macpro 2,1 VS macpro 3,11

[wgzn]

my trusty old octocore 2.8 (3,11) suffered a dead power supply today. and i need to replace it ASAP. there is a local guy selling an octocore 3.0 (2,1) at a reasonable price.

my question is:

his machine being a 2,1 model and mine being a 3,11. does that spec really have anything to do with performance. other than one wanting a faster/different kind of ram?

 

[stevenc64]

I just "upgraded" from an 8 core 3GHz 2.1 to an 8 Core 3GHz 3.1 and don't notice any difference in speed. The only reason I did it was because I found a good deal and now I can install Mavericks and a better graphics card.

So I don't think you will notice much difference, but the big thing is you will not be able to run anything past Lion (as least not without workarounds)

I also have a 2.1 for sale cheap

Steve

 

[flowrider]

my trusty old octocore 2.8 (3,11) suffered a dead power supply today. and i need to replace it ASAP. there is a local guy selling an octocore 3.0 (2,1) at a reasonable price.

my question is:

his machine being a 2,1 model and mine being a 3,11. does that spec really have anything to do with performance. other than one wanting a faster/different kind of ram?

Do a search there's lots of threads on this. But, IMHO, you really don't want and Mac Pro bellow a 3,1. If it's your PS, why not replace it

Lou

 

[wgzn]

If it's your PS, why not replace it

i plan to, but im right in the middle of a deliverable deadline and dont have time to locate/order/ship/install.
and i just happen to have found a local guy with this machine i can get TODAY. for a price i can absorb into the project

----------

and on that subject: if anyone has a reference for where i might find a powersupply for a 2.8 octocore macpro 3,11, id surely appreciate it : )

 

[Macsonic]

i plan to, but im right in the middle of a deliverable deadline and dont have time to locate/order/ship/install.
and i just happen to have found a local guy with this machine i can get TODAY. for a price i can absorb into the project

----------

and on that subject: if anyone has a reference for where i might find a powersupply for a 2.8 octocore macpro 3,11, id surely appreciate it : )

Sorry to hear about your power supply problem. Just keep in mind, if you decide to buy the 2.1 Mac Pro it cannot run 10.8ML if you are using that OS. You can try checking at eBay or this online store http://www.macpartsonline.com/ I have not tried their services so I could not comment on that. Though if you're on a rush deadline the power supply may not reach you in time before your deadline.

 

[Snowshiro]

Just keep in mind, if you decide to buy the 2.1 Mac Pro it cannot run 10.8ML

"officially"

 

[westrock2000]

Just keep in mind, if you decide to buy the 2.1 Mac Pro it cannot run 10.8ML if you are using that OS.

More specifically it does not support a 64 bit kernel. That's what keeps it from running Mountain Lion, but it may also limit what software you can use if they are more recent applications.

"Officially" of course as the person above me pointed out

 

[Snowshiro]

"Officially" of course as the person above me pointed out

For more information, there's a pretty lively thread over in the Mavericks subform, mainly dominated by Mac Pro 1,1 owners (of which I'm one). Mavericks is now significantly easier to install Mountain Lion (thanks Apple!). All you need to do is change the identifier for your machine to 3,1, and boot the installer using Chameleon, and it will just install the full OS like any other machine, 64-bit kernel and all. Obviously the same applies to 2,1 machines.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1593194/

I'm getting a geekbench of 10,500+ on my 2006 Mac Pro 1,1 (about 5% below a base 2012 rMBP), which considering it's a seven year old machine, just shows how well built those things were. It's never run smoother, and is still my primary iOS development platform.

 

[westrock2000]

Mavericks is now significantly easier to install Mountain Lion (thanks Apple!). All you need to do is change the identifier for your machine to 3,1, and boot the installer using Chameleon, and it will just install the full OS like any other machine, 64-bit kernel and all. Obviously the same applies to 2,1 machines.

Can you download the installer from iTunes even if your particular Mac is incompatible?

I won't do it to my server since I want stability, but might be nice to put on another computer fro using iMessage and Facetime.

 

[wgzn]

the only thing im really concerned with (for this particular situation) is after effects render performance.

after my power supply died, i opened my ae project with my macbook pro (17" 2010 2.66 c2d) and it gagged on even the most basic ae scene. which wasnt a total surprise. but the degree of gagging was a bit of a shock. as its handled advanced photoshop, final cut pro and premiere tasks admirably.

so, fast forward to late this afternoon:

at $600 i figured the 2,1 octocore a decent solution to my immediate problem. so i went and got it (another murder-free craigslist transaction!), brought it home. took all the ram, e-sata card and even the boot drive (snow leopard) out of the 3,11 octocore. put all of that into the 2,1 and it booted up without issue. everything appears to be working just like it was the moment before the power supply died.

so far, the only observed difference is my 800mhz ram shows up as 600hmz. and if thats my biggest problem. i'll survive.

now on the subject of OS upgradability. as a working professional who doesnt really give a crap about messaging, alerts, i-life, social media integration, or other neat little bells and whistles at the OS level. i havent really seen much meaningful improvement in any mac OS after snow leopard anyway.

 

[Macsonic]

so, fast forward to late this afternoon:

at $600 i figured the 2,1 octocore a decent solution to my immediate problem. so i went and got it (another murder-free craigslist transaction!), brought it home. took all the ram, e-sata card and even the boot drive (snow leopard) out of the 3,11 octocore. put all of that into the 2,1 and it booted up without issue. everything appears to be working just like it was the moment before the power supply died.

so far, the only observed difference is my 800mhz ram shows up as 600hmz. and if thats my biggest problem. i'll survive.

now on the subject of OS upgradability. as a working professional who doesnt really give a crap about messaging, alerts, i-life, social media integration, or other neat little bells and whistles at the OS level. i havent really seen much meaningful improvement in any mac OS after snow leopard anyway.

Good to know you are able to find a solution so you could finish the work. The ram in the 2.1 Mac Pro uses 667mhz which is just fine and I think you won't see much difference with the 800mhz. Just take note of the video card that came with your 2.1. If it's a Radeon 1900XT or a Nvidia 7300GT, might as well get a back up card of different model as those cards are usually notorious on breakdowns.

http://www.techhelpfox.com/1843365/Problems-With-Mac-Pro

 

[wgzn]

funny. it actually has BOTH those cards. go figure?

the up-side is BOTH are better than the 256mb radeon that was in my 3,11...
(and i still have that one should these become an issue)

 

[Snowshiro]

now on the subject of OS upgradability. as a working professional who doesnt really give a crap about messaging, alerts, i-life, social media integration, or other neat little bells and whistles at the OS level. i havent really seen much meaningful improvement in any mac OS after snow leopard anyway.

Totally understandable choice. If Snow Leopard is working well for you, there's no reason to have to change.

Just as an aside though, I stuck with Snow Leopard for a long time for similar reasons, hated Lion and didn't really care for Mountain Lion (literally had it installed for 3 days as a dry run to get the bootloader ready for Mavericks). That said, I've seen considerably snappier performance in Mavericks and my 1,1's geekbench score is considerably higher since the upgrade. It's got a lot of under-the-hood improvements, and is similar in that regard to Snow Leopard. Just remove the stuff you don't want (messages etc.) from the dock, and it's worth the upgrade.

 

[OS6-OSX]

http://www.macpartsonline.com/mac-pro-parts.html?type_part=111

Should take less than an hour to complete installation. The photo is of a spring cleaning not power supply exchange. But the PS was removed and cleaned as part of the spring cleaning.

Sure you were going to do this but:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/mac-pro-power-supply
http://www.macpalace.com/661-4677-p...4-0400-dps-980bb-api6pco1x-ma970ll-a1186.html

There are several sites and a wide price range! The first link is good for price comparison

 

[wgzn]

That said, I've seen considerably snappier performance in Mavericks and my 1,1's geekbench score is considerably higher since the upgrade.

good to know. i'll likely use the link provided above to (hopefully) locate a ps for my 3,11, revive my trusted friend and give mavericks a spin once this project is done and delivered.