Should i get the classic mac pro?

[colin warburton]

hello all, i have a mac pro 6.1, aka the trashcan. While i enjoy it, i also do miss the classic mac pro i had one a few years ago. I bought the classic one a few months back but got rid of it due to thensize, although i could have put it underneath my desk . The only issue is that its huge.
Heres the things i miss about the cmp
Expandability
Being able to put in multiple drives at once install multiple operating systems unlike the new one where your limited to just one drive
Upgrading the graphics cards
The looks: sexy
Easy upgradeable cpus

Cons: heavy
Big

Id put it either on my desk or underneath it

About the new mac pro 6.1
Pros: the size
Speed (although the cmp is fast but not as fast as the trashcan
Cons: non expandable

What are your thoughts? Do i pull the trigger?

 

[OneyedK]

It all boils down to what work you want to get done on the Mac.
If you really need multiple disks, the cMP or a Hackintosh is your best bet.
All the rest can be done with the trashcan...

 

[fhturner]

I think you'll find a lot of cMP fans here due to the pros you cite, so we'd tell you to go for the fantastic beast. If you want to find more justification for it, I suppose you might elaborate on your use case to see if the cMP offers advantages over the nMP. Size- and complexity-wise, to me, the nMP advantage quickly evaporates when you start having to connect multiple extra cases (each needing a power supply and cabling) to it. Swings the pendulum back the other way, if you ask me. I'd rather have it nice and tidy inside the Classic Mac Pro instead.

 

[bookemdano]

If you already have a 6,1 I'd just stand pat until the 7,1 is announced (if it is announced).

The 6,1 can be expanded by Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0. It's just not internally expandable (aside from replacing the SSDs). You can use an upgraded video card via EGPU off a TB2 port. It's technically not supported but people who have done it have had success with it.

You can have multiple OS drives on a 6,1--they just have to be external. You could get USB3 SSDs which are small and fast.

To me it's telling that the two times you previously had a classic Mac Pro you got rid of it. That tells me it's ultimately not going to make you happy.

 

[colin warburton]

If you already have a 6,1 I'd just stand pat until the 7,1 is announced (if it is announced).

The 6,1 can be expanded by Thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0. It's just not internally expandable (aside from replacing the SSDs). You can use an upgraded video card via EGPU off a TB2 port. It's technically not supported but people who have done it have had success with it.

You can have multiple OS drives on a 6,1--they just have to be external. You could get USB3 SSDs which are small and fast.

To me it's telling that the two times you previously had a classic Mac Pro you got rid of it. That tells me it's ultimately not going to make you happy.

True. But i do miss the expandability, there is always the choice of external ssd but that does make for more a bit of a mess

 

[bookemdano]

True. But i do miss the expandability, there is always the choice of external ssd but that does make for more a bit of a mess

Consider this--the 2012 cMP goes to Vintage status in two months. In order to run Mojave (you didn't indicate whether you wanted to do that or not) you must purchase an aftermarket GPU, and most of those will not show bootscreens, which means that you can no longer hold option to boot from any of those extra internal drives. Yes there are other ways to select them but the boot picker menu was by far the most convenient. You'll also lose the ability to boot DOS or other text-based OS's, as well as the ability to use verbose and single user boot modes.

Even if you get a GPU with bootscreen support you will lose the ability to do FileVault drive encryption and the ability to use boot camp assistant. Those have been completely blocked from all cMPs running Mojave.

It remains to be seen whether Apple will support the cMP with next year's OS release. The 2012 will be Vintage by then, so they may drop it. Or they may not drop any Macs next year (since they did drop a bunch this year) and the cMP will have one more year of reprieve. But it's a big unknown.

Thing is, you've owned two of these before so you're already familiar with them. And only you know your space constraints (if any) and your particular needs and setup. If you really want a cMP then get one. I'll trade you mine for your 6,1!

 

[ActionableMango]

Being able to put in multiple drives at once install multiple operating systems unlike the new one where your limited to just one drive

You can do three drives internally.

 

[colin warburton]

how is that possible?

 

[colin warburton]

To be honest. I had the mac pro 3.1 for a few years back in 2011 to 2015, 3 years and it was a great machine. I got rid of it because it wasnt upgradable to the newest operating sytem which was either el capitan yosemetie or high sierra. I enjoyed it. Do i miss it? I do.

 

[jbarley]

To be honest. I had the mac pro 3.1 for a few years back in 2011 to 2015, 3 years and it was a great machine. I got rid of it because it wasnt upgradable to the newest operating sytem which was either el capitan yosemetie or high sierra. I enjoyed it. Do i miss it? I do.

Yes the MacPro 3,1 still is a very nice machine, I really enjoy mine and Sierra is my favorite system, although it also runs High sierra and Mojave which I just don't like.

 

[Horselover Fat]

I wouldn't go for the cMP now. It's approaching its EOL and single core performance is average at best, even with X5690s.

 

[colin warburton]

I wouldn't go for the cMP now. It's approaching its EOL and single core performance is average at best, even with X5690s.

still its a great machine. id use it for video editing, web surfing, heck i could even use it for linux or windows. it may be EOL, but THE OS's still would run great on it.

 

[Horselover Fat]

still its a great machine. id use it for video editing, web surfing, heck i could even use it for linux or windows. it may be EOL, but THE OS's still would run great on it.

You‘re right. I have Win 10 on mine for gaming and things just work. It‘s just not the fastest machine anymore. I notice this during music production in Ableton Live and Logic. As long as you have that in mind for your video editing, you should be fine (though that is more multicore driven?) One more caveat I would add: the board and certain components are 6-9 years old, depending on the model.

 

[droog]

Your con's list is missing:

These computers contain ancient chip technology that is lapped by much more efficient and newer chips. Current i5s and i7s destroy these. (BUT MY ECC...you don't need it.)
Much better ram available with newer chips.
It just doesn't work. Keeping these operational is a hobby unto itself.
Lack of ability to support multiple high end gpus without hacks that are pretty laughable in 2018.
You are going to have to add additional costs on to most upgrades because you'll need some sort of card to make up for standard tech on most current machines.
The list goes on and on. I've just mentioned extremely general and basic problems. Just spend some time on this board. It's like a computer hospice.

The dudes in here are extremely myopic about the speed sacrifices they are making w/ these antiquated beasts and I find that astounding. Most of the positives are due to a romantic notion that they can keep beating these dead horses into the future.

 

[colin warburton]

thats your opinion, and most of that is true, but some people still enjoy the old machine.