Upgrading my 07 Mac Pro

[mrbrycel]

I've had my Mac Pro for 5 years now, and for some reason I've not until recently been thinking about upgrading. So far I've ordered some new RAM, and am contemplating whether or not to update to 10.6 (I'm currently running 10.5.8)

I know.. My Mac is years behind, and 10.6 came out a long time ago. I think my wake up call was not being able to recognize my iphone 5, because the operating system was too old to update to the current version of iTunes..

Anyway, is it worth upgrading to 10.6? I'm running CS3 and FCP7 and don't want to risk any problems with them.

 

[GermanyChris]

No CS3 and FCP7 is fine on 10.6, but your topped out there with CS3.

 

[mrbrycel]

Will I be able to go all through the latest version of 10.6 (is it 10.6.8?) and be fine?

Also, am I going to have to reinstall, or re-enter my serial numbers for my software after updating the OS? Or will it just stay installed?

 

[thekev]

If you don't upgrade that CS3 by the end of the year, you'll lose upgrade eligibility. It also applies to individual products. I mention this stuff as I want people to be aware of it. CS6 does have some nice features. You mentioned ram, yet CS3 is still a 32 bit version. It can use extra ram as a buffer, but it can't address it directly past 3GB. Of course the OS uses some too and some things get cached to ram, so you need more than 3GB total. It's just that the diminishing returns kick in hard on the older versions. they implemented things like saving as a background process with the CS6 versions. That can be much less annoying when dealing with large files. Anyway I wanted to ensure you knew about that, although if you're on a 1,1 or 2,1 (noting the age), they're not officially supported any longer. Adobe tends to drop software support around the same time as Apple. It may still work though.

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/designstandard/buying-guide-upgrades.html

You own one of the following suite editions Upgrade to CS6 Design Standard

Creative Suite 5.5 Design Standard, Design Premium, Web Premium, Production Premium, or Master Collection


US$275

Creative Suite 5 Design Standard, Design Premium, Web Premium, Production Premium, or Master Collection


US$549

Creative Suite 4 Design Standard, Design Premium, Web Standard, Web Premium, Production Premium, or Master Collection (special offer expires December 31, 2012)


US$699

Creative Suite 3 Design Standard, Design Premium, Web Standard, Web Premium, Production Premium, or Master Collection (special offer expires December 31, 2012)


US$699

 

[GermanyChris]

work just gave me a 5.5 to replace the 3 I was using. I can't do more with 5.5 than I could 3 but its my skills holding me back. I agree though if you can afford it it's time to upgrade to 6 if the money is there.

 

[Neodym]

Anyway, is it worth upgrading to 10.6?

I can't speak for your business software, but in general the update to 10.6 is very worthwhile in my opinion. Faster, smoother, more advanced. Apple did a lot under the hood. Also - with 10.6.8 you gain access to PC graphic cards being supported out of the box (like e.g. a 6870). Only thing you would need is to buy one or two specialized power cables for graphic cards in a Mac Pro.