A trash can.... Mac :)

[quinterro]

I have been looking at Mac Pros for a while, and finally purchased a 2013 Mac Pro.

While the older cheese grater towers would have been nice to have, I don't have the room for one and they aren't exactly power efficient. I'm hoping this one is somewhat frugal.

Will it replace my Ryzen mini PC? Probably not. It's probably faster than the Mac Pro, but I won't be able to confirm until Friday when it arrives.
Will it replace my A10 6700-based system? Probably, but I don't want to get rid of it just yet.

The 2012 iMac still works, but even with an upgraded i7 CPU it's sluggish with MacOS Sequoia.

 

[Byrd]

Nice just got one too, but proving a full restoration so far it has the dual D700 GPUs I was seeking however. Seems RAM is $10/16GB stick and 12 core CPU $50 (AUD) so super cheap to upgrade these days

I’m coming from a 12 core 3.33 Mac Pro which was showing its age five years ago, and was looking at a compact Mini ITX hackintosh or thereabouts to replace it recently. Yes, M1/2/3/4 Minis etc are around however I still like some games. This should fit most needs.

 

[CC_333]

Gosh, I remember when these were new... 11 years ago!

I've been tempted to get one off and on ever since, but never can justify it because what I have (such as it is) works well enough, the cost is high and there's no expand-ability without an expensive outboard PCIe box.

Maybe I'd reconsider if someone gave me one or if I found one for free or cheap.

c

 

[quinterro]

Nice just got one too, but proving a full restoration so far it has the dual D700 GPUs I was seeking however. Seems RAM is $10/16GB stick and 12 core CPU $50 (AUD) so super cheap to upgrade these days

I’m coming from a 12 core 3.33 Mac Pro which was showing its age five years ago, and was looking at a compact Mini ITX hackintosh or thereabouts to replace it recently. Yes, M1/2/3/4 Minis etc are around however I still like some games. This should fit most needs.

Mine is a mid to lower-tier model with the D500 GPUs and a 6-core CPU.

It did come with a 1TB SSD and 28GB memory. Still trying to figure out the size of the installed RAM modules to end up with that odd size.

 

[quinterro]

I found a 64GB memory kit on eBay for $35. Of course after purchasing it I found another for $27.

I think I know how to get 28GB: 3 x 8GB + 1 x 4GB.

 

[quinterro]

It arrived today, but has an issue. The fan won’t spin because it is off-center and is pressing against the round metal plate under the lid. Other than the fan it appears to work.

I have contacted the seller and will see what their remedy is. If nothing else, it does have a 1-year warranty, so I can file a claim.

Given that it only has one fan, I don’t want to run it without a working one. It’s really tempting to see if I can fix it myself, but given the price I paid I’ll wait until I hear back from the seller.

 

[CC_333]

It's possible the bracket the fan attaches to got bumped and bent in transit.

If you paid a significant amount, though (and it sounds like you have), it's probably better to wait and see what the seller wants to do, especially if it has a warranty

If you muck around with the fan and fix the problem, then great, but if not, you'd probably end up voiding that warranty; I learned this the hard way when I bought a 2012 MacBook Pro back in 2015 and upgraded the RAM, then when when the display died shortly thereafter, I couldn't file a claim because apparently the way it was written out, the simple act of upgrading the RAM voided the warranty. I spent way too much on that piece of junk as a result, and really feel like I should've just gone to Apple and bought a then new 2015 rMBP. I would've been better off, and I'd still be using it to this day, most likely. The reason I'm not is because the stupid thing, after three logic board replacements – yes, three – gave out one time too many and I finally just gave up on it. I got my money's worth out of it I think, but it sure was a chore, and it just wasn't worth the effort anymore.

Now, the 13" 2012 MBP I bought new a little over a year later (shortly before Apple finally discontinued it), is still going strong, and I use it as a backup from time to time, and it's based on the exact same architecture, just a bit smaller, so that 15" was just a cursed piece of junk from the start.

c

 

[Byrd]

Mine is literally a trashcan Chimes and boots to question mark but can't get any further. Appears to be an issue with the rear I/O board as USB, power, LEDs are not working and in turn I can't reset PRAM, SMC. Spare parts are cheap so have ordered the board.

Do a complete tear down and repaste CPU and GPU (thermal pads are 2mm thick FYI!). They are all thick with dust based on their (interesting?) design that blows hot air down and out the bottom vents. Means everything in that tunnel gets coated with a very fine, sticky dust.

 

[joshc]

Just me or do these seem a tad... temperamental? I see broken ones on eBay quite often.

I think these go along nicely with the G4 Cube in the "looks nice, but not a good computer" category.

 

[Byrd]

Just me or do these seem a tad... temperamental? I see broken ones on eBay quite often.

They're beautifully designed and getting to dirt cheap/collectable status while cheaply upgraded to the max CPU and RAM for little outlay. Much like the G4 Cube 15ish years ago, I remember putting in basically free RAM, better GPU and a faster G4 upgrade for clear out prices back then. They share similar design cues (outer shell, large internal heatsink, form over function). There seems to be a lot around for sale (dead ones!) and maybe sold much better than Cubes?

From what I've read, nearly all of the ATI GPUs D300/D500/D700 have failures - unless they were replaced at a later date - all overheated (D700 being the worst). I'm hoping to get a good D700 unit, fully restore and improve cooling slightly for longevity.

 

[Unknown_K]

I would assume there is a very finite amount of those custom GPUs to go around.

 

[quinterro]

I started to work on it to see what was up with the fan, but in the process part of the tip of my T5 Torx bit broke off.

Almost didn’t get it back together.

 

[treellama]

Just me or do these seem a tad... temperamental? I see broken ones on eBay quite often.

I think these go along nicely with the G4 Cube in the "looks nice, but not a good computer" category.

They tend to cook their GPUs, because of the quiet fan algorithm. Particularly the D500/D700 models, I would avoid those. Get the entry level model, upgrade the CPU and RAM, use a third party fan app to keep the GPUs a little cooler.

My eight core / D300 / 64 GB feels as fast as a much newer Intel MacBook Pro. It’s a good computer

 

[quinterro]

I added Macs Fan Control to it to set the fan to start at a slower speed. However, with the fan not spinning it reports an RPM of 0, even when the app is set to run the fan full blast.

Bought another precision screwdriver set with every bit needed for this computer and others.

 

[ArbysTPossum]

It's crazy to see them fall as low as 200USD. A 12-core CPU and D700 can boil water though.

 

[quinterro]

Mine was $229. Went with the 6-core unit since the 12-core ones were more expensive.

No boiling water for me, but Chinese eBay sellers have the 12-core CPU for about $25.

 

[quinterro]

The seller wants me to return it, so a return has been initiated. It’s rather sad since the 64GB memory upgrade arrived today.

I found another 6-core unit online and purchased it since it was cheaper and still works.

Here is what I’m doing for this one while I do Internet Restore on it. The box on top has a fan blowing down.

 

[quinterro]

The fan seems to be doing its job - warm air is coming out the bottom.

 

[Byrd]

Does the job, mate - surprised there wasn't some sort of hardware lock out when the fan was removed.

The whole thing gets warm but it is basically one huge heat stack heatsink. I'd imagine a few went back to Apple over the years because someone put a book or something on top, blocking air flow and killing it!

Looking forward to the replacement board for mine, with some decent upgrades I don't think it will be a slouch but anything Apple Silicon will make it blush.

 

[quinterro]

Does the job, mate - surprised there wasn't some sort of hardware lock out when the fan was removed.

The whole thing gets warm but it is basically one huge heat stack heatsink. I'd imagine a few went back to Apple over the years because someone put a book or something on top, blocking air flow and killing it!

Looking forward to the replacement board for mine, with some decent upgrades I don't think it will be a slouch but anything Apple Silicon will make it blush.

I didn’t remove the original fan, since I’m returning it. I did wipe the drive, but powered it off when it got too warm and the display went dark. Not sure how far along the installation has progressed. I even sealed it on the bottom with painter’s tape since it doesn’t leave residue.

I’ll download MacOS Monterey to a flash drive and see if installing with it works any better than Internet Restore did.