Need Some New Mac Pro Advice

[Carl Lie]

Originally Posted by 25ghosts

Carl, take a look at this link...

https://eshop.macsales.com/Search/Se...Ntt=OWCUsedMac

In your case I think it will be a nice choice. At least you
1) Get something you are used to
2) Get a VERY Capable Machine
3) Be up an running in no time for a VERY cheap amount of money.

All the best ;-)

Thanks. Been on that site all day. Most likely scenario.

C

[Darryl Ramm]

Carl

If I was in your place I'd focus on fixing the computer you have. Taking forever to boot is quite likely a software problem, not hardware. Hardware problems that might cause that are when a whole memory DIMM or bank of DIMMS fails and the computer tries to boot on a tiny amount of memory. Once it is booted check the System Information report, save that elsewhere/print it out for reference. Check the system console logs (Console.app) for errors and warnings. Try a SMC reset.

Do you have a series of bootable backups/clones of your boot drive? Like you probably should be making with Carbon Copy Cloner--if so can you go back to on older one of those and see how it boots?

if not then do an clean full OS X install on a new drive (ideally a SSD, like a Samsung 850 Pro). Either internally or in an external USB dock (sure that drive will only run at slow USB 2 speeds on a Cheesegrater unless you have added a USB 3 PCIe card... but it should never take hours.) and just install a full new clean OS X on it, nothing else, and see if that boot and runs OK. If so then I'd get that drive installed internally and start installing Pro Tools an any really require drivers etc. Making Carbon Copy cloner backups as you go. Do not use systems migration assistant. Reinstall everything from scratch.

If you don't have time to do that take the Mac to a repair shop and ask them to install a new drive and clean copy of OS X on that drive. They can run diags on it for you and blow out dust etc. while there.

Failing that, if there is actually a problem with your Mac Pro then I would just buy a used Cheesegrater. Some places will take your faulty model as a trade. Upgrade the new one if necessary. I just would not buy an now-old Trashcan that is likely to be replaced with new packaging in ~1 year. Especially because you rely on PCIe cards. And *hopefully* the new Mac Pro will have PCIe slots, so investing in external card cages might be a waste of time.

[Extreme Mixing]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Carl


...I just would not buy an now-old Trashcan that is likely to be replaced with new packaging in ~1 year. Especially because you rely on PCIe cards. And *hopefully* the new Mac Pro will have PCIe slots, so investing in external card cages might be a waste of time.

All good advice except for this last bit. Apple will never go back to an older technology. You know that, right? It will probably be all USB C. Maybe Thunderbolt 2 or 3, but I doubt that for the same reason.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Extreme Mixing

All good advice except for this last bit. Apple will never go back to an older technology. You know that, right? It will probably be all USB C. Maybe Thunderbolt 2 or 3, but I doubt that for the same reason.

Lets not confuse Apple's focus on style over actual technology substance. PCIe is *not* old-technology. Thunderbolt is just a slow-straw/serial bus connecting a tiny fraction of the PCIe connectivity a modern CPU can provide. Sure it's fast enough for many peripheral connections, but it's a sad joke for things like modern storage (like PCIe/NVMe Flash or 3D XPoint).

Well there is no doubt on the later. It will have be USB-C (USB 3.1, Thunderbolt 3, and display). There is no way Apple could ship a new generation Pro product without that.

As for other stuff I have no idea. But I certainly hope they provide multiple internal M.2 like SSD slots, I just hope they are really M.2 slots able to take third party drives.

As for standard PCIe expansion slots, I sure would hope they do. And that is not far fetched. The driving force for new high-end Pro boxes is very likely AR/VR and video work. They complaints around the gutless GPUs in the trashcans and AR/VR futures seem pretty tied to the recent announcement of that. Given the rate of GPU technology growth it makes no sense at all to not support more industry standard GPU cards in standard PCIe slots. And once you do that you might as well drop in a few more slots. The mess that Apple has gotten themselves in with thunderbolt and their insistance on display support over thunderbolt make it a bit more complex to support GPU display cards. But that was their own doing, and they need to sort it out.

The only Mac Pro I'll ever buy again will have PCIe slots and support for modern NVIDIA GPUs.. but that's for reasons not related to audio.

[Carl Lie]

I purchased a used 12 core tower from macsales. Will keep me going hopefully until Apple comes out with the next gen mac pro.

Thanks for all your advice.

Very much appreciated.

Carl

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Lets not confuse Apple's focus on style over actual technology substance. PCIe is *not* old-technology. Thunderbolt is just a slow-straw/serial bus connecting a tiny fraction of the PCIe connectivity a modern CPU can provide. Sure it's fast enough for many peripheral connections, but it's a sad joke for things like modern storage (like PCIe/NVMe Flash or 3D XPoint).

Well there is no doubt on the later. It will have be USB-C (USB 3.1, Thunderbolt 3, and display). There is no way Apple could ship a new generation Pro product without that.

As for other stuff I have no idea. But I certainly hope they provide multiple internal M.2 like SSD slots, I just hope they are really M.2 slots able to take third party drives.

As for standard PCIe expansion slots, I sure would hope they do. And that is not far fetched. The driving force for new high-end Pro boxes is very likely AR/VR and video work. They complaints around the gutless GPUs in the trashcans and AR/VR futures seem pretty tied to the recent announcement of that. Given the rate of GPU technology growth it makes no sense at all to not support more industry standard GPU cards in standard PCIe slots. And once you do that you might as well drop in a few more slots. The mess that Apple has gotten themselves in with thunderbolt and their insistance on display support over thunderbolt make it a bit more complex to support GPU display cards. But that was their own doing, and they need to sort it out.

The only Mac Pro I'll ever buy again will have PCIe slots and support for modern NVIDIA GPUs.. but that's for reasons not related to audio.

Yes I am interested in seeing exactly how Apple is going to accomplish "focusing on the our professional users" And I tend to agree with your PCIe slots as being one obvious way . My mid 2010 6 Core Westmere had been chugging along fine for my usage but going to PTHDN 11 then 12 and Yosemite then Sierra, started to put more load on it .. I started looking at the new Trashcans but stumbled on to lengthy thread on MacRumors about upgrading the Cheesgraters with PCIe SSD's and M2 card option. I ended getting a Samsung 951 SSD 512 GB albeit ACHI (as per my machine requirements) and now I am probably good for another 5 to 7 years if need be,

[Carl Lie]

Happily up and running. Thanks for all the support.

C

[25ghosts]

Originally Posted by Carl Lie

Happily up and running. Thanks for all the support.

C

Carl,

happy it worked out...

What macOS are you running and does it still appear fast on the older machines.
I am betting yes.. But don't have the actual experienced to back up my thoughts.

Thx...

[Carl Lie]

Originally Posted by 25ghosts

Carl,

happy it worked out...

What macOS are you running and does it still appear fast on the older machines.
I am betting yes.. But don't have the actual experienced to back up my thoughts.

Thx...

I'm on Yosemite so it's still good. I'm not sure how Sierra will wok on this machine. Would like to hear if others with MacPro towers are doing well with Sierra.

C

[john1192]

Originally Posted by Carl Lie

I'm on Yosemite so it still good. I'm not sure how Sierra will wok on this machine. Would like to hear if others with MacPro towers are doing well with Sierra.

C

i am about to do a test drive of Sierra on MAcPro 6-core westmere .. on a standard SSD ... reading above about the PCIeSSD's sounds promising .. One for the System / Programs and One for Audio / One for Samples ..

right now i am running everything SSD .. System, Audio, Samples on 4 drives ..

if Apple Borks this attempt at a new MAcPro - or you cannot wait until some time in 2018 .. this might be the best way to stay current without a Trashcan / External Everything scenario ..