nostalgia some may think that a IIci was a great machine - but if you actually tried to use it today to do any real work you'd quickly realize that while it may have been good for its time, it's really not that useful today.

The Apple ][ was groundbreaking - but today would you want to use a system that uses audio cassette tapes for persistent store rather than NVME SSDs?

And the title of the thread is "best Mac ever", not "best Mac for its time".

 

[neomorpheus]

I would think that "best Mac" really means "best hardware + OS".

Which would also mean that any system that didn't ship with Apple OSX can't be on the list.

Windows entered the top tier when NT 3.1 with memory protection was released. The Apple systems without memory protection don't make the list. (Remember when "force quit" more or less required a reboot?)

Nice hardware with a bad OS isn't a contender for "best".

I will say this much, Mac came before OS X and even with their OS limitations, at the time, they were advanced systems.

And yes, the title says Best Mac that apple ever built, but if i want to impose my opnion on others, like you, then i need to remind you that Mac and OSX are there thanks to the success of the Apple II.

But anyways, as said, every one is entitled to their opinion.

 

[FireArse]

I happen to agree - the cMP (any flavour) is my favourite Mac. Though I must confess, this is closely followed by the 12-inch PowerBook G4. What a fantastic machine - blew my mind first time I saw and used it. I owned a few prior to joining Apple, where I was charged with repairing them. Amazing kit.

 

[z970]

I happen to agree - the cMP (any flavour) is my favourite Mac. Though I must confess, this is closely followed by the 12-inch PowerBook G4. What a fantastic machine - blew my mind first time I saw and used it. I owned a few prior to joining Apple, where I was charged with repairing them. Amazing kit.

Although prone to a loud fan, my 12" PBG4 continues to run like a champ. ...After owning it for about 3 months...

 

[mattspace]

I happen to agree - the cMP (any flavour) is my favourite Mac. Though I must confess, this is closely followed by the 12-inch PowerBook G4. What a fantastic machine - blew my mind first time I saw and used it. I owned a few prior to joining Apple, where I was charged with repairing them. Amazing kit.

IIRC what made that era of powerbooks really interesting was that the 12, 15 and 17" all shared the same cpu and gpu options, the form factor was detached from the performance, in terms of product choices.

 

[alphaod]

Yes it was a great computer, but I wouldn't call it the best.

 

[spoonie1972]

i still have a 1,1 for daily tasks.. but the 4,1 - even with the moronic de-lidded CPU's which make it a bit dicier to upgrade - what a value, 2nd hand. Totally amazing.

my IIvx was a beast back in the day, though. The things I gave up on to get that computer...

 

[fatespawn]

It's the best Mac I've ever owned.

I skeptically bought a Powermac G4 17 years ago and ended up pretty impressed. Impressed enough to buy a PowerMac G5 a couple of years later. That was quickly followed up by the popular 12" powerbook G4. That combo lasted a while. We added a 21" iMac when they switched to Intel processors and were happy too. The 12" powerbook was replaced by a 2010 Macbook Pro 13" (one for my wife too...).

I remember sitting at my kitchen table waiting for the Apple store to reopen in March 2009 to buy the latest and greatest Nehalem 4,1. There was a lot of hype around the new Mac Pro and I bought it within 10 minutes of it going on sale. I'm still typing on it this second.

Since then, we've added a 27" iMac that I am pretty underwhelmed with. I mean.. it's ok, but we didn't upgrade it very much (they're expensive already) and the 64GB of flash is kinda insulting.

I just haven't been impressed with Apple stuff since they started focusing on the iUniverse and less on the MacUniverse. I'm happy for them that they're making money. I'm disappointed with the lack of innovation. I'm not a Pro. Barely a Pro-sumer. I just like the storage ability of a mac tower.

Last year I built my son a Win10 tower for some gaming. This year, Costco was basically giving away ($499) Win10 14" i5 Asus laptops. I mean... for my consumer use... I may as well use one of those and just break it over my knee, throw it away ever couple of years and replace with the way Mac pricing has evolved.

My 4,1 has been great - and continues to be great. I've flashed, upgraded, replaced, re-upgraded, replaced... repeat.... It's been tremendously flexible. Now, I'm at the point where I'll probably stick a few more dollars into it and just call it "finished" finally after 9 years. I'll probably use it until it dies - I wonder how long that'll take. I don't do any pro work on it. But as my kids have grown, the TB's of video has grown rich along with them.

It's a nice machine, but I don't see Apple inclined to ever improve on that level of flexibility. At least not on the Macrumors horizon.

 

[neomorpheus]

It's the best Mac I've ever owned.

I skeptically bought a Powermac G4 17 years ago and ended up pretty impressed. Impressed enough to buy a PowerMac G5 a couple of years later. That was quickly followed up by the popular 12" powerbook G4. That combo lasted a while. We added a 21" iMac when they switched to Intel processors and were happy too. The 12" powerbook was replaced by a 2010 Macbook Pro 13" (one for my wife too...).

I remember sitting at my kitchen table waiting for the Apple store to reopen in March 2009 to buy the latest and greatest Nehalem 4,1. There was a lot of hype around the new Mac Pro and I bought it within 10 minutes of it going on sale. I'm still typing on it this second.

Since then, we've added a 27" iMac that I am pretty underwhelmed with. I mean.. it's ok, but we didn't upgrade it very much (they're expensive already) and the 64GB of flash is kinda insulting.

I just haven't been impressed with Apple stuff since they started focusing on the iUniverse and less on the MacUniverse. I'm happy for them that they're making money. I'm disappointed with the lack of innovation. I'm not a Pro. Barely a Pro-sumer. I just like the storage ability of a mac tower.

Last year I built my son a Win10 tower for some gaming. This year, Costco was basically giving away ($499) Win10 14" i5 Asus laptops. I mean... for my consumer use... I may as well use one of those and just break it over my knee, throw it away ever couple of years and replace with the way Mac pricing has evolved.

My 4,1 has been great - and continues to be great. I've flashed, upgraded, replaced, re-upgraded, replaced... repeat.... It's been tremendously flexible. Now, I'm at the point where I'll probably stick a few more dollars into it and just call it "finished" finally after 9 years. I'll probably use it until it dies - I wonder how long that'll take. I don't do any pro work on it. But as my kids have grown, the TB's of video has grown rich along with them.

It's a nice machine, but I don't see Apple inclined to ever improve on that level of flexibility. At least not on the Macrumors horizon.

Thats the main reason why they now sell disposable appliances, so people like you would be forced to buy a new Mac every other year, instead of 10, and dont forget, they are raising prices every other year also.

As you said, in the long run, is cheaper to buy “non premium “ devices and replace then as needed.

My gaming pc is already 5 years and even though im itching to make a new one, the reality is, i dont need to.

And no, I don’t have anything fancy aka expensive there either.

 

[FireArse]

It's the best Mac I've ever owned.

My 4,1 has been great - and continues to be great. I've flashed, upgraded, replaced, re-upgraded, replaced... repeat.... It's been tremendously flexible. Now, I'm at the point where I'll probably stick a few more dollars into it and just call it "finished" finally after 9 years. I'll probably use it until it dies - I wonder how long that'll take.

I have a 2006 MP 1,1 flashed to 2,1. It’s still going strong without a single fault or failure. Sure it’s behaved slightly odd at times (human error) but 11 years old and playing Metal API games..! Get used to your machine lasting a very long time!

 

[Brazzan]

Still using my 2009 - the ability to upgrade + built like a truck means it keeps going. That makes it a great product for me, but arguably a lousy one for Apple, as I'm not buying any more of their stuff.

 

[z970]

Still using my 2009 - the ability to upgrade + built like a truck means it keeps going. That makes it a great product for me, but arguably a lousy one for Apple, as I'm not buying any more of their stuff.

Do you think the 4,1's internal structure is better than the previous ones?