Nope. Insertion ends today, but I'm concerned about the warranty with no receipt...
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would it be stupid to buy a 2010 quad core now ?
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Nope. Insertion ends today, but I'm concerned about the warranty with no receipt...
It came 2 days ago and has been heating up the corner of the room since! I waited to post until the warranty was confirmed with apple, which was super easy too, scan receipt, fill in webform, attach jpg, 2 days later warranty is confirmed!
It looked like the cardboard box might have been opened and resealed, but the sticker sealing the bag and showing the software licence was intact and the machine is new, and recognised as such by apple. I googled the company, they deal in business to business and electronic/office stuff, including clearance and recycling, seem pretty legit, good ebay feedback etc. They had 7 of these for sale, 4 still left...
Actually, they have some of these plus some 8core 2009 models (lower spec i.e smaller HD, Nvidia graphics, single superdrive, base spec CPU) for crazy low auction prices at the moment:
http://computers.shop.ebay.co.uk/i....kw=&_osacat=58058&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313
£1000 for my model, someone is going to get a bargain, and £1200 for the 8core model!!! Not too many watchers and practically no bids. I'll be annoyed if they go for less than £1400 I paid!
For anyone in Europe looking for a 'cheap' entry into the world of Pros, but prefer new over second hand, this seems to be about as good as it gets!
That'd be me! I too had been looking at this seller but was too chicken to actually buy one, as it is a lot of money to be transferring to somebody so totally unknown to me, so I'm pleased to find someone who is more brave.
Seems like a genuine thing then.One question though: as these MP's are meant for the UK, in case of a malfunction, will Apple actually fix it in other EU countries under warranty?
That'd be me! I too had been looking at this seller but was too chicken to actually buy one, as it is a lot of money to be transferring to somebody so totally unknown to me, so I'm pleased to find someone who is more brave.
One question though: as these MP's are meant for the UK, in case of a malfunction, will Apple actually fix it in other EU countries under warranty?
I wrote them a few days ago (3-4 ?) asking, among other stuff, the same thing about warranty. Still waiting for an answer...
Well, I got one too: the same one HelsinkiMac bought, the Quad Core 2.93 GHz.
Weird stuff though. There were two of these Mac Pros listed. One was auctioned, the other was listed as 'best offer' with the option to 'buy it now'. Buying price was 1,499. So I first joined the bidding, which started at 1000 GBP. I put in a maximum bid of (obviously) 1,500 and was highest bidder for awhile, but then in the very last minute I was outbid. Others went on and the auction closed at just over 1,700! That's so weird considering there was the option to buy one of these Mac Pros for 200 pounds less!
Anyway, as I really wanted this Mac Pro I decided not to risk it with 'best offer' but simply buy it, which I did. So I paid 100 pounds more than HelsinkiMac, but I am absolutely delighted!
Now fingers crossed that all will go well here too...
Weird stuff though. There were two of these Mac Pros listed. One was auctioned, the other was listed as 'best offer' with the option to 'buy it now'. Buying price was 1,499. So I first joined the bidding, which started at 1000 GBP. I put in a maximum bid of (obviously) 1,500 and was highest bidder for awhile, but then in the very last minute I was outbid. Others went on and the auction closed at just over 1,700! That's so weird considering there was the option to buy one of these Mac Pros for 200 pounds less!
Anyway, as I really wanted this Mac Pro I decided not to risk it with 'best offer' but simply buy it, which I did. So I paid 100 pounds more than HelsinkiMac, but I am absolutely delighted!
Now fingers crossed that all will go well here too...
Fake/friendly ebay accounts used to push the price higher maybe ? Blame me if you want, but I have done that too using friends accounts....
I feel like the used mac market is only good for sellers. because macs hold their value so well most used machines are only a couple hundred less then a brand new machine with much better specs. Ive noticed over the years that everytime I look for a used mac I end up at apple.com pricing out a new one. Im going to wait for the new mac pros. I was going to get an imac but I need the upgradeability so I just upgraded my hackintosh ram to 12gb and im holding steady.
Levina - I have to admit my heart was going pretty fast when I hit the buy button! I did phone them up, three times (!), got them to say over the phone it was brand new and sealed, as well as it being there in the ad, which at the very least gives you a comeback through ebay/paypal if this is wrong.
Sinser - call them instead of emailing, I was straight through 3 times and had emailed with no response before...
If the pro is sealed and new (which mine was!), there should be no problem with apple honouring the warranty (which they have for mine!). I put my address down when registering the warranty as in Finland where I am, so that doesn't seem to be a problem, and as far as I'm aware, there is only one administrative region for the whole of europe (and africa!) for apple warranties, HQ in Ireland - see here:
http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/warranty_obligor_table.pdf
So, it should be the case that as we have a valid 1 year warranty from date of purchase, and 3 years if you add applecare (mine is on its way, will confirm when it's activated), you simply call your local apple shop or apple authorised service provider (we only have the latter in Finland), they check with apple that the warranty is valid (which it is), and they are then obligated to do the work.
I also wondered about just doing buy it now to make sure I got it at that price, but I phoned to check it was new, submitted a best offer with ebay, then called them, they said they would check it with the boss and reply to the offer in an hour, called them 2 hours later when I got nothing, and they said they would accept right then which they did (probably to stop me calling all the time!). Ten seconds later my mouse pointer was hovering over the payment button, heart rate up... About 1 week later it arrived!
I'm also now kinda glad the ebay auctions didn't go for silly low prices, I'd have been annoyed! The 8 core was only 1550 though, slow ghz processors, worse ram, video card, and only one superdrive, compared to the machine Levina and I bought, but great value for upgrading! The CPUs can be upgraded to v fast 2 x hexacore if you upgrade the efi to the 2010 (see other threads here and elsewhere, I'm tempted longterm to do this to my single CPU), the Ram up to 96GB (!!) via OWC or less for not too much expense (i.e. 8x4GB for not too much), the videocard to the 5890 or probably the 6xxx soonish etc...
Difficult to tell with the bidders hidden if it was the case that only experienced ebayers bidded at the last minute, or if someone was cheekily pushing up the bids. People do seem to get caught up in bidding wars on ebay though, sometimes items go for more than you can get them new if people start to bid against each other!
Anyway, Levina let us know when your Pro arrives, and Sinser, if you are interested, I'd offer a buy it now £100-200 below the buy it now price, then phone them 12-24 hours later to see if they will accept it. It worked with me, and while they only have 2 of the 4core model left, they have been there for nearly 2 weeks now, having sold 5 in that time. They seem to have nearly 20 of the 8core model, I think you might get even more of a discount off one of those with a best offer if you try on ebay and then phone them! They must be fairly keen to unload that much stock...
Good luck all!
Now I'm just dreaming what I should upgrade first, as cheaply as possible of course, Ram first probably but should I go for 12gb, 16gb, 24gb, 32gb, 48gb (last 2 or 3 way too expensive at moment!)? Then wait for new videocards with the next pro, maybe order a small boot ssd now, I have a 2gb hd to go in as a time machine backup, and a small 2.5" drive as a windows xp partition if I can get xp64 to play nicely etc etc!
Sinser - call them instead of emailing, I was straight through 3 times and had emailed with no response before...
If the pro is sealed and new (which mine was!), there should be no problem with apple honouring the warranty (which they have for mine!). I put my address down when registering the warranty as in Finland where I am, so that doesn't seem to be a problem, and as far as I'm aware, there is only one administrative region for the whole of europe (and africa!) for apple warranties, HQ in Ireland - see here:
http://images.apple.com/legal/warranty/docs/warranty_obligor_table.pdf
So, it should be the case that as we have a valid 1 year warranty from date of purchase, and 3 years if you add applecare (mine is on its way, will confirm when it's activated), you simply call your local apple shop or apple authorised service provider (we only have the latter in Finland), they check with apple that the warranty is valid (which it is), and they are then obligated to do the work.
I also wondered about just doing buy it now to make sure I got it at that price, but I phoned to check it was new, submitted a best offer with ebay, then called them, they said they would check it with the boss and reply to the offer in an hour, called them 2 hours later when I got nothing, and they said they would accept right then which they did (probably to stop me calling all the time!). Ten seconds later my mouse pointer was hovering over the payment button, heart rate up... About 1 week later it arrived!
I'm also now kinda glad the ebay auctions didn't go for silly low prices, I'd have been annoyed! The 8 core was only 1550 though, slow ghz processors, worse ram, video card, and only one superdrive, compared to the machine Levina and I bought, but great value for upgrading! The CPUs can be upgraded to v fast 2 x hexacore if you upgrade the efi to the 2010 (see other threads here and elsewhere, I'm tempted longterm to do this to my single CPU), the Ram up to 96GB (!!) via OWC or less for not too much expense (i.e. 8x4GB for not too much), the videocard to the 5890 or probably the 6xxx soonish etc...
Difficult to tell with the bidders hidden if it was the case that only experienced ebayers bidded at the last minute, or if someone was cheekily pushing up the bids. People do seem to get caught up in bidding wars on ebay though, sometimes items go for more than you can get them new if people start to bid against each other!
Anyway, Levina let us know when your Pro arrives, and Sinser, if you are interested, I'd offer a buy it now £100-200 below the buy it now price, then phone them 12-24 hours later to see if they will accept it. It worked with me, and while they only have 2 of the 4core model left, they have been there for nearly 2 weeks now, having sold 5 in that time. They seem to have nearly 20 of the 8core model, I think you might get even more of a discount off one of those with a best offer if you try on ebay and then phone them! They must be fairly keen to unload that much stock...
Good luck all!
Now I'm just dreaming what I should upgrade first, as cheaply as possible of course, Ram first probably but should I go for 12gb, 16gb, 24gb, 32gb, 48gb (last 2 or 3 way too expensive at moment!)? Then wait for new videocards with the next pro, maybe order a small boot ssd now, I have a 2gb hd to go in as a time machine backup, and a small 2.5" drive as a windows xp partition if I can get xp64 to play nicely etc etc!
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HelsinkiMac, I totally understand the heart rate going up when hitting that button! I felt exactly the same. But I could not be happier with my purchase and I thank you for paving the way. It's true: if I hadn't seen your post here, I would not have had the nerve.
I too wanted the Quad Core over the 8 Core and for the same reasons. First thing I will upgrade is RAM. I plan on starting with 2x8 GB and add another 2x8 GB in a while, so 32 gb in all. That'll do very nicely for me. I also plan to install a small ssd for system and applications. Shopping for one now. The Mercury Extreme Pro drives from OWC seem to be pretty good.
As for contacting them: I mailed them to ask for the exact shipping costs (as they specifically tell international buyers to do) but got no answer. Late in the afternoon I tried calling them but no one answered the phone. Could be the office was closed by then though. So I just bought the MP, hoping they wouldn't suddenly charge 200 GBP for shipping. Which they didn't. Like you I paid 50 GBP. Funny thing is that the next day I did receive an email from them with the shipping costs. So they do answer emails.
They use selling tactics though. When I had lost the bid on the one Quad Core, the other one said: 1 left. That made me buy it immediately. A day later it said: 7 sold, 3 left. So I would've had enough time to make an offer. But no use crying over spilled milk and I'm very happy with the deal, particularly since an Apple Reseller here is selling an also new 2009 Quad Core 2.66 GHz for 2099 euro; getting mine for 300 euro less and with better specs is pretty good I think.
Anyway, I can't wait for it to arrive. Keeping my fingers crossed that I find it the way you did, HelsinkiMac, but I'm not too worried, for as you say: there's always the ebay protection. I will report back after receiving the goods.
I too wanted the Quad Core over the 8 Core and for the same reasons. First thing I will upgrade is RAM. I plan on starting with 2x8 GB and add another 2x8 GB in a while, so 32 gb in all. That'll do very nicely for me. I also plan to install a small ssd for system and applications. Shopping for one now. The Mercury Extreme Pro drives from OWC seem to be pretty good.
As for contacting them: I mailed them to ask for the exact shipping costs (as they specifically tell international buyers to do) but got no answer. Late in the afternoon I tried calling them but no one answered the phone. Could be the office was closed by then though. So I just bought the MP, hoping they wouldn't suddenly charge 200 GBP for shipping. Which they didn't. Like you I paid 50 GBP. Funny thing is that the next day I did receive an email from them with the shipping costs. So they do answer emails.
They use selling tactics though. When I had lost the bid on the one Quad Core, the other one said: 1 left. That made me buy it immediately. A day later it said: 7 sold, 3 left. So I would've had enough time to make an offer. But no use crying over spilled milk and I'm very happy with the deal, particularly since an Apple Reseller here is selling an also new 2009 Quad Core 2.66 GHz for 2099 euro; getting mine for 300 euro less and with better specs is pretty good I think.
Anyway, I can't wait for it to arrive. Keeping my fingers crossed that I find it the way you did, HelsinkiMac, but I'm not too worried, for as you say: there's always the ebay protection. I will report back after receiving the goods.
Hi All,
Thanks for your tip on this really nice Mac Pro 2009 bargain at the mentioned Ebay reseller, I also just purchased one of the single Quad Core models. Initially I made an offer, but they did not reply, so called them on the phone. Well, they don't let you go much under the Buy it now price, final deal was 1450 GBP. Their remaining stock is apparently getting sold out very quickly - not a surprise seeing that getting a new Mac Pro 2009 for such a price with the option of upgrading to the 2010 firmware is a no-brainer - but watch out, as it may happen that quantity of only 1-2 are listed and then they add another 5 to the item. Probably the stock won't last for long. Good luck!
Thanks for your tip on this really nice Mac Pro 2009 bargain at the mentioned Ebay reseller, I also just purchased one of the single Quad Core models. Initially I made an offer, but they did not reply, so called them on the phone. Well, they don't let you go much under the Buy it now price, final deal was 1450 GBP. Their remaining stock is apparently getting sold out very quickly - not a surprise seeing that getting a new Mac Pro 2009 for such a price with the option of upgrading to the 2010 firmware is a no-brainer - but watch out, as it may happen that quantity of only 1-2 are listed and then they add another 5 to the item. Probably the stock won't last for long. Good luck!
Levina - strange it said only 1 left, for me whenever I looked it was always counting down to the seven, though it now says 8 are sold and no more are being advertised, so I guess that's it for 'our' model. The somewhat worse spec 8core models are still available, 1 auction with less than a day is at £1200 which if it goes for that is a bargain, but the last one went up to £1550 plus postage by the end of the auction. There are about 10 left from their buy it now adverts at £1700, and they look to have sold almost 20 at that price, not bad going! Let us knows when yours arrives and when you've modded it...
NightSun - I think I must have been lucky, they'd only just started to advertise but had only sold one in about 5 days, I think they were keen to get them started selling so other people would pay the full price once they had some feedback etc. And the fact I kept calling them to ask about it might have helped, the boss said to them give him that price to make him stop calling, maybe! Let us know when it arrives too!
If any of you need any help with getting the warranty setup, let me know, it's fairly straightforwards... My next search is for cheap AppleCare and Ram now...
NightSun - I think I must have been lucky, they'd only just started to advertise but had only sold one in about 5 days, I think they were keen to get them started selling so other people would pay the full price once they had some feedback etc. And the fact I kept calling them to ask about it might have helped, the boss said to them give him that price to make him stop calling, maybe! Let us know when it arrives too!
If any of you need any help with getting the warranty setup, let me know, it's fairly straightforwards... My next search is for cheap AppleCare and Ram now...
Even the 2009's are a great buy and with Netkas's tool, it is even possible now to make that into a 2010.. saves more money!
Ooops, it turned out different as expected..
Well, my scenario has unexpectedly changed. I just got a message that they are not able to dispatch the 2.93 Single CPU version, since being out of their main stock. Sort of parallel selling through various channels and I knew that it was the last one shown among their ebay items when I made the offer, so finally somebody grabbed it faster..
Now, as a recompense, they offered me the option to buy the 2.26 Dual CPU configuration for paying only 50 GBP more (that's 1500 in total) or get a refund.
I'm kind of puzzled now. I didn't want to go for this one as my main plan was to get the quad core and then upgrade to 3.2 Hex for only ~500 EUR. With the DP version if I wanted to do the dual-hex upgrade, sure it would become a definite killer configuration and probably not needing to buy a new computer for many years, but two 2.93 Mhz CPUs were over 2000 EUR right now. And not to mention, the upgrade is a hassle (no lid on the stock 2.26 CPUs vs. new ones, see Anandtech killing the motherboard with their first attempt). I could live with 2x2.26 (single task software running a bit slow) and do the upgrade when X56xx CPUs become a bit cheaper (how much would you expect, let's say, when SandyBridge Xeons are released?)
Also the DP is shipped with a GT 120 graphics card, which is quite much inferior to ATI 4870 in the SP (though I admit fast graphics is currently not a main concern and could made a reasonable upgrade to a 6870 or alike later).
On the upside for DP is that RAM upgrade is much cheaper when going 32GB, as 8x4 Gb modules could be simply dropped in. My situation is further complicated by the fact that I already ordered 4x4Gb Crucial RAM modules and an SSD, so I would get nowhere with having these should I not buy the offered DP Mac Pro.
Another question regarding which I don't have a clear picture. In case I sell it later on, how the resell value of the DP would go compared to a SP?
So, what do you suggest? I would really need some advice to take this decision. It would be no problem to utilize 8 cores or even more, since mainly it is planned to be used for scientific computing and some heavier image processing, Photoshop and alike definitely and possibly FCP later on.
Thanks for you all.
Well, my scenario has unexpectedly changed. I just got a message that they are not able to dispatch the 2.93 Single CPU version, since being out of their main stock. Sort of parallel selling through various channels and I knew that it was the last one shown among their ebay items when I made the offer, so finally somebody grabbed it faster..
Now, as a recompense, they offered me the option to buy the 2.26 Dual CPU configuration for paying only 50 GBP more (that's 1500 in total) or get a refund.
I'm kind of puzzled now. I didn't want to go for this one as my main plan was to get the quad core and then upgrade to 3.2 Hex for only ~500 EUR. With the DP version if I wanted to do the dual-hex upgrade, sure it would become a definite killer configuration and probably not needing to buy a new computer for many years, but two 2.93 Mhz CPUs were over 2000 EUR right now. And not to mention, the upgrade is a hassle (no lid on the stock 2.26 CPUs vs. new ones, see Anandtech killing the motherboard with their first attempt). I could live with 2x2.26 (single task software running a bit slow) and do the upgrade when X56xx CPUs become a bit cheaper (how much would you expect, let's say, when SandyBridge Xeons are released?)
Also the DP is shipped with a GT 120 graphics card, which is quite much inferior to ATI 4870 in the SP (though I admit fast graphics is currently not a main concern and could made a reasonable upgrade to a 6870 or alike later).
On the upside for DP is that RAM upgrade is much cheaper when going 32GB, as 8x4 Gb modules could be simply dropped in. My situation is further complicated by the fact that I already ordered 4x4Gb Crucial RAM modules and an SSD, so I would get nowhere with having these should I not buy the offered DP Mac Pro.
Another question regarding which I don't have a clear picture. In case I sell it later on, how the resell value of the DP would go compared to a SP?
So, what do you suggest? I would really need some advice to take this decision. It would be no problem to utilize 8 cores or even more, since mainly it is planned to be used for scientific computing and some heavier image processing, Photoshop and alike definitely and possibly FCP later on.
Thanks for you all.
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Well now, this is interesting. I was coming here for some advice because I received an email from them today as well, with the same message:
The Mac Pro 2.93GHz Quad Core is not in stock and they are offering the Mac Pro 2.26 8 Core for 50 GBP more.
So how can the Quad Core not be in stock? It was there when I bought it! What the hell did they do with it? Or was it never there in the first place and is this a trick to get rid of their 8 Cores?
I don't know what to do either: take the offer or not.
I do a lot of stuff with the Adobe CS5. Photoshop mostly (image editing) but also Flash, Premiere and After Effects (animations). I also use Lightroom for my image collection and I convert all my movies to mkv's.
So, what is wisdom here?
One thing I do know: I will most definitely NOT pay an extra 50 pounds!
I wonder if it's best to call them up instead of emailing.
The Mac Pro 2.93GHz Quad Core is not in stock and they are offering the Mac Pro 2.26 8 Core for 50 GBP more.
So how can the Quad Core not be in stock? It was there when I bought it! What the hell did they do with it? Or was it never there in the first place and is this a trick to get rid of their 8 Cores?
I don't know what to do either: take the offer or not.
I do a lot of stuff with the Adobe CS5. Photoshop mostly (image editing) but also Flash, Premiere and After Effects (animations). I also use Lightroom for my image collection and I convert all my movies to mkv's.
So, what is wisdom here?
One thing I do know: I will most definitely NOT pay an extra 50 pounds!
I wonder if it's best to call them up instead of emailing.
I would not buy the 8 core 2.26... that's the red headed step child of the Mac Pro family and isn't a very practical machine for any task. My Mac Mini is faster than this computer in most tasks! You were on the right path seeking a high clocked Quad IMHO. I would kill the deal if you can.
Thanks for reminding me why it was I didn't want the DP in the first place! So I just emailed them, telling them they can keep the 8-core and please send my money back.
Fingers crossed this'll go well...
Fingers crossed this'll go well...
Well, I took the decision and will take the same route declining their offer for the 2.26 8-core, thanks for the advice. It would be a headache and a financial breakdown to get a machine, in which you should change almost everything apart from the case, motherboard and heatsinks in order to have a decent Mac Pro. Nope, this ain't gonna happen. It is still much better to buy a refurb 2010 2.8 Quad for a couple of hundreds more and only a CPU change for hex would do the job.
They MUST give a full refund, since this is not the same product we have paid for. I'm going to call them on Monday morning. Levina, let's keep each other posted, I hope everything will be ok with your case as well.
They MUST give a full refund, since this is not the same product we have paid for. I'm going to call them on Monday morning. Levina, let's keep each other posted, I hope everything will be ok with your case as well.
Keeping each other posted is a good idea!
I just received an email from them with an explanation. As they were waiting for my money to arrive through PayPal, another customer purchased the Mac Pro over the phone with his credit card and that's why it's no longer in stock.
I can't believe they did that. I thought a purchase on eBay was binding for both buyer and seller. Apparently this is not the case, at least not for a seller...
I do have to say though that PayPal is partly to blame as well as it took them no less than 10 days to do this echeck and confirm the money transfer! According to the shop they sold the Mac Pro 9 days after I bought it.
But the thing is that on 6 June (that's a full week after the purchase and 3 days before it was sold again) I emailed the shop about the echeck, telling them that there was more than enough money in the bank account but that PayPal was taking it's time and please don't sell my Mac Pro to somebody else in the mean time!
And in any case it would have been decent of them to have contacted me first, check with me first, before selling off *my* Mac Pro to somebody else.
I'm very interested to hear what they will give you as an explanation.
I just received an email from them with an explanation. As they were waiting for my money to arrive through PayPal, another customer purchased the Mac Pro over the phone with his credit card and that's why it's no longer in stock.
I can't believe they did that. I thought a purchase on eBay was binding for both buyer and seller. Apparently this is not the case, at least not for a seller...
I do have to say though that PayPal is partly to blame as well as it took them no less than 10 days to do this echeck and confirm the money transfer! According to the shop they sold the Mac Pro 9 days after I bought it.
But the thing is that on 6 June (that's a full week after the purchase and 3 days before it was sold again) I emailed the shop about the echeck, telling them that there was more than enough money in the bank account but that PayPal was taking it's time and please don't sell my Mac Pro to somebody else in the mean time!
And in any case it would have been decent of them to have contacted me first, check with me first, before selling off *my* Mac Pro to somebody else.
I'm very interested to hear what they will give you as an explanation.
I did not detail it above, but actually when I had called them right after receiving their email about the out-of-stock problem, I had got exactly the same explanation as you: someone buying the 2.93 Quad thru the phone.
My case is also quite similar to yours in that it also took a full week to get the payment right, as initially they did not respond to my email and then had to call them several times until it got arranged, and of course international bank transfer took some days to get through. After this they sent me an email confirming that the payment arrived and shortly in my ebay account it got marked as 'shipped'. Being happy until they sent the bad news.
Well, I don't know what to say. The fact that both of us got the same explanation, i.e. both Mac Pros grabbed by someone during our payment was on its way, makes it stink a bit. Supposing that they are not playing a nasty trick with us on purpose, my theory would be that they have been tracking their stock in a rather loosely way, while selling their items through various channels (e.g. look at amazon.co.uk, their 2.26 8-core stock is also being sold there right now). Actually if you check their ebay feedback records, in the last month they put an explanation for a part of the negative feedbacks about having problems with their updated stocking system.
By the way, you are absolutely right supposing that a completed bid is binding for both the buyer and seller. If the buyer sells the product to someone else after the bid has won, he/she clearly violates the rule of ebay.
My case is also quite similar to yours in that it also took a full week to get the payment right, as initially they did not respond to my email and then had to call them several times until it got arranged, and of course international bank transfer took some days to get through. After this they sent me an email confirming that the payment arrived and shortly in my ebay account it got marked as 'shipped'. Being happy until they sent the bad news.
Well, I don't know what to say. The fact that both of us got the same explanation, i.e. both Mac Pros grabbed by someone during our payment was on its way, makes it stink a bit. Supposing that they are not playing a nasty trick with us on purpose, my theory would be that they have been tracking their stock in a rather loosely way, while selling their items through various channels (e.g. look at amazon.co.uk, their 2.26 8-core stock is also being sold there right now). Actually if you check their ebay feedback records, in the last month they put an explanation for a part of the negative feedbacks about having problems with their updated stocking system.
By the way, you are absolutely right supposing that a completed bid is binding for both the buyer and seller. If the buyer sells the product to someone else after the bid has won, he/she clearly violates the rule of ebay.
In the meanwhile I looked around a bit and was still thinking further what to do.
Now that the option for the 2.93 Quad Mac Pro 2009 is gone, let's imagine if one had the option to buy a Refurb 2.8 Quad 2010. When available, Apple Store sells them for 2039 EUR. Upgrade for the sweet-spot W3670 3.2 Hex CPU for about 500 EUR, so in total you arrive at ~2550 EUR.
Then see our option for the 2.26 8-core 2009 (which is a sealed, new item and comes with 1 year warranty as well). In my case that would cost ~1800 EUR with shipping (interestingly enough the exactly same configuration as a refurb is sold in Apple Store for 2449 EUR). I found Xeon X5680 2.93 Hex CPUs (suitable for dual sockets) for around 850 EUR. Putting only one and leaving second socket empty would leave me at ~2650 EUR. So the two different configurations are reasonably close both in price (although note that for the total price, one should add RAM, HDDs) and in performance. 2.93 Hex would perform only slightly under W3670 3.2 Hex, though interestingly this benchmark site is even listing X5670 over W3670 in rank: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5670+@+2.93GHz
Let's compare some Pros and Cons of these two different configurations:
Mac Pro 2010 SP, 3.2 Hex, upgraded from refurb 2.8 Quad (~2550 EUR)
Pros:
- Easy CPU upgrade, no firmware hack needed. If the workstation needs a service, just drop in the old CPU, and warranty should not be much problem.
- Lower cost, also considering that it comes with a Radeon 5770
Cons:
- Future upgradability of CPU: W3690 3.46 Hex is the max what you can get and by already having the 3.2 Hex, it is not worth upgrading for +10% performance. So in this sense it is a dead end.
- Upgrading for more than 16GB RAM is expensive, since in that case you only have the option to use Registered DRAM. (As a comparison, if choosing Crucial sticks: 16 GB = 4x4 GB Unbuffered ECC DRAM-1066 or 1333 totals 240 EUR, while 32 GB = 4*8 GB ECC RDRAM-1066 costs 870 EUR).
Mac Pro 2009 DP, Single 2.93 Hex, upgraded from new 2.26 8-Core (~2650 EUR)
Pros:
- Future upgradability of CPUs: if you need it, you drop in a second X5670 2.93 Hex, and it becomes a 12-core beast. (In the 2010 configuration that would cost more than 6000 EUR in Apple store). The maximum performance one can get by using X5690 3.46 Hex CPUs.
- 32 GB RAM can be cheap by putting 8x4 GB Unbuffered ECC sticks, but only when using 2 CPUs.
Cons:
- CPU upgrade is a hassle due to stock 2.26 CPUs not having an IHS. Also firmware hack utility is needed, so in case the mac needs a service, restoring the original config, and all in all, warranty could be a risky issue.
- GT 120 graphics card, an upgrade will be needed
- Overall it could be overkill to have the option for a 12-core machine (today still hardly any software utilizes that many cores), while involving more tweaks and risks when compared to 2010 refurb
So, I would still say it is a tough call and worth thinking about it. The only thing I'm not really sure about is the future resell value. In this sense how the two configuration would compare? Another question: selling the stock CPUs, is it worth and at all possible in case of the two 2.26 Quad-cores? (I mean, who on earth would buy a non-orthodox Xeon CPU that comes without a lid?) If anybody could tell these and/or add anything important I left out from here, please let us know.
Now that the option for the 2.93 Quad Mac Pro 2009 is gone, let's imagine if one had the option to buy a Refurb 2.8 Quad 2010. When available, Apple Store sells them for 2039 EUR. Upgrade for the sweet-spot W3670 3.2 Hex CPU for about 500 EUR, so in total you arrive at ~2550 EUR.
Then see our option for the 2.26 8-core 2009 (which is a sealed, new item and comes with 1 year warranty as well). In my case that would cost ~1800 EUR with shipping (interestingly enough the exactly same configuration as a refurb is sold in Apple Store for 2449 EUR). I found Xeon X5680 2.93 Hex CPUs (suitable for dual sockets) for around 850 EUR. Putting only one and leaving second socket empty would leave me at ~2650 EUR. So the two different configurations are reasonably close both in price (although note that for the total price, one should add RAM, HDDs) and in performance. 2.93 Hex would perform only slightly under W3670 3.2 Hex, though interestingly this benchmark site is even listing X5670 over W3670 in rank: http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=Intel+Xeon+X5670+@+2.93GHz
Let's compare some Pros and Cons of these two different configurations:
Mac Pro 2010 SP, 3.2 Hex, upgraded from refurb 2.8 Quad (~2550 EUR)
Pros:
- Easy CPU upgrade, no firmware hack needed. If the workstation needs a service, just drop in the old CPU, and warranty should not be much problem.
- Lower cost, also considering that it comes with a Radeon 5770
Cons:
- Future upgradability of CPU: W3690 3.46 Hex is the max what you can get and by already having the 3.2 Hex, it is not worth upgrading for +10% performance. So in this sense it is a dead end.
- Upgrading for more than 16GB RAM is expensive, since in that case you only have the option to use Registered DRAM. (As a comparison, if choosing Crucial sticks: 16 GB = 4x4 GB Unbuffered ECC DRAM-1066 or 1333 totals 240 EUR, while 32 GB = 4*8 GB ECC RDRAM-1066 costs 870 EUR).
Mac Pro 2009 DP, Single 2.93 Hex, upgraded from new 2.26 8-Core (~2650 EUR)
Pros:
- Future upgradability of CPUs: if you need it, you drop in a second X5670 2.93 Hex, and it becomes a 12-core beast. (In the 2010 configuration that would cost more than 6000 EUR in Apple store). The maximum performance one can get by using X5690 3.46 Hex CPUs.
- 32 GB RAM can be cheap by putting 8x4 GB Unbuffered ECC sticks, but only when using 2 CPUs.
Cons:
- CPU upgrade is a hassle due to stock 2.26 CPUs not having an IHS. Also firmware hack utility is needed, so in case the mac needs a service, restoring the original config, and all in all, warranty could be a risky issue.
- GT 120 graphics card, an upgrade will be needed
- Overall it could be overkill to have the option for a 12-core machine (today still hardly any software utilizes that many cores), while involving more tweaks and risks when compared to 2010 refurb
So, I would still say it is a tough call and worth thinking about it. The only thing I'm not really sure about is the future resell value. In this sense how the two configuration would compare? Another question: selling the stock CPUs, is it worth and at all possible in case of the two 2.26 Quad-cores? (I mean, who on earth would buy a non-orthodox Xeon CPU that comes without a lid?) If anybody could tell these and/or add anything important I left out from here, please let us know.
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the lidless cpus may sell. someone on this site did a 2009 upgrade 2.26 quad to 2.93 hex and he said he was able to sell the lidless cpus on ebay. If you did the second option successfully it would be better. Also there is a hex 3.46 if you did the second one and found a good price for this x5690 cpu
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=52576&processor=X5690&spec-codes=SLBVX
It would be risker to do the second option. If it works you would be better off. It is a tough call. Myself I did the first but I am over 50 and don't gamble like I used to. I like the sure thing more.
Yes, you are right that the second option is riskier. And while I have some experience in self-building PCs, I don't wish to fry my Mac Pro when modding the heatsink-CPU interface, which were required should I proceed on this route.
However, looking at prospective longevity of use (there should more and more software get optimized for multiple cores) and future resell value it might turn out better. That is my question: is it reasonable to suppose that the DP 6(/12)-core machine will retain a better value through some years compared to a SP Hex? Though I could be wrong, but my arguments supporting this theory would be that once 'Sandy Bridge'-based Mac Pros get released in the near future, however much a sweet spot the 3.2 Hex-mod 2010 config is right now, the new base machine (let's suppose same Apple-store price, at around 2500 EUR) will probably get quite close or even match its performance, and then it will even provide SATA3 support, better graphics card and possibly other (though less relevant) new features. So that thereafter in the after-market a 3.2 Hex 2010 SP could supposedly be sold with only a significant price drop relative to its current purchase value. With the original option that we put our bid with Levina (2.93 Quad 2009), it could have been a good price, but getting a refurb 2010, this would put us in a worse position.
In contrast, a dual Hex configuration will most probably be not matched by any single CPU options in the near future, so anybody heading for such performance will need a DP Mac Pro and we know that Apple is going to sell it super-expensive. That is, a used DP Mac Pro, like the above 2nd option, might would sell close to its current overall purchase value, being well under that of a new one. I don't know very well the Mac Pro after-market, so please correct me if I'm wrong with my suppositions.
However, looking at prospective longevity of use (there should more and more software get optimized for multiple cores) and future resell value it might turn out better. That is my question: is it reasonable to suppose that the DP 6(/12)-core machine will retain a better value through some years compared to a SP Hex? Though I could be wrong, but my arguments supporting this theory would be that once 'Sandy Bridge'-based Mac Pros get released in the near future, however much a sweet spot the 3.2 Hex-mod 2010 config is right now, the new base machine (let's suppose same Apple-store price, at around 2500 EUR) will probably get quite close or even match its performance, and then it will even provide SATA3 support, better graphics card and possibly other (though less relevant) new features. So that thereafter in the after-market a 3.2 Hex 2010 SP could supposedly be sold with only a significant price drop relative to its current purchase value. With the original option that we put our bid with Levina (2.93 Quad 2009), it could have been a good price, but getting a refurb 2010, this would put us in a worse position.
In contrast, a dual Hex configuration will most probably be not matched by any single CPU options in the near future, so anybody heading for such performance will need a DP Mac Pro and we know that Apple is going to sell it super-expensive. That is, a used DP Mac Pro, like the above 2nd option, might would sell close to its current overall purchase value, being well under that of a new one. I don't know very well the Mac Pro after-market, so please correct me if I'm wrong with my suppositions.
NightSun, I too have been reconsidering. I have read all I could this weekend, compared benchmarks, read discussions (lots of those!), and have come to the conclusion that the 8-Core might not be such a bad deal after all.
On the forums people seem to agree that the 2.26 8-Core is future ready. Or as somebody said: if you want speed now, buy the 2.93 Quad Core. If you want speed tomorrow, buy the 2.26 8-Core. And as I plan to keep the Mac Pro a great many years, I should be fine in the long run. Assuming that applications will be upgraded to enable hyper-threading of course.
So I have decided to call up our seller tomorrow. Chat a bit. See if he's willing to drop the extra 50 Pounds. Because that is one thing I will not do: pay more money...
On the forums people seem to agree that the 2.26 8-Core is future ready. Or as somebody said: if you want speed now, buy the 2.93 Quad Core. If you want speed tomorrow, buy the 2.26 8-Core. And as I plan to keep the Mac Pro a great many years, I should be fine in the long run. Assuming that applications will be upgraded to enable hyper-threading of course.
So I have decided to call up our seller tomorrow. Chat a bit. See if he's willing to drop the extra 50 Pounds. Because that is one thing I will not do: pay more money...