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fuchsdh

macrumors 68020
Jun 19, 2014
2,029
1,831
Unreliability is literally the most noted descriptor of the 2013. No other computer I've ever herd of, treats its major components as consumables, the way the 2013 treats its GPUs. It's perhaps second only to the butterfly keyboard in the list of "greatest Apple hardware screwups" (and I'm including those first-gen PowerPC Powerbooks).

Eh, if anything the 2013 GPUs can't that big a screwup that just because the number of units it must have sold pales in comparison to more mainstream hardware screwups across their Mac and iOS lines.
 

sigmadog

macrumors 6502a
Feb 11, 2009
835
753
just west of Idaho
Just took a look on eBay and I think the prices aren't all that out of whack. For about the same price, you can get a new mini with third party 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD and an eGPU, or a 2013 Mac Pro with 64GB Ram, 1TB SSD and dual D500s. That doesn't seem like a bad deal to me.

These are still very capable systems for print design and simple video work. The only question is how long will Apple support last?

Personally, I'll probably go with the mini since it's newer and a bit more modular with an external GPU, but I can just as easily go with the trashcan and with few regrets.
 
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AidenShaw

macrumors P6
Feb 8, 2003
18,667
4,677
The Peninsula
Personally, I'll probably go with the mini since it's newer and a bit more modular with an external GPU, but I can just as easily go with the trashcan and with few regrets.
I would have a hard time parting with cash for a 2013 given the nightmare stories about GPU problems.
 
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archimacpro

macrumors member
Oct 24, 2016
72
66
NZ
Just give me the smallest box possible (with built in handle like the trashcan) with 1 card slot for 3080ti or whatever from AMD, AMD 3960X, upgradable memory, 2TBSSD. Small, great looking, silent.
 

tpivette89

macrumors 6502a
Jan 1, 2018
536
294
Middletown, DE
I bought a trashcan with the dual D300s. These seem to be the most reliable out of the 3 GPU options. Just added an eGPU using the purgewrangler script (VERY easy to do). Using my iMac Pro as a TB3 comparison with the eGPU and the same graphics card (Vega 64) I observed about a 9% performance loss (in benchmarks) with the TB2 interface of the 6,1. Not only that, but the compute score more than doubled vs the internal D300s.

If anyone is having doubts about the internal GPUs of the trashcan, installing an eGPU is a definite option. And there isn't as much of a performance hit vs TB3 as some seem to think.
 

sigmadog

macrumors 6502a
Feb 11, 2009
835
753
just west of Idaho
I would have a hard time parting with cash for a 2013 given the nightmare stories about GPU problems.

I get that, and it would be concern I'd have to answer to my satisfaction first. But at the same time, there are plenty of issues with Mac mini's and eGPU's as well.

Six of one. Half dozen of the other. It's a crap shoot buying Apple computers.
 

mattspace

macrumors 68040
Jun 5, 2013
3,344
2,975
Australia
If anyone is having doubts about the internal GPUs of the trashcan, installing an eGPU is a definite option. And there isn't as much of a performance hit vs TB3 as some seem to think.

Is the eGPU just a compute engine, or are you using it to drive your displays? The internal GPU should be able to drive more displays, than the TB bus has bandwidth to feed an external GPU.
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Titanium PowerBooks... oh my gosh, the hinge problems! Yep, right up there.

before the TiBook and it's paint disintegration, WallStreet, MainStreet, Lombard & Pismo all had inevitable clutch failure in the screen hinges.
 

stargood

macrumors newbie
Aug 14, 2016
4
1
USA
edit: the other question is, if you got a new one from a reseller, could you get Apple Care from Apple.....?

Yes, you could. You don't have to buy a new Mac directly from Apple if you want to buy AppleCare coverage. At least that was my experience with my Aluminum Powerbook G4, bought new in 2004. We even bought the AppleCare plan from a reseller. Apple's policies on this may have changed, but I doubt it.
 

yurc

macrumors 6502a
Aug 12, 2016
835
1,014
inside your DSDT
Let’s see trash can pro price after it labeled at vintage, or at least when 10.17/18 out which leave them out of support.
 

rawweb

macrumors 65816
Aug 7, 2015
1,126
943
I’m also using an eGPU (BM Vega 56) to drive an LG Ultrafine 5k at full res and 27” LED Cinema on my trash can at home. It works great. Takes a lot of stress off the d700s. Resolve works with all three cards. I’ve even managed to get the eGPU working in Windows.
 

fuchsdh

macrumors 68020
Jun 19, 2014
2,029
1,831
I bought a trashcan with the dual D300s. These seem to be the most reliable out of the 3 GPU options. Just added an eGPU using the purgewrangler script (VERY easy to do). Using my iMac Pro as a TB3 comparison with the eGPU and the same graphics card (Vega 64) I observed about a 9% performance loss (in benchmarks) with the TB2 interface of the 6,1. Not only that, but the compute score more than doubled vs the internal D300s.

If anyone is having doubts about the internal GPUs of the trashcan, installing an eGPU is a definite option. And there isn't as much of a performance hit vs TB3 as some seem to think.

I was considering that, because from a pure design standpoint the tube Mac Pro is gorgeous and it'd be cool to have as my legacy 32-bit machine versus this honkin' tower, but if I'm adding an eGPU then a faster, longer-supported Mini makes more financial sense.
 

flowrider

macrumors 604
Nov 23, 2012
7,323
3,003
The nMP Trash Can will be supported for some time. The 2012 cMP was supported until last year, that's 6 years after release off the nMP. The NcMP was just released late last year, so the Trash Can has at least 5 years to go before it loses support. It's not when the machine came out, but when it was replaced that determines Apple's support.

Lou
 
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MarkC426

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2008
3,700
2,097
UK
Yes, you could. You don't have to buy a new Mac directly from Apple if you want to buy AppleCare coverage. At least that was my experience with my Aluminum Powerbook G4, bought new in 2004. We even bought the AppleCare plan from a reseller. Apple's policies on this may have changed, but I doubt it.
I bought my 5.1 from a reseller with AppleCare.... ;)
But my thought is, now there are very few 6.1’s around (new) it would be difficult for Apple to replace it if there was an issue.......?
 

EmmEff

macrumors 6502
Oct 27, 2010
271
60
Ontario, Canada
I bought my 5.1 from a reseller with AppleCare.... ;)
But my thought is, now there are very few 6.1’s around (new) it would be difficult for Apple to replace it if there was an issue.......?

Given that there are still many (!!!) in use in media and entertainment, I assure you Apple has enough supplies to fix them... I don't think there'd be any concern about getting one fixed/replaced by Apple.
 

tpivette89

macrumors 6502a
Jan 1, 2018
536
294
Middletown, DE
The nMP Trash Can will be supported for some time. The 2012 cMP was supported until last year, that's 6 years after release off the nMP. The NcMP was just released late last year, so the Trash Can has at least 5 years to go before it loses support. It's not when the machine came out, but when it was replaced that determines Apple's support.

Lou

That wasn't the case with the last releases of the PowerMac G5 towers. You could still buy those brand new in 2006... then, just 3 short years later, Apple released Snow Leopard, killing support for all PowerPC machines.

It's about the specs of the machine, not when it was last released. If the product doesn't meet a minimum requirement, it gets dropped. With Mojave, it was non-metal graphics cards. Catalina dropped the cMP due to it's CPUs not being patched by Intel. I can't see the trashcan going any further with support than the rest of the 2013 Mac lineup.
 

tsialex

Contributor
Jun 13, 2016
13,455
13,602
That wasn't the case with the last releases of the PowerMac G5 towers. You could still buy those brand new in 2006... then, just 3 short years later, Apple released Snow Leopard, killing support for all PowerPC machines.

It's about the specs of the machine, not when it was last released. If the product doesn't meet a minimum requirement, it gets dropped. With Mojave, it was non-metal graphics cards. Catalina dropped the cMP due to it's CPUs not being patched by Intel. I can't see the trashcan going any further with support than the rest of the 2013 Mac lineup.
Yep, several Macs had software support dropped just two or three years after being replaced. Mac Pro 2007, MacBook 2008 and others were dropped with Mountain Lion.

No one should bet on late-2013 Mac Pro being supported for more than two years.
 
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TobiasT

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2019
74
71
It is a piece of art.

Aesthetics of 2019 Mac Pro look old in comparison to 2013 Mac Pro.

Dead silent!

Not a mainstream product, so not a lot of units.

Very easy to upgrade ram and hdd. CPUs are more than enough for a lot of workflows.
 
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throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,262
7,422
Perth, Western Australia
1200 usd average price for base config (4core/16Gb/D300/256GbSSD) is a total nuisance!
Why trashcans, despite being really old and underpowered even comparing to 2015 MacBook Pro, are still cost a ton of money?
Share your thoughts please!


Why are G4 cubes so expensive?


Because they look fancy.
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Just took a look on eBay and I think the prices aren't all that out of whack. For about the same price, you can get a new mini with third party 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD and an eGPU, or a 2013 Mac Pro with 64GB Ram, 1TB SSD and dual D500s. That doesn't seem like a bad deal to me.

These are still very capable systems for print design and simple video work. The only question is how long will Apple support last?

Personally, I'll probably go with the mini since it's newer and a bit more modular with an external GPU, but I can just as easily go with the trashcan and with few regrets.

You're not really comparing like for like though. The new mini will have hardware support for 5+ years, and warranty under Applecare for 3.

If you actually want some assurance that you haven't just flushed a grand down the toilet if/when your trashcan has a hardware failure, the figures aren't comparable at all.

I say that as someone who kinda has a soft spot for the trashcan. All Apple really needed to do IMHO was update it to USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 and actually get third party GPU developers on board or put out some GPU upgrades for it.
 
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loby

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2010
1,884
1,516
Why are G4 cubes so expensive?


Because they look fancy.
[automerge]1583287908[/automerge]


You're not really comparing like for like though. The new mini will have hardware support for 5+ years, and warranty under Applecare for 3.

If you actually want some assurance that you haven't just flushed a grand down the toilet if/when your trashcan has a hardware failure, the figures aren't comparable at all.

I say that as someone who kinda has a soft spot for the trashcan. All Apple really needed to do IMHO was update it to USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 and actually get third party GPU developers on board or put out some GPU upgrades for it.

That sounds easy (I too like the trashcan), but Apple themselves states heating issues, so upgrading the GPU's (unless the third party could make them run cooler) would be too difficult for the worth.

Looks like they developed themselves into a corner and could not get out with the small tight frame....
 

sirio76

macrumors 6502a
Mar 28, 2013
578
416
Trashcan has no heating issues, it can handle the thermal load just fine. Problem is that it can not take anything more than that and today both CPU and GPU needs way more thermal room. For what it worth I’ve just sell mine(8core/D700/1TB/64GB) for the equivalent of 2500$ it was extremely easy to resell(less than 24h), probably with a little bit more patience it could be sell for 3000$.
 

padams35

macrumors 6502a
Nov 10, 2016
502
348
It's about the specs of the machine, not when it was last released. If the product doesn't meet a minimum requirement, it gets dropped. With Mojave, it was non-metal graphics cards. Catalina dropped the cMP due to it's CPUs not being patched by Intel. I can't see the trashcan going any further with support than the rest of the 2013 Mac lineup.

I think the trashcan has more in common with the general 2014/2015 lineup than the general 2012/2013 lineup. Thunderbolt-2 vs Thunderbolt-1, AMD vs NVidia GPUs, etc. The only point in common I can think of is Ivy Lake. Personally, I'm expecting the next round of hardware cuts to be "Drops the last model to use NVidia drivers and everything older"... or "Requires Thunderbolt-2 or newer" if phrased more diplomatically.
 

defjam

macrumors 6502a
Sep 15, 2019
795
735
I bought my 5.1 from a reseller with AppleCare.... ;)
But my thought is, now there are very few 6.1’s around (new) it would be difficult for Apple to replace it if there was an issue.......?
They'd probably replace it with a 2019 Mac Pro.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
9,262
7,422
Perth, Western Australia
That sounds easy (I too like the trashcan), but Apple themselves states heating issues, so upgrading the GPU's (unless the third party could make them run cooler) would be too difficult for the worth.

I think that's a cop out on Apple's part.

GPU heat output is a function of power consumption, and the generation of GPU they put in the original are pretty toasty. Things have gotten better since then! Certainly in terms of power per watt. Even an RX480 equivalent card would be competitive or faster than the D700s (certainly D500/D300) whilst using 2/3 to 1/2 the power (and thus far less heat) of a D700. If you don't believe me, look up the specs.

They could easily have upgraded to faster dual Polaris or dual nvidia pascal cards in less power. Or even vega if they clocked them appropriately. Vega gets a bad rap for power consumption but if you back the clocks off by 10 percent power consumption drops massively. Vega would have been easier because unlike the Dx00 cards the thing shipped with there's no need to route memory traces for a 384 bit memory controller on the boards due to the on-package HBM2. The board designs would be far simpler.

Its not like they don't charge an arm and a leg for them, and they had to do the initial custom board design themselves anyhow. So its not like they couldn't wear the cost a second time - most of the R&D was already done.
 
Last edited:

loby

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2010
1,884
1,516
I think that's a cop out on Apple's part.

GPU heat output is a function of power consumption, and the generation of GPU they put in the original are pretty toasty. Things have gotten better since then! Certainly in terms of power per watt. Even an RX480 equivalent card would be competitive or faster than the D700s (certainly D500/D300) whilst using 2/3 to 1/2 the power (and thus far less heat) of a D700. If you don't believe me, look up the specs.

They could easily have upgraded to faster dual Polaris or dual nvidia pascal cards in less power. Or even vega if they clocked them appropriately. Vega gets a bad rap for power consumption but if you back the clocks off by 10 percent power consumption drops massively. Vega would have been easier because unlike the Dx00 cards the thing shipped with there's no need to route memory traces for a 384 bit memory controller on the boards due to the on-package HBM2. The board designs would be far simpler.

Its not like they don't charge an arm and a leg for them, and they had to do the initial custom board design themselves anyhow. So its not like they couldn't wear the cost a second time - most of the R&D was already done.

So if you don't believe what they said about designing themselves into a thermal nightmare, than what do you think the real reason for them not progressing further with the model? Lack of sales? Do you think the new Mac Pro will sale a lot? It is a necessity to some pros and industries, but not at the expense of commoners to purchase.

They COULD have designed cooler updated GPU's..they COULD have upgraded the CPU with newer technology that ran cooler..so WHY did they not continue?

Why not just throw in a modified MacBook Pro GPU (dual) that process faster? Why not just throw in a MacBook Pro i9 CPU (dual) that processes faster? Would it not run cooler and process faster than what is currently in the trashcan? The cooling design currently in the trashcan would do better than the current MacBook Pro cooling system and would probably not need to throttle down the CPUs . Then they could have continued with the design and throw in USB-C ports and call it a day.
 
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