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Hi,i just noticed a great price on a '12 Quad MacPro server.
If i were to buy this am I wrong in thinking I can simply wipe & update the OS on the boot drive (non server) and just have a MPro with 2 hd's?
This is a brand new MP,cheap & it seems way more powerful than my present '08 Quad MPro,I'm also curious how hard it would be to upgrade down the road to a 6 core........

Thanks

So... that's just a 3.2 Quad Mac Pro 5,1 with server software, right? If so, drop in a used W3680 or 3690 CPU ($350) and you will have a hex MP. Even stock, the 5,1 (Geekbench 9,500) will be quite a bit faster than your 3,1 (Geekbench 5,600).

Macofalltrades has a "deal of the day" 2010 2.8 Quad MP 5,1 for $999. If your price is lower than that, you are doing well.

Hi HC, I thought you'd be answering my post lol!
It's $1349 for a new 2012 3.2 Quad,so it's about $300 more for a brand new Mac.
Would upgrading the processor void the warranty?
I'm also thinking about Applecare etc.....

When you say just drop in the 6 core processor does that require thermal paste and the specialized hex tools? I don't know if I'm comfortable with doing the upgrade myself,buying a used processor on ebay and my 2 left hands etc.....
OWC has a turkey program but it costs substantially more ($1189) with a 1 year warranty, you ship them the tray they upgrade test and ship back in 2 days.
I'm thinking about using this as is,initially.
I expect this will be better than my 2008 right off the bat and upgrading later.....
Thanks

kgdrum wrote:Hi HC, I thought you'd be answering my post lol!
It's $1349 for a new 2012 3.2 Quad,so it's about $300 more for a brand new Mac.
Would upgrading the processor void the warranty?
I'm also thinking about Applecare etc.....

When you say just drop in the 6 core processor does that require thermal paste and the specialized hex tools? I don't know if I'm comfortable with doing the upgrade myself,buying a used processor on ebay and my 2 left hands etc.....
OWC has a turkey program but it costs substantially more ($1189) with a 1 year warranty, you ship them the tray they upgrade test and ship back in 2 days.
I'm thinking about using this as is,initially.
I expect this will be better than my 2008 right off the bat and upgrading later.....
Thanks

I'd try it as-is first, as I expect the CPU upgrade could impact your warranty and the quad may be powerful enough for you. as I noted in my last post, the 5,1 3.2 will provide almost double the performance of your current 3,1.

KG, I must say the CPU upgrade is very easy. Yes, it requires application of thermal paste and the use of a long-handled allen wrench, but those will set you back no more than $25 total and you'll find the MP is so nicely designed that accessing and replacing the CPU is cake. Even with two left hands. The OWC approach is fine, but very pricey.

kgdrum wrote:OWC has a turkey program

Automatic spell check strikes again.

Yes, upgrading the processor will void certain warranties but, if you can easily swap back...

I'd do AppleCare anyway. I used to consider it insurance that I never used but just in case...

Nowadays, having been on the phone while the techs helped trace a .kext crash or verify that printing & scanning not only doesn't work the same as 10.6.8 but certain parts don't work at all... and other calls over the last four years...

I now consider it money very well spent. 3 years of phone support. They can run an app and log in remotely while the problem is occurring.

Back to the OP. The server version will have software disks that don't come with the consumer grade Mac. It used to be that user apps such as iWork and iLife weren't bundled either. That may have changed in recent years - especially as many now came free with Mavericks. Other than that the server version is the same.

Thanks all, I bought it & just got home!
$1439(new) was too good to pass up......... I have 12 months to decide whether to get AppleCare,in the meantime I'll max out the ram etc.......

hope it's not a turkey

Well the thing with Apple care is if you use it even once it mrs than pays for itself. American Express will extend your warranty an additional year, but will NOT extend purchased protection plans such as Apple care. Still, AC is essential and it's deductible (assuming you file taxes)...

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:Well the thing with Apple care is if you use it even once it mrs than pays for itself. American Express will extend your warranty an additional year, but will NOT extend purchased protection plans such as Apple care. Still, AC is essential and it's deductible (assuming you file taxes)...

Surprise surprise,yeah I do pay taxes!
Normally I'd get AppleCare but I'm thinking about upgrading this to a 6 core which would void the AppleCare warranty,in either case I will probably wait a while,if I go with OWC's turnkey processor upgrade program(this comes with a 1 year warranty)which would take the warranty to about 2 years.
In the meantime if I decide not to upgrade the processor,I have a year to buy AppleCare.
Either Way I feel like this is a nice inexpensive low risk improvement over my 2008 Quad MP.

Congrats KG!

And if you haven't tried an SSD yet, now would be a great time! Throw one in the second optical bay and use it; you'll love it.

Thanks HC


I've never used Migration Assistant,is there any advantage utilizing via ethernet or fw?
What kind of authorizations do I need to address before I commence or do most users just do it and just reauth whatever needs to be authorized again?

The only downside to Migration Assistant I know of is when you're copying a drive with problems. It will copy the problems (usually permissions errors) and nothing is fixed. But if the system is healthy then MG is fine. So is restoring from a Time Machine backup.

Yeah, just reauthorize as needed. Usually very fast and you won't be chasing your tail.

kgdrum wrote: I've never used Migration Assistant,is there any advantage utilizing via ethernet or fw?
What kind of authorizations do I need to address before I commence or do most users just do it and just reauth whatever needs to be authorized again?

Fast Ethernet through a direct connection or switch is faster than FireWire or USB. Migration Assistant is faster than restoring from Time Machine.

Fastest is to insert the drive from your old Mac Pro in a bay and use Migration Assistant.

iLok authorizations will be unaffected.

De-authorize any online authorizations on the old machine (Finale, Masterwriter 2, Final Draft, a few plugs in my case) or you could be on the phone with tech support from various companies becoming re-authorized. Some plugs allow up to 3 or 5 installs and then require that you contact support.

DP 7.24 authorizes from the CD - no problem. DP 8 will deactivate the old machine - again, no problem.

mikehalloran wrote:

kgdrum wrote: I've never used Migration Assistant,is there any advantage utilizing via ethernet or fw?
What kind of authorizations do I need to address before I commence or do most users just do it and just reauth whatever needs to be authorized again?

Fast Ethernet through a direct connection or switch is faster than FireWire or USB. Migration Assistant is faster than restoring from Time Machine.

Fastest is to insert the drive from your old Mac Pro in a bay and use Migration Assistant.

iLok authorizations will be unaffected.

De-authorize any online authorizations on the old machine (Finale, Masterwriter 2, Final Draft, a few plugs in my case) or you could be on the phone with tech support from various companies becoming re-authorized. Some plugs allow up to 3 or 5 installs and then require that you contact support.

DP 7.24 authorizes from the CD - no problem. DP 8 will deactivate the old machine - again, no problem.

Thanks Mike,I will try putting the drive in an empty bay