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Stay with my mid 2010 mac pro or sell and get Mac pro 2013 from ebay to run Catalina

My budget is not big, maybe $1,800 to $2,000 at the most right now. I already have plenty of my own external storage, I have multiple USB 3 portable external hard drives that I keep my critical data on, I don't really keep crucial data on my computers, I use the computer internal hard drive more as a workspace, and for the apps and such.

I also use a wacom tablet or pad as my "mouse" ever since using my intuos 3 with my current mac pro, I don't really want to go back to a mouse again.
 
Well given your budget and preference for plenty of workspace on your internal drive then you may very well want to pony up for a larger PCIe SSD from Apple. I'm not sure if it's feasible or even possible to upgrade that later given how Apple ties them in with the T2 security chip.

Unless you are planning to heavily use apps that are multithreaded (or want to run several VMs at once) I really don't know that you'd see much benefit from one of the 6-core CPU options. But others who have actually used them may be able to chime in with their experience.
 
Well, I meant was I don't depend as much on the internal hard drive space of a mac, I mainly work off of and use external hard drives, I may use the internal hard drive for a small project, but bigger complex ones, I use an external hard drive.
 
Sossity said:
So I looked at other mac pros like the 2013 trash can one, since 2013 and newer are Catalina supported, they were interesting when they first came out, and were way too much then, but now I see some on eBay and they have come down in price.

(....)

The new current mac pro is just way out of my budget, hence why I went to ebay to check out the 2013 ones.
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I think at this point nobody can be sure just how long the 6,1 will be supported but as another poster has pointed out: they're still selling them and they are still offering the 3-year warranty for them and will presumably continue to sell them until the new one is available.

Personally I think it's the only interesting desktop system they have left at this point (unless you like your computer with a built-in glossy screen .... urgh): you can swap out memory and SSD yourself and it does not come with one of these dreaded T2 chips either. The GPU out of the box does the job (unlike the Mini's) and it seems still feasible to run an eGPU even if not officially supported. It's also pretty silent and energy efficient and due to Intels inability to come up with significantly higher clockspeeds this decade the CPUs aren't actually half bad either.

If you want to pick one up from ebay I'd advise to have the seller tell you the production week (there's a website where you can look that up by inputting the serial number): I'd stay away from early revisions from before 2016 or whenever they had their GPU-burnout-gate with this machine.


And pretty sure the 6k figure we have seen of the new Mac Pro is just the beginning: actual systems will probably come with more expensive configurations so even as a refurb/used this will be one hell of an expensive computer for many years to come. Also, I suppose there's tax on top of that 6k figure that will be passed on to private buyers.
 
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Either way, wait and see if:

1. If Catalina ends up doing what you want and doing it well.

2. If trash can Mac Pro’s hardware supports that specific feature in the final, non-beta, release. It may be like the 5,1 not supporting unlocking with the Apple Watch feature specifically even though it can run Mojave.
 
We already know that the trashcan can't do Sidecar (at least not in any usable way). OP-- you mentioned using a Wacom tablet. You may have an interest in Sidecar as it lets you use an ipad as a tablet input for your Mac. I don't have any Macs compatible with it so I haven't tested, but I think early reports were pretty favorable.

I'm not saying the 2013 is a terrible machine. I just think it's a poor value for a $2000+ outlay. You're buying 2012 CPUs and GPUs with very little ability to upgrade going forward. Apple does not support eGPU over TB2 and there is no guarantee that the current hack will continue to work--they could disable it at any time.
 
Sossity said:
So should I sell off my current mac pro, skip the trash can mac, and then just wait for refurb 7,1 mac pros? I read that they are starting at about $6,000, which is way out of my league, even at half that price is a bit much for me, hence why I looked at the trash can mac pros on eBay.

To even be able to afford the newest mac pro at that starting price, I might end up waiting another couple of years, or more until that one is old and apple is coming out with yet another one.

But, I don't want to get another desktop mac with heating issues like I had with my mac mini.

Not sure what to do now if anything.

I do have younger newer Macbook Pro, late 2014, and I will probably update that to Catalina, and use that when I want Catalina, and use my current mac pro for other stuff.
[doublepost=1560078287][/doublepost]I thought of that too, that the trash can mac is already 6 years old as well, and will probably soon be dropped from newer OS support as well.
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I mean, are you needing a sort of "headless" desktop? If so, I hear you about the price of the MP. If I were strictly looking for a headless desktop, I’d go with a new mini and EGPU with TB 3 expandability
 
yes, would prefer a headless desktop, I have the all n one with my macbook pro. I would like the desktop to have some expandability, and For have an apple monitor.
 
Well in terms of expandability I think TB3 is definitely worth having. TB1 and TB2 were pretty meh but TB3 is finally fulfilling the promise of that interface. So yeah the Mini seems like the right choice here, assuming its CPU can handle what you need to throw at it.
 
AidenShaw said:
SELL! SELL! SELL!

Now, before the next Catalina drop is compiled to use instructions that none of the cMP systems support - demolishing their resale value.
Click to expand...

That is solid advice for someone planning to buy a consumer grade Mac or to leave OSX. For someone planning to replace it with a (used) trashcan it is not as these will also drop in resale value once the new MP hits the market.
 
Apple Master said:
The solution here is if you listen to everybody on this site ... just buy a fookin iMac.
Click to expand...

That's likely what I'll do (or get a new Mac Mini w/ eGPU) but I have some time to make the decision... I have 2 Classic Mac Pro's, so I can go another year or two. I'll see how the landscape looks then.
I've pondered going Windows, but that just makes me sad. I can game in that world, but living in it is just not palatable to me. My whole family is Apple, so I'm cornered.
Good thread though, lots of us are in the same quandry. What to do, what to do.
 
mode11 said:
The 2013 Mac Pro is still on sale today. There is no way it will get dropped from 10.16, or any upcoming OS - that would be outrageous for a machine they are still selling in 2019 for £4000. I would expect it to be supported through at least 5 more OS releases.
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That would be outrageous and I also doubt they'd drop it so fast.

But Apple has done worse before. They sold the Power Mac G5 Quad until 2006. It came with 10.4 Tiger, and 10.5 Leopard was the last version it could upgrade to. That was it. To be fair it was the PowerPC to Intel transition, but even so that was 3-4 years for a machine that could cost around 10k in some configs!
 
tevion5 said:
That would be outrageous and I also doubt they'd drop it so fast.

But Apple has done worse before. They sold the Power Mac G5 Quad until 2006. It came with 10.4 Tiger, and 10.5 Leopard was the last version it could upgrade to. That was it. To be fair it was the PowerPC to Intel transition, but even so that was 3-4 years for a machine that could cost around 10k in some configs!
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Same story with the G5 (iSight) iMac. Introduced in October 2005 and discontinued in January 2006. There is a good chance Catalina might be the Last supported macOS for the nMP 6,1 but time will tell.
 
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Some good points here about the later G5s, though wasn’t the Intel transition known about at that point? I dimly remember people knowingly buying the final PPC towers, so they could run their existing PPC software at better performance than Rosetta could. Going Intel also meant new Adobe CS etc. plus the inevitable turmoil of a transition (useful plugins not updated etc.).

Still, the transition can’t have been music to the ears of those who bought late-model G5s. Those customers were kind of stiffed, even if overall the gains from the Intel transition were pretty compelling.

The nMP is a bit different though - they’d practically have to go out of their way to block it, when they’re still supporting old MBAs and so on.
 
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If you are happy with your cMP, then you should definitely stick with it at least for the time being. There might be a workaround for Catalina support if you really need it.

I'm very happy with my recently purchased nMP 6,1. I just replaced my i7 Mac Mini 2018, with the nMP. It's also much easier to upgrade on the nMP compared to the mini. To install my 32GB kit in the Mini, I had to take the whole thing apart, which can be a bit tedious especially the first time. On the nMP, just slide off the cover and that's it.

If you go Mini, also make sure that you are satisfied with what you order as besides Memory (which Apple says isn't user upgradeable and should be taken to an Authorized Service Provider to be upgraded), everything else is set. I bought my Mini with a 512GB SSD, but after installing Win10 as well, my storage space was severely lacking. I got the nMP with a 1TB Apple SSD and if I need more storage then I can upgrade with an adapter.

As I said at the beginning, I'd stick with your cMP for now and later decide if you want something else. By the time Catalina releases, Apple (might) update the Mini with the 9th gen CPUs (probably not, but you never know.) The nMP will probably also be cheaper as companies possibly upgrade to the new MP 2019.
 
I think I will just hang with my current mac pro and see what happens in the fall with everything, I will then hopefully have a clearer idea of what I want to do next if anything. In that time, I can try out Catalina on my macbook pro and see if I really like it.
 
Sossity said:
yes, would prefer a headless desktop, I have the all n one with my macbook pro. I would like the desktop to have some expandability, and For have an apple monitor.
Click to expand...
I'd go with a Mini then--basically a GPU and some RAM. You can add whatever (mostly AMD) card you want with TB 3. I also think the RAM is upgradeable if you take it to an Apple Certified repair shop (or Apple store), so basically, the only think you CAN'T upgrade in the Mini is the CPU. Buy the biggest one you need and go from there.

For everyone looking for a less costly, upgradeable Mac Mini, I think that is the route Apple is pushing.
 
@smbu2000, What was the manufacture date of your nMP? I know it is the 2013 model named on when it first came out, but I know models are manufactured in later years. My mac pro is the mid 2010 model, but mine was actually made in 2012.

How does the nMP compare to the 2018 mini in performance? is it any better worse? how does it do on heat and noise?

I learned in this thread that the nMP have thunderbolt 2? correct me if I am wrong, while the 2018 mini has thunderbolt 3, did you mind downgrading the thunderbolt connectivity?
 
Sossity said:
@smbu2000, What was the manufacture date of your nMP? I know it is the 2013 model named on when it first came out, but I know models are manufactured in later years. My mac pro is the mid 2010 model, but mine was actually made in 2012.

How does the nMP compare to the 2018 mini in performance? is it any better worse? how does it do on heat and noise?

I learned in this thread that the nMP have thunderbolt 2? correct me if I am wrong, while the 2018 mini has thunderbolt 3, did you mind downgrading the thunderbolt connectivity?
Click to expand...

The single core performance is better on the mini, but depending on the cpu the nMP 6,1 got a better multi core score.
(See the screenshot in my earlier post)
https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/434

Thunderbolt 3 is twice as fast as thunderbolt 2. It also allows you to connect USB 3.1 devices with a USB-C connector which doesn’t work with thunderbolt 2.
You can use Thunderbolt 3 devices with the apple adapter on a nMP 6,1 (limited to TB 2 bandwidth) though.

See my earlier post about your questions regarding heat and noise.

On the nMP you can use up to three 4K displays or three dual cable 5k displays.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202801
https://support.apple.com/kb/SP697?locale=en_US

So TB 3 compatibility aside, I think the nMP 6,1 performs better.
(So does the cMP 5,1)
Of course depending on the actual cpu and configuration.

edit: that being said, the Mac mini is much newer and will most likely longer receive macOS updates from now on.
Also I forgot to mention that the internal flash memory the mini comes with is much faster then the Apple SSUBX inside the nMP.
 
I"m keeping my cMP for now. It still runs what I bought it for to make money with and eventually buy a new Macbook Pro as and when it happens. It paid for itself in a week.

If it does the job, minus some new features that at the end of the are OS based rather than your own additional software (Adobe for example) why change anything?

Remember, everything that comes from Apple is by Apple, and made to run the new stuff THEY are putting out. It's only when everyone else decides to cut support from the apps you use you have to make the decision.
 
If the trashcan had a midlife upgrade 2016/17 with updated internals and TB3, I’d be tempted to pick one up, but too many what ifs for a 2013 machine. USB-C compatibility is a must for me now.
 
Sossity said:
@smbu2000, What was the manufacture date of your nMP? I know it is the 2013 model named on when it first came out, but I know models are manufactured in later years. My mac pro is the mid 2010 model, but mine was actually made in 2012.

How does the nMP compare to the 2018 mini in performance? is it any better worse? how does it do on heat and noise?

I learned in this thread that the nMP have thunderbolt 2? correct me if I am wrong, while the 2018 mini has thunderbolt 3, did you mind downgrading the thunderbolt connectivity?
Click to expand...
This is a kind of fun video with the Mini---https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzzwti5PN_k
 
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Sossity said:
@smbu2000, What was the manufacture date of your nMP? I know it is the 2013 model named on when it first came out, but I know models are manufactured in later years. My mac pro is the mid 2010 model, but mine was actually made in 2012.

How does the nMP compare to the 2018 mini in performance? is it any better worse? how does it do on heat and noise?

I learned in this thread that the nMP have thunderbolt 2? correct me if I am wrong, while the 2018 mini has thunderbolt 3, did you mind downgrading the thunderbolt connectivity?
Click to expand...
My Mac Pro was manufactured in March of 2018, so just over a year ago.

The i7 Mini that I had can get pretty hot. At full load the CPU gets to the 95C-100C range. The top gets very hot to touch and the spin can get a bit noisy. The nMP seems to dissipate heat much better. At full load the CPU ranged from 65C-70C (depending on ambient temp.) and the fan stayed pretty quiet.

I didn't really mind the TB3 to TB2 downgrade. I was using an Nvidia card(GTX 1080Ti) in my eGPU box(Razer Core X) to use in Windows, but I just put together another Windows box (using the CPU from the nMP) since I already had most of the parts anyway.

As for performance, I posted about performance in the "I just ordered/purchased a Mac Pro" thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-thread-merged.1687808/page-113#post-27425550

The 8core nMP gets similar multicore scores compared to the i7 Mac Mini 2018.

edit: My geekbench profile page shows different systems from 2018 Mini to the nMP with 8core and 12core CPUs and some MBP scores, too. 8core CPU overclocked in a Win10 X79 system as well.

https://browser.geekbench.com/user/207068
 
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