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Mac Pro 2006 for Music Production?

M

mixdoctor

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 16, 2011
6
0
Besides having a 32bit EFI what makes the 2006 Mac bad buys for music production? I have a budget of about $1,300 for a Mac and wanted a Mac Pro for its expansion capabilities. I want to run Pro Tools and Logic with a few Virtual Instruments. It seems that generally the 2008 Mac Pro's are going for $1,800 or more. Ebay bidding is touch and go with some good deals, but you really have to spend time watching the various auctions. On Craigslist ...... forget about it....people think they have gold, with prices starting about $2,000. I was thinking of 2006 3.0 Woodcrest, basic config for about $1,100, this is a buy it now on Ebay.

Would that be a good starting Mac Pro?
 
I use my 2006 2.66 Ghz for video editing.

Update the GPU to a ATI 5770, have a good amount of RAM and if you want... update the CPU with 2x QUAD 2.33's for $230.

I would suggest a quad 2.0... then update to two QUAD 2.33's for an Octo system.
 
FCPcutter said:
I use my 2006 2.66 Ghz for video editing.

Update the GPU to a ATI 5770, have a good amount of RAM and if you want... update the CPU with 2x QUAD 2.33's for $230.

I would suggest a quad 2.0... then update to two QUAD 2.33's for an Octo system.
Click to expand...


I have seen where some are still using them for video ad audio, but I also see where many say they are not that desirable,for several reasons.
 
It's in the market place on page 2. 1000 bucks for a 2.8 Mac pro. As was mentioned above, find a 2006 2ghz woodcrest system then upgrade those chips for 4 core chips. I did it to my 1st Mac pro (2006, 2ghz), to 2.33ghz octo. Made a nice improvement. You can go as high as 3ghz clovertown processors in a 2006 Mac pro. Not that hard to do if you've been in a computer before.
 
mixdoctor said:
I have seen where some are still using them for video ad audio, but I also see where many say they are not that desirable,for several reasons.
Click to expand...
Several reasons such as what? These machines are still being used to crank out hit music, movie scores, jingles, and all manner of professional applications.

Internal drives bays? check
PCI Express? check
Able to use the current generation of video cards? check
Large RAM capacity? check
Can you use an SSD? check
Can you upgrade it to 8 cores if needed? check

I don't see anything undesirable with a 1,1 if you get it at a reasonable price. Being a few years old does not make the box obsolete.
 
A 2006 still has some life left, I'd think. There has been a rumor that Lion may drop 32-bit EFI support, but even if that were to happen, SnowLeopard still has some life left, too.
 
zorinlynx said:
Lion runs fine on the MacPro 1,1.
Click to expand...
For now. But it may not make it to the RTM version of Lion (Apple's dropped features/support at the last moment in RTM's before). :rolleyes: :(

Hopefully this won't be the case, but I wouldn't consider EFI32 support 100% there until the RTM is proven to work on those machines.

gullySn0wCat said:
...super-expensive RAM.;)
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, this is true, and needs to be taken into consideration if a used machine is short for the software to be used (may not be the initial deal it seems by the time any upgrades are added).

Another thing to consider for some, is if an nVidia card is needed, as the newer cards only run on EFI64 machines (doesn't use EBC based firmware as ATI's cards do, which will run in either EFI32 or EFI64 based systems).
 
True about the expensive ram. But that's true until you get to the 2009 Mac Pro's with the DDR3. What video cards can be used with a 2006 Mac Pro?
 
I also want to give a positive vote for the early Mac Pro (version 1,1). I recently updated the video card (AIT Radeon 5770) which works just fine. Currently have 8 GBs of RAM and plan on doubling it in the near future. And finally, Logic Pro Studio, working with the MOTU 2408 MK3 audio device, is about as stable as can be with this system. Generally, I work with orchestral libraries on sequencing projects. Such projects, as you probably already know, requires a fair number of instrumental software tracks and a fair amount of RAM. My version 1,1 Mac Pro computer handles this without a stutter or a crash. (Knocks on wood.) I'm hoping that this computer will last me a few more years.
 
mixdoctor said:
True about the expensive ram. But that's true until you get to the 2009 Mac Pro's with the DDR3. What video cards can be used with a 2006 Mac Pro?
Click to expand...

You can use Radeon 5770 or 5870 without problem. The latest cards (6950, 6970, 6990) will NOT work.
 
gullySn0wCat said:
You can use Radeon 5770 or 5870 without problem. The latest cards (6950, 6970, 6990) will NOT work.
Click to expand...


I want to sink most of my money into maybe a processor upgrade and an SSD boot drive, so I would like to spend less on the Video card. The 7300GT that comes with many of the 2006 Mac Pro's is pretty underpowered and I am not even sure it will drive my 30" Dell 3008 monitor. Any less expensive options for video cards?
 
Oh one more question..... How is Gainsaver for buying a used Mac? I read some of the older discussions, where some were claiming problems, but have they cleaned up their act recently? They tend to have the best prices on used Mac Pro's.
 
mixdoctor said:
I want to sink most of my money into maybe a processor upgrade and an SSD boot drive, so I would like to spend less on the Video card. The 7300GT that comes with many of the 2006 Mac Pro's is pretty underpowered and I am not even sure it will drive my 30" Dell 3008 monitor. Any less expensive options for video cards?
Click to expand...

You can pick up a PC 5770 for around $100 now.
 
I want to sink most of my money into maybe a processor upgrade and an SSD boot drive, so I would like to spend less on the Video card. The 7300GT that comes with many of the 2006 Mac Pro's is pretty underpowered and I am not even sure it will drive my 30" Dell 3008 monitor. Any less expensive options for video cards?
Click to expand...

The 7300 GT can drive a 30" monitor (it has dual-link DVI output), but it wouldn't be totally ideal, especially if you decide to add a second display down the road.

Like mentioned before, you can find PC 5770s for under $100 now and just flash one with an EFI-32 ROM. That's probably your best option on a budget.
 
I have a MP 1.1 5770, 30 inch monitor and a 20 inch vertical monitor for video editing.

The system isn't perfect. You're making a slight compromise on cost vs performance vs life left on the system.
 
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