Secondhand mac pro

[D-synth]

Hello,
I wanna buy a secondhand mac pro
But i dont know if its handy to buy a older mac
So my question is :
can i buy a older mac pro
To run cubase pro 9 and heavy demanding plugins like komplete ultimate 11

What are the things to look out for when buying a mac pro

Greeting
Dillon

[Raphie]

Cubase performs slower on macOS than on Windows.
2nd hand Macs are generally overpriced, the mac pro specifically
I would invest my money in a new windows 10 build.
Or buy one from the DAW builders.
You will get more hardware performance per $ spend AND you will get a much better performing Cubase because of Windows 10 compared to (high) Sierra.
also don't forget that pre 2015 Apples do NOT support the latest OS and most vendors no longer support the older OSes in their most recent version of products.

[D-synth]

Aha ok
I thought that mac was more reliable for daw usage

Any reconmendations for a budget windows then ?
I have now
A core i7 920
An asus p6t
2 tb of sata storage
And 8 gig of ram

Would that be enough for windows 10 ?

[Raphie]

This should work, though not being super fast.
Just configure the fastest system your budget allows. i would include
- core i7
- X299 or x99 platform
- M2/nnvme ssd
- Geforce GTX card with silent mode
- 16GB of DDR4 quad channel

[Henry1970]

Cubase performs slower on macOS than on Windows.
2nd hand Macs are generally overpriced, the mac pro specifically
I would invest my money in a new windows 10 build.
Or buy one from the DAW builders.
You will get more hardware performance per $ spend AND you will get a much better performing Cubase because of Windows 10 compared to (high) Sierra.

I just went from a 2006 Mac Pro to a 2010 Mac Pro.
I just don't like Windows, so a PC was not an option, maybe a Hackintosh, but definitely not a Windows machine.
Didn't buy a (used) trashcan Mac Pro, cause Apple screwed up on that one...

also don't forget that pre 2015 Apples do NOT support the latest OS and most vendors no longer support the older OSes in their most recent version of products.

That's simply not true......

[-steve-]

also don't forget that pre 2015 Apples do NOT support the latest OS and most vendors no longer support the older OSes in their most recent version of products.

Raphie, don't post incorrect info, this is actually a rule in the forum.

These Macs can run High Sierra, the newest Mac OS:
MacBook (late 2009 and later)
iMac (late 2009 and later)
MacBook Air (2010 and later)
MacBook Pro (2010 and later)
Mac Mini (2010 and later)
Mac Pro (2010 and later)

from:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/06 ... macos-xxx/

[jamesgarry]

Don't look at the age, look for specs. Any mac pro with dual core processor, 8GB ram should handle your projects. Even better if you can get one with SSD drive, which makes everything much faster.

[mmonewbie2017]

Cubase pro 9 is not faster than PC on mac book pro. Then you should think about it a little bit before you decided to buy a secondhand.

[Spaceman-56]

i have used various macs professionally, for over 20 years, almost every day, recording music in recording studios.

i have had 2 days of down time due to computer problems. (even my 2 inch machine has stopped more than that)

i think the mac pro is a great idea. when a machine runs for years and years without problems there is something good to be said about that.

a 2010 12 core is a lot of computer for not too bad expense. plenty of features and runs the latest OS no problems, i trust macs...

[jslivingston]

I went from the Mac Pro 1,1 to the new black trashcan Mac Pro. Couldn't be happier. But, regardless if the details are correct, Raphie does have a point. The only reason I had to get a new computer was because the newer operating systems stopped supporting the CPU chip in the old Mac Pro's, the PowerPC chip. So yeah, there is wisdom in what he's saying. I held out but what happened was I couldn't use most software updates because I had to have a newer macOS but I couldn't get that because it wouldn't support my computer's hardware.

I hate to say it because the pricing differences are so huge, but you're better off buying a newer model. Unfortunately the newest mac pro lineup is from 2013, but still, it's form factor is the one they're still running with. You can never future proof a computer, but you can "past proof" it.

[Henry1970]

I bought my first Mac Pro (1.1) new in 2006, with some upgrades it lasted some 11 years and even though it´s not officially supported by Apple, with El Capitan I would still be able to use it for some years.
I was able to buy a 5.1 for a reasonable price, so for now I´m up to date OS wise, and most likely settled for another 2 to 4 years I guess.
I was looking at buying a trashcan, but I didn´t feel like paying a premium price for a 4 year old machine.......