Just another worth getting 5,1 Mac Pro now

[markovchain]

My mac mini 2011 just die.

Consideing mac pro 2010 now, It costs $850 16G memory 2x 2.4 GHZ a 2010 model. 16G memory iis just lame nowadays. Is $850 a bit on the high ipside.
On the other hand, a dual 5690 3.46GHz upgarde is sweet.

Or better buy a mac mini 2018 but worry about the thermal of mac mini for long running jobs.

I never have the money to buy a $5000 Mac Pro 2019 anyway.

 

[tsialex]

It seriously depends on the apps you use, if it’s single threaded, Mac mini 2018 will perform a lot better, but, like you already know, have the thermal problem.

If you like to do upgrades yourself and need a Mac capable of running weeks at full CPU usage, nothing better than a MP5,1, but like I said, check your apps first.

 

[zipgs]

Where are you at? IMHO $850 for a used one is very expensive, it's in mint condition, or has something you didn't mention, that's overpriced. If you're not from the US, then that's important, and it'd probably be more.

In the US, it's not hard to find for around $600 shipped if you're okay with minor dings and scratches. I'm sure you can find one for $500 if you're patient. The upgrades are not expensive, but add up pretty quick $200 (or more) for the cpu upgrade, $125-150 you can get 64GB, you'll probably want to upgrade to an SSD ($30+) may want a Mojave compatible card ($100+), if you want bluetooth/wireless cards, usb3.0, etc.

 

[bsbeamer]

All depends on your work and what you're using the machine for, including your storage needs, your RAM needs, etc. I'd estimate about 50-75% of the work on do on MP5,1 would be OK on a 2018 Mac Mini if it were "loaded" with RAM, had an eGPU (regardless of it being the most efficient vs. MP5,1 or not), and some sort of SSD storage array. It wouldn't be a pretty or as tight of a solution as MP5,1 but could make it work. Also would worry about thermals for long renders, but that's workstation vs. what is basically a great headless laptop.

Would be lying if I said 2018 Mini wasn't in my "disaster plan" for total machine replacement should it ever come to that in the next 6-12 months. Have also considered as a stopgap rather than upgrading MP5,1 to Mojave for client compliance at end of Q1 2019. (Not sold on that use quite yet.)