[Eug]

I am eventually going to get rid of my Core i7 iMac. However the power of even the i7 iMac is already more than I really need. An i5 quad would suit me fine. The only thing in terms of hardware that I don't like about the iMacs is their lack of internal expandability.

If I were to replace it with a Mac Pro, what you recommend as minimum specs? I'm not too well-versed in the specs and their expandability. What would be the bare minimum model you would recommend, and are there any gotchas for future compatibility?

As a very basic baseline, I'm thinking:

Intel quad
6 GB RAM, preferably with empty memory slots
320-500 GB primary hard drive. (I'd add in other drives.)

I do basic business stuff, but for personal use I occasionally edit images and video. I also occasionally rip and transcode video.

[Don Pickett]

If an iMac is overkill for your needs, then the lowest spec Mac Pro would be fine for you. MacLife tested one in their latest issue and found it and the iMac to be essentially equal in performance.

[Eug]

Thanks, but I guess I should have been more specific. I am also considering used Mac Pros. Is there a certain point where used Intel Mac Pros become a worry in terms of future compatibility?

For example, OpenCL isn't supported on NVIDIA video cards older than a GeForce 8800GT or GeForce 8600M, but I don't know if anyone actually cares about that.

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Thanks, but I guess I should have been more specific. I am also considering used Mac Pros. Is there a certain point where used Intel Mac Pros become a worry in terms of future compatibility?

For example, OpenCL isn't supported on NVIDIA video cards older than a GeForce 8800GT or GeForce 8600M, but I don't know if anyone actually cares about that.

My advice is down get a copy of Mactracker and look at the benchmark scores. The high end of the current iMacs actually benchmark faster than the early 2008 Mac Pros. From my own experience, you won't find any of the newer Mac Pros--early 2009 or later--for sale on eBay for anything like a serious discount. You'll pay about the same for the current entry level Mac Pro as you will for a good used early 2008 Mac Pro, you will get about the same performance, but it will be a new machine with a much more capable GPU.

[Eug]

Well, my local shop was selling an 8-core 8 GB 3.2 GHz Xeon with 8800GT and 0.5 year AppleCare for a lot less than Apple was selling a 4-core quad refurb with just 3 GB RAM. I was one day too late though.

I will check out MacTracker.

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Well, my local shop was selling an 8-core 8 GB 3.2 GHz Xeon with 8800GT and 0.5 year AppleCare for a lot less than Apple was selling a 4-core quad refurb with just 3 GB RAM. I was one day too late though.

I will check out MacTracker.

That machine benchmarks just a little slower than the top-end iMac. However, it will have slower RAM, and a less capable GPU than the iMac.

[Eug]

Apple is selling this refurb for CAD$2149:

Refurbished Mac Pro 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
One 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon "Nehalem" processor
3GB (3 x 1GB) of 1066MHz DDR3 ECC memory
640GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s 7200 rpm
18x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 with 512MB GDDR3 memory

However, another one has shown up at my local shop for $350 cheaper:

Mac Pro Quad-core Xeon 2.66GHz
13GB Memory (I'll have to confirm this.)
500GB SATA
2 x SuperDrive
Radeon 3870 with 512 MB

This also has AppleCare on it until mid 2011, but my guess from Mactracker is that it's probably a 2006 Woodcrest Mac Pro bought in 2008 that has extended AppleCare into 2011. Besides the fact that it's so old, one potential drawback is that it has a 32-bit EFI. However, I run 32-bit OS X anyway and I don't care about Windows on this machine.

Assuming the Radeon 3870 and 13 GB RAM are actually accurate (and the memory is fully addressable from 32-bit OS X), I'm thinking it'd actually be a fairly decent machine for a couple of years, even though it's actually slower than my i7 iMac.

EDIT:

What are the chances 10.7 won't support the Mac Pro 2006? If it is indeed a 2006 model, then it's quite possible that Apple would obsolete it in 2011. That makes it much less enticing.

Maybe I should just get a refurb 21.5" iMac Core i3 iMac, or maybe even just a 4 GB Mac mini and be done with it.

Arrggh. Apple's desktop options really leave a big hole in the non-all-in-one dept.

[Don Pickett]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Assuming the Radeon 3870 and 13 GB RAM are actually accurate (and the memory is fully addressable from 32-bit OS X), I'm thinking it'd actually be a fairly decent machine for a couple of years, even though it's actually slower than my i7 iMac.

The 3870 will actually give you much better performance than the 120: nVidia's OS X drivers are all kinds of awful.

OS X can address a full squintillion MB of memory, so don't worry. But the memory in that machine has to be matched pairs, so you can't end up with a odd number of MB.

What are the chances 10.7 won't support the Mac Pro 2006?

Pretty small. I would be shocked if any of the pro machines are dropped out of 10.7.

[P]

The Nehalem MPs represent a huge performance boost over the previous generation. The older FB-DIMM based machines are nowhere near as fast, they are expensive to upgrade the RAM on and prices will not drop going forward. FB-DIMM is not being refreshed, and development has stopped. I would be extremely wary of buying a machine based on that design. $350 is not enough of a rebate to consider it.

32-bit EFI is irrelevant. It basically adds a new RAM limit at 256GB (but in effect slightly before) but there is no other problem with it.

A 3870 is actually a real upgrade over the incredibly weak GT 120. It may be that you have a low-spec Nehalem MP, and someone upgraded the GPU on the cheap.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by Eug 

This also has AppleCare on it until mid 2011, but my guess from Mactracker is that it's probably a 2006 Woodcrest Mac Pro bought in 2008 that has extended AppleCare into 2011.

Get the serial number for that Mac Pro and you're set.

A.S.N.I. Decode your Mac's serial number.

Klantenservice: Serienummers

Besides the fact that it's so old, one potential drawback is that it has a 32-bit EFI. However, I run 32-bit OS X anyway and I don't care about Windows on this machine.

My 32-bit EFI 2006 Mac Pro can run Windows 7 64bit on BootCamp and VMware Fusion.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Don Pickett 

OS X can address a full squintillion MB of memory, so don't worry. But the memory in that machine has to be matched pairs, so you can't end up with a odd number of MB.

2048+2048, 2048+2048, 2048+2048, 512+512? But yeah, I'm thinking it may be a typo. I'll find out today.

Originally Posted by Don Pickett 

I would be shocked if any of the pro machines are dropped out of 10.7.

You're probably right, but who knows with Apple these days...

Originally Posted by P 

The Nehalem MPs represent a huge performance boost over the previous generation. The older FB-DIMM based machines are nowhere near as fast, they are expensive to upgrade the RAM on and prices will not drop going forward. FB-DIMM is not being refreshed, and development has stopped. I would be extremely wary of buying a machine based on that design. $350 is not enough of a rebate to consider it.

Well, the reason I would consider it is if it really did already have over 10 GB. At that point memory upgrades are no longer an issue, and like I said, raw CPU performance isn't my primary concern here.

Originally Posted by angelmb 

Get the serial number for that Mac Pro and you're set.

I'd just use the SystemProfiler.

My 32-bit EFI 2006 Mac Pro can run Windows 7 64bit on BootCamp and VMware Fusion.

Did you have to run a hack to get Win 7 64-bit to install? However, I'm not really concerned since I bought a separate Win 7 64-bit machine already. I don't really like running VMware or Parallels. Annoying, and too many issues if you're dealing with external peripherals.

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Did you have to run a hack to get Win 7 64-bit to install?

No, not at all. I've already deleted my Boot Camp partition though. Didn't like W7. Honest.

[Eug]

Tempted to get an Apple refurb 21.5" iMac for CAD$1099 (reg. price $1299)

Refurbished iMac 21.5-inch 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor
21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
500GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics with 256MB memory
Built-in iSight camera

I could then take 4 GB memory from the 8 GB Core i7 iMac and move it into the Core i3 iMac. That'd drop the height of the computer down by nearly 3 inches.

I wonder how much I could sell the Core i7 iMac for. It's got a 2 TB drive and 2 years left of AppleCare.

EDIT:

Nope on the memory. My Core i7 uses DDR3 1066. The new one uses DDR3 1333.