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Description
Apple Mac Pro desktop computer, 2006-2012 version.
Videos
Definitive Mac Upgrade Guide
Watch this before buying a Mac Pro 2006 - 2010 (1,1 2006 3,1 2008 4,1 2009 and 5,1 2010-2012)
Watch this before buying a Mac Pro 2006 - 2010 (1,1 2006 3,1 2008 4,1 2009 and 5,1 2010-2012)
Definitive Mac Upgrade Guide
Mac Pro 2006-2012 (1,1-5,1) SATA / NVMe SSD Upgrade and Storage Overview Part 1
Definitive Mac Upgrade Guide
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Apple Mac Pro (2006-2012).
Mods and upgrades
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OpenCore enables boot screens for off-the-shelf GPUs, enhancing usability in upgraded classic Mac Pros.
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Users can fit any SATA SSD into the Mac Pro 1,1, although it may not achieve full SATA III speeds, enhancing performance over traditional hard drives.
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Users have successfully upgraded older Mac Pros with Radeon R9 270 GPUs, but compatibility limitations require swapping to a Radeon 5770 for Mac OS.
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Upgrading to an SSD is a highly recommended enhancement for improved performance, despite the limited upgrade options available for older Mac Pro models.
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Features and functionality
Software and compatibility
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SurPlus by Syncretic is crucial for running Monterey on classic Mac Pros, highlighting essential software support for modern OS.
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Dual booting with Windows 10 requires an external PC for installation due to the Mac Pro's 32-bit EFI, highlighting a complex setup process.
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The ATI Radeon HD 4870 graphics cards lack Metal support, preventing macOS Ventura upgrades; only models 3,1 to 5,1 can achieve this with Metal-capable GPUs.
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Dosdude1's patching software is suggested for extending software capabilities, but users must carefully consider the limitations and advice provided.
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User experience
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Owners highlight frequent updates needed due to evolving GPU landscape, indicating ongoing maintenance for optimal performance.
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Setup and maintenance
Use cases and applications
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The Mac Pro 1,1 can serve as a media server and network storage, but its high power consumption may outweigh the benefits for some users.
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Owners consider using the Mac Pro 1,1 for tasks like 3D printing and CNC operations, though its age may limit its future viability for such applications.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 24 Reviews and 112 Ratings
198
LOVE IT!
This has been my computer for almost 5 years now and I'm in love. It's been a reliable beast ever since I purchased it...and with my upgrades (22 GB of RAM), it's still relevant and powerful enough to handle anything I need today.
186
What a workshorse
We use 4 of these to hose both stage and studio Daws. They are getting old now and we are worried about then end of the line and what too do about legacy sounds and recordings
424
The Heart of my Studios
Big, fully expandable, powerful and reliable. I have 3 of them, with 32GB RAM each and 2TB HD x 4. The best upgrade when leaving my old G5's (they still work!). What can I say? The best in my music and multimedia production. But time is changing and now is time to upgrade to the "Black Beast" new one.
100
Custom Mac
I custom designed this Mac with 128GB of Ram and 4 solid state drives. I threw an old Blu-Ray drive from a PC to add a nice bonus to being able to play and burn Blu-Rays in the studio! The 12 cores really gives stability to my rig.
164
Studio powerhouse with modular expansion and connectivity concerns
This beast of a machine is the central hub of my entire studio. The modularity and expansion bays make it easier for me to hook up my ever growing stock pile of gear and plug in more HDD's for storage. Just wondering what's gonna happen when I run out of USBs
266
Ideal choice for music production
I can't imagine anything else for music production. The best computer i've ever had.
121
Professional
A great, reliable, expandable & professional desktop computer for the studio, no doubt if you need a computer to produce your tracks, this is the computer.
Artist usage
Add artist
An Apple Mac Pro sits below Hardwell's desk in his studio. The Mac Pro provides ample power to run his DAW of choice Logic Pro, as well as all of his software synths and plugins. A video detailing his gear shows the specific model to be the Apple Mac Pro 2.6GHz Quad-Core.
XL Video provided Daft Punk with some eight-core Mac Pros for visuals on the Alive 2007 tour, as mentioned by XL Video head Richard Burford in this late 2007 Apple profile page.
Daft Punk wanted the most dazzling visuals they could get for their latest tour. XL Video provided a few eight-core Mac Pros running Catalyst v4 and Final Cut Pro. “They came to us with a pretty fixed idea of what they wanted,” says Burford. “They wanted to mix live video with effects. Using the eight-core Mac Pros, we were able to take in eight digital sources and treat them as video streams. Then they could use Catalyst to coordinate the video with lighting effects and add their own effects in on the fly. The final digital video streams ran to LED screens.”
Nicky Romero mentioned on Twitter that he's upgrading his studio setup with a new Mac Pro 12-core, highlighting the importance of Apple Mac Pro (2006-2012) in his music production environment.
A Mac Pro tower can be seen in Johnny Marr's studio.
A Mac Pro sits underneath Aoki's desk in his studio. He uses a Mac so he can run Apple's Logic Pro software.
Axwell's studio is powered by a Mac Pro. When asked "What is the one piece of studio equipment that you couldn’t live without?", he answers "That’s easy - the Mac."
Like Mike tweets "new mac pro for studio arrived !! woop woop"
FlyLo tweets "Starting my first day on 'logic pro' today as soon as the new mac pro arrives. Next chapter.", leading us to believe he uses a Mac Pro to produce on, even though it seems his stint with Logic Pro was short-lived.
A Mac Pro tower can be seen in Brian Eno's studio during the recording of Someday World (to his left, first photo).
Album Usage
The Apple Mac Pro (2006-2012) has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Apple Mac Pro (2006-2012), it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
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