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A Mac Pro 6.1 as an interim solution?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Pro-6-1-12-Core-2-4GHz-CPU-64GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Dual-D500-Late-2013/302861887758?hash=item4683f9a90e%3Ag%3AsFQAAOSw-RFafzDn&LH_BIN=1 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-Pro-6-1-12-Core-2-4GHz-CPU-64GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-Dual-D500-Late-2013/302861887758?hash=item4683f9a90e:g:sFQAAOSw-RFafzDn&LH_BIN=1)

great price for 64gigs 12 core.
 
I am about to buy a used trash can as well, as I had several kernel panics on my old Mac Pro during the job. Could be a ram stick, could also be the graphic card or heat issues ... anyway, I have investigated this thoroughly and I tell you, don't get a 12-core. Take a 6-core or 8-core, maybe a 10-core, but these are rare. The best clockspeed to core-count performance is certainly the 8-core @3,3 GHz (not the usual 3,0GHz). It is a possible processor upgrade you can do yourself, but sometimes there are machines with exactly that a CPU offered on eBay. You will also be fine with any off the shelf 6-core or 8-core. To buy the CPU for the best possible upgrade is something like $250, so, no big investment as swapping the graphic card! That is why you should not buy any 4-core (or rather any d300 Mac Pro). And I would not advice for the 12 core, as its Logic performance is actually worse than the 6 or 8 core where it counts.
 
And I would not advice for the 12 core, as its Logic performance is actually worse than the 6 or 8 core where it counts.

Because the clock speed is slower?

I don't know that to be wrong, but I am skeptical. There are tricks to get Logic to divide certain things among cores rather than spiking individual ones, and then more cores is more.
 
Because the clock speed is slower?

I don't know that to be wrong, but I am skeptical. There are tricks to get Logic to divide certain things among cores rather than spiking individual ones, and then more cores is more.
In theory, that should be true, but from what i have read and tried out myself - obviously not yet on the Mac Pro 2013 - is that the Kontakt voice limit is far earlier reached to other factors, before any 8-core would run out of processing power. On the other hand, a single core might break just due to one plugin, like a u-he synth or any hungry effect. It is true of course that you cannot generally claim an 8-core is better than a 12-core. But it is true for most cases in audio. There are many factors to consider, like using VEpro or not, other plugins in the template, buffer size usually used ... to be sure, you would probably have to compare two identical logic sessions on each machine. Zi. am not gonna do that just yet, but all facts I came across point to the 8-core be the better choice for audio work in general. Especially the unofficial intel CPU with 3,3 GHz clock speeed, as it has almost the same clock speed as the 6-core, 2 more cores and more cash memory than the 6-core, wich seems to be relevant for real time processing.
 
...That is why you should not buy (any d300 Mac Pro)...

Why is that? In all the research I did, it appears the infamous graphics card issues were related to the D500 or D700 made between Feb-May of 2015... the D300 is supposed to be fine. What was your experience?
 
Why is that? In all the research I did, it appears the infamous graphics card issues were related to the D500 or D700 made between Feb-May of 2015... the D300 is supposed to be fine. What was your experience?
No personal experience, of course, as I do not have the trash can, yet. But I found several people with the d300 models with exactly the same problems. Yet, those models were not included in Apples free exchange program. I even contacted some owners from this place and two of them reported they could not solve the problems. A replacement graphic card for a Mac Pro is insanely expensive - not justifiable for that old machine IMO. That is why I read countless times, buying a used d300 Mac Pro is potentially a can of worms. If you could be sure, a d300 would be more than enough for my purposes, as well. It is just the risk, that the whole machine could be unreliable (kernel panics!).
 
By the way, I just figured out the problems with my old Mac Pro. I am pretty sure, now, it was only a 7-port USB hub I recently bought ... I hate computers! :)
 
Keep us updated, thank you all! I have my finger itching for the ebay trigger for a 6.1 as well...

Anyone have any info on whether it's better to get a later year 6.1 rather than the ones that first came out in 2013? I'd read somewhere about some differences but not finding it...
 
I'm still confused if I'm missing something here. The 6.1 Mac pro is 5-year-old technology.. why are we spending so much money on it? No doubt its a workhorse if you already bought it years ago, but why consider it now?

We are aware that our DAW's benefit the most from single core speeds correct?

The iMac is the fastest single core machine Apple makes. They have arguably the best display of any computer.
The iMac Pro (10core) is the best balance between both those and just overall a beast. This is the best choice if money was not part of the equation.
The MacBook Pro i7 would be the best next choice for portability.
 
The answer is......money.

I'm still confused if I'm missing something here. The 6.1 Mac pro is 5-year-old technology.. why are we spending so much money on it? No doubt its a workhorse if you already bought it years ago, but why consider it now?

We are aware that our DAW's benefit the most from single core speeds correct?

The iMac is the fastest single core machine Apple makes. They have arguably the best display of any computer.
The iMac Pro (10core) is the best balance between both those and just overall a beast. This is the best choice if money was not part of the equation.
The MacBook Pro i7 would be the best next choice for portability.
 
The iMac Pro (10core) is the best balance between both those and just overall a beast. This is the best choice if money was not part of the equation.
The MacBook Pro i7 would be the best next choice for portability.

Portability is a major concern for the OP so I would actually place the lap top first. I’m hearing the laptop just screams with Logic Sesssions. This is the first time in my half century on this planet that I’m really considering the laptop for music production. Great times. I’d pimp that MAC Book Pro out though so it would get quite pricey.
 
Portability is a major concern for the OP so I would actually place the lap top first. I’m hearing the laptop just screams with Logic Sesssions. This is the first time in my half century on this planet that I’m really considering the laptop for music production. Great times. I’d pimp that MAC Book Pro out though so it would get quite pricey.

Man that wouldn’t surprise me. I’m still totally happy with a mid-2014 MBP with just 16 GB RAM that runs my ~750 track Logic template (thanks to VEP). Well, 64 GB RAM would be nice but 32 is at least a step up from 16! That’s really the only bottleneck...
 
The answer is......money.

yet.. 3600 for a mac pro?

Portability is a major concern for the OP so I would actually place the lap top first. I’m hearing the laptop just screams with Logic Sesssions. This is the first time in my half century on this planet that I’m really considering the laptop for music production. Great times. I’d pimp that MAC Book Pro out though so it would get quite pricey.

Agreed, as long as you don't opt for the i9 processor!
 
...3600 for a Mac Pro?

I’ve seen maxed out 6-cores with 128 GB RAM, D300, and 1TB SSD for the low $3k neighborhood, properly refurb’d with an Apple Warranty through OWC. That’s a lot of machine for the money - an iMac Pro configured like that would be WAY more, and you’re paying for a screen you might not want...

There’s a lot to be said for the tiny and silent form factor of the trashcan. Tons of ports, somewhat modular, etc.

YMMV!
 
Thanks for all the discussion on this, it's really useful to read. I've come across two options so far, but what @Olfirf has mentioned about 12 cores being a bit rubbish has me thinking... These are two that I've come across:

6 Core Mac Pro (seems to fit the bill regarding a D500 etc. right?)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-Mac-Pro-6-Core-3-5-512GB-32GB-RAM-D500-Graphics-Late-2013-Mint/312248817223?hash=item48b37ad647:g:IdgAAOSwZk1bdbGi

12 core refurbished (D700 and 12 core seems overkill though right?)
https://www.macstoreuk.com/product/mac-pro-6-1-2-7ghz-12-core-64gb-ram-dual-d700s-1tb-ssd-7/

or with this company with a D500 card, 3.0 GHz 10 cores and 1 TB of SSD goodness):

https://create.pro/configure_macpro61?cat=pro_audio_macpro61#config

I used to work on a laptop and love the idea, but I ran into overheating problems previously because Spain can get hotter than a Miles Davis trumpet, so I'm wary. Also like that the Mac Pro is pretty silent from what I hear.

Decision decisions. I am upgrading from a Mac Mini though, so even a calculator would probably impress me at this point.
 
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