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MP 6,1 New 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 (trash can)

G

GoodOl'TrashCan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 8, 2025
3
1
Hey all,

Just landed one of those old trash can macs for a decent price. 12-core, D700s, 1TB, 128GB. I'm looking to turn it into a stable, vintage graphics station running Adobe CS6, or maybe 5.5, stuff. Toward that end, I'm considering running OS 10.11 El Capitan, as it's fully compliant with the older 32-bit software, which also plays nicely (I hear) with HFS+.

Wondering about a few things with regard to this machine. Numero uno would be, what can I do to minimize the risk of it burning out. Looking for opinions on the following:
  • Firmware updates
    • Currently at 481.0.0 with 10.11.6 installed.
      • This is the latest version of 10.11.6 available from Apple in a DMG installer (at the below link), but there are updates available in the support search
        • anyone know if the security updates etc. are going to take me past 10.11.6? Are they necessary?
      • http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2...cf50-4516-9011-228c78eda3d2/InstallMacOSX.dmg
      • I'm assuming the firmware (boot rom version) is linked to the OS version — ie there could be higher firmware but I would have to run a higher OS (which it did have when I received it, unfortunately didn't note the firmware before reinstalling/downgrading).
    • Tried running Apple's EFI and SMC updates 2.0, and the installer for each said "This software is not supported on your system"
  • Fan accessories or cooling approaches
    • What has worked for others, and what's available?
  • Keeping it simple with monitors
    • In the vintage spirit, single or dual 1080p monitors are the plan… will running these relatively low-res panels help keep the GPUs from burning out?
  • Wanting to maximize internal storage, I am considering an OWC Aura Pro X2 in the 2TB capacity, just for fun.
    • Will installing this have negative consequences?
      • Increased heat?
      • Diminished firmware update ability? (assuming Apple would even update this machine at this point)
All in all, how dumb was it for me to buy this machine? 😅 Is it certain to die over time? Was I seduced by the industrial design and nostalgia, not to mention getting an 8K machine for $350?
 
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I have a 5,1 that I use similar as you describe, set up for vintage creative software. Absolutely on board with your approach there.

I personally wouldn't buy another 6,1 at this point, but I will offer my anecdotal experience which has been great:

I got one of these a few years back for one of our employees bc it was cheap. I installed windows 10 for her light office use, so for her it feels quite responsive. I have been fully expecting it to die "any day now" for 3 years. YMMV but we don't do anything to keep it cool, just let it rip figuring if and when it dies we will get something more modern. It is hot AF and I don't care. It is even full of dust last I saw; dust is coming out the top never mind the bottom (didn't bother to check bc of the rat's nest of wires).

Some sort of extra fan base for it to sit on could be nice but at the same time how much time do I want to spend modeling and 3D printing that when there's so much else to do.

*edit* we use this machine with a 27 apple cinema which I believe is 2560X1440 if I recall.
 
GoodOl'TrashCan said:
Hey all,

Just landed one of those old trash can macs for a decent price. 12-core, D700s, 1TB, 128GB. I'm looking to turn it into a stable, vintage graphics station running Adobe CS6, or maybe 5.5, stuff. Toward that end, I'm considering running OS 10.11 El Capitan, as it's fully compliant with the older 32-bit software, which also plays nicely (I hear) with HFS+.

Wondering about a few things with regard to this machine. Numero uno would be, what can I do to minimize the risk of it burning out. Looking for opinions on the following:
  • Firmware updates
    • Currently at 481.0.0 with 10.11.6 installed.
    • Tried running Apple's EFI and SMC updates 2.0, and the installer for each said "This software is not supported on your system"
  • Fan accessories or cooling approaches
    • What has worked for others, and what's available?
  • Keeping it simple with monitors
    • In the vintage spirit, single or dual 1080p monitors are the plan… will running these relatively low-res panels help keep the GPUs from burning out?
  • Wanting to maximize internal storage, I am considering an OWC Aura Pro X2 in the 2TB capacity, just for fun.
    • Will installing this have negative consequences?
      • Increased heat?
      • Diminished firmware update ability? (assuming Apple would even update this machine at this point)
All in all, how dumb was it for me to buy this machine? 😅 Is it certain to die over time? Was I seduced by the industrial design and nostalgia, not to mention getting an 8K machine for $350?
Click to expand...
It’s interesting that people are collecting these things now…

I just saw this lovely 2019 Mac Pro on eBay. Something just doesn’t seem right about the $99 price tag though. I can’t quite put my finger on it 😂

IMG_2041.jpeg
 
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Honestly I hope it lasts forever, as has every mac I've ever owned. Never had one die, not once since the early 90s.

Give me some horror stories though, guys… I want to hear all about the follies so I can avoid 'em!
 
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You’ve got the maxed MP 6,1, congrats! If you’re worried about the longevity of your Mac, I would suggest you run it regularly with its current specs; don’t forget it’s a 12-year old machine, so don’t push it with modern technologies—either hardware or software.

In the past, all the “horrible” stories were about the heart from the D700 cards and its prone to getting dusty, so act accordingly.

I have the “medium” model, 6-core, 64 GB, 1T, D500, running Monterey, although nowadays I mostly use the Studio. But the 6,1 is still a capable machine and my sole concern has been the power consumption.
 
@apostolosdt Still a sweet machine, and probably faster in the end for most of what the single-thread work I'll be doing, as it's got a higher clock speed 👍

So it's important to keep it clean inside, and not stress the GPUs. Good to know.
 
First of all, I would generally recommend that you downgrade the RAM from 128GB to 64GB, and then replace it with modules that are distributed over 64GB and take up all the slots. 128GB RAM sounds like a lot, but it is known to be slower in the fat client. There are enough threads here and elsewhere about the how and wherefore.

In terms of equipment, we are identical apart from the RAM. So far, I have not had any problems with the D700 GPUs, although I put them through a lot in various applications. If the performance is not sufficient and the application supports it, I switch on the RX6900XT eGPU. On the CPU side, multi-threaded applications are more common for me. Full utilization of all cores is not uncommon in some applications. I've freezed the system to latest Monterey. I'm using a lot of actual but also some older EOL software for editing stills and film, rendering (gigapixel) panos, and some photogrammetry. But also infrastructure tasks of my homelab datacenter. That is why the 12 core variant made more sense for me. But from time to time playing games is also a topic.
If an eGPU is an issue, I have already mentioned a few things about it here:

I can only recommend that you completely disassemble and clean the system at the beginning and from time to time, depending on the environment. An electric blower that can be adjusted using air pressure helps a lot. But I would also recommend that you expose everything from the CPU and GPUs and remove and clean any old thermal paste. Then apply high-quality new ones according to the scheme:

Arctic Silver, Inc. - Intel® Application Methods

www.arcticsilver.com www.arcticsilver.com
www.pugetsystems.com

Thermal Paste Application Techniques

The best technique to apply thermal paste is something that is often debated, and as a whole the internet has not decided on a standard technique. There are many varying techniques that are recommended, so in this article we will best test a variety of techniques to see which performs the best.
www.pugetsystems.com www.pugetsystems.com

I can also recommend installing a passive cooling method under the 6.1. I've already written a lot about this: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ionally-cool-a-mac-pro-6-1-passively.2442054/

If automatic switching on with a power strip is an issue for you, I have the solution for you here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...r-strip-is-switched-on.2449315/?post=33782265

I can also recommend raising the fan curve a little with TG Pro, contrary to the automatic control. This is hardly noticeable, but it helps enormously to reduce the peak temperatures of the PCIe switch, for example. As is well known, this is the worst cooled element. Overall, however, the overall temperature of all components can be reduced well. It is also advisable to set up basic conditions in TG Pro that make it clear when which fan curve should be used. I have attached a screenshot of mine for you.

1741607957075.png
 
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