MP 1,1-5,1 Mac pro 2008 vs 2010.

[Joe Walacy]

hi everyone, I have a problem, I found on a second-hand market in my city, 1 mac pro 2008 8 core, and a mac pro 2010 4 core, the price is the same, they want 200 euros for each, my doubt and , which of the 2 mac pro is more powerful?

I only need it to make video editing with el capitan and fcpx, so in my opinion the mac pro 2008 8 core should be more powerful, but perhaps being older then the mac pro 2010 is more recent so even if it only has 4 cores it can be that is more powerful?
do you know please give me advice? I can not spend more than 200 euros and therefore I have to settle, I am also not a video professional, but an amateur.
thank you.

 

[Soba]

It is hard to give a good answer without knowing the CPU speeds, the amount of RAM, and the graphics cards that are included with each system. Can you provide this information?

The 2010 Mac Pro has many excellent options for upgrading (the 2008 is much more limited), so I would ordinarily suggest you buy the 2010, but it sounds like you are not able to spend any further money on the system after you buy it.

 

[Joe Walacy]

then all 2 mac pro have 32gb ram and 240gb ssd hd, for the video card i already have a rx 580 8gb, so i wouldn't want to spend any more money for now.
but my doubt is, apart from a future update, but leaving the mac pros as they are, which of the 2 is faster?
I think the mac pro 2008 because it has 8 cores, or maybe I'm wrong?
thank you.

 

[MIKX]

then all 2 mac pro have 32gb ram and 240gb ssd hd, for the video card i already have a rx 580 8gb, so i wouldn't want to spend any more money for now.
but my doubt is, apart from a future update, but leaving the mac pros as they are, which of the 2 is faster?
I think the mac pro 2008 because it has 8 cores, or maybe I'm wrong?
thank you.

You're wrong.

The 2010 or 2012 5,1 Mac Pros can be upgraded much, much more than any 2008 Mac Pro.

It appears that you have not done any searching regarding 2008 / 2010 Mac Pros in the www.macrumors.com Mac Pro forum threads.

 

[flowrider]

The 5,1 Mac Pro is still a workhouse machine used by many folks today. It is easily upgradable. It will run the MacOS 10.14.6, Mojave. The 2008 Mac Pro is an older design and will not run anything later than MacOS 10.11.6, El Capitan.

MacOS 10.11.6 does not contain drivers for the Radeon RX580. 10.14.6 contains the necessary drivers.

The choice, IMHO, is easy the newer machine.

Lou

 

[Joe Walacy]

thanks for your advice.

 

[Macsonic]

thanks for your advice.

Hi I would vote for the 2010 cMac Pro as later on if you have the budget, you can upgrade the cpu tray to a dual processor up to 12 cores. You may also upgrade to 6 cores at 3.33ghz or 3.46ghz on the current 2.80ghz, 4 cores of the 2010 cMac Pro. The optical bay section of the 2008 Mac Pro uses IDE connection so you can’t install an additional SATA SSD or HD unless you get an adapter. Good luck.

 

[Filmakerts]

Hi, sorry a question, so if I take a 2010 4 core mac pro, in the future can I upgrade it to 6 core or 12 core version?
thanks.

 

[tsialex]

Hi, sorry a question, so if I take a 2010 4 core mac pro, in the future can I upgrade it to 6 core or 12 core version?
thanks.

Hexa core is a drop-in upgrade, while 12-core requires that you change the CPU tray for a dual CPU tray of mid-2010/mid-2012.

early-2009 dual CPU trays are not compatible with mid-2010/mid-2012 backplanes.

 

[Filmakerts]

Thanks, it's very kind of you

 

[shadow_999]

IMHO, except if you need some specific things from this cMP (like 32 bits apps, x86 virtualization, ...), even at $200 it doesn't worth it. The budget to acquire it and to upgrade it will be higher than a macmini M1. I love my cMP but today if I had to buy a mac, I don't think I'd choose it (I own it since 10 years and upgrade it since then).

 

[Flint Ironstag]

IMHO, except if you need some specific things from this cMP (like 32 bits apps, x86 virtualization, ...), even at $200 it doesn't worth it. The budget to acquire it and to upgrade it will be higher than a macmini M1. I love my cMP but today if I had to buy a mac, I don't think I'd choose it (I own it since 10 years and upgrade it since then).

The man is on a budget - the box comes with 32GB plus SSD, and he has an RX580 ready to drop in. I'm betting he can get a lot done for that $200. Go for it, OP!