WTB: Mac Pro (also need some advice)

[wez]

My G5 has died, I've been getting by with the laptop but it's struggling. I've got a couple of big mix projects coming up so i think I need a Pro.

I need to keep it under $1000, so realistically I'm looking for a 2,1 or 3,1 (2008-ish) machine, or maybe could stretch to a 4,1 ('Nehalem', 2009ish). A good amount of RAM would be great.

I'm in Melbourne but happy to ship the right machine.

So this would be my first Mac Pro, and I am keen to know how noisy these guys are. The G5 that it's replacing was pretty bad, and became intolerable when I had a change of circumstance and had to have it in the same room as me (I used to have a machine cupboard). I need to know if the newer machines are a bit quieter (i have read that they are, but I really want to know what studio guys think).

Obviously I'm happy to pay the going rate… I would just rather not deal with ebay this time round.

Actually just out of curiosity, is anyone here using a late model Mac Mini for production/mixing?

[Bent my VU]

If my experience is anything to go by the 2008 Mac Pro is much less noisy than the G5 was. I can't speak for new models but I'd assume they would be much the same if not better.

[gigpiglet]

hi wez
from my experience (and as far as mac towers goes - it is pretty extensive)
anything before the 3.1 build is not up to scratch.... the ram is slow, the video cards are incompatible with lots of PT stuff, and they cant be updated to the newer OS's.
so for me - a 3.1 is the "bottom" model.
i still have several, and with some ram in them, they run like a very fast thing.. its probably all you need.
you should be able to get them for the 900 - 1500 mark, depending on what upgrades people have made. if you find one with an SSD systems disc and some extra ram, you might pay - say 1200 or so, and it will be a great machine.

having said that - i recently (after have 2x 3.1 build machines die in a matter of weeks, and one a few months before that - yes - 3 machines in as many months!) moved my main computers to 4.1
they are SO much nicer to work on.
waaay tidier insides.
faster ram (so less ram in them, still feels like it does the same job) better vid cards, run cooler, etc etc.

both builds are quiet"ish" but the still have some pretty serious fan action when needed.. the 3.1 seems to have at least one fan on all the time, where at the 4.1 seems to "kick in"

i know several people using the mac minis (both in studio and onstage) and have had good reports... but ive never used one for audio.
hope that helps

[Alistair]

Hey wez, I'm using a Mac Mini server from last year. The i7 model I think.

Very fast, very happy with it. I'm intending to swap the system drive out for a SSD soon too which should improve it more so.

However- I'm running a Lynx Aurora over USB, and while it's great, it's not up there with a PCI interface. For mixing, it's fantastic and I don't have any complaints. For tracking I can't set the latency low and enough and have stability. Still waiting on a thunderbolt card for the Lynx here.....

[SteveL]

Hi Wez

I use a 4.1 (2009) octo Nehalem Mac Pro. It sits under my console. Except for the Superdrive (standard disc burner) which is as noisy as hell, the thing is pretty quiet. Keep some air around it and make sure to clean the dust from the fan inlets regularly (builds up and clogs the intakes and leads to the fans kicking in more often). I'm running 4 WD Black internal drives, plus Lynx PCIe and LS-ADAT cards, 24g ram. Bluetooth can be a bit flakey with them though if using wireless mouse/keyboard from my experience.

Steve

[Drumstruck]

Hi Wez,

I had a MacMini server (quadcore 2.0GHz / 8GB RAM / 7200rpm HD) and it was ok but I regularly got the PT CPU error (in PT8 and PT9) when looping tracks, but it was fine with Reaper and Wavelab. They're very quiet.

If I was getting another one I'd configure it with 16GB (aftermarket) RAM, an SSD for the O/S and 2 x Thunderbolt external drives - one for recording and one for samples.

My main machine is a MBP (2.2GHz quad core / 8GB RAM / firewire recording drive) and it also gets the occasional CPU error - because of this CPU inadequacy, I now consolidate all my PT tracks in case I have to load them into Reaper.

I'll be interested to hear what you end up with.

[Sammas]

I replaced a quad core 1,1 mac pro with a 2011 mini mac server (quad core 2ghz i7 with 16gig of ram). While overall it felt a lot snappier to use for routine tasks, I was a little underwhelmed by its performance for audio. Kind of like it was 2 steps sideways, and a casual lean forward in session size.

[Alistair]

And my wish has been met!

http://www.lynxstudio.com/news_press_detail.asp?i=138

[wez]

Hey thanks so much, you guys are awesome - exactly the sort of info I was after.

So I'll definitely be looking for a 3,1 or later. Love the idea of a Mac Mini - the virtual silence of using my MacBook Pro has been a revelation - but I do miss the extra ports, flexibility with drives, monitors etc. Plus I've always been one for having a dedicated machine for each task.

So Gareth, you're not due to upgrade your machines anytime soon I guess? This MBP that I bought off you has been brilliant.

[gigpiglet]

glad the macbook has treated you well.
im on the AIR now for my laptop needs..
and having just upgraded the main studio machines to the 4.1 builds... i wasnt really due to do that, but cause the old ones died i had to.
so no "upgrade" machines to speak of from me - as they are all in the scrap pile!
i wont change the laptops till they release a decent new AIR model.

its pretty easy ebaying for those slightly older models at the moment though mate.
get into it

[danander11]

Another thing to consider perhaps is going the hackintosh route...

I had a 3.1 and replaced it with a built for hackintosh PC. It came pre-loaded with OSX but I took the time to figure out how to do it for myself, (it was really easy).

Subsequently I got a i7 3770k, 32gb ram, 280gb SSD, 2gb video, etc... all for around $1200. MUCH faster than the 3.1, newer, quieter, capable of so much more... I run PTHD 10 and 11 on it without any issues whatsoever.

It thinks it's an iMac, I think it's great.

[Paul Maybury]

Hi, we have a hackintosh at my studio, it's cool, but a pretty rough build (in house).
At work we have Mac Mini servers, they are a great quiet machine, but the double insulted psu and usb or firewire powered interfaces create earthing issues that can be hard to resolve.
For our small production suites, it's not too bad, but for a larger, multitracking setup, I don't feel the mini is up to it as resolving the earthing issues is like trying to herd kittens into a string bag.
Cheers,
Paul

[wez]

Many people (like me) love macs for what they can do.

Many people (not me) love PCs for what they are.

I installed Bootcamp/WinXP on my MBP just to see it work... I still feel deeply uncomfortable about it to this day.

Macs made out of PCs that think they are Macs is a sure sign that the end times are upon us.

[Paul Maybury]

Funny, I just resolved our post suite usb interface earth and noise problems.
We ditched pro tools for Reaper, so now we don't need the MBox dongle thingy.
We are now using the internal Mac Mini converters. No mess, no noise, no fuss. They actually sound pretty good, but it means using decidedly non professional interconnections. However, IT WORKS! Anyone want a couple of Mboxs?........
Re our hackintosh, it is bit of a frankenstein built out of an IBM server. It doesn't know who it is, what with OSX, Windows and Linux all bootable.
Cheers,
Paul

[Mazystar]

Give designwyse in Melbourne a call, there doing a bit of a fire sale on macs at the moment to make way for the new line of mac pros, I brought a 4.1 nehlham 8 core i7 machine with 24gb for a silly price a few years ago ( like 2k silly) fantastic to deal with! Not sure what they have in stock but definitely worth call you may get lucky?