Upgrading My 2008 Mac Pro

[wonder]

My workhorse studio computer is an early 2008 Mac Pro.
2 x 2.8 GHz Quad Core Intel Xeon
24 GB RAM
OS 10.11.6


I love this thing but it's getting to the point that any new software I want doesn't have legacy support and I'm not able to upgrade my OS.

I plan on running this into the ground so I don't need to upgrade immediately but I'm starting to plan.

I also want to get into new interfaces as well.

I do a lot of video work as well as audio so I'm preparing myself for this to be an EXPENSIVE upgrade considering I have PCI cards and am using all 4 HD bays in my current Mac Pro.

I love my current setup (even though it can get slow at times) because it's pretty rock solid and has served me for over a decade.

But, where to go next? M1 Mac Pro (when it comes out)? iMac (blechhhh)? M1 Mac Mini?

I bought an M1 Mac Mini for live streaming concerts from my studio and it just arrived so I'm excited to see how it does.

Just looking to get some ideas on getting the best Mac I can afford that will hopefully last me another 10 years.

Or .... should I look into somehow upgrading the hardware on this Mac Pro so I can update the OS?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[HCMarkus]

Assuming you are running from SSD, not much you can do hardware-wise for your Mac Pro 3,1.

On the software side, you may be able to install Open Core and then upgrade your OS. But the 3,1 will still be plenty slow.

Visit Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Mac.Pro.Upgrade
Macrumors: https://www.macrumors.com and navigate to the Mac Pro Forum; there is an OpenCore thread. (currently down for maintenance, so I can't send a link.)

[wonder]

Right.

I guess it doesn't make much sense to put more money into the 3,1. Might as well upgrade fully.

This means upgrading my interfaces too ... which I knew this day was coming as well.

[patthedog]

FWIW, my 2008 Mac Pro is still going strong. Upgraded to an SSD drive and Nvidia graphics card which allowed me install Mojave using a patch by Dosdude.

I was tempted to get an M1 Mini, but looks like I'd need a new interface since the Firewire Ultralite isn't supported (yet?).

Anyway the 2008 still does everything I need it to, and still zips along nicely.

[wonder]

To be clear, mine is working fine ... albeit probably not nearly as fast as I could be working with a new Mac.

Are you saying with a new graphics card I could upgrade from my current OS?

[HCMarkus]

Unfortunately, GPUs are currently running $Arm+Leg thanks to cryptocurrency miners. Try your new M1 in Rosetta 2... it might surprise you!

[wonder]

Anyone using the M1 Mac Mini as their main studio computer? I'm now thinking the M1 Mac Mini may be able to replace my huge 2008 Mac Pro ... I'd have to get a b*tt-load of hard drive enclosures and a new audio interface ... but I'd need to secure my computer before deciding on external components.

If anyone's using an M1 Mac Mini ... how's it handling the load?

[bayswater]

Anyone using the M1 Mac Mini as their main studio computer? I'm now thinking the M1 Mac Mini may be able to replace my huge 2008 Mac Pro ... I'd have to get a b*tt-load of hard drive enclosures and a new audio interface ... but I'd need to secure my computer before deciding on external components.

If anyone's using an M1 Mac Mini ... how's it handling the load?

You can come across postings here that report using the M1, but MOTU is still reporting DP is not yet compatible.

[wonder]

I have (2) MOTU 2408's. They're connected to the PCIe card in my 2008 Mac Pro.

If I didn't want to spend the $2,700+ on a new interface (Orion 32+), could I get an external PCIe chassis and connect that via TB3 or USB to my M1 Mac Mini?

[wonder]

I was looking into the Antelope Audio Orion 32+ compared to the MOTU interfaces.

I have some Q’s before I make my decisions.

1. Why is the 16A priced higher than the 24AI / AO? The 24AI/AO gives you many more outputs/inputs. What am I missing?

2. I currently use CUEMIX when recording. The direct hardware play-through is awesome. With the 24AI/AO, is there still direct hardware play-through?

3. My system is so old, I don’t have CUEMIX Fx. Does the monitoring section on the 24AI/AO offer Fx (reverb, compression, EQ)?

4. If I wanted to use my 2408’s with, say, a Mac Mini, can I get an external PCIe chassis and still use my 2408’s with my new computer until I’m ready to upgrade my interface(s)?

[Michael Canavan]

I have some Q’s before I make my decisions.

Not so fast!

What I mean is I have a few for you. We all have vastly different needs with DP and DAWs in general. I don't run a recording studio, I'm am independent musician and I use DP as a Jack of all trades but mostly as a composing environment. So I don't need more than and 8 in/out audio interface, and a couple dozen of my hundreds of plug ins. I could use the Mini you have pretty easily.

Here's a thought without even knowing the circumstances of your setup, the Mini and the 2008 can live together, VEP can bring them together. You can host any plug ins that don't work in DP in the Mini in VEP on the 2008 and be golden. This setup can work depending on what audio cards you have. I again would be OK with the Mini because RME already has a good beta M1 driver out for the Fireface 800.


If you're doing big recording projects of 16 tracks of audio into DP on a time limit, I think I would stick with the 2008.

[Michael Canavan]

Oh, and you already own your future machine, the Mini will vastly outperform the 2008, when you're ready to port to it fully. So I wouldn't really do anything right now, you're set, you can mess around with DP on the Mini, get serious work done on the 2008, and when the Mini is solid and you love it, port to it, maybe even upgrade to whatever monster is released next. A little bird told me that the M1 is looking really good on DP lately, obviously still in beta, but the way it was worded was as close to saying "something" without getting in trouble with the boss as you could come.

[red1]

I upgrading from a 2008 Mac, too, and looking at a M1 Mini and DP 10. I've read that DP isn't up to snuff yet for the M1, but can I install and run DP10 on an M1 and do basic recording and editing with Waves, Izotope and MOTU plug-ins?

Thanks,
Rod

[wonder]

I have some Q’s before I make my decisions.

Not so fast!

What I mean is I have a few for you. We all have vastly different needs with DP and DAWs in general. I don't run a recording studio, I'm am independent musician and I use DP as a Jack of all trades but mostly as a composing environment. So I don't need more than and 8 in/out audio interface, and a couple dozen of my hundreds of plug ins. I could use the Mini you have pretty easily.

Here's a thought without even knowing the circumstances of your setup, the Mini and the 2008 can live together, VEP can bring them together. You can host any plug ins that don't work in DP in the Mini in VEP on the 2008 and be golden. This setup can work depending on what audio cards you have. I again would be OK with the Mini because RME already has a good beta M1 driver out for the Fireface 800.


If you're doing big recording projects of 16 tracks of audio into DP on a time limit, I think I would stick with the 2008.

In my studio, we do small to "large" projects. A lot of times it's a singer/songwriter, and sometimes it's a full band tracking at once (24+ tracks live).

Inputs - I need at a minimum, 24
Outputs - I need 16

We do a medium amount of video projects as well (filming, editing).

My 2008 Mac Pro is still running "fine". My only reason for upgrading would be the speed of production (video rendering, audio bouncing, etc) and the ability to update my OS. Oh, and to step into some of the latest techs in regards to Monitoring. I have a lot of out-board verbs, compressors, etc that I use for headphone mixes. Instead of patching all that with hardware, I'd love to utilize software with something like CUEMIX FX or equivalent.

I've never worked with VEP and will have to do some googling about it.

Since DP isn't ready for prime time, I've thought about jumping over to Logic. I run DP as my main DAW but also have ProTools, Live, and Logic in case those sessions come in and I need to work in that universe.

[mikehalloran]

I have (2) MOTU 2408's. They're connected to the PCIe card in my 2008 Mac Pro.

If I didn't want to spend the $2,700+ on a new interface (Orion 32+), could I get an external PCIe chassis and connect that via TB3 or USB to my M1 Mac Mini?

No. That will not work. It’s a firmware issue that cannot be resolved without MOTU making a new version of the 424-PCIe card. Many threads over many years on that issue.