On the team, Mike and Dan still own and run Mac Pro 5.1 Pro Tools computers, with James having recently changed his cheese-grater Mac Pro for a Windows machine. In this article, we are going to explore the range of options open to those considering replacing our Apple Mac Pro 5.1 "cheese-grater" computers. Mac Pro Late 2013 3.7g Quad Core Will 64gb Ram Enough For 4k Editing Baby Decor The Sims 4 Install License Cisco 2911 Router Project Reality System Requirements.I used this first gen Mac Pro for four years until the logic board failed. At the time I was using a G4 Mirror Door which wasn't quite powerful enough for my Pro Tools LE system so I purchased one of the new Mac Pros. This was a big step up in computer power compared to the outgoing Apple Mac G5. In 2006 Apple introduced a new flagship powerhouse desktop computer - the Mac Pro.If the computer is warm to the touch, wait approximately 5-10 minutes for the computer to cool down.Mac Pro Late 2013 3.7g Quad Core Will 64gb Ram Enough For 4k Editing, Composite Score Conversion Chart Usmc Free For Mac, How To Unlock Verizon Cell Phone.Sadly though, my Mac Pro's service will have to come to an end soon. Before you open your Mac Pro, shut it down by choosing Shut Down from the Apple ( ) menu. Over the years I've upgraded the RAM, swapped the hard drives for SSDs, and it also houses my Pro Tools HDX & UAD-2 cards.Specifically, this model - the Mac Pro 'Quad Core' 3.7 (Late 2013) - is powered by a single 3.7 GHz Quad Core 22-nm Xeon E5-1620v2 processor with a dedicated 256k of level 2 cache for each core and 10 MB of level 3 'Smart Cache.'Mac Pro Late 2013 3.7g Quad Core Will 64gb Ram Enough For 4k Editing Windows 10 Removing and installing memory Part 1: Remove the enclosure.
Pro Late 2013 3.7G Quad Core, Will 64Gb Ram Enough For 4K Editing License Cisco 2911Since then I have undertaken a number of upgrades.In April 2013 I added an SSD drive in this machine. You can read my story about how I came to choose this system here in the story My Pro Tools 10 HD2 To HDX Upgrade Story. It is a Mid-2010 Mac Pro which I bought in December 2011 when I went HDX as my previous machine would not support HDX cards. Mike ThorntonI currently have a Mac Pro cheese-grater - 2 x 2.4GHz Quad-core Intel Xeon. In the very near future, I will have to replace this Mac Pro before it fails and leaves me compromised. At some point, it will be detrimental to my studio business, if I continue to ignore the clear signs of a failing Mac. It is fully loaded with 3 x 4TB Western Digital Black drives for media and a 1TB Crucial SSD for the OS.The other major addition to this machine was a second DVD / Blu-Ray burner to allow me to backup very large amounts of data and audio in one go (Up to 24GB on a single-sided Blu-Ray).This machine was rock solid since I got it from the Apple Refurbished store, never skipping a beat during a session. About 2 years ago with the help of the guys at Create Pro, it was upgraded to 2 x 3.46GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon processors and 32GB of RAM. James IveyMy cheese-grater Mac Pro was an early 2009 Mac Pro, which originally shipped as a single quad-core machine. So, all in all, I have a fairly pimped Mac Pro Cheese-grater, all be it not taking it as far as James. You can read more about the research in my article Review Of Angelbird SSD Drives - Part 1 - Introduction and then how I went about the upgrade process in my article Review Of Angelbird - Part 2 - SSD Wrk For Mac Pro Drive.In February 2016 I upgraded the RAM in my Mac Pro to bring it up to 32GB.In April 2016 I upgraded the video card which you can read about in Installing A New Graphics Card In My Mac Pro. You can read all about it in my story Mike Installs SSD Into His Mac Pro.In February 2014 I upgraded the RAM and another 8GB to bring it up to 24GB.In January 2016 I replaced the Crucial SSD drive with an Angelbird drive having researched the issue of the TRIM command and that on a Mac platform, not all SSD drives are the same. You can buy a brand new one for around £949 excl taxes plus Applecare.The other Mac Mini is only available secondhand and is a late 2012 MacMini 6,2 Quad-Core i7 'Ivy Bridge' 2.3 GHz. Option 2 - Purchase A Mac MiniThere are two Mac Mini machines on Avid's Mac compatibility charts for Pro Tools.The current model is in fact based on a late 2014 Mac Mini 7,1 Core i7 'Haswell' 3.0 GHz. We also don't know when Apple will decide to stop supporting Mac Pro 5.1 in future operating system releases, although we understand at the time of writing that they are to be supported in the initial release of High Sierra.The cost of the upgrading the processor and other crucial components to the level James chose is not inconsequential, in fact, the costs of "pimping" an old Mac Pro to match the spec of a current Mac Pro can be not that different to buying a new entry-level Mac Pro 6.1 with 3 year AppleCare, if you go for all the bells and whistles, but a simpler pimping exercise like Mike undertook was a more cost-effective solution, but Mike's machine was more powerful to start with and 2 years newer than James' Pro Tools computer, so timeframe and your starting point are important considerations here.We suggest that any piece of hardware, including a computer, should be considered a disposable equipment write-off when its value depreciates to a certain point with potential costs of upgrading or fixing it exceeding that second value. While this upgrade option could be a good solution for getting extra mileage out of an ageing Mac Pro one would need to consider if it might be a false economy, especially in 2017 (James pimped his machine back in 2015). Option 1 - Upgrading & Refurbishing Your Mac Pro 5.1As James mentioned he introduced us to a concept that he describes as "pimping" a Mac Pro 5.1.In fact, the outcome from this pimping gave his Mac Pro 5.1 a specification not too dissimilar to the Mac Pro 6.1. So about 6 months ago, it was time to consider a replacement and I chose to go for a Windows-based Pro Tools computer and you can read more about this further down this article. However, for HDX users it may be more problematic as the computer and screen are in one box and may not be a viable solution. You can buy a brand new one for another £2,324 excl taxes plus ApplecareLate 2014 27" iMac 15,1 Core i7 'Haswell' 4.0 GHzLate 2013 iMac 14,2 Core i7 'Haswell' 3.5 GHzFor Pro Tools Native and Pro Tools HD Native users, the iMac range could be one worth exploring. Option 3 - Purchase an iMacThere are 3 iMacs on the Avid Compatibility list.The current model is a Mid 2015 Retina 5K 27" iMac 15,1 Core i7 'Haswell' 4.0 GHz. More about these further down this article. On the other hand, the Mac Mini's do have new features like Thunderbolt unlike the Mac Pro cheese-grater and it is possible to buy the late 2014 model new and take out Applecare with it, whereas it would be pot-luck with a secondhand 2.3GHz quad-core Mac Mini but it does have 4 cores which the current models don't have.As we all are HDX users we would also need a PCI-e expansion chassis. Mac prochamber for 2010 mustang gtWe could no longer install cards such from brands such as UAD or Avid without some kind of third-party Thunderbolt chassis attached.There are 4 Mac Pro 6.1 trashcans on the Avid Compatibility list.Late 2013 MacPro 6,1 12-core 'Ivy Bridge' 2.7 GHz is available new from Apple and a basic model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD will cost £5000Late 2013 MacPro 6,1 8-core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.0 GHz is available new from Apple and a basic model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD will cost £3900Late 2013 MacPro 6,1 6-core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.5 GHz is available new from Apple and a basic model with 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD will cost £3000Late 2013 MacPro 6,1 4-core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.7 GHzThe one thing to consider with the current Mac Pro 6.1 trashcan is spec. This bold new Mac Pro design ditched internal expandability, and although it is ideal for a wide range of professional users, the world nearly ended for us audio guys. What About The iMac Pro?In 2013 Apple announced the latest Mac Pro, what is usually referred to as the Trashcan. Not being able to split the monitor and keyboard would be an issue, with Mike either having to invest in an expensive fibre Thunderbolt cable, so the chassis with the cards can be in the cupboard with the hard drives, or bring everything out of the cupboard and suffer the noise issues.The iMac is not a cheap solution either and the form factor probably rules it out for most HDX users as you are more than likely need to have the Pro tools computer, expansion chassis and storage in the room with you. Maybe the iMac or iMac Pro might be better for them if they want to stay on the Apple Mac platform.Apple has stated that a new Mac Pro is on the horizon in 2018, so why not wait for it? Why not have a stepping stone that can bridge the gap affordably between now and then? We have found two UK based companies that lease current Mac Pro 6. That said, Russ ran a trashcan Mac Pro with an expansion chassis from when he bought it in 2013 until he sold his HDX system in 2016 when he went Pro Tools Native with his Apogee Ensemble interface.But in 2017 would you consider buying a 2013 model Mac Pro, especially with the 2018 Mac Pro just over the horizon? Is investing in a current Mac Pro today as silly as buying a new iPhone in August - no one does it because new iPhones are usually announced in September, or this case two new iPhones, the iPhone 8 and iPhone X! Option 5 - Lease Or Rent A Mac Pro 6.1If it isn't smart purchasing a new Mac Pro 6.1 in 2017, then maybe leasing one could be? Dan investigated this option as he believes that short-term leasing could be a smart move for the professional, but this probably wouldn't be a viable solution for music producer hobbyist or enthusiast.
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