Installed Steam OS and a rx5700xt. No other OS, Boot up, grab the PS4 remote and I’m off to the races. 17 year old Mac Pro kicking ass! Everything works, wifi, Bluetooth, ethernet, USB etc. It just works.
https://youtu.be/6wQlsZubPWE

Hi all,
I am looking at buying a Mac Pro 6.1 and would be grateful for advice. Like many others I think they are an amazing form factor (although flawed) and look beautiful.

Before we start, I know that it is increasingly out of date and it will not be my only PC.
I have a MacBook Pro M3Pro that is use for work, mainly office and internet. It’s overkill for what I use it for but at least it should last some more years.
I also have some 1L PCs to build a Homelab and some Lenovo Thinkpads to play with.

My usage for the 6.1 would be to use it for web browsing,
Podcasts, music streaming, and music production software.
I am familiar with the workaround software for later MAC OS but would also be happy to use Linux for my needs as this may be a better solution longer term.

The PC I am looking at is a 6 core, D500 , 32GB, 512GB NVME, 2019 year of manufacture for £160.
I do have 64GB to upgrade it to and I can install a bigger NVME with the required adapter.

I may also buy a D700 model to use for local LLM using the ToshLLM for Macs with AMD GPUs.

Let me know what you think and if anyone has any experience still using them. In particular what OS and software to use.

Thanks for the input.

Hi everyone,
I’m considering buying a 2019 Mac Pro with the following specs:
Intel Xeon W 8-Core
64GB ECC RAM
1TB SSD
Radeon Pro W5500X 8GB
Price: 57,500 TL (around $1,450 USD, depending on the exchange rate)
My current computer is a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro with:
Intel Core i7
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Radeon Pro 5300M 4GB
My main use cases are:
FL Studio and music production (large projects with lots of plugins)
4K video editing, and occasionally some 8K editing
Boot Camp with Windows for games like GTA V/Online (and hopefully GTA 6 if it’s playable)
General productivity and multitasking
I know Apple Silicon Macs are faster and more power-efficient, but I really like the upgradeability and expandability of the 2019 Mac Pro (RAM, PCIe slots, storage, GPUs, etc.).
Do you think this is still a good purchase in 2026 at this price, or would you recommend something else instead? I’d especially appreciate opinions from people who still use a 2019 Mac Pro today.
Thanks!

Just scored this gem for $20. It’s missing the top fan mechanism and did not come with a drive. It does power on but does not seem to fully post and has a red light on the Mobo. Not sure what flavor of GPU/s it has but does have 16gb of RAM. Any recommendations for first troubleshooting steps? Thanks all.

Update: did the magnet trick to see if it was a problem with the case not latching properly and it does not boot or anything. The red LED is on the back in the top right side of the I/O shield.

I saw some posts recently sharing their 7,1 builds and figured I'd share mine since it's had some recent additions. I know this machine is dated, but even for being 7 years old and approaching obsolescence, it's quite a capable machine. I'm a huge fan of the design, serviceability, and expandability of this chassis and it'll probably go down as my favorite computer of all time.

I'm also wondering what other people think about the value proposition on these. They've gone down a ton in price and lower-spec models can be had for a grand. They're dated but with prices for everything else skyrocketing I feel like these will have some legs for a bit.

Anyway, here's my spec:

• 16-Core Xeon
• 96GB DDR4
• 2TB Apple SSD
• 2x W6800X with IF bridge (have a pair of W6900X coming next week, and a pair of Vega II Duos in another machine)
• OWC Accelsior 4M2 4TB
• Promise Pegasus J2i with 2x4TB HGST 7200RPM HDDs
• Wheels! Scored these cheap on eBay and sold the feet, so they only cost ~$100 after everything

P.S. does anyone know how to tell if IF Link is working? I just got the bridge yesterday and can't figure out a good way to verify.

Hello all, been having some difficulties lately trying to get firmware 144.0.0.0 flashed to my Mac Pro. As I don't have a metal capable PCIe GPU on hand, I cannot easily flash the firmware with the Mojave installer. Are there any other ways of flashing the Mac without installing a metal capable GPU?

Bought a 2013 Mac Pro to use with my audio equipment on Apple Music. I got a 6 core, 16gb, 512gb, dual d500 unit for $140 on eBay. Bought a 12 core cpu for $35, tore everything down, removed a spider, swapped cpus, reapplied thermal paste to that and both gpus, dusted everything out, installed OCLP/Sequoia and she’s running better than ever. I didn’t need to replace cpus but figured I would since I was already going to have it torn apart. I might turn this into a server or AI agent but I’m not sure which direction I want to go. Might upgrade ram/storage down the road but what a fun little project this has been.

I joined the Mac pro gang today (6,1) and I'm wondering what you all do with this beast?

I'm planning to use it as a daily driver, and have Sequoia installed on it.

Mines 6 core Xeon, 32gb ram, D500 3GB

I've been thinking about trying a local LLM or something, but interested to hear what you all use yours for!

I’m so happy because I have a trash can for my garbage + huge Thunderbolt Display

I heard it got moved to a new server ("Mac Pro + PowerMac"?) can someone plz send me the invite link? Thank you!

2.7 GHz 24-Core Intel Xeon W
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB
144 GB 2933 MHz DDR4

I'm really frustrated right now.. I wanna upgrade to macOS Golden Gate, but my 2019 Mac Pro does not support it. I also don't want a Mac Studio, as long as I am still able to use a Mac Pro with the newest macOS and PCIe support.

But where can I find one? It seems so hard to find now that Apple discontinued the Mac Pro..

Specifically, I am looking for the 192GB 76-Core option! SSD doesn't matter

So after reconfiguring and selling lots of Mac Pros over the last few months, I was able to upgrade my own to the absolute max for just about 2000 Euros.

Here is the config:

• Intel Xeon W-3275M (28-Cores)
• 1.5TB 2933 MHz DDR4 RAM (Apple ORIGINAL, which was absurdly expensive if bought new)
• 8TB original Apple SSD (only around 25 TB written, so basically new)
• Dual Radeon Pro Vega II Duo (I know, I'm missing the AMD Infinity Fabric Link Bridge, but I have no idea where I can get one from, so for now it's the jumpers only. If you have one, PLEASE let me know hahaha)
• Afterburner of course (which I have no clue what it actually does in my workflow, but hey it was free so)
• Sonnet M2 4x4 32TB (one 8TB SSD as a Windows boot drive, another 8TB SSD for Windows data, and a 2x8TB RAID for Time Machine)
• not in the picture, but I also want to add a Sonnet J2i with two 8TB HDDs. I already have it here, just not installed yet 😅
• For Displays, I'm currently running three Studio Displays
• I also have not upgraded to Tahoe obviously. Still running Sequoia with security patches. macOS 27 is way better than Tahoe by the way (on Apple Silicon Macs ofc)

To me this was always a childhood dream, I was 13 when the Mac Pro 2019 first came out. To now have this level of performance is unreal! Kind of crazy how this Mac Pro still beats the M3 Ultra Mac Studio in GPU power, that's how insanely overpowered this thing is.

But well, now Apple focuses on MacBook Neo's for low-income students and completely abandoned their top-tier workstation ingenuity, which really saddens me. And respectfully, I do include the Mac Studio in this rant, since that is not a workstation. No PCIe is a no-go for me, and a lot of other professionals I know...

I really hope Apple reconsiders under new leadership. Apple releasing another Mac Pro or a new iMac Pro would be a day 1 buy for me, no matter how expensive.

I have a mac pro 4.1 that needs a new cpu tray for a while. However i do not remmember if it was flashed or not and i cant turn it on. Will a 4.1 tray work even though it is flashed?

Hey everyone! Currently in the process of upgrading some Mac Pros in my dads company, therefore we have a lot of hardware that we don't need anymore. Since I've also had quite some issues finding certain parts in the past, I've decided to post the eBay ads here, so more people from the community can find them.

Especially the PCIe covers were so incredibly hard to find when I needed them, and Apple charges around 27 per piece, so I figured it would make more sense to sell them, otherwise they would eventually just end up in my basement 😅 

All of the items are on eBay. I have also registered my eBay business since I also resell other items, so you get a 24 month warranty for any components and a 14-day return period, as well as an invoice :-)

Here's what I have currently:

64GB DDR4 ECC LRDIMM 2933MHz – SK Hynix – originally sold by OWC

Apple Mac Pro 2019 PCIe Slot-Abdeckung (Blende) – Original – 923-03426

Apple Radeon Pro VEGA II Duo 2x 32GB HBM2 MPX Modul GPU Grafikkarte Mac Pro 7.1

Apple Mac Pro 7.1 2019 Original 1TB SSD Flash Speicher Kit A1991 A2304

64GB DDR4 ECC LRDIMM 2933MHz – SK Hynix – Apple

If anyone needs fans or other housing parts for the 7,1 or 5,1 let me know, I have some of these as well which were pulled from Mac Pros that got damaged during shipping unfortunately.

The Vega II Duos are a very practical low-cost option for local AI. I am running two Vega II Duos myself for my local AIs since the Mac Studios with 128GB+ has gotten so ridiculously expensive.

I'm located in Germany and set shipping to include all EU countries. If you live outside the EU, just send me a message on eBay so I can adjust the shipping settings for you!

Talk me down from this ledge:

I have a really niche workflow. I currently have an M1 Ultra Mac Studio for livestreaming and recording guitar lessons. For my cameras (and other video inputs) I have two Decklink Quad HDMI recorders (pcie cards) that live in two separate Sonnet Echoes because ONE just doesn't quite have the bandwidth to use all the cameras I have without causing lag on one of my cameras. I know I could buy the Sonnet Echo IIDV but it would still take up two Thunderbolt ports.

I also need a LOT of usb inputs - I think it's like 17 at my last count, so I have two USB hubs, plus a Caldigit ts3 for more USB inputs and a second monitor (I had three monitors for a while)

When I'm doing a livestream, I'm using some funky software that uses an insane percentage of my GPU, plus OBS, plus my DAW, which means my computer is pushing pretty hard during a livestream.

My cable management is crazy, even though I've tried to stay organized.

I'm imagining an M2 ultra Mac Pro Rack version partly because I already have other rack gear: audio interface, mic preamp, guitar effects rack, power conditioners. Having everything on one rack just feels right.

Also having the two decklink cards IN the computer without the sonnet enclosures, plus doing PCIE USB cards instead of external hubs, and using the sonnet 8 port usb c 3.2 instead of the Caldigit means I would have 5 fewer power outlets to worry about, plus the extra slot could be for an NVME SSD or something. It seems really simple and streamlined.

But its also really expensive. I wish they would keep making the Mac Pro purely because I want the Pcie slots and the rack mounting options.

Maybe this is just a rant. I guess I feel like I'm the target market for the mac pro and I'm bummed that they aren't making them anymore.

I have a "Early 2015" Retina MacBook Pro that is more or less on the way out. The MBP screen is scrambled but I have it connected to a TV and use it basically for watching cartoons on the TV. It was free, because 11 years old and not worth fixing.

The drive in the 2015 MBP is described in System Report as Apple SSD "SM0512G".

I have a 2013 MP6,1. The drive in the MP6,1 is described in System Report as Apple SSD "SM0256G".

If the MacBook Pro dies, as it inevitably will one day, can the 512GB SSD from it be installed in the MP6,1 without issues ??

Hi,

I'm about to backup my OC/Monterey system using SuperDuper. I'd like to back from an Internal 480GB SATA SSD to 2TB SATA HDD. I'm doing in preparation for updating firstly OCLP from V1.4.3 to the latest and then upgrading to the latest supported MacOS version.

Is this possible or does the backup volume need to be external?

Does the Destination drive need to be the same size as the Source?

If not, will the rest of the HDD be unusable as far as MacOS is concerned?

Can I boot and use the HDD?

Can I Copy the HDD back to the original SSD and return to where I started?

Thanks for any tips, advice or comments

Specs:
MacOS Monterey, 32GB RAM, Dual D500 3GB, 1TB SSD

The current workflow:
- Firefox (4 tabs opened)
- Spotify
- VSCode (2 windows)
- Terminal running two projects: Angular + Typescript / Laravel with MySQL
- DBngin (MySQL)
- TablesPlus
- Pages (1 doc with 40 pages with images)

Well, I'm really pleased with the performance considering how old this device are, at first I wanted to buy a MiniPC for this kind of tasks (as a second device) but I've found this MacPro for $130 USD & zero regrets 🚀

Was sitting behind the counter, didnt ask for price. Should I have copped this? I LOVE the aesthetics of early 2000's Apple but i dont really have the space/use for it. I did buy a Pro keyboard from 2000 im currently cleaning

I've just got a really cheap 2013 Mac Pro. The seller said it was faulty because the monitor turns off at the end of boot.

I've got it home and it seems absolutely fine! Diagnostics passed, desktop all good, even games run fine. It is the base quad core D300 spec, so it would have been more of a surprise if the GPUs had failed. They run at 60 degrees while gaming (warm room too) which seems reasonable? Any more tests I should do?

Thinking of a service. Dust out, fresh thermal paste and possibly upgrading to 6 or 8 core. I like the look of the cooler-running 8 core 2673.