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Mac Pro Advice

emmab2006

emmab2006

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 16, 2008
486
1,328
Stoke on trent
Hiya all , i am finally at the point where i am able to afford a 2006 Mac Pro as they have come down in price tremendously i am able to get a 2.66 Quad Mac Pro , with an 8800GTS 512MB , but the question is , even with the upgrades i could theoretically do to the beast , would i be better off getting another mac ? i am wanting to use for X Plane 9 or 10 , so graphics are a must , but looking at the Macbook Air's they outperform the 2006 mac pro , basically i am looking for friendly advice ! ,

Thanks ,
 
emmab2006 said:
Hiya all , i am finally at the point where i am able to afford a 2006 Mac Pro as they have come down in price tremendously i am able to get a 2.66 Quad Mac Pro , with an 8800GTS 512MB , but the question is , even with the upgrades i could theoretically do to the beast , would i be better off getting another mac ? i am wanting to use for X Plane 9 or 10 , so graphics are a must , but looking at the Macbook Air's they outperform the 2006 mac pro , basically i am looking for friendly advice ! ,

Thanks ,
Click to expand...

You can upgrade the processors and the graphics if you'd like. Although it isn't cheap. There are many threads on this forum and others about this.
 
Thanks for the replies , yes the 2006 mac pro's processors are upgradable to 8 core , so thats not an issue , i have brought the 2006 mac pro just from ebay for £595 , i will upgrade , as it is still the fastest mac ive ever owned , i will keep you guys up to date with the upgrades if you like ? , i am on skype and msn all the time if u wanna chat :)

Emma x
 
I picked up a 2006 Mac Pro recently as well (super cheap on Craigslist). I've already picked up the following:

1. 2 - X5355 processors for $100
2. 8GB (4 - 2GB) of used RAM for $56
3. An Nvidia GT 440 Video Card* - $50

The GT440 I picked up so I can run 3 monitors with my Mac Pro. Supposedly any Nvidia card (with the Nvidia provided drivers) will work with Mac Pros albeit without EFT boot screens (leaving my 7300GT should fix that). I haven't installed any of this yet as I am still waiting for the video card to arrive and the tool to remove the heat sinks from the processors. In the end I will have spent total (including the Mac Pro) less than $600 US and I'm going to be more than happy with that especially since the only reason I want it is to be able to run multiple VM's.
 
Last edited:
I have a Mac Pro, and have upgraded the processors and some RAM. I do think it is a good machine, however if I had to do it over again, I would seek out the 2008 models with full 64 bit support.

The 2006 MP is more than adequate, for most things. But, yes the most the most expensive things I paid for to upgrade were the Video card [8800GT], and the Processors.
 
paulrbeers said:
I picked up a 2006 Mac Pro recently as well (super cheap on Craigslist). I've already picked up the following:

1. 2 - X5355 processors for $100
2. 8GB (4 - 2GB) of used RAM for $56
3. An Nvidia GT 440 Video Card* - $50

The GT440 I picked up so I can run 3 monitors with my Mac Pro. Supposedly any Nvidia card (with the Nvidia provided drivers) will work with Mac Pros albeit without EFT boot screens (leaving my 7300GT should fix that). I haven't installed any of this yet as I am still waiting for the video card to arrive and the tool to remove the heat sinks from the processors. In the end I will have spent total (including the Mac Pro) less than $600 US and I'm going to be more than happy with that especially since the only reason I want it is to be able to run multiple VM's.
Click to expand...

If you have a Sears nearby, Craftsman Professional makes a long-handled T15 screwdriver that'll reach the heatsink screws. It was $5, when I bought one, a month ago. (I'll look up the part number when I get home.)
 
mustang_dvs said:
If you have a Sears nearby, Craftsman Professional makes a long-handled T15 screwdriver that'll reach the heatsink screws. It was $5, when I bought one, a month ago. (I'll look up the part number when I get home.)
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I wonder if I might even have one of those. Crap! Didn't even think of that!
 
I worry the 2006 will age quickly now that it isn't supported by Mountain Lion. I'm sure all the Snow Leopard users could deny that though. Keep in mind the 2008 models use very expensive RAM.
 
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