Mac Pro 5.1 (2012) still worth it in 2018?

[norda72]

Unless you utilize software which can make use of the extra cores adding more is unlikely to result in any perceptible speed.

Booting a system is primarily disk bound therefore it is not surprising to hear you did not observe an improvement in boot times. The SATA-II (it is not SATA-III) is unlikely to be an issue with your boot time. OS loading primarily consists of random reads which do not approach the limitations of the SATA-II interface. Therefore moving to SATA-III or NVMe will not appreciably improve boot time (courtesy h9826790):​

View attachment 821252​

As you can see the boot times for the three different interfaces are essentially the same (the rightmost bar represents the configuration you have).

What do you use your Mac Pro for? What software are you using?

I often use Adobe CC apps, like Photoshop and InDesign, I create both text and pictures, I write and work with a magazine in my village 5 times a year. I also work with web. I would probably be able to do this with a Windows-computer, but I have never owned one.

 

[eml-cmp]

Hey folks,

Since Apple hasn't released any new hardware this year and the modulare Mac Pro seems miles ahead, I was wondering if, with all the upgrade options, the Mac Pro 5.1 is still worth it in 2018.

The Scenario

I'm a Composer and Sound Designer for Film / TV and Games. Right now I'm working (believe it or not) on a Macbook Pro (2013) hooked up to a Thunderbolt Display. So far this machine hasn't let me down, but working on games is a nightmare with the low speced GPU. Therefore I want to step up my game and invest in a real pro machine.

MacBook Pro 15" (Early 2013): i7 @ 2,7 GHz / 16 GB RAM / GT 650m / 500 GB SSD

The Candidates

iMac Pro: Well, the technical specs sound great, but the price is way off. Even though the basic version with 8 cores would be totally fine for me, it's still 4.800€ here in Europe. Just something I'm not really comfortable with spening on a non-upgradable machine.

Mac Pro (Trash can): A 5 year old machine with no upgrade options and a high price tag ... seems like the worst deal. Nope, that's not going to happen.

Mac Pro (2012): Even older than the trash can, but its huge advantage are the PCIe slots. it can be upgraded to my own needs even with the latest tech. Of course I may have to run special drivers but that should not be a problem. I would go for the 12 core 3,46 GHz version, 32GB RAM (for now), 1 TB SSD, a decent GPU and the USB 3.0 card.

The Question

I already calculated the costs and it would be around 1.500 €. Is it even in 2018 still a good deal to invest in such a machine? As far as I understand it, I can upgrade the RAM, the GPU, drives and USB-C by the time needing. Only the CPU will be limited to the available option.

Any help, experience or thoughts are appreciated.

I use an upgraded cMP 5,1 for visual effects work.

If you live in the LA area, I know a guy who sells them at a great price, and will configure however you want.

I went down a spreadsheet rabbit hole recently, and the cMP was the best “price per core” around.

It’s lagging as a single-processor machine, but it works great in multiprocessor.

I used to use a hackintosh for work, but it was too unreliable in the long run. I don’t have any time for that kind of tinkering anymore. You can’t bill clients for “my computer broke when I upgraded a part.”

Don’t get an Nvidia GTX card with a cMP. You’ll crash, lose work, and be caught in an endless loop trying to create a stable machine. Just forget that whole thing and go with an AMD card. Sure, it’s more expensive and slower, but it works out of the box.

 

[flowrider]

Don’t get an Nvidia GTX card with a cMP. You’ll crash, lose work, and be caught in an endless loop trying to create a stable machine.

Quite a broad statement. I'm on my third GTX card, and have never experienced the problems you mention However, I no longer recommend Nvidia due to the Mojave Apple/Nvidia Driver shenanigans.

Lou

 

[eml-cmp]

Quite a broad statement. I'm on my third GTX card, and have never experienced the problems you mention View attachment 823371 However, I no longer recommend Nvidia due to the Mojave Apple/Nvidia Driver shenanigans.

Lou

I’m jealous! I wish I had the same experience.

I’ll amend what I said to be less broad.

The GTX cards worked fine for normal usage.

I experienced rampant kernel panics when using After Effects, Premiere, and Resolve, especially when working in resolutions over 2k. I’ve had short periods of stability, through the different OSes and drivers, but then it would flare up again, like a case of digital herpes.

If you’re working as a video professional, or as a VFX artist (like me!) I can’t recommend using a GTX card with the cMP.

You’ll find similar stories across message boards all over the place, and no has a definitive reason for the KPs. It’s mostly chalked up to ‘bad drivers.’ Another thing I noticed in these stories is when the user gave up and switched to AMD cards, the KP and log out problems went away. I’m only a couple days in with my Vega 56, and I can’t seem to crash the computer, no matter what I throw at it.

What a relief!

 

[deifster]

I use an upgraded cMP 5,1 for visual effects work.

If you live in the LA area, I know a guy who sells them at a great price, and will configure however you want.

I went down a spreadsheet rabbit hole recently, and the cMP was the best “price per core” around.

It’s lagging as a single-processor machine, but it works great in multiprocessor.

I used to use a hackintosh for work, but it was too unreliable in the long run. I don’t have any time for that kind of tinkering anymore. You can’t bill clients for “my computer broke when I upgraded a part.”

Don’t get an Nvidia GTX card with a cMP. You’ll crash, lose work, and be caught in an endless loop trying to create a stable machine. Just forget that whole thing and go with an AMD card. Sure, it’s more expensive and slower, but it works out of the box.

Would love to to get that guys name. I use an iMacPro for Flame (VFX) and looking for other options. Thanks!

 

[eml-cmp]

Dustin - dvsatty@gmail.com. Good guy, will guarantee the computers for 90 days, and then will support them within reason after that.

Here’s one of his boxes on Craigslist (this link has an expiration date...)

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/sys/d/apple-mac-pro-core-ghz-mohave-snow/6821926943.html

 

[mrdominic]

Another photographer here who needed a powerful machine due to huge amounts of raw files.
I kept jumping from Macbook Pro to newer Macbook Pro every couple years but got tired.

5,1 is still worth it even in 2020 in my opinion! It is still the 19th fastest Mac ever built, Geekbench score 5648 vs 8032 of the 2019 Mac Pro entry level model. That is a 40% difference in performance but for 600% of the price.

I would rather buy it than any other new Intel Mac right now due to uncertain move to ARM

I got mine last year (2019):
- dual CPU 2x4 core @ 2.4 GHz for $550,
- added (6x4GB) 24 GB of RAM for $20
- USB 3 card $20
- m.2/AHCI SSD 250 GB $100
- CPU upgrade x5675 2x6 core 3 GHz $60

So for $750ish I got an extremely fast machine — even by today's standard — that is still extendable and I'm sure it will deliver for a couple more years. My Lightroom has never run this fast, never rendered previews and exports this quick.

12 cores at 3 GHz with enough RAM is amazing. It's always snappy and responsive, never freezes for swapping.
Activity monitor might show some 2100% CPU usage while the system is still usable for other tasks AND there is no vacuum cleaner taking off or throttling on the CPU going on.

I might get a better GPU just so I can play recent games in Windows ^^

 

[kohlson]

Seems like you've got this pretty well-suited to your workflow. For an impressive price! Know that for $100-$150 you could get a PCIe NVMe 1TB SSD that delivers 1400 MB/sec

 

[Upgrader]

Another photographer here who needed a powerful machine due to huge amounts of raw files.
I kept jumping from Macbook Pro to newer Macbook Pro every couple years but got tired.

5,1 is still worth it even in 2020 in my opinion! It is still the 19th fastest Mac ever built, Geekbench score 5648 vs 8032 of the 2019 Mac Pro entry level model. That is a 40% difference in performance but for 600% of the price.

I would rather buy it than any other new Intel Mac right now due to uncertain move to ARM

I got mine last year (2019):
- dual CPU 2x4 core @ 2.4 GHz for $550,
- added (6x4GB) 24 GB of RAM for $20
- USB 3 card $20
- m.2/AHCI SSD 250 GB $100
- CPU upgrade x5675 2x6 core 3 GHz $60

So for $750ish I got an extremely fast machine — even by today's standard — that is still extendable and I'm sure it will deliver for a couple more years. My Lightroom has never run this fast, never rendered previews and exports this quick.

12 cores at 3 GHz with enough RAM is amazing. It's always snappy and responsive, never freezes for swapping.
Activity monitor might show some 2100% CPU usage while the system is still usable for other tasks AND there is no vacuum cleaner taking off or throttling on the CPU going on.

I might get a better GPU just so I can play recent games in Windows ^^

Yep my 5,1 is still going strong after upgrading it 5 years ago now. It has been an excellent hardware decision and has saved me thousands of pounds. I now hope it can last me another 3 years or so at which point I’ll get a new Mac Pro, hopefully by then with an Apple chip.

 

[mrdominic]

That is a good idea which I might eventually do along with the GPU upgrade!

So far I have a Samsung SM951 AHCI/M.2 which is not too shabby, too.
Read around 1400 and write around 1000 MB/s, even though it got slower the fuller it got. So I really need something bigger.

Know that for $100-$150 you could get a PCIe NVMe 1TB SSD that delivers 1400 MB/sec

 

[macguru9999]

I think that an upgraded 2012 mac pro (5,1, ssd, video, mojave etc) is the LAST INTEL MAC you will ever need.....

 

[Upgrader]

I think that an upgraded 2012 mac pro (5,1, ssd, video, mojave etc) is the LAST INTEL MAC you will ever need.....

I think you may well be right.

My only concern is how long I can remain on Mojave whilst Adobe keeps updating its pro apps for the latest OS X. I never use the latest app version from Adobe anyway but there is a limit as to how far you can go back in terms of plugin and script support etc. My guess is that in 3 years my 5,1 will still be going strong in itself but the apps, plugins and scripts I use on it will be crying for a newer OS/Adobe pro app combination.

 

[macguru9999]

I think you may well be right.

My only concern is how long I can remain on Mojave whilst Adobe keeps updating its pro apps for the latest OS X. I never use the latest app version from Adobe anyway but there is a limit as to how far you can go back in terms of plugin and script support etc. My guess is that in 3 years my 5,1 will still be going strong in itself but the apps, plugins and scripts I use on it will be crying for a newer OS/Adobe pro app combination.

I have run Catalina on mine and as far as I can tell, it runs just fine. I used the dosdude patch, so i had to use the full installer rather than update over the apple updater, but thats not really a big deal. AND I suspect colin dosdude will be working on a Big Sur patch as we speak....

 

[Upgrader]

I have run Catalina on mine and as far as I can tell, it runs just fine. I used the dosdude patch, so i had to use the full installer rather than update over the apple updater, but thats not really a big deal. AND I suspect colin dosdude will be working on a Big Sur patch as we speak....

All very good to hear. Big Sur would be great.

 

[macguru9999]

All very good to hear. Big Sur would be great.

And hopefully, in a couple of years you will be able to buy an arm mac mini with on-chip graphics that can run rings around any 5,1 or 6,1 (maybe 7,1) with any adobe software IF that company can get their software working well.