MP 6,1 Mac Pro Trashcan 3,7 GHz quad core still worth it?

[applemanit]

Hi everyone! I actually own a mac mini (Late 2012) Intel Core i7 2,3 Ghz. I am happy with it but I just can't stand Catalina and seems that this will be the last release supported by this machine aka the mini won't run macOS 11 Big Sur. Now, I found on an online website a refurbished 4-core trashcan from 2013. By the time I like its design and it will support Big Sur, I was considering to buy it. Do you think worth it? I read online that this machine had some issues with the graphic card. This model I found has the D300 graphic card.
I'd use it especially to make music with Logic, I don't play videogames. Sometimes I use PS. Thanks.

 

[MikkelAD]

Hi everyone! I actually own a mac mini (Late 2012) Intel Core i7 2,3 Ghz. I am happy with it but I just can't stand Catalina and seems that this will be the last release supported by this machine aka the mini won't run macOS 11 Big Sur. Now, I found on an online website a refurbished 4-core trashcan from 2013. By the time I like its design and it will support Big Sur, I was considering to buy it. Do you think worth it? I read online that this machine had some issues with the graphic card. This model I found has the D300 graphic card.
I'd use it especially to make music with Logic, I don't play videogames. Sometimes I use PS. Thanks.

If you are able to get a good price and not overpay I would say go for it. They are becoming more popular(see all the threads about Mac Pro 6,1). A basic model in very good condition seems a good choice for you.

There is quite a lot of information about the computer and possibilities for upgrades if you search a bit. In terms of GPU I wouldn't worry about it:

1) If Logic Pro is your field a CPU/RAM upgrade could definitely be worth it down the line. Upgrades are pretty cheap and manageable via guides on eg. 'ifixit.com'

2) People have reported problems with all GPU models through the years but mostly D500 and D700. That being said a lot of people may have experienced these problems because of prolonged overheating which possibly can be avoided by using an app like 'Macs Fan Control' and being aware of GPU temperatures.

... and if you buy it in good condition you will also have a piece of cool Apple history which still can pack a punch especially with a couple of upgrades ?

 

[richmlow]

Hello applemanit,



If you can get a 2013 Mac Pro at a reasonable price, it certainly is worth it!

I have the same configuration that you are considering. However, I upgraded the RAM to 32GB and installed an internal 1TB SSD in it. See my signature below for more specifics.

Actually, I must say that my 2013 Mac Pro has been the most reliable mac that I have ever owned. Despite many reports of GPU freezes, instability, crashes, etc. on the 2013 Mac Pro, I have (fortunately) not experienced these things on my machine!

In addition to the 2013 Mac Pro, I have a Windows PC (for games), 2019 Macbook Pro (13"), and a 2018 Mac mini. However, for mission-critical work, I find myself always using the 2013 Mac Pro.

Of course, you mileage may vary.

Good luck in your decisions!


richmlow

Hi everyone! I actually own a mac mini (Late 2012) Intel Core i7 2,3 Ghz. I am happy with it but I just can't stand Catalina and seems that this will be the last release supported by this machine aka the mini won't run macOS 11 Big Sur. Now, I found on an online website a refurbished 4-core trashcan from 2013. By the time I like its design and it will support Big Sur, I was considering to buy it. Do you think worth it? I read online that this machine had some issues with the graphic card. This model I found has the D300 graphic card.
I'd use it especially to make music with Logic, I don't play videogames. Sometimes I use PS. Thanks.

 

[MisterAndrew]

I suggest to avoid the D300 equipped model. It is susceptible to the watchdog timeout panic in Catalina due to a bug with the graphics driver and it's unknown if it will be fixed for Big Sur or beyond. The panic results in a random freeze and restart. It seems to happen after the computer has been in sleep. I suggest to look for a D500 or D700 unit. Those are very stable in Catalina. Be careful buying a used one though as many have had their GPUs overheated. If the screen flickers that's a telltale sign so in that event return it right away. Try to get a new or refurbished one with AppleCare+. A few of the Micro Centers still had one last time I checked.

 

[applemanit]

I suggest to avoid the D300 equipped model. It is susceptible to the watchdog timeout panic in Catalina due to a bug with the graphics driver and it's unknown if it will be fixed for Big Sur or beyond. The panic results in a random freeze and restart. It seems to happen after the computer has been in sleep. I suggest to look for a D500 or D700 unit. Those are very stable in Catalina. Be careful buying a used one though as many have had their GPUs overheated. If the screen flickers that's a telltale sign so in that event return it right away. Try to get a new or refurbished one with AppleCare+. A few of the Micro Centers still had one last time I checked.

Thank you all for your advices! Very precious!

I found only one refurbished with 1 year warranty from a website I really trust and this is a D300 quadcore. The price would be 1600€, affordable even if a bit high.

On the other hand I found a 8 core D500 on eBay from a private reseller, seems in perfect conditions, feedback are 100% positive, price reasonable, but no warranty is guaranteed. Thus I can’t give it back if sometimes is flaw.

by buying one with d500 or d700 from online shop, so refurbished with 1 year warranty the price won’t be less than 2000€

 

[chrfr]

Thank you all for your advices! Very precious!

I found only one refurbished with 1 year warranty from a website I really trust and this is a D300 quadcore. The price would be 1600€, affordable even if a bit high.

On the other hand I found a 8 core D500 on eBay from a private reseller, seems in perfect conditions, feedback are 100% positive, price reasonable, but no warranty is guaranteed. Thus I can’t give it back if sometimes is flaw.

by buying one with d500 or d700 from online shop, so refurbished with 1 year warranty the price won’t be less than 2000€

I'd strongly consider a 2018 Mini before buying a quad core 2013 Pro. For many tasks, a Mini will be faster.

 

[richmlow]

Hello Applemanit,


As you decide on your next Mac acquisition, here are some other factors (in no particular order) you may wish to consider:

1. Upgrading the 2018 Mac mini SSD is impossible. Upgrading its RAM is possible, but involves a bit of careful work.

2. Upgrading the 2013 Mac Pro SSD is extremely easy. Upgrading its RAM is extremely easy.

3. It is true that for single-core performance, the 2018 Mac mini is faster than the 2013 Mac Pro. The same might be true for multi-core performance. However, the Xeon CPU (workstation class) in the 2013 Mac Pro will not throttle down under sustained workload. The CPU in the 2018 Mac mini may throttle down under heavy sustained computation.

4. My 2013 Mac Pro runs very well with macOS Mojave 10.14.6. My 2018 Mac mini does not run as well with macOS Catalina 10.15.6.

5. Some of the ports in the 2018 Mac mini are very modern (Thunderbolt 3) and greatly increases the expansion options. The 2013 Mac Pro has some Thunderbolt 2 ports, which are "antiquated."

6. Both the 2013 Mac Pro and the 2018 Mac mini are virtually silent.

As I said, I own both machines and I like them both. From a purely subjective point of view, my 2013 Mac Pro just feels more robust (compared to my 2018 Mac mini). I could imagine using my 2013 Mac Pro for another 5-7 years!

Good luck in your decision!


richmlow

 

[TrevorR90]

I would look for 6 core D500 trashcans or higher. They still have amazing resale value on eBay so there is definitely still a market for them.

 

[applemanit]

I am considering to buy a 6 core D500 12 GB ram which I could upgrade in a second time. I found a refurb one with 1 year warranty in mint conditions.

 

[applemanit]

I bought the 6 core D500 trashcan with 16 GB ram. It arrived today and I am trying right now to install Catalina but I am experiencing bad problems ?

The Mac Pro came with Catalina installed but not with the last one, not 10.15.6

Once I started it for the first time I did the classic wizard setup, then I tried to switch to the language settings which were set to English (I bought it from the UK) to Italian, my mother tongue. After the reboot, the wizard setup came back again!! WTF! I just already did it one minute before, what is going on here!?

So I set it again and I updated macOS to the last version of Catalina, 10.15.6. Download completed, restart computer and then, Classic Apple logo with installing loading bar.. and then.. the installation just stopped itself after maybe minutes, leaving me with only a question mark folder on the screen.

now I am trying to reinstall Catalina via usb pen but I simply cannot proceed during the installation, the installation starts and then dies after few minutes, and the recovery mode appears again. No way.

I am simply crying ???

1599 € for a trash can

flawed one?

help please ?

 

[tsialex]

I bought the 6 core D500 trashcan with 16 GB ram. It arrived today and I am trying right now to install Catalina but I am experiencing bad problems ?

The Mac Pro came with Catalina installed but not with the last one, not 10.15.6

Once I started it for the first time I did the classic wizard setup, then I tried to switch to the language settings which were set to English (I bought it from the UK) to Italian, my mother tongue. After the reboot, the wizard setup came back again!! WTF! I just already did it one minute before, what is going on here!?

So I set it again and I updated macOS to the last version of Catalina, 10.15.6. Download completed, restart computer and then, Classic Apple logo with installing loading bar.. and then.. the installation just stopped itself after maybe minutes, leaving me with only a question mark folder on the screen.

now I am trying to reinstall Catalina via usb pen but I simply cannot proceed during the installation, the installation starts and then dies after few minutes, and the recovery mode appears again. No way.

I am simply crying ???

1599 € for a trash can

flawed one?

help please ?

Did you run AppleDiagnostics? The first thing with an used computer is reset the NVRAM three times in sequence then to boot Internet Recovery and wipe the disk/do a clean install.

 

[applemanit]

Did you run AppleDiagnostics? The first thing with an used computer is reset the NVRAM three times in sequence then to boot Internet Recovery and wipe the disk/do a clean install.

Yes, I run AppleDiagnostics and EtreCheck. Result: No problem found.

I reset the NVRAM by pressing CMD+OPTION+P+R after the chime and waiting for the second chime and this operation seems resolved. But I did it after reinstalling macOS from recovery mode. I did a bit of a mess. In the sequence I did so:

1- I created a USB bootable version of Catalina 10.15.6 and I entered the recovery mode
1- I erased the old SSD initialising it and formatting it with macOS extended journaled format
2 - I reinstalled Catalina
3- after reinstalled the folder with the question mark appeared again
4- I reset NVRAM (only one time)
5- macOS was able definitely to boot

I hope I did enough, thank you.

 

[richmlow]

Hello applemanit,


Now, use the Disk Utility application to check the SSD that macOS Catalina is installed on.



All the best,
richmlow

Yes, I run AppleDiagnostics and EtreCheck. Result: No problem found.

I reset the NVRAM by pressing CMD+OPTION+P+R after the chime and waiting for the second chime and this operation seems resolved. But I did it after reinstalling macOS from recovery mode. I did a bit of a mess. In the sequence I did so:

1- I created a USB bootable version of Catalina 10.15.6 and I entered the recovery mode
1- I erased the old SSD initialising it and formatting it with macOS extended journaled format
2 - I reinstalled Catalina
3- after reinstalled the folder with the question mark appeared again
4- I reset NVRAM (only one time)
5- macOS was able definitely to boot

I hope I did enough, thank you.

 

[applemanit]

Hello richmlow, I checked it and the volume appears to be OK. ? Thanks

 

[Stormtrooper1967]

Yes, I run AppleDiagnostics and EtreCheck. Result: No problem found.

I reset the NVRAM by pressing CMD+OPTION+P+R after the chime and waiting for the second chime and this operation seems resolved. But I did it after reinstalling macOS from recovery mode. I did a bit of a mess. In the sequence I did so:

1- I created a USB bootable version of Catalina 10.15.6 and I entered the recovery mode
1- I erased the old SSD initialising it and formatting it with macOS extended journaled format
2 - I reinstalled Catalina
3- after reinstalled the folder with the question mark appeared again
4- I reset NVRAM (only one time)
5- macOS was able definitely to boot

I hope I did enough, thank you.

Did you erase the group volume?

Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac – Apple Support (UK)

How to erase (format) the built-in startup disk of an Intel-based Mac.

support.apple.com

I made this mistake when installing a new SSD in my Mac Pro 5.1

 

[applemanit]

Did you erase the group volume?

Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac – Apple Support (UK)

How to erase (format) the built-in startup disk of an Intel-based Mac.

support.apple.com

I made this mistake when installing a new SSD in my Mac Pro 5.1

I think yes, now I have two volumes:
macOS
macOS - Data